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 AU  Staff Departments  BTECH PhD Courses Courses offered by the Department of Business Development and Technology Introduction to Research Methods for Business and Technology

Introduction to Research Methods for Business and Technology

Period Autumn semester
Course type PhD seminar (5 ECTS)
ECTS 5
Instructor

Sven Kunish (Course Responsible)
Christian Tang Lystbæk (Day 1)
Birke Otto (Day 2)
Madalina Pop (Day 3)
John Vestergaard Olesen (Day 4)
Anders Frederiksen (Day 5)
Robert Alphinas / Francesco Chinello (Day 6)
Konstantinos Koumaditis / Francesco Chinello (Day 7)
Room TBA | Birk Centerpark 15 | Herning
Dates 3 Nov, 18-19 Nov, 26-28 Nov, 16 Dec 2025
Paper submission deadline TBA (approx. early December)
Maximum enrolment The maximum number of students is 20
Academic prerequisites  The seminar is open to internal and external PhD students. Preference for enrolment will be given to PhD students from the PhD programme at the Department of Business Development and Technology and students from other PhD programmes at Aarhus BSS.
Compulsory literature All articles marked with *
Background

The main objective of this course is to prepare doctoral students with fundamental and advanced knowledge about research methodologies to design and conduct interdisciplinary research in the intersection between business development and technology areas. The course distinguishes itself by equipping doctoral students to investigate relevant empirical questions and problems in the intersection between business and technologies. This course covers the main qualitative and quantitative research methodologies capable of solving issues in the intersection between business development/technology.

The course is divided in three main topic areas:

  1. Foundations of research and knowledge development, and implications for research design choices in interdisciplinary research in business and technology
  2. Qualitative methodologies for interdisciplinary research in business and technology
  3. Quantitative and experimental methodologies for interdisciplinary research in business and technology
Learning objectives

After completion of this PhD course, participants should be able to:

  • Understand the main research methodologies for interdisciplinary research in business and technology.
  • Critically assess research designs using different methods in scientific articles in business and technology research.
  • Develop a research design for research projects included in their own PhD thesis that aim to advance knowledge in the intersection between business development and technology.
  • Decide and implement the appropriate research methodologies with specific application to issues in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of business development and technology according to the formulated research question.
Format and schedule

This course is comprised of seven days of teaching in addition to preparing readings and assignments per session. Participants are expected to have carefully read the recommended articles prior to class. The mandatory articles are indicated (*) in the references list of the course. It includes a combination of seminal and instrumental articles on the qualitative and quantitative methodology discussed, as well as the examples of articles implementing those methods.

The teaching format includes readings for each session, lectures, hands-on practical exercises in the classroom and mandatory final assignment and presentation.

Each day is comprised of three to four sessions (details to be defined by the teacher):

  • Session 1: 09:00 am – 10:30 am
  • Session 2: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
  • Lunch
  • Session 3: 01:30 pm – 03:00 pm
  • Session 4: 03:30 pm – 05:00 pm
Assignments

Final assignment: Research design proposal

This assignment aims to develop student skills in an elaborate, rigorous, and robust research design of a study. Each student must submit a detailed proposal for a research design utilizing the elements and the methodologies covered in the course. Appropriate methodologies (i.e., qualitative, quantitative, or the combination of both) should be described according to the research problem and examine research questions. This proposal could be incorporated in one of the research papers in the PhD thesis.

Style guide for the final assignment:

The document can include five to seven pages of text plus one page of references; single-spaced; 11 Times New Roman points.

Supporting literature for the assignment:

Hair Jr., J., Page, M., & Brunsveld, N. (2019). Essentials of Business Research Methods (4th ed.). Routledge. AU Library link: https://doi-org.ez.statsbiblioteket.dk/10.4324/9780429203374
Revised 19.08.2025