Course Description

An activity course involving practical experience in planning a research project, designing questionnaires, sampling, interpreting results and preparing a research report. The course provides an introduction to research methods used in business and management. It covers qualitative and quantitative methods, using primary and secondary data. The course is designed to provide students a solid foundation for conducting their own research and for critically evaluating and reading prior academic research. The course presents the fundamentals of the research process. The knowledge and competencies acquired in the study process will enable students to make methodological decisions in designing and planning research. The overall goal of the course is to equip students with the skills necessary to perform research.

Learning Outcomes

During this course, you will:

• Understand the relevance of research in managerial decision- making.
• Have a critical awareness of research issues, methodologies, and methods used in business and management as well as an understanding of potential ethical problems of the research
• Obtain skills to identify a business problem/need, translate it into a research question, and design an appropriate way to answer it.
• Develop skills to identify and understand the main qualitative and quantitative strategies of research, of their advantages and disadvantages and of appropriate application areas.
• Develop skills to design a research project and collect data.
• Obtain skills to analyze data and draw reasonable interpretations as well as communicate research findings in a clear and well-organized way
• Develop skills to critically evaluate the quality of other researchers’ findings and the process used to obtain them.

Prof. Bill Lee, University of Sheffield

Aim of the course

To reach excellence as a student and as a (future) leader, it is not only necessary to develop hard skills, but also to master soft skills through which we can develop and improve ourselves, and our relationships with others. Taking on an explicit psychological perspective, this course aims to provide students with the necessary theoretical knowhow and practical tools that should enable them to both understand and apply pathways to (inter)personal, and intellectual success and to emotional flourishing. Topics that will be covered are: “self and personality”, “creativity”, “critical thinking”, “self-presentation” and “self-branding”. At the end of this course students are expected to have become acquainted with and have mastered/applied a range of soft skills that are quintessential for personal development and that are valued by, and sought after by employers.

Learning outcomes

• Students will be able to explain major theories and findings from psychology research into personality, social groups, emotions, and critical thinking.
• Students will be able to formulate credible and meaningful real-life applications of the major psychology theories and findings covered in the course.
• Students will be able to critically reflect on the importance of soft skills for their student and/or professional life.
• Students will be acquainted with a host of practical skills, aimed at bolstering their creative, self-presentation and self-branding skills.
• Students will be able to apply the practical skills on creativity, self-presentation and self-branding that they will be taught.

Aim of the course

The course introduces key concepts related to Emotional Intelligence and explores the different ways emotion is socially and discursively constructed, and how emotions manifest in everyday human interactions with technology and each other, and organizational life. Students will learn about emotional expressions, emotions’ control, abuse/bullying, compassion, stress, and burnout; how emotion norms are formed in teams and organizations. Students will learn and practice emotional hygiene activities including reflection and meditation; micro-practices as emotional labour, social support, compassion, and empathy, and engagement through face-to-face activities, and mediated interaction, storytelling, venting, joking, and advice-giving. The course will also deal with the role of being emotionally intelligent during the digital transformation process in the organization. The course is based on numerous practical real-life cases, examples, and managerial tools.

Learning outcomes

• Students understand the concept of Emotional Intelligence and related EQ skills.
• Able to identify and name prevailing feelings and emotions of his own and other people, can reflect on it.
• Students understand the impact of bullying and other negative emotions on other people and can elaborate an action plan for restraining them.
• Aware of tools and technics for “being” emotionally intelligent and able to grow their empathy and compassion level.

Aim of the course

This course aims to offer students an in-depth and critical overview of cutting-edge research in the field of consumer behaviour.

Learning outcomes

• Will be able to independently find and select relevant and high-quality consumer behaviour research articles, and to critically reflect upon that literature.
• Will be able to perform consumer behaviour research, and statistically analyse and interpret the results of that research.
• Will be able to formulate credible and meaningful real-life applications of the theories and findings covered in the course and in the research project.
• Will be able to write a scientific research report, and present and discuss research results for both a specialist and layman audience.