Why Business Research Methods?

Business Research Methods (BRM) is part of your Master's degree. This module will help you make better decisions in situations where a solution to a problem is not immediately obvious because you are missing some of the information. 

This module will not just help you in your role as a manager, but also in your personal life, where you will often use research to solve problems or issues. Business Research Methods is a mandatory graduation module at TIAS, and it will certainly prove its worth in your professional or personal career. 

According to previous participants, BRM has been invaluable in helping them deal with problems in a structured manner. This module offers an excellent combination of theory and practice, making it highly applicable to real-life situations. 

With the Business Research Methods modules, you will:

• Learn when applied research is useful and how to set it up
• Develop the knowledge and skills to conduct applied research
• Learn to value your research reports.

For students doing an entire Master's program at TIAS, both BRM modules are mandatory. The BRM I module takes place at the start of your program and BRM II at the end, just before graduation. 

Who?

Business Research Methods is for participants who wish to study one of the following Master's programs in full:

• Executive Master of Health Administration (MHA)
• Executive Master in Management and Organization (MMO)
• Executive Master in Information Management (MIM)
• Executive Master of Public and Non-profit Management (MPM)
• Executive Master of Management in Education (MME)
• Executive Master of Operations & Supply Chain Management (MOS)
• Executive Master of Real Estate (MRE)

BRM I - Contents

After a general introduction on conducting research, you will get started on the actual research process and problem analysis. 

This process includes the following steps:

• Identifying the organizational problem
• Conducting preliminary research, consisting of exploration (and in many cases a diagnosis) 
• Defining the organizational problem
• Drawing up the preconditions for the solution 

The organizational problem will form the starting point for the problem definition (including the research objective and research questions). Next, you will practice developing a research proposal and conducting a literature study. 

BRM II - Contents

The second module takes place before graduation. You will learn what reviewing literature entails and how to develop a theoretical framework. You will also go over collecting, analyzing, and interpreting both qualitative and quantitative data that are aimed at solving the organizational problem. Based on the data you have collected, you will draw your conclusions and present your recommendations on how to solve the organizational problem. A key part of the module is dedicated to developing the ability to reflect critically on your own and others' research.

Dates and locations

BRM I