Valid from: Spring 2013
Decided by: FN3/Per Tunestål
Date of establishment: 2013-08-19
Division: Engineering Logistics
Course type: Third-cycle course
Teaching language: English
To provide the student with an understanding of how to formulate and interpret empirical models in SCM research. Empirical methodologies are increasingly used to analyze research problems in logistics and supply chain management. Doctoral students often take empirical methods courses that teach the basics of the various SCM empirical methodologies. Scandinavian doctoral students in SCM tend to have a broad knowledge of Philosophy of Science in general and qualitative methods in particular, but have not, traditionally, been strong in more quantitative methods/analysis, including knowledge how to critically analyze papers that use these methodologies and to properly formulate their own empirical SCM research models. With these thoughts in mind, this short doctoral course is focused on Regression and Multivariate Analysis Using Survey Data.
Knowledge and Understanding
For a passing grade the doctoral student must Be familiar with various empirical methods used in SCM research. SCM is an applied discipline and has borrowed research methods from the social sciences (economics, psyhology, etc.), as well as from other business disciplines (marketing, strategic management). The student must also show an understanding of how to formulate and interpret empirical meodels in SCM research.
Competences and Skills
For a passing grade the doctoral student must Understand how to formulate hypotheses and research questions. Then, models must be constructed in a way that can address these questions and hypotheses. Finally, the results from the analysis must be interpreted correctly. This course will help students in their development of hypotheses and empirical models, and in the interpretation of results from empirical analyses.
Judgement and Approach
For a passing grade the doctoral student must Be able to critically analyze published research in SCM. Academics are often called upon to review papers submitted to academic journals. In addition, academics wishing to develop their own research agendas must rely on published research in order to determine gaps in the literature. This seminar will help students understand the strengths and weaknesses of published research in order to become better reviewers and more accomplished researchers.
The course will provide an overview of some of the more prevalent methods used to analyze data in SCM research, including econometrics, multivariate methods, and structural equation modeling. Methodologies that use both archival data sources and survey data sources will be discussed.
Selected articles.
Types of instruction: Lectures, seminars
Examination format: Written assignments.
For a passing grade the student must complete all required assignments.
Grading scale: Failed, pass
Examiner:
Course coordinator: Dag Näslund <dag.naslund@tlog.lth.se>