Business researchers are often concerned with understanding individuals with the decisions they make, the goals they pursue, the practices they engage in, and the relationships they form with friends, colleagues, brands, and many others. 

Qualitative methods allow researchers to empirically explore, analyze, and theorize how and why consumers, managers, employees, and others who participate in market exchanges relate to each other in certain ways and how they navigate specific social contexts. Instead of searching for generalizable patterns, surprising effects, or human biases in anonymous experiments, surveys, and large databases, qualitative researchers study human experiences, attitudes, or practices directly. They observing their behaviors, ask deep questions, and interpret data from a wide range of sources to understand how and why social life unfolds in certain ways.

This seminar provides doctoral and PhD students with an opportunity to intellectually engage with the philosophy and key concepts of qualitative research but also to sharpen their skills in conducting such work. Participants will learn how to critically evaluate published qualitative work, develop research questions, design qualitative research projects, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings in compelling ways to make impactful theoretical and practical contributions to their respective fields of knowledge. 

After completing this course, students will be able to

• demonstrate a solid understanding of the philosophy and key concepts of qualitative research,

• understand and critically appraise published qualitative work,

• develop meaningful research questions,

• design qualitative research projects to address their research questions, 

• collect and analyze non-numerical data of various kinds, 

• discuss strategies of conveying their findings to journal reviewers and editors, and 

• discuss the practical and ethical complexities of conducting qualitative research.

• “Nice atmosphere, very practical (examples of real top-tier research), amazing instructor and person.”

• “Good curriculum, well prepared and fine atmosphere. Learning intensive and fun course.”