Description:

The seminar "Research Methods in Management Control” seminar supports students in developing the knowledge and skills required to independently and critically design an empirical research project in the field of management control. Within the overarching topic “The Good, the Bot & the Ugly: Navigating AI in the Controlling Function”, students develop a research question, embed it theoretically, and design a methodologically sound empirical study.

Students work in teams and prepare the Introduction, Theory, and Method sections of a research paper. In addition, they implement the data collection process by distributing a pre-designed survey among practitioners. Each team develops and its own theoretically grounded research model within the scope of the available survey constructs. Students are expected to regularly submit intermediate results in order to receive feedback and to participate in several block seminar sessions that accompany their learning process throughout the research process. 

Students present and critically defend their research design in a research-oriented setting. The outcomes in this seminar form the foundation for the subsequent “Management Control Research Seminar”, in which the project is completed.

The “Research Methods in Management Control” seminar and the “Management Control Research Seminar” provide complementary competencies that together simulate the full research process, from research design and data collection to analysis and academic writing.

Learning Targets:

Students:

• can understand the methodological foundations of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches

• are able identify and specify a relevant research question

• can evaluate data sources (archival databases, corporate reports, surveys) in terms of reliability and validity can analyze data with appropriate statis-tical tools

• are able to identify threats to construct, internal, and external validity

• can present their research in an oral academic presentation

• are able to discuss and constructively criticize their own and others’ research

Literature:

The seminar literature depends on the specific topic assigned. Introductory literature and topic-specific readings are listed in the Course Manual, which is published under “Material”.

Formalities:

If you would like to participate in this seminar, please register no later than March 31 (23:59) via the enrollment form and upload the required documents (CV and Transcript of Records) as PDF files.

Please name your CV file according to the format “CV_Lastname_MatriculationNumber”; please name your Transcript of Records file according to the format “ToR_Lastname_MatriculationNumber”.

Incomplete or late registrations will not be considered.

The number of places is limited to 20 students. If the number of registrations exceeds the number of available places, allocation will be based on the number of credits already earned (with a higher number being preferred).

Procedure:

The specific topics, within the overarching topic “The Good, the Bot & the Ugly: Navigating AI in the Controlling Function” are listed in the Course Manual, which can be found under “Material” and is published at the beginning of the application phase. With your registration, please indicate your topic preferences (priority 1, 2, and 3) via the form on the chair’s website. Please be aware of the short descriptions of the topics (i.e., MA-1 etc.). The assigned topic remains the same across both seminars. You will work on the same research project throughout both seminars. The chair will make an effort, but cannot guarantee that you will receive one of your preferred topics.

You will be informed about your acceptance, topic allocation, and team formation by April 14 via email.

The first block seminar session takes place on April 22. If you do not withdraw from the seminar by email to the Chair by April 22 (23:59), registration becomes binding. If no work is presented, the seminar is considered failed (grade 5.0).

For detailed information, please refer to the course manual, which you can find under “Material”.

Supervision:

Detailed information on supervision and deadlines can be found in the Course Manual under “Material”.

Supervision takes place in structured block seminar sessions scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Prior to these sessions, students may submit intermediate results in order to receive written feedback. The focus of the seminar sessions is on overall feedback, individual questions, and guidance for the next steps in the research process.

Examination:

The module concludes with a module-specific examination in the form of a presentation (usually 15–30 minutes).

Material:

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