Economic Research Methods

Preliminary Time Schedule: The module takes place on Tuesdays (... rescheduled to) 18.00-19.30 in D 111) and Thursdays 10.15 - 11.45 in room A 217 (at selected days in the PC lab A 131, but this will be announced in advance)

Anadditional TUTORIAL will be offered by Patrick Henze -> Thursdays at 2 p.m.

week	date (Monday)	Research Methods (Theory: Cooper et. al.)	Quantitative Methods	Material / case (practical work on cases)
1	12 March 2013	General Introduction (the research process) - Welcome.ppt	Basic data management in Excel (First information about: 12. Measurement + 13. Measurement Scales) ---> Please fill this online questionnaire - (students' survey), today (or tomorrow) so we can use the results in class	Teambuilding (see table below) - Case study I (students' survey), questionnaire, (German Case Study and questionnaire) - for data management in Excel see Black - Case study I: presentations of the teams (homework) - Data: -> Excel-File from statistics classes from five cohorts of Students at HSB, 306 observations, some pivots already done, but also a lot more possibilities for further analyses ... ;-)
2	19 March	Part I: Introduction to Business Research 1. Research in Business	(4) Preparing Data (cont'd - 12. Measurement & 13. Measurement Scales) chap 16: Data Preparation and Description (2) -> thank you for 15 answers which we can analyse in this file source: online questionnaire - (students' survey)	(1) Teams' presentations: homework (Tuesday) (see table below and task in the cell above) (Case study I (students' survey)
3	Tuesday session rescheduled to Wednesday 27 March 14:30	Wednesday March 24: Presentation of the possibilities of the University Library: Econmics & Business Studies, Selected Resources - Faculty 1: International Business, Data Bases and RefWorks by Ms. Sabine Rauchmann - EconLit - OECD iLibrary: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/ - Web of Science: http://isiknowledge.com/wos 2. Thinking Like a Researcher	RefWorks: -> http://www.refworks.com (Gruppencode: RWUBremen) RefWorks –Youtube-Channel \| http://www.youtube.com/user/ProQuestRefWorks - RefWorks information on the SuUB homepage - RefWorks - short guide - Modifying an Output Style (and Sharing)	Additional tools Write’N’Cite (short guide) - http://youtu.be/qObr6QoBh2c OneLine/Cite View (alternative to Write’n’Cite) - https://www.library.ohiou.edu/find/refworks/oneline-citeview.html RefGrab-It (web pages) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25yPHGyx3T4
4	09 / 11 April	3. The Research Process	Preparing Data (cont'd - 12. Measurement & 13. Measurement Scales) chap 16: Data Preparation and Description Case Study II: Surveys in the Kunsthalle Bremen (Paula in Paris): - Presentation and Discussion Paper	Case Study II: surveys in the Kunsthalle Bremen (Paula in Paris and others): - Questionnaire - Dataset in Excel and in SPSS format - older dataset (Monet-Exhibition) as Excel-file (7.5 Mb) or zipped (1.9 Mb) plus questionnaire
5	16.4. 10.15 ! NO class on 18 April		Inference: Population and sample -> Central Limit Theorem ==> Statistical Inferences -> Confidence Intervals	-- " -- Central Limit Theorem (empty sheet used in class)
6	25 April	23 April -> *No class* (Hans-Diers-Symposium) Preparation for the Proposals: What_makes_a_Good_Presentation.jpg	Teams present homework tasks (see table below) Inference: Population and sample -> Central Limit Theorem ==> Statistical Inferences -> Confidence Intervals chap 16a: Describing Data chap 15a: Random - sample chap 18. Hypothesis Testing (recall the Central Limit Theorem)	Central Limit Theorem (empty sheet used in class) Tasks_Estimation_and_Tests and solutions (later)
7	30 April / 02 May	Tuesday 30th April MIDTERM exam (30 min) -> MidtermExample.doc	chap 18. Hypothesis Testing: - Central Limit Theorem - confidence Interval Data Management in Excel: correlation and regression analysis. Excel file (version used in class)	Please download the XL-files by Koop (zip), we are going to use (some of) them in class. Here you find descriptions of some datasets. (pdf 5.4 MB)
8	07 May	4. Business Research Requests & Proposals 09 May -> *No class* (national holiday)	Koop: "Analysis of Economic Data": Overview/Review chapters (1) to (3) (correlation) (4) An introduction to simple regression	XL_Exercises_Econometrics.xls
9	14 / 16 May		(4) An introduction to simple regression (cont'd) (5) Statistical Aspects of Regression (some aspects) -> Hypothesis testing in regression analysis -> postponed to next week (6) Multiple Regression (scanned versions of chap 5 and 6 now in Aulis)	Explaining House Prices: XL-file: HPRICE_class.xls, SPSS Label-File
10	21 / 24 May	Part II: The Design of Business Research 6. Research Design: An Overview 7. Secondary Data	(6) Multiple Regression Causality, Specifications and Applications with case study "Explaining House Prices" Recall that next week* the teams have to present their proposals for final presentations!*	Teams' classwork for today (Wed, 13/6): - answer first task about the College Town example - answer second task about the College Town example College Town: students' results for simple linear analysis (see tasks in the table below) - Material/resmeth/CollegeTownQuestion.doc, College_Town.xls - Alternative suggestions for Presentation-Topics.doc (but please keep in mind that you should find an own topic)
11	28 May	Teams present the proposals ---> (30 May: no class, please attend the SiB Business Week)	Teams present proposals for the final presentations! - Topic (Motivation) - Research Question(s) - Your "model" - Data you want to use (check availability) (see this example of a good term paper "Happiness Index") The final presentation time should be 10-15 minutes per student. It's helpful (but not requested) to deliver a small handout for all students (7) Regression with dummy variables with case study "Explaining House Prices" (and "Firm Foundations in Bremen")	Case studies / Example applications: - hedonic regression for used cars (task from June 2010: please upload results to Aulis ...) We analyse cars like VW Polo, Opel Corsa, Skoda Fabia, Ford Fiesta -> HedonicCars.xls - now with data
12	04 June	Using SPSS (introduction in PC lab = room A 112 ) Review of (4) An introduction to simple regression and (5) Statistical Aspects of Regression (some aspects) Additional information: if you want (=you don't have to!) you can download a trial version of the statistical program SPSS that we are going to learn to know in class -> product demos / 14-days Trial download for version 21 (6 June: no class due to a business journey / conference) -> but at that time you can prepare your ...	(7) Regression with dummy variables with case study "Explaining House Prices" and "Firm Foundations in Bremen" New Chapter 8 Qualitative Choice Models in 4 th edition (p119) - The Economics of Choice - Choice Probabilities and the Logit and Probit Models - Appendix 8.1: Choice Probabilities in the Logit Model Homework for next week -> each team should prepare one of the papers (see below)	Statistical software: SPSS: Education, product demos (alias PASW) - Aulis group Folder: ... Literature > SPSS you find some (_older_) Guides (of older versions); you also find the data file und some syntax files - for more information you can search "SPSS tutorial", "SPSS syntax guide", ... in the web (e.g. "Brief Guide" v19, ...) - SPSS downloads - 14-days Trial download for version 21.0.0 - IBM SPSS Statistics 20 User Manuals +Alternatives: EasyReg International; SAS, Stata, EViews, ... Firm Foundations in Bremen: - Paper and Presentation in German - Presentation (short version in English) - Data in Excel format - SPSS data file, label_en.sps, Reg_Abs_All_en.sps, Reg_Intensi_All_en.sps and an example output
13	11 / 13 June		New Chapter 8 Qualitative Choice Models (see above) Time Series Analysis (TSA) XL file with Energy Example and seasonal adjustment (8) Regression with Time Lags: The Distributed Lag Model (9) Univariate time series analysis (chapters refer to 3rd edition): Presentation of Homework Tasks Each team should prepare one of the papers + deliver a summary in class the summary can be brief (5 mins) but should discuss some regression results ---> (10) Regression with time series variables	1) The Value of Safety as Revealed in the Swedish Car Market - An Application of the Hedonic Pricing Approach 2) A hedonic analysis of American collectable comic-book prices 3) Cinema Demand in Germany 4) Did you follow the debate about "The 90% question": relationship between debt and growth, see e.g. a report in the Economist or "The Reinhart-Rogoff Reassessment in the Media"? - The original paper by Reinhart and Rogoff - The (reply) paper by Herndon, Ash and Pollin, who on their webpage also provide a link to the dataset they used. Why not try it ... ??
14	18 / 20 June	Teams' presentations Homework (for 25 June): What makes a good (term) paper? -> please gather tips / provide material / links. Please revise the following example term papers (=which grade would you award for this term paper?") ("Trabajo_escrito_economic_format2003.doc" and (NN)), so we can discuss it in class.	Time Series Analysis (TSA) - XL file with Energy Example and seasonal adjustment (8) Regression with Time Lags: The Distributed Lag Model (9) Univariate time series analysis Teams' presentations Thank you for uploading the presentations in Aulis - up to 8 a.m. for (=on) Tuesday and - up to Wednesday evening for Thursday.	The presentation time should be 10-15 minutes per student. It's helpful to deliver a handout for all students
15	25 June	{2} Self-Reflective Statement ---> MindMap {3} Term-Paper and Academic writing {3-1} AssessmentTermPaper.doc {3-2} Examples Please revise the following example term papers (=which grade would you award for this term paper?") ("Trabajo_escrito_economic_format2003.doc" and (NN)), so we can discuss it in class. {3-3} Technical example (MS Word) - Example_for_Word_processor_PS.doc (complete paper) {3-4} Please recall the referencing standards we discussed 21. Presenting Results: Oral and Written Reports "If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research" (Wilson Mizner) Excursus: Standards for academic work / quotations: One possibility (=there are others): "Harvard style" -> Skills 4 Learning (C) Leeds Metropolitan University): "Quote, Unquote" Quotation guide -> more material in our Aulis-group (two zip-files, both are needed - unpack them and open index.html) I recommend that you use RefWorks - you can choose an appropriate standard (preferably DIN or Harvard-style), it is most important that you stick to the standard. -> A corrected version of a Reference List (example)	{1} Evaluation / Feedback -> {4} TSA: (8) Regression with Time Lags: The Distributed Lag Model (9) Univariate time series analysis (10) Regression with time series variables (11) Applications of time series methods in macroeconomics and finance	Evaluations of Peter Schmidt Sommersemester 2013 / Summer Term 2013: - SS_13-Economics__M2.1.pdf - SS_13-VWL__Mikroökonomie__Makroökonomie_&_Internationale_Wirtschaftsbeziehungen.pdf - SS_13-VWL_I__Grundlagen_der_VWL__Mikroökonomie.pdf Wintersemester 2012/13 / Winter Term 2012/13: - WS_12_13-Quantitative_Methods.pdf - WS_12_13-EFA1-Wirtschaftsstatistik.pdf - WS_12_13-Kultur_und_Wirtschaft__M1.1.pdf Sommersemester 2012 / Summer Term 2012: - SS_12-Economic_Research_Methods_(C13).pdf - SS_12-Economics_I.pdf - SS_12-VWL_II_-_VGR__Makroökonomie_und_Wirtschaftspolitik.pdf Wintersemester 2011/12 / Winter Term 2011/12: - WS_11_12-Kunst_und_Kultur_in_der_Gesellschaft__M1.1.pdf - WS_11_12-Basics_of_Economics__Microeconomics.pdf - WS_11_12-Grundlagen_der_VWL_und_Mikroökonomie.pdf Sommersemester 2011 / Summer Term 2011: - Economic Research Methods (ISEB 1) - SS_11-VGR__Makrooekonomie_und_Wirtschaftspolitik.pdf - SS_11-Quantitative_Methoden_(M2.2).pdf - SS_11-Economics_(M2.1).pdf Sommersemester 2010 / Summer Term 2010: - VWL 1 (DSBW 2) - Economic Research Methods (ISEB 1) - Quantitative Methoden (MBA 1) - Economics (MBA 1) Wintersemester 2009/10 / Winter Term 2009/10: - WS_09_10-Economic_Research_Methods_(engl.) Peter Schmidt.pdf Sommersemester 2009 / Summer Term 2009: - Economics (MBA 1) - Quantitative Methoden (MBA 1)
N.N.		Part II: The Design of Business Research 6. Research Design: An Overview 7. Secondary Data Review and conclusion + YOUR questions		-> Some links: - http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~martins/sen_sem/thesis_org.html - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ - http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/parenthetical.htm - RegEcoImpacts-culturalEvents_asExample.doc - Example_for_Word_processor_PS.doc - ... more tips to be delivered by the class !

Teamwork: The Teams are asked to prepare their tasks ("homework") and present them in class at the dates given below:

Date \ Group:	All	1	2	3	4
Names (photos)		Hustert, Rupert Madlin Reck Philipp Schack	Bartosz Lenartowicz Tolga Uca Elvira Zyabbarova	Farid Ammardija Ebru Caki Anne Tornow	Angelina Koch Michaela Widmer Hong Man Yau Paul Frank
1. session (12 March) discussion in class	Case study I "Students' survey" -> How to gather the information ?	1. PBC	2. University UHSB - housing	3. University UHSB - Applications	4. Instructor P
Tuesday 19 March	Case study "Students' survey" -> "final" presentations by researchers	1. PBC - results and recommendations	2. Uni-housing - results and recommendations	3. Uni appl. - results and recommendations	4. Instructor P - results and recommendations
25 April 2013	Data analysis: Describe the ... + socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents including their origin All Groups: define management dilemas and => Management / Research Questions for your topic !	... origin of the visitors and their socio-demographic characteristics for the different groups (question 26 ff in last colum)	... Inducement to visit the exhibition (question 1) and their socio-demographic characteristics for the different groups	... Reason to visit the exhibition (question 3) and their socio-demographic characteristics for the different groups (these are only the out-of-town visitors)	... Motivation to visit the exhibition (question 17) and their socio-demographic characteristics for the different groups (these are only the out-of-town visitors)
t.b.a.	"Involvement" of museum visitors ...
in class 23 May	"College Town": All groups should perform (i) one simple correlation and regression (interpret!) ... and:	(a) price / quantity	(b) advertising expenditures / quantity	(c) distance / quantity	(d) distance / advertising expenditures
in class 23 May	(ii) the multiple regression, answering ...	(h) what happens if FCI increases the rent by 50 and advertising by 10 + general recommendations	(g) what happens if an appartment building is located 5 miles further away than the average distance + general recommendations	(f) what happens if FCI increases the advertising by 10 + general recommendations	(e) what happens if FCI decreases the rent by 50 + general recommendations
28 May	ALL Teams present their PROPOSALS for final presentations !	PROPOSAL	PROPOSAL	PROPOSAL	PROPOSAL
13 June	Each team should prepare one of the papers + deliver a summary in class the summary can be brief but should discuss some regression results --->	1) The Value of Safety as Revealed in the Swedish Car Market - An Application of the Hedonic Pricing Approach	2) A hedonic analysis of American collectable comic-book prices	3) Cinema Demand in Germany	4) Did you follow the debate about "The 90% question": relationship between debt and growth, see e.g. a report in the Economist or "The Reinhart-Rogoff Reassessment in the Media"? - The original paper by Reinhart and Rogoff - The (reply) paper by Herndon, Ash and Pollin, who on their webpage also provide a link to the dataset they used. Why not try it ... ?? The homework is only about the (reply) paper by Herndon, Ash and Pollin
18 / 20 June	no tasks	but YOUR Presentations

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Basic Material / Links: Links to textbooks: "Analysis of Economics Data"by Gary Koop, table of contents 4th ed. and also the "Look inside" possibilities of a bookseller (here the link to the second edition) "Business Research Methods" by D. R. Cooper and P. S. Schindler. Here you find the searchable Glossary of the 7th edition and also the ppt's used in class. "HOW TO Research" by Loraine Blaxter, Christian Hughes and Malcolm Tight. "Understanding Social Science Research" by Thomas R. Black, with a preview ("look inside" at Amazon (chapter 5 - 8 for a review of statistical methods (plus application in Excel))
Please access AULIS, the E-Learning-Platform of the Hochschule Bremen and subscribe to the group Repository » Faculty 1: Business Sciences (School of Int. Business - SIB) » Int. Studies in Economics and Business Administration (ISEB MA) » Economic Research Methods (ISEB)]. We are going to use this group for our internal communication and to exchange handouts, solutions of the exercises, presentations, data, ... The Assessment of this module is a "Learning Portfolio": Theoretical definition from the module handbook: "A Learning Portfolio consists of several parts which may include individual as well as team results. Essential part of the final performance is the reflective statement in which every student critically reviews and evaluates her/his individual learning process and the roles of the different partial assessments. These partial assessment may be essays, concept papers, individual presentations, team presentations, reflected literature research in form of documented bibliographies, own analyses including the documentation of the applied methods, term papers, oral/written tests/exams or also other types that can be proposed to the lecturer. Normally 2 to 4 of these types are selected by the student and have to be approved by the lecturer." Further information about the ... "AssessmentResMeth.docx"