Dr. Martine Durier-Copp: Research is Ongoing

“Achieving the sought-after MBA designation, is not the final destination for CFAME graduates.  Their influence, as strategic thinkers in the knowledge economy, is a confirmation that continuous learning leads to success and increased productivity.  This is the legacy of CFAME’s commitment to excellence.”

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp believes that research is ongoing and must be integrated within our day-to-day interactions and activities.  She agrees with Dr. Makani that research goes beyond academic walls.  Research is the foundation of knowledge exchange and is a continual process.  In a recent virtual interview, Dr. Durier-Copp provides background on ongoing research at the Centre for Advanced Management Education.

Management is an art, but also a science, and as any science, it is informed by knowledge. Knowledge develops and grows, as we conduct more research. The way we teach management also evolves, and is based on current best practices, as informed by ongoing research.

Researchers at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management study and investigate all facets of management from finance, operations management, strategy, marketing, to name a few.  Our students also help to build this base of knowledge and are essential for the integration of knowledge within the broader community. Our students’ projects provide invaluable contributions to this exercise.

At CFAME, we are particularly interested in e-learning.  That means, how students learn on-line, and how that is different from how they learn in traditional classrooms. That knowledge helps to inform the way we teach on line. Achieving the sought-after MBA designation, is not the final destination for CFAME graduates.  Their influence, as strategic thinkers in the knowledge economy, is a confirmation that continuous learning leads to success and increased productivity.  This is the legacy of CFAME’s commitment to excellence.

So, how do we conduct research?

One always begins with an analysis or review of the literature. What have other researchers found? We examine their studies for relevance, context, and of course, methodological rigour. From there, we can move on to extract important themes and issues, which can help us to develop a research framework – the lens or perspective from which we shall conduct our own analysis.

We then frame our research question, being a precise as possible; select our research method; and justify that method.

Next post:  Dr. Joyline Makani on Asking the Right Question