The power of experimentation in business studies - Workshop for PhD students

Jelena Cerar, Assistant Professor of International Business and Strategy WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria conducted a 8 hours-long online workshop for PhD students entitled "The power of experimentation in business studies" at 6th and 13rd November 2024.

This course was meant to develop and deepen students’ understanding of the experimental method in (international) management research. In the course, it was reviewed questions of motives and uses of experiments, main challenges, experimental design and implementation, as well as appropriate procedures of subject recruitment, ethical concerns, and other methodological issues. The course also guided the students through best practices in management experimentation. 
It answers some fundamental questions, such as: 

- What makes a good experiment? 

- How to overcome common challenges with experimental designs? 

- How to run experimental tests in online and off-line (laboratory and field) setting? 

- How to run experiments with companies? 
 

After the course, students are familiar with all aspects of design and implementation of experiments, such as recruiting, ethics, and the conduct of experimental sessions. They should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the experimental method, to evaluate the appropriateness of this method to study certain research questions, and to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the method.