New perspectives

Does background music influence consumers to spend more? Does the presence of friends affect purchasing behaviour? Are people more willing to donate to charity with a cashier vs. at self-checkout? A new course offering in the Commerce program sees students explore these questions and more.

In Discovering New Knowledge: Introduction to Research in Business (COMM404), students dive into the world of research and how it is applied in business. It was spearheaded by Lynnette Purda, associate dean (graduate programs), and Laurence Ashworth, associate dean (research). “There’s so much data that’s available now in the business world that we’re seeing research skills being much more highly in demand, even in industry,” says Purda, who is a professor of finance and oversees the business school’s MSc and PhD programs. “Research is not only being done in academia. Now, we’re seeing that people are looking to have these skills and this kind of analytics done in practice.”

COMM404 explores fundamentals such as qualitative methods and quantitative analysis, preparing literature reviews, formulating research questions, collecting data and more. Introduced in the fall of 2023, the inaugural session was a success; it has even impacted some students’ post-graduation trajectory. “The program was responsible for kick-starting my pursuit of graduate studies. It really accelerated my interest in the research field as a viable postgraduate employment opportunity,” says Noah Lee, Comm’24.

Former student Mariam Guirguis, Comm’24, says she is also considering postgraduate study options as a result of the course. “Being in Commerce, we’re not exposed to many research opportunities. I think this course is a great way to bring people into that world and show them that this is something they could do,” she says. “Not knowing exactly what field you want to pursue and finally having that eureka moment, specifically in a course, is beautiful.”