BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

About this Course

This is a course without grade and it carries 3 (three) credit hour units and considered as required attendance. It is both qualitative and quantitative in nature designed to enhance strategic, analytical, and inquisitive approach of applying knowledge acquired in other functional areas of the MBA curriculum. The emphasis therefore is on PROCESS without sacrificing contents though it may differ in vigorous treatment as data gathering and analysis. The focus will be on two types of methodology; (1) qualitative/quantitative and (2) case study.

Course Learning Outcomes

1) Understand Business Research Procedures that would enable them to undertake and complete a more advance independent course, namely, APPLIED BUSINESS RESEARCH (ABR794/796), in a group setting.
2) Enhance their core competency in the process of acquiring knowledge and skill in undertaking organized, systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry when investigating a specific problem for the purpose of finding answers or solution
3) Develop strategic thinking capability especially by demonstrating the ability to apply decision making process based on fundamentals of the functional areas of the entire MBA curriculum, namely, be it, marketing, accounting and finance, operations mana

Course Syllabus

+ Course Syllabus

1) -Introduction to Research
• Definition and importance of research
• Types of research
• Characteristics of a good research
• Scientific Investigation as a Model of Specific Inquiry
• Technology and Business

2) -Research problem identification
• Problem definition/statement
• Development of research objectives

3) -Literature Review
• Critique of articles
• Synthesis of issues
• Referencing and citation

4) -Development of Conceptual Framework
• Identification of variables
• Nature of variables
• Operational definition of variables
• Development of research question / hypothesis

5) -Methodology
a) Research Design
• Purpose of study
• Types of investigation
• Study setting
• Unit of analysis
• Time horizon
b) Sampling Design
• Reasons for sampling
• Sample size decisions
• Sampling methods
• Errors in sampling
c) Measurement Scales
• Types of scales
• Rating scales
• Ranking scales
• Reliability
• Validity
d) Data Collection Method
• Types of data
i. primary data
ii. secondary data
• Modes of data collection
i. questionnaire
ii. interview
iii. focus group
• Errors in data collection

6) - Data Processing and Analysis
• Coding, data entry, editing, data cleaning
• Descriptive statistics
• Cross tabulation
• Inferential Statistics
• SPSS, Eviews, NVIVO

7) - Report Writing and presentation
• Research proposal
• Final report
• Integral parts of a proposal and final report
• Oral presentation

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 : What is the interview method of research?
A1 : Interview research usually involves the interviewer asking a series of questions which are then recorded in some manner.