Course Outline-Research Methods

Instructor: Amina Talat

Teacher Assistant: Ali Taimoor

Office: H2 Room 4

Office:

Email: amina.talat.imran@gmail.com

E mail: alitaimurbaig@gmail.com

Course Description:
Business Research Methods provides the theoretical and practical base for a research project. It coverS
the fundamentals of the research proposal, literature review, and qualitative and quantitative methods. The
course first emphasises the research process and the importance of the literature review. It then focuses
upon the appropriateness of specific research methods. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate
different strategies and methods by identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and
quantitative methods. Overall, this course equips students with the skills and expertise to identify a
research question and propose solutions based on scientific rigour.

Course Objective:
Business research methods provide the insight into the
challenges faced by managers in research for business decision making. The course
aims at:
To meet the challenge of the fast pace decision making environment,
Provide the knowledge and skills a manager needs to solve the problems.
The course is designed to prepare the students to manage business, notfor-profit, and public organization in all functional areas.
Learning Outcomes:

1. Engage in research environments critically appraising the research of others.

2. Perform a literature review in a specific area
3. Explain scientific method as it relates to quantitative research
4. Outline the principles of hypothesis testing, and identify appropriate analytical strategies to test specific
hypotheses
5. Evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
6. Plan a qualitative or quantitative research design

7. Develop, present and defend a research proposal as a possible basis for their dissertation project
8. Outline the major ethical issues involved in research and, if applicable, prepare an ethics application for
approval
9. Report and communicate analytical findings and recommendations in a manner conducive to the
profession or discipline.

Teaching Method:
A variety of methods will be used to accomplish the above objectives including instructor's lectures, in
class group discussions & assignments, case studies, term project, and videos.
The course is designed to clarify the material in the textbook and outside material, stimulate your thinking
about key issues related to research, and relate the research methods to real world situations. Emphasis
will be placed on active student participation and discussions. You are expected to come to class prepared
to discuss the relevant issues. Ideally, I would like to create an open atmosphere in which we can
creatively and imaginatively analyze ideas and concepts. In the process we will add to our intellectual
skills and become more analytical in our thinking about daily events.
Required Texts:
Core Text: Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2007). Business research methods. Oxford university press.
The core text will be supplemented by readings from:
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case studies research: design and methods. Thousand Oaks, Sage.
A handbook of related articles has been created.

Grade distribution:

Attendance
Assignments
Quizzes
Midterm
Final
Term Project

5%
10%
10%
25%
30%
20%

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Serial #

Topic

The Role of Business Research

- The scope of Business Research.
- Business Research Defined.
- Managerial Value of Business Research
- What is Good Research?
- How the research industry works.
- Business Research is a global activity.
Scientific Investigation
The Hall Marks of Scientific Research
Research & the scientific Method
Deduction & Induction
The language of Research
Concepts
Constructs Definitions
Variables
Propositions & Hypotheses
Theory
Models
Some Obstacles to conducting Scientific Research in the
Management Area
The Hypothetico-Deductive Method
The Research Process:
Stages in the Research process
Decision alternatives in the research process
Influence of uncertainty on types Research.
Research Process Issues
Business Research Requests and Proposals
- Research Proposal.
- Purpose of Research Proposal.
- Types of Research Proposal.
- Development of the proposals.
- Formatting the Research proposal
- Contents of the Research proposal
- Requirements of the sponsoring agent.
- Evaluation of Research proposal.
- Professional Implicit Considerations.
Ethics in Business Research.
- What are research ethics
- Ethical treatment of participants.
- Ethics and the Sponsors.
- Professional Standards.

10

Experimental Research
- The nature of experiments.
- Basic Issues in Experimental Design.
Experimental research Design
Pre-experimental Designs
True Experimental Designs
Field Experiment
- Validity in Experimentation
Internal Validity
External Validity
- Threats to Experimentation Validity.
Doing a Literature Review
Purpose of Reviewing Research
Research Investigation
Writing the review & its use
Referencing & Quotations in Literature Review Section
The Research design:.
- What is Research Design?
- Classification of Designs.
- Exploratory Studies Techniques.
- Descriptive Studies.
- Causal Studies
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
- Comparison of Qualitative & Quantitative Research
- The Process of Qualitative Research
- Qualitative Research Methodologies
- Interview
- Individual Depth Interviews
- Group Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Case Study
- Merging Qualitative & Quantitative Methodologies
Secondary Data Collection
- What are secondary data?
- Advantages and disadvantages.
- Classification of secondary data.
- Internal and Proprietary data.
- Common external sources.

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Primary Data Methods.

- Sources of Data
- Interviewing
- Structure & Unstructured Interviews
- Personal Interviews.
- Telephone Interviews.
- Self-Administered Questionnaires.
- Observation.
Direct Observation
Observing social settings
Content analysis
Mechanical observation
Measurement Scales
- Sources of Measurement Differences
- Characteristics of good Measurements
Validity
Reliability
Practicality
Selecting a Measurement Scale
- Simple Category Scale
- Single-Response Scale
- Multiple Response Scale
- Likert Scale
- Semantic Differential Scale
- Numerical Scale
- Multiple Rating List Scale
- Constant-Sum Scale
- Staple Scale
- Graphing Rating Scale
- Ranking Scale
- Cumulative Scale

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Crafting the Research Instrument

Questions categories & Structure
Question Content
Question |Wording
Response Strategy
Types & Forms of Questions
- Open ended versus Close ended
- Positively & Negatively worded Questions
- Dichotomous Questions
- Multiple-Choice Questions
- Rating Questions
- Ranking Questions
Biases in Questions
- Double Barrelled Questions
- Ambiguous Questions
- Re-call Dependent Questions
- Leading Questions
- Loaded Questions
Length of Questions
Drafting & Refining the Instrument
Questions Sequencing
Classification Data or personal information
Principles of Measurement
Over Coming Instrument Problem
Sampling Design
- The nature of sampling.
- Steps in Sampling Design.
- Sampling Method.
Probability Sampling.
Non-probability sampling
- What is appropriate sample design?
- Random sampling errors and non-sampling.
Hypothesis Testing
- Statistical Significance
- Logic of Hypothesis Testing
- Statistical Testing Procedure
- Tests of Significance
- Types of Tests
- How to select test
- One-sample test
- Two-Independent Samples Test
- Two-Related Samples Test
- K-Independent- Sample Test
- K-Related Sample Test

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The case study as a Research Strategy

- Comparing case studies with other research strategies
in the social sciences
- Common Definition of Case Studies
- General Approach to Designing Case Studies
- Criteria for judging the Quality of Research Designs
- Modest Advice in Selecting Case study designs
Analysing qualitative data
- Grounded Theory Introduction
- Coding Procedure
- Analysis through Microscopic Examination of Data
- Basic Operation: Asking Questions and Making
Comparisons
- Analytical Tools
- Open Coding
- Axial Coding
- Selective Coding
- Theoretical Sampling
Data Preparation and Description
- Editing
- Field Editing
- Central Editing
- Coding
- Codebook Construction.
- Coding Closed Question.
- Coding Rules
- Missing Data
Presenting insights and Findings: (Research Report)
- Written Research Report
- Short Reports
- Long Reports
- Research Report Components.
- Writing the Report
- Pre-writing Concerns
- Writing the draft
- Presentation Consideration.
- Presentation Statistics
- Oral Presentation
- Preparation
- Delivery
- Audio-visuals

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Computer Technology & Business Research

- Information Needs
- Advantages of ICT
- Role of ICT in Managerial Decision Making
- PC Applications using Software
- End Note Software
- SPSS Software
- N-vivo Software
- Data Recording by using MS Excel & MS Access
- Presentation of Report by using MS Power point
- Literature Search through internet
- Using the database of Science Direct (Elsevier),
Emerald, JSTOR etc.
- How to use the Turnitin (Plagiarism Software)