Module Code and Title:      RES301 Research Methods in Business

Programme:                                      Bachelors of Commerce

Credit:                                                12

Module Tutors:                                 Kabita Chhetri, Jigme Tashi, Dip Raj Pradhan, Tirtha Raj Puri,Carl Wonder, Priyanka Sharma, Jeroen Uittenbogaard

Module Coordinator:                        Carl Wonder

General Objective:This module aims to acquaint students with the process to identify research problems, draw and operationalize research plans, apply appropriate techniques for empirical investigation and write a research report. The module also familiarizes students with various dimensions and methods of research which will help them make informed choices while doing a research. Students will also be introduced to languages of research, ethical principles and challenges in conducting a research, and thus, serves as a foundational module for practical research in the advanced levels of study.

Learning Outcomes – On completion of the module, students should be able to:

1. Explain the differences between business research methodology and methods
2. Make informed choice from the alternative methods and designs of business research
3. Identify and formulate research problems
4. Prepare good research proposals
5. Select and design appropriate data collection tools
6. Interpret and analyse the data using statistical tools
7. Critically review literature relevant to their research topic
8. Write and present a good research report

Teaching and Learning Approach:

Assessment Approach:

Students’ learning of the module will be assessed continuously throughout the semester.

A. Identifying and Formulating a Research Problem: Portion of Final Marks-10%

Students in a group of five should be able to identify a research problem of their interest/subject. Having accepted the topic by the module tutor, students then will formulate a research problem, research objectives and questions.

Problem significance (4%)

Relation to area of study (2%)

Logical statement of the research problem, objectives and questions (2%)

Presentation (2%)

B. Writing a Critical Literature Review: Portion of Final Marks-10%

The students will have to search literature relevant to their chosen topic(s) and critically review the literature.

Relevancy (2%)

Critical writing (4%)

Standard flow of writing (2%)

Presentation (2%)

C. Developing Appropriate Research Design and Methods: Portion of Final Marks-10%

Students will frame research design relevant to their chosen topics and develop the research methods. This will include sampling, methods of data collection and its analysis processes.

Choice of appropriate design and methods (5%)

Logical writing skills (3%)

Presentation (2%)

D. Critiquing Research Articles (1): Portion of Final Marks-10%

Students in group will select 2 research articles of their interest and do a critical analysis of the papers. The assessment will also include presentation.

Choice of appropriate papers (1%)

Critical analysis (5%)

Presentation individual (4%)

E. Data Preparation and Analysis: Portion of Final Marks-10%

Students in groups will be assigned to prepare and analyse by the end of the unit on Analysis and interpretation of data. The assessment will also include presentation.

Data preparation (2%)

Data analysis (5%)

Presentation (3%)

F. Writing a Research Proposal: Portion of Final Marks-20%

Towards the end of the semester, the groups should be able to develop and present a good research proposal. The same proposal is expected to be continued for research work in the sixth semester.

Proper adoption of research proposal format (2%)

Logical writing skills (3%)

Standard of the proposal (8%)

Referencing according to APA guidelines (2%)

Proposal presentation (5%)

G. Semester-end Examination: Portion of Final Marks-30%

The module will have a semester-end exam for 2 hours covering the entire syllabus. The question will be divided into two parts – Part A (carrying 40% of the exam weightage) will be mostly of short answer including objective questions. Part-B (carrying almost 60% of the exam weightage) will be mostly of essay type or an extended response to the given question. This part of the question requires students to apply, analyse, and evaluate or construct knowledge and skills. Cases will also be used to test the levels of knowledge.

Overview of the students’ learning assessment approaches is as follows;

Pre-requisites:None

Subject Matter:

1. Introduction
   • Meaning of research
   • Purpose and role of research in business
   • Research types and process
   • Role of scientific research methods
   • Ethical issues in research

2. Research Problems and Literature Review
   • Literature review
     • Significance of literature review in research
     • Sources of literature
     • Searching and evaluating literature
     • Documenting literature review
   • Research problems and identifying research areas
   • Problem statement
     • Identifying a research problem
     • Techniques involved in defining a problem
   • Research objectives and questions

3. Research Methodology
   • Research design
   • Types of research design
   • Types of survey
   • Census and Sample; Meaning, features and limitations of census survey
   • Need and features of sample survey
   • Universe and Population
   • Sampling Design: Random and non-random sampling methods
   • Sampling errors
   • Primary and secondary data: meaning, advantages and disadvantages
   • Methods of collecting primary data: interviews, questionnaires and schedules; sources of secondary data
   • Measurement and scaling techniques in research: The measurement process – object and its properties; Types of scales such as nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales; Likert scale and Semantic Differentiation (SD) scale and their applicability; Sources of error in scaling

4. Analysis and Interpretation of Data
   • Processing and analysis of data
   • Reliability and validity of data in research
   • Role of statistical methods in research: Averages, dispersion, correlation, regression and other important statistical methods in research.
   • Graphic presentation of data: Histogram, Bar charts, pie-chars, etc.
   • Data analysis tools

5. Report Writing
   • Characteristics of a well written research report
   • Research proposal lay out.
   • Research report lay out
   • Integral parts of the report
   • Mechanics and precautions in research reports

Reading Lists:

1. Essential Readings
   • Kothari, C. R. (2010). Research methodology, methods and techniques. New Age International Publishers.
   • Saunders et. al. (2009). Research methods for business students (5th ed.) Pearson Education.
   • Yin, K.R. (2014). Case study research design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2. Additional Readings
   • Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2007). Business research methods. Oxford University Press.
   • Dooley, D. (2009). Social research methods. Prentice Hall.
   • Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. Wiley
   • Dawson, C. (2007). A practical guide to research methods (3rd ed.). Amazon Reader Review.
   • Sekaran, U.,& Bougie, R. (2010). Research methods for business (5th ed.). Wiley publications.
   • Gillham, B. (2000). Case study research methods. Real World Research.

Date: July, 2017