Business Research Methods

Syllabus

Business Research Methods

Unit-1                                                                                                                                       (8 Sessions)

Research: – Definition, Meaning, Importance Types and Qualities of Research; Research Applications in Functional Areas of Business, Emerging Trends in Business Research.

Research & the Scientific Method: Characteristics of Scientific Method. Steps in Research Process

Concept of Scientific Enquiry: Formulation of Research Problem – Management Question – Research Question – Investigation Question

Research Proposal – Elements of a Research Proposal, Drafting a Research Proposal, Evaluating a Research Proposal.

Unit-2                                                                                                                                       (8 Sessions)

Research Design: Concept, Features of a Good Research Design, Use of a Good Research Design; Qualitative and Quantitative Research Approaches, Comparison – Pros and Cons of Both Approaches.

Exploratory Research Design: Concept, Types: Qualitative Techniques – Projective Techniques, Depth Interview, Experience Survey, Focus Groups, Observation.

Descriptive Research Designs: Concept, Types and Uses. Concept of Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Research

Experimental Design: Concept of Cause, Causal Relationships, Concept of Independent & Dependent Variables, Concomitant Variable, Extraneous Variable, Treatment, Control Group.

Unit-3                                                                                                                                       (6 Sessions)

Scaling & Measurement Techniques: Concept of Measurement: Need of Measurement; Problems in Measurement in Management Research – Validity and Reliability. Levels of Measurement – Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio. Attitude Scaling Techniques: Concept of Scale – Rating Scales viz. Likert Scales, Semantic Differential Scales, Constant Sum Scales, Graphic Rating Scales – Ranking Scales – Paired Comparison & Forced Ranking – Concept and Application.

Unit-4                                                                                                                                       (6 Sessions)

Sampling: Basic Concepts: Defining the Universe, Concepts of Statistical Population, Sample, Characteristics of a Good Sample. Sampling Frame (Practical Approach for Determining the Sample Frame Expected), Sampling Errors, Non Sampling Errors, Methods to Reduce the Errors, Sample Size Constraints, Non Response.

Probability Sample: Simple Random Sample, Systematic Sample, Stratified Random Sample, Area Sampling & Cluster Sampling.

Non Probability Sample: Judgment Sampling, Convenience Sampling, Purposive Sampling, Quota Sampling & Snowballing Sampling Methods. Determining Size of the Sample – Practical Considerations in Sampling and Sample Size, Sample Size Determination.

Unit-5                                                                                                                                       (8 Sessions)

Data Analysis: Editing, Coding, Tabular Representation of Data, Frequency Tables, Construction of Frequency Distributions, Graphical Representation of Data: Appropriate Usage of Bar Charts, Pie Charts, Histogram.

Hypothesis: Qualities of a Good Hypothesis –Framing Null Hypothesis & Alternative Hypothesis. Concept of Hypothesis Testing – Logic & Importance. Analysis of Variance: One Way and Two Way Classifications.

Mechanism of Report Writing- Report Preparation: Types, Report Structure: Preliminary Section, Main Report, Interpretation of Results, Suggestions and Recommendations, Limitations of the Study, Report Formulation.