BR 401 Methods of Business Research

Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik

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Foundation University, Islamabad
Institute of Engineering & Management Sciences
(FUIEMS)


STUDENTS GUIDE
for

BR 401, Methods of Business Research
Department of Management Sciences
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Program

Course Instructor: Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
Class: BBA - 6
Spring 2013
BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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Table of Contents

1. Course Instructors Message ... 03
2. Course Background . 03
3. Objectives of the Course Module... 03
4. Course Instructor .. 04
5. Instructional Methodology .. 04
6. Academic Calendar ..... 04
7. Assessment Scheme ... 04
8. Study Material ..... 05
9. Course Requirements and Expectations .. 05
10. Academic Dishonesty ....... 06
11. Authoring Research Paper .. 06
12. Course Module Detail ... 07

BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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Course Instructors Message
Dear Students of Methods of Business Research Module
I on behalf of Department of Management Sciences, FUIEMS welcome you all on my course
module BR 401 Methods of Business Research. The quality of business decisions largely
depends on the well researched options presented to the decision maker. It is the prime
focus of the business research to provide solution to the problem after thorough study and
analysis of the situational factors and available information. I can assure you that, with your
due attention to my instructional lectures and your interaction during the class, will
facilitate you to attain a suitable level of understanding of methods of business research and
you will be able to undertake a business research work. The business research knowledge
thus acquired will be immensely helpful in not only accomplishing the academic
requirement of the course module but will also facilitate you in your professional discourse
in your future life, InshAllah. Before a business conducts any research, whether it is simply
to gather information or find solution to some specific issue, the company executives must
have a set of objectives to guide the research and these objectives must be clearly defined.
Business objectives are often listed at the beginning of the research reports and are
generally understood as research goals.
Please go through this guide so that you are prepared to undertake the course module with
basic understanding that how I shall proceed with methods of business research.
Course Background
The purpose of methods of business research is to introduce learners to broad range of
business research methods and develop their understanding regarding effective use of
research methods. The course will focus in developing students knowledge and application
understanding of business research in organizational work setting. Ume Sekaran and Roger
Bougie define the business research as an organized, systematic, data-based, critical,
objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific problem undertaken with the
purpose of finding answers or solution to it. We shall embark upon 18 Weeks study
journey during which you will be introduced with role of business research, research
process, hall marks of scientific investigation, research proposal development and
evaluation, research design and other supporting aspects like, data collection,
measurement, scaling and sampling design.
Objectives of the Course Module
Following objectives have been set forth for the course module:
To understand fundamental concepts of business research methods.
To develop an understanding of issues in business research, research proposal,
fundamentals of research design, measurement, sampling, data collection, data
analysis techniques and interpretation of data to arrive at conclusions and findings.
BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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To develop an understanding and application of basic techniques and concepts of
business research at work.
Course Instructor

Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
M.S.E.E, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Master of Science, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
Master of Science in Project Management. COMSATS IIT,
Islamabad
Fellow Member Institute of Engineers
Professional Engineer PEC, Islamabad
Extensive Experience in Telecomm Industry and its
Project Implementation
waheed_akhtar_malik@hotmail.com
Cell #: 0300-8562204

Instructional Methodology
I count the success of any instructions as a twofold effort i.e. Instructor and Students, and I
believe in Honest and Two Way Communication. I expect disciplined study behaviour in the
class and regular attendance as a key to imparting knowledge. I shall use Power Point slides
for my instructions coupled with use of White Board to amplify my view point and clarify
any doubts of the students.
Academic Calendar
Academic year at Foundation University, FUIEMS comprises two regular and a condensed
Summer Semester. Regular Semesters are of Eighteen Weeks each and include Sixteen
Weeks of teaching and Two Weeks of examinations, i.e. One Week of Mid Term and One
Week of Final Term examinations.
Spring Semester: 18 February 2013 22 June 2013 (tentative)
Assessment Scheme
100 marks of course module BR 401 Methods of Business Research are subdivided as
follows:
Mid Term Examination 30 % of Total Marks
Quizzes, Assignments, Class Participation and attendance 20 % of Total marks
End Semester Examination 50 % of Total Marks
A total of Six unannounced Quizzes spread over the course module starting with effect from
3
rd
/4
th
Week will be conducted and there will be no makeup for missed quizzes. Three - Four
Individual/Group Assignments related to research work will be assigned during the course,
BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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detail of its submission and presentation is given in Authoring Research Paper. The
assignment and presentation shall follow the rules:
Presentation material in MS Power Point.
Graded on communication (written& verbal) skills.
Templates in MS word format.
Study Materials
Reference materials for study are:
Study Notes and Class Discussions
Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach (5
th
Edn) by Sekaran, U. &
Bougie, R. (2010).
Research Methods for Business Students (5
th
Edn) by Saunders, M., Thornhill, A., &
Lewis, P. (2009).
Research Methods for Organizational Studies (2
nd
Edn) by Schwab, D. P. (2005)
Business Research Methods (9
th
Edn) by Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S.
Course Requirements and Expectations
Grading System (Foundation University Prospectus 2012-13): Foundation University follows
grading system as mentioned below and each letter grade carries grade points as tabulated:
% Grade Grade Point % Grade Grade Points
85 - 100
80
75
70
65
A
A-
B+
B
C+
4.00
3.60
3.20
2.80
2.40
60
55
50
0-49
C
D+
D
F


2.00
1.75
1.50
0.00

Attendance Rule: Students are required to attend all the classes, minimum attendance
requirement as per Foundation University rule is 75 %. A student shall not be allowed to
appear in the end semester examination of a subject in which his/her attendance is less
than 75 % and shall be awarded F Grade in that subject.
Preparation for Class: Student must go through the assigned readings before coming to the
class and do participate actively in class discussion.
Minimising Disruptions: Cell phones must be switched off during the class to facilitate a
learning environment and students should not involve in conversation with colleagues when
instructions are being imparted.
Class Participation: Positive, healthy and constructive class participation will be encouraged.
Do not hesitate or be shy to clarify your doubts. Every question is a good question if it is
asked.
BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty is an offence that will not be tolerated in any form. Any student who
is involved in any such activity will be penalised to the fullest extent as per university
regulations. If you have any doubts about whether an action constitutes academic
dishonesty, do consult with your instructor before taking the action.
Plagiarism and Cheating: The presentation by a student as his or her own work which is
actually reproduction from someone else work falls under the domain of plagiarism.
Whenever a student submits a piece of writing claiming it to be his own authorship, it is
generally understood that all the ideas, opinions, facts, figures, conclusions, revisions, words
are the students original work, unless he/she has explicitly indicated otherwise using
citations, footnotes, attribution in the text, and/or used quotation marks.
The use of unauthorised material during an examination in order to secure or give help will
not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty also encompasses unauthorised copying and
distribution of examinations, assignments, reports, projects or term papers or the
presentation of unacknowledged material as if it were the students own work.
Authoring Research Paper
This assignment will be spread over complete semester (18 Weeks) and group of four
students will be required to write a research article as per the teachings of the course
module. The article should be 25 - 30 manuscript pages (4,000 to 5,500 words), including
the title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures and it should follow American
Psychological Association (APA) style. The research article will be submitted both in hard
and soft copy as on scheduled date 20 May 2013. Similarity index showing more than 25 %
plagiarism will make you secure the maximum grade of Zero. The groups will make a formal
presentation of their research work in the last two weeks. Detailed schedule (subject to
change) is as under:
No. Activity Target Date
1 Submission of Group detail of four students and the topic
for the proposed research
11 March 2013 (4
th
week)
2 Submission of research proposal of maximum 500 words 25 March 2013 (6
th
week)
3 Submission of research methodology of research paper 08 April 2013 (8
th
week)
4 Submission of literature review 22 April 2013 (10
th
week)
5 Submission of results and discussion 29 April 2013 (11
th
week)
6 Submission of first draft for feed back 06 May 2013 (12
th
week)
7 Submission of final research paper 20 May 2013 (14
th
week)
8 Group presentation of research paper 17/18
th
week



BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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Course Module Detail
Week Topic Detail
Week
1
Introduction to
Research
What is a research? Business research, types of business
research, managers and research, internal vs. external
researchers, knowledge about research and managerial
effectiveness, ethics and business research.
Week
2/3
Scientific
Investigation
The hall marks of scientific research; purposiveness, rigor,
testability, replicability, precision & confidence, objectivity,
generalizability and parsimony. Obstacles to conducting
scientific research in the management areas, the
hypothetico-deduction methods and its seven steps,
deductive vs. inductive reasoning, case studies and action
research.
Week
3/4
The Research
Process: the Broad
Problem Area,
Defining Problem
Statement and
Developing
Research Proposal
Broad problem area, preliminary information gathering,
literature review, defining the problem statement, the
research proposal, types of research proposals, research
proposal evaluation, managerial implications, ethical issues
in the preliminary stages of investigation, bibliography
databases, APA format for referencing relevant
articles/material.
Week
5
The Research
Process:
Theoretical
Framework and
Hypotheses
Development
The need for a theoretical framework, types of variables,
components of theoretical framework, hypotheses
development, definition, statement of hypotheses, null and
alternate hypotheses, hypotheses testing and managerial
implications.
Week
6/7
The Research
Process: Elements
of Research Design
The research design, purpose of study; exploratory,
descriptive, hypothesis testing, case study analysis, review of
the purpose of the study, types of investigation, extent of
researcher interference with study, time horizon and review
of elements of research design.
Week
8
Measurement of
Variables
How variables are measured and operationalization of
variables.
Week
9
Measurement:
Scaling, Reliability,
Validity
Scales: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales. Rating
scales, ranking scales, dimensions of scaling, goodness of
measure (item analysis, validity, reliability), reflective and
formative scales.
Week
10
Data Collection
Methods
Sources of data: primary and secondary data. Data collection
methods, issues in data collection and ethics in data
collection.
Week
11
Experimental
Designs
The lab experiment, the field experiment, factors affecting
validity of experiments, threat to validity, types of
experimental designs and validity.
Week
12
Sampling Design Sampling and parameters, normality of distributions, the
sampling process, probability and non probability sampling,
precision and confidence in estimation.
BR 401 Methods of Business Research
Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik
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Week
13
Quantitative Data
Analysis
Data coding, entry and editing and data transformation.
Testing goodness of data, hypotheses testing and errors,
regression analysis and other multivariate test and analyses.
Week
14
Qualitative Data
Analysis
Data reduction, data display, drawing conclusions, reliability
and validity in qualitative research.
Week
15
Research Report Group presentations of research paper.
Week
16
Research Report Group presentations of research paper.
End of document.