ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Commonwealth MBA / MPA Programme)

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS (5599)

CHECKLIST

SEMESTER: AUTUMN, 2014

This packet comprises the following material:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Text Books
Course Outlines
Assignment No. 1, 2
Assignment Forms ( 2 sets )

In this packet, if you find anything missing out of the above mentioned material,
please contact at the address given below:
Mailing Officer
Services Block No. 28
Allama Iqbal Open University
H-8, Islamabad
Phone: 051-9057611-12
Wishing you all the best,
Salman Ali Qureshi
Course Coordinator

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Commonwealth of Learning Executive MBA/MPA Programme)

WARNING
1. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING
THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD
OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE.
2. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM
OTHER(S) AS ONES OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN
AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY.

Course: Research Methodology for Management Decision (5599)

Level: Executive MBA/MPA
Semester: Autumn 2014
Total Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 40
Instructions:

a)

b)

c)
d)
e)

All written assignment must be well organized, presented in an easy-to-read

format, and neat. If your handwriting is not legible, type or compose the
written assignment. Moreover, pay particularly close attention to grammar,
spelling, punctuation and understandability. Communication is extremely
important in this course.
Documentation is likewise very important. Un-supported statements or
opinions are worthless to the reader who desires to verify your finding.
Complete and specific documentation is mandatory. Your references should
also be from primary sources, except in rare and unusual situation.
Quoting should be kept to an absolute minimum.
Before writing the assignment, you are advised to thoroughly study the
guidelines for assignment writing.
Keeping in view the topics studied in the subject, students are required to
submit a Critical review essay considering the Guidelines for Writing
Research Papers.

Course Description
What is this course about?
The endeavor of this predominately Distance Learning with enhanced Face-to-Face
Component course is to enable students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills (or
to further develop their existing knowledge and skills), to be able to successfully
complete a significant research project in a managerial environment. The course aims to
help the students to develop an understanding of how research is carried out in
management settings and appreciate some of the specific problems and issues they are
likely to face. It introduces them to the field of management and business studies and the
associated range of research paradigms and theoretical traditions. It examines the

strengths and weaknesses of competing approaches to research and some of the main
ethical and practical problems that they are likely to confront in carrying out research into
organizations.
In this course students will be introduced to the complexities and differences in research
methods currently being utilized in management related disciplines. Students will
primarily learn how to select their research topic, to frame their research question(s), how
to undertake the answering of that question and how to present their work to examination
level.

Objectives/ Learning Outcomes

By the completion of this course, students will
i.
Understand the major approaches to business research and the methodological
choices that need to be made
ii.
Understand the various aspects of research design and be able to design managerial
research
iii. Be able to access library resources using various retrieval techniques
iv. Understand the requirements of a literature review
v.
Understand the principles of quantitative and qualitative data analysis
vi. Be familiar with the various quantitative and qualitative methods of data gathering
and have knowledge of methods appropriate to their research
vii. Be familiar with the ethical issues involved in managerial research
viii. Be able to prepare and present a research proposal

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
Warning against Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person without
appropriate referencing as though it is ones own. Plagiarism is not permitted in this
course. The use of another persons work or ideas must be acknowledged. Failure to do
so may result in charges of academic misconduct which carry a range of penalties
including cancellation of results and exclusion from this course.
University Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism: the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is
your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to
expulsion from the programme. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in,
written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data, and oral presentations.
Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.

Examples of plagiarism include

i.
Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources,
whether published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books,
journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without
proper citation
ii.
Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper citation
iii. Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences
iv. Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging
their source
v.
Copying designs or works of art and submitting them as your original work
vi. Copying a whole or any part of another student's work
vii. Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you
viii. Enabling Plagiarism
ix. The act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own
work.

ASSIGNMENT No. 1
Total Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 40
Instructions:
a)
This assignment encompasses the Literature Review Report of the proposed research
topic and the research proposal which was developed in Assignment No. 1 of this
course. You are required to develop a Literature Review report and submit to the
tutor for evaluation prior to the final examination. The last date of this assignment
will be notified separately by our Directorate of Regional Services and the same will
be communicated to you directly as well as through approved study centers assigned
to you.
b)
You will have to participate in the activity fully, actively, and practically to be
eligible to sit in the final examination of the course.
c)
If you fail to submit this assignment in the class, then you will not be able to sit in
the final examination conducted by AIOU. You will be considered fail in this
course and have to re-enroll for this subject in next semester.

Assessment Tasks
The objective of Assignment No. 2 is to prepare a Written Literature Review report of the
proposed research topic, in order to provide students with experience in preparing a final
project report that will be required for forthcoming Project course 5598 by students.
In this assignment No. 2 student are required to prepare a Literature Review Report
between five (5) and ten (10) pages (3,000 to 4,000 words) and at least 10 12 research
articles from published source may be consulted. With minimum of 5 research papers

should be published after 2005. Students must follow the proper referencing and citation
style to be mentioned at the end of the Literature Review Report under the Bibliography
heading. Students are advised to consult the tips of writing literature review as mentioned
below.

Tips for Writing Literature Review

The Literature Review Defined
What is it and why are students required to do one? The literature is exactly what one
would expect from its title it is a review of a collection of previously published
literature on a specific topic or topics. The literature review is often required of students
as they undertake research into a particular topic in order to determine whether or not
their specific research topic has already been undertaken. Generally speaking, the
literature review summarizes and condenses an extensive amount of material. In addition,
the review allows the student to organize a vast amount of information into a pattern that
is meaningful to his or her research purposes, and will allow the student to draw his or
her own conclusions about the nature of that information.
Objectives of the Literature Review
What should students strive for? When a student is performing his or her literature
review, perusing all that information, having a specific objective(s) in mind is very
important. Without a specific objective(s) in mind, students can end up spinning their
wheels, not accomplishing much. The following are common objectives for a literature
review; students should choose the objective(s) that best correspond with their particular
research goals.
i. Summarize Information As stated above, the main objective of the literature review
is to summarize previously released research information. While not all the objectives
on this list apply to every literature review, this is one objective that every student
should strive for when reviewing literature.
ii. Compare Findings and Results The literature review allows students to compare the
results from a wide variety of published research. The rates of similarity or
discrepancy in research findings can go a long way in helping the student to
understand how his or her research may unfold in the future.
iii. Compare Research Methods The literature review also allows students to evaluate
the different research methods used among those that have previously studied their
topic of interest. Weighing the pros and cons of those research methods enables
students to choose the method that best suits them.
iv. Identify Untapped Areas of Research By thoroughly organizing and reviewing an
extensive collection of research material, a student performing a literature review will
be able to identify areas that have not been addressed, or addressed poorly, by the

literature that is currently available. In addition, if a student does happen to discover

that his or her research topic has been previously undertaken, this will allow the
student to more easily choose a secondary topic.
v. Identify Major Research Studies Not all research studies are created equal. The
literature review allows students to recognize which particular studies have been the
most important to the furthering of knowledge in their particular research area.
vi. To Better Understand the Relevance of Your Upcoming Research If the student's
upcoming research has proven to be untapped, the literature review will allow the
student to better understand where his or her findings will fit into the system of
knowledge on that particular subject.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a multitude of other reasons and
objectives for completing a literature review. However, these are the most common
objectives for university students, and they can provide students with the basis for the
effecting of a thorough literature review.

ASSIGNMENT No. 2
The objective of this assignment is to prepare the student for final project which will be
offered in fourth semester. For the topic selection and preparing a research proposal,
students should consult their tutors assigned for the guidance of subject (5599). To
complete the assignment # 1 students are required to prepare a research proposal between
five (5) and ten (10) pages (2,000 to 3,000 words) which covers:
1. The Title of Project.
2. A summary (Abstract) of their proposed research project written in language
understandable to people outside your discipline area.
3. A description of what their proposed research project entails, that would include the
background of proposed research topic, statement of the research problem, their
objectives or aim of research project, research question(s), the scope and the
targeted population of the research.
4. The rationale or reason why they intend to conduct their research and what
academic and practical implications might flow for it.
5. The research methods that they will be using to actually go about conducting the
research, including a research schedule and time scale.
As with Assignment 1, a cover sheet with your name, roll number and proposed research
title should be attached. The written research proposal is due on the day to be notified
separately and should be submitted to your teacher. This assignment will serve as the
useful prerequisite for final project (5598). The students would complete the half part of
the research proposal in this assignment with the topic selection. In final project (5598)
students just have to complete their research proposal for final approval with the same

research topic which they have selected in this assignment. The Assignment # 1 should be
a proposed research project on approaches to managerial research methods. For the
proposed research project on approaches to managerial research methods students are
required to select a topic of research interest, preferably in the proposed research area for
their final project. In providing a critical review of key literature relevant to their topic
students are expected to select a minimum of five research articles on this topic and to
critically review these in an integrated manner such that this work could be incorporated
into a literature review.
This proposed research proposal should be between 2,000 and 3,000 words in length
(longer assignments will be asked to re-submit). It should be typed and single-spaced.
Students are advised to refer to the Guidelines for Writing Research Papers and
Assignments already provided to you on referencing and formatting of your assignment.
It is not necessary to attach the articles reviewed with your assignment; however, you
should include a detailed reference list. The Harvard/APA system (one of the most
commonly used author-date styles) is the preferred referencing and citation system used
by the AIOU.
i.
Please attach a cover sheet to your assignment indicating your name and roll number.
ii.
This assignment can be submitted by email, post, or hand delivery to the course
coordinator and must be received by 5pm on the due date to avoid penalty, unless
otherwise negotiated
Assessment Objectives for Assignment 1:
iii. To show evidence of concise writing skills.
iv. To demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate other peoples research/writing; and
to show competency in referencing and citation.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION (5599)
COURSE OUTLINE

BLOCK 1: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Unit-1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

Importance of Research in Decision Making

Meaning of Research
Role of Research in Important Areas
Process of Research
Types of Research

Unit-2
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6

Defining Research Problem and Formulation of Hypothesis

Points to Ponder on Research
Units of Analysis
Tie and Space Coordinates
Characteristics of Interest
Environmental Conditions
Research Problem as Hypothesis Testing

Unit-3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5

Experimental Designs
Completely Randomized Design
Randomized Complete Block Design
Latin Square Design
Factorial Design
Analysis of Covariance

BLOCK 2: DATA COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT

Unit-4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9

Methods and Techniques of Data Collection

Primary and Secondary Data
Methods of Collecting Primary Data
Merits and Demerits of Different Methods of Collecting Primary Data
Designing a Questionnaire
Pre-testing a Questionnaire
Editing of Primary Data
Technique of Interview
Collection of Secondary Data
Scrutiny of Secondary Data

Unit-5
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7

Sampling and Sampling Designs

Advantage of Sampling Over Census
Simple Random Sampling Frame
Probabilistic Aspects of Sampling
Stratified Random Sampling
Other Methods of Sampling
Sampling Design
Non-Probability Sampling Methods

Units-6 Attitude Measurement and Scales

6.1
Attitude Attributes and Beliefs
6.2
Issues in Attitude Measurement
6.3
Scaling of Attitudes
6.4
Deterministic Attitude Measurement Models the Guttman Scale
6.5
Thurstons Equal Appearing Interval Scale
6.6
The Semantic Differential Scale
6.7
Summative Models
6.8
The Q-Sort Technique
6.9
Multidimensional Scaling
6.10
Selection of an Appropriate Attitude Measurement Scale
6.11
Limitations of Attitude Measurement Scales

BLOCK 3: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

Unit-7
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6

Data Processing
Editing of Data
Coding of Data
Classification of Data
Statistical Series
Tables as Data Presentation Devices
Graphical Presentation of Data

Unit-8
8.1
8.2
8.3

Statistical Analysis and Interpretation of Data Nonparametric Tests

One Sample Test
Two Sample Tests
K Sample Tests

Unit-9
9.1
9.2
9.3

Multivariate Analysis of Data

Regression Analysis
Discriminant Analysis
Factor Analysis

Unit-10 Model building and decision making

10.1
Models and Modeling
10.2
Role of Modeling in Research in Managerial Decision Making
10.3
Types of Models
10.4
Objectives of Modeling
10.5
Model Validation
10.6
Simulation Models

BLOCK 4: REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION

Unit-11 Substance of Reports
1.1
Proposal
1.2
Categories of Report
1.3
Reviewing the Draft
Unit-12 Formats of Reports
12.1
Parts of a Report Cover and the Title Page
12.2
Introductory Pages
12.3
Text
12.4
Reference Section
12.5
Typing Instructions
12.6
Copy Readings
12.7
Proof Reading
Unit-13 Presentation of report
13.1
Communication Dimensions
13.2
Presentation Package
13.3
Audio-Visual Aids
13.4
Presenters Poise
========

10