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Welkitie University Research Course Out Line

This document outlines a course on business research methods. It describes the course objectives, which are to help students acquire practical research skills, understand research principles, and link the research process to theories. Topic areas covered include research design, sampling, data collection and analysis, and report writing.

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53 views5 pages

Welkitie University Research Course Out Line

This document outlines a course on business research methods. It describes the course objectives, which are to help students acquire practical research skills, understand research principles, and link the research process to theories. Topic areas covered include research design, sampling, data collection and analysis, and report writing.

Uploaded by

solomonasfaw2024
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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WELKITIE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS


DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT
MBA PROGRAM

Course Title: Business Research Methods


Course No.: MBA 611
Credit Hour: 2
Academic Year: 2018
Semester: I
Instructors’ Name: Zerihun A.(Ph.D)

Course description:
This course provides students with applied skills in understanding & conducting
research in business. The course examines and explores a range of methods that
align with theory building and testing. The basic focus of this course is on the
understanding of how analytical & statistical techniques & thinking can aid in
managerial decision making. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are
examined. Topics range from exploratory methods (focus groups, interviewing)
to observation techniques, sampling, through to interpretation & evaluation of
statistical analyses (data processing and research analysis using the latest versions of SPSS) thus,
enabling them to turn raw statistical data into strategic information.

Course objectives:
The general objective of this course is to introduce students to methods of research. The specific
objectives are: (i) to ensure that students acquire some practical research skills; (ii) to help students
understand the principles of research; and (iii) to enable students to link the research process with
theories of their specialist areas. By becoming familiar with the research process in practice, students
should be more confident and competent in evaluating and using research results in their specialist
areas. Topics covered: Generating research ideas; reviewing literature; concepts and a conceptual

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framework; research questions; precise statement of research problems and sub-problems; limits and
scope of study; potential errors in research information; concepts of measurement; reliability and
validity in measurement; survey research methods reviewed; secondary data sources; official and
unofficial statistics (both published and unpublished); experimentation and research; questionnaire
design; attitude scales; qualitative techniques; review of statistics; the sampling process and sample
size.

Unit 1 Introduction:

1.1 Language and definition of research


1.2 Types of research
1.3 Ethics in Business Research
1.3.1 The ethics of social research
1.3.2 Plagiarism
1.3.3 Citation formats and styles

Unit 2 Introduction to research process:


2. 1 Steps in the research process,
2.2 Research problem, and Hypothesis

Unit 3 Research design and Research Proposal

- 3.1. Meaning of Research Design


- 3.2 Needs and Features of Research Design
- 3.3 Important concepts relevant to research design
- 3.4 Forms of research Design
3.4.1 Research design for non-experimental research.
3.4.2 Research design for experimental research

3.5 Basic components of a research proposal


Problems and Justification
Research questions

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Research objectives
Conceptual and theoretical framework
Data collection
Data analysis
Timetable and budget

Unit 4 Measuring variables:


4.1 Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales;
4.2 Scaling and Scale construction,
4.3 concepts of measurement; reliability and validity in measurement;

Unit 5 Sampling: Terminology, Designs, Probability and non-


probability methods Sampling Techniques

5.1 Basic concepts


5.2 Non-probability sampling
5.3 Probability sampling
. Simple random sampling
. Stratified random sampling
. Cluster sampling
.
5.4 Sampling and non-sampling errors
5.5 Sample size

Unit 6 Data collection:

Primary and secondary data, Survey, Questionnaires and design, question content, structure,
wording, sequencing, Interviewing and Observation, Focus groups

Unit 7 Data analysis:

7.1 Organizing data, Coding data,


7.2 Analysis(descriptive vs inferential analysis) and interpretation,

Unit 8 Report writing:

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Organizing, structuring and writing the research report

Primary Text Books for Reference

Kothari, C. R. (1990). Research methodology, methods & techniques. New Delhi:


Wishwa Prakashan, Wiley Eastern Limited.

Cooper, R. D. & Emory, C. W. (1995). Business research methods (5th ed.). USA:
McGraw Hill.
DR. Vatsyayan (1989); Methods & techniques of Social Survey and Research (in
questions & answers), Kedar Nath Ram Nath, New Delhi.

Gibaldi, Joseph (1995). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (4th ed.). USA: The
Modern Language Association of America.

Green, E. P., Tull, D. S. & Albaum, G. (1998). Research for marketing decisions. New
Delhi: Prentice Hall of India.

Hussey, J. & Hussey, R. (1997). Business research, a practical guide for undergraduate
and postgraduate students, Great Britain: Macmillan Press LTD.

Kumar, R. (2005). Research methodology, a step-by-step guide for beginners (2nd ed.).
London: Sage Publications
Locke, F. L., Spirduso, W., & Stephen, S. (1993). Proposal that work- a guide for
planning dissertation and grant. California: Sage Publications, Inc. Newbury
Park.

Yin, K. R. (1994). Case study research, designs and methods (2nd ed.). USA: Sage
Production Editor.

Zikmund, G. W. (1998). Business research methods (5th ed.). USA: The Dryden Press,
Oklahoma State University.

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 Steven J., Taylor and Robert Bogdan,(1989). Introduction to Qualitative Research
Methods, The Search for Meanings, A Wiley Interscience Publication, John Wiley
and Eliabethann O’Sullivan and Gary R Rassel, Research Methods for Public
dministrators, Longman, New York and London, ISBN 0-582-28567-4

 David H Folz,( 1996). Survey Research for Public Administration, Sage


Publications, Thousand Oaks, , ISBN 0-7619-0152-3 (acid free paper) ISBN 0-
7619-0153-1

Kenneth J., Meier and Jeffrey L., Brudney,(1984) Applied Statistics for Public
AdministrationSons, New York, ISBN 0-471-88947-4

 D. J. Casley and D. A. Lury (1987). Data Collection in Developing Countries,


Clarendon Press, Oxford, , ISBN 0-19-877282-3 (Pbk) and 0-19-877283-1

Sir Claus Moser and Graham Kalton(1992). Survey Methods in Social Investigation,
Dartmouth, Aldershot, 1992, ISBN 1 85521 472 5

Evaluation Schemes

 Project work (proposal) …………..30%


 Article/book review------------------- 15%
 Attendance …………………………5%
 Final exam………………………….50%

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