Students Guide BR - 401 - FUI

8/12/2019 Students Guide BR - 401 - FUI

1/8


2/8

BR401 Methods of Business Research

Engr Waheed Akhtar Malik

Page 2of 8

Table of Contents

1. Course Instructors Message ... 032. Course Background . 033. Objectives of the Course Module... 034. Course Instructor .. 045. Instructional Methodology .. 046. Academic Calendar ..... 047. Assessment Scheme ... 048. Study Material ..... 059. Course Requirements and Expectations .. 0510.Academic Dishonesty ....... 0611.Authoring Research Paper .. 0612.Course Module Detail ... 07


3/8



Page 3of 8

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 simplyto 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.


4/8



Page 4of 8

To develop an understanding and application of basic techniques and concepts ofbusiness 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

[email protected] 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 201322 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 Quizzesspread over the course module starting with effect from

3rd

/4th

Week will be conducted and there will be no makeup for missed quizzes. Three - Four

Individual/Group Assignmentsrelated to research work will be assigned during the course,
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


5/8



Page 5of 8

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 (5thEdn) by Sekaran, U. &

Bougie, R. (2010).

Research Methods for Business Students (5thEdn) by Saunders, M., Thornhill, A., &Lewis, P. (2009).

Research Methods for Organizational Studies (2ndEdn) by Schwab, D. P. (2005) Business Research Methods (9thEdn) 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.


6/8



Page 6of 8

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 examinationin 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 (4th

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 (8th

week)

4 Submission of literature review 22 April 2013 (10th

week)

5 Submission of results and discussion 29 April 2013 (11th

week)

6 Submission of first draft for feed back 06 May 2013 (12th

week)

7 Submission of final research paper 20 May 2013 (14th

week)

8 Group presentation of research paper 17/18th

week


7/8



Page 7of 8

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 managerialeffectiveness, 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 BroadProblem Area,

Defining Problem

Statement and

Developing

Research Proposal

Broad problem area, preliminary information gathering,

literature review, defining the problem statement, theresearch 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

HypothesesDevelopment

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.


8/8



Page 8of 8

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.

Students Guide BR - 401 - FUI

Documents

Transcript of Students Guide BR - 401 - FUI