Lecture Hours: 75
Course Objectives:
The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the principle of research methods used most frequently
by business students. Basic knowledge of these methodological approaches is absolutely critical to the
comprehension of academic understanding and comprehensive and critical writing which is an essence of
business students. Therefore, the basic objective of this course is to provide knowledge and understanding of
basic principles of business research methods.
Course Description:
The course has a preliminary focus on problem identification, theoretical framework development and hypothesis
formulation. The course will then deal with research design issues, measurement, sampling, data collection and
analysis. This encompasses the overall understanding and application of appropriate research techniques and
research statistics, and report writing and presentation skills.
Course Details:
Unit 1: Introduction LH 20
Meaning of research; Scientific research – features,; Types of research: applied and basic; The scientific
research process; Approaches to research; Paradigm shifts – positivist Vs interpretivist philosophies;
Management research – concept, nature, and value in business decision making; Applying scientific
thinking to management problems; Ethical concerns in research.
Qualitative research: Concept, Features, assumptions, Common practices in qualitative research, Methods of qualitative research: Case study, Ethnography, Grounded theory and phenomenological study (A short introduction only), Building trustworthiness and credibility in qualitative research, Strength of qualitative research.
Qualitative research: Concept, Features, assumptions, Common practices in qualitative research, Methods of qualitative research: Case study, Ethnography, Grounded theory and phenomenological study (A short introduction only), Building trustworthiness and credibility in qualitative research, Strength of qualitative research.
Unit 2: Literature searching and Theoretical Framework LH 10
Concept, purposes, Kinds and writing a literature survey; Literature search through the Internet; Relation
of literature to research. Theoretical framework; Theory and research; Research approaches – deduction
and induction; Research problem; Identification of research problem in business. Research questions,
hypothesis formulation and role of hypothesis in research.
Unit 3: Research Design LH 5
Concept, Features Types – descriptive, developmental, case studies, causal-comparative, experimental,
cross-sectional and longitudinal. Basic principles of research design and criteria of a good research
design.
Unit 4: Measurement, Scaling and Sampling LH 12
Variables and their types; Nature of measurement; Scale construction for attitude measurement; Scales
commonly used in business research; Validity and reliability of measurement; Sources of measurement
problems; Concept of population, sample and sampling, Factors affecting the size of the sample, The
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sampling process; Types of samples – probability and non-probability sampling; Sampling and non- sampling errors.
Unit 5: Data Collection and Analysis LH 20
Types of data: primary and secondary, value of secondary data to business research, Primary data,
Methods of collecting primary data : Questionnaires – design, components and principles of
questionnaire writing, pilot testing and questionnaire administration; The research interviews – face-toface and telephone interviews, computer assisted interviewing; Observation – concept and methods –
participative and non-participative; Data analysis – organizing and preparing data;
Presenting data in tables, graphs and charts; Pre-conditions and the use of statistical techniques:–
descriptive: (Mean, Median, Mode and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Measures of
correlation, statistical significance, basic forecasting tools, regression, one way ANOVA and chi-square
test); Statistical testing of hypothesis; Methods of collecting and analyzing qualitative data. Role of
computers in different phases of research. Qualitative data analysis- content , thematic and narrative.
Unit 6: Research Proposal and Report Writing LH 8
Topic selection; Research proposal – purpose, types and structure; Writing research reports – the reporting
process, Contents of the research report, and style of writing; Typing and layout of the research report;
Citations and references by using APA format; Essentials of a good research report.
Basic Books:
Prem P.R., Fundamentals of Business Research Methods, Kathmandu.: Buddha Academic Enterprises.
Adhikari, D. R. & Pandey, D. L. Research Methodology for Management, Kathmandu: Asmita Books Publishers
& Distributors (p) Ltd.
Reference Books:
William G. Z., Business Research Methods, New Delhi: Thomson India.
Alan Bryman & Emma Bell. Business Research Methods, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S. & Sharma, J. K. Business Research Methods, New Delhi: McGraw Hill
Education (India).
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