Credits: 3
Lecture Hours: 48
Course Objectives:
The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to quantitative and qualitative method for conducting meaningful inquiry and research. Specifically, course aims at introducing them to the basic concepts used in research and to scientific social research methods and their approaches.
Course Description:
The course provides an introduction to, and a basic grounding in, fundamental research methods as they relate to the modern practice of management and to academic research. The emphasis of the course is therefore on problem definition, hypothesis formulation, research design, measurement, sampling, secondary data gathering, observation and interview, data analysis and report writing. The course thus enables students to develop their understanding of research methods, and confidence in designing a research project, choosing and executing appropriate methods, and assessing its academic rigour.
Course Details:
Unit 1: The Nature and Context of Social Research LH6
The concept of research; Types of research; Nature and purpose of research; Scientific research - scientific research process, feature of scientific research, difficulties of applying scientific
methods to social science research; Management research-concept, types, importance of
research for decision making; Ethical issues in management research.
Unit 2: Literature Review LH 4
Concept, purpose and functions of literature review; phases in literature review; searching,
obtaining, and evaluating the literature; Literature search through the Internet; Format and
guidelines for conducting literature review; Meta analysis
Unit 3: Problem Definition, Theoretical Framework and Hypothesis Formulation LH 8
Problem definition- concept and steps in problem formulation; Research questions- concept and types; Theoretical framework- concept and need for research; Research and theory-
deduction and induction; Contributions of research to theory building and practices; Hypotheses Formulation- concept and function of hypothesis; Types - descriptive, relational,
directional, explanatory and null hypothesis; Criteria of good hypothesis.
Unit 4: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs LH 9
Definition; Elements of a research design; Classification of research designs- exploratory;
descriptive; developmental; case study; causal- comparative and experimental research
designs; Common sources of error; Qualitative research- concept, basic assumptions, types and features; Differences between quantitative and qualitative research.
Unit 5: Measurement, Scaling and Sampling LH 6
Variables- concept and types; Scales of measurement; Attitude measurement and scale
construction; Attitude scales commonly used in social science research; Criteria of good
measurement-validity and reliability of measurement; Sources of measurement problems;
Sampling-concept and process; Population and sampling; Types of sampling-probability and
non- probability sampling; Sampling and non-sampling errors.
Unit 6: Data Collection and Analysis LH 8
Data and its types; Sources of primary and secondary data; Important considerations for data
collection; Questionnaire- principles, components and types; Research interview-types and process; Sources of qualitative data- observation, participant observation, focus groups; Use of Internet for data collection; Data analysis- Data processing; Presenting data in graphs and
tables; Statistical analysis of data- descriptive and inferential statistics; Hypothesis testing;
Methods of analyzing qualitative data-content, thematic and narrative analysis.
Unit 7: Writing Proposals and Research Reports LH 7
Functions and types of research proposals- solicited and unsolicited proposals; Structure and
contents of academic and funded research proposals. Research reports- concept, process, types and procedure for writing research report; Conventions of academic writing; Pre- writing
concerns; Components of the research report; Body of the research report; Documenting
sources- APA style of citation and referencing; Evaluation of research reports; Essentials of
good research report.
Basic Books:
Zikmund, W. G. Business Research Methods. Thompson, New Delhi.
Cooper, D.R. and Schindler, P.S. Business Research Methods. Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi.
Pant, Prem R. Social Science Research and Thesis Writing .Buddha Academic Enterprises,
Kathmandu.
References:
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. Business Research Methods. Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
Flick, U. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. Sage South Asia Edition, New Delhi.
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