Course description
This course provides students with applied skills in understanding and 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 and statistical techniques and thinking can aid in managerial decision making. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are examined. Topics range from exploratory methods (focus groups and interviewing) to observation techniques, sampling, through to interpretation and 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. The course includes generating research ideas, reviewing literature, concepts and a conceptual 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reliability and validity in measurement, survey research methods reviewed, secondary data sources, published and unpublished, experimentation and research, questionnaire design, attitude scales, qualitative techniques, review of statistics, and the sampling process and sample size.
Course outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Acquire practical research skills
• Understand the principles of research
• Link the research processes with theories of specialty areas
Course contents
Click the down arrow icon [ 🔽 ] to expand and collapse the course topics.
🔽 0 h 36 min | Starting the Research Process
- Objectives and significance of research
- Research philosophies/paradigms
- Classifications of research
- Steps in research process
- Research problem
🔽 0 h 32 min | Literature Review and Hypothesis Formulation
- Theoretical and empirical literature
- Different sources of literature
- Dependent and independent variables
- Conceptual framework and hypothesis
- Citation and prepare reference list
🔽 0 h 22 min | Research Design and Proposal Development
- Research design
- Reasons for developing research proposal
- Components of research proposal
🔽 0 h 43 min | Measurement and Scaling
- Types of measurement
- Scaling techniques
- Reliability and validity
🔽 0 h 32 min | Sampling Design and Selection
- Sample design
- Calculate sample size
- Sampling techniques
🔽 0 h 32 min | Methods of Data Collection
- The nature of data collection
- Data collection methods
- Data collection tools
🔽 0 h 39 min | Data Processing and Descriptive Analysis
- Elements of data processing
- Descriptive data analysis tools
- Research software
- Features of qualitative research
🔽 0 h 43 min | Hypothesis Testing
- Features of hypothesis
- Test research hypothesis using parametric test
- Test research hypothesis using non-parametric test
- Correlation and regression analysis
🔽 0 h 30 min | Interpretation and Reporting Results
-
- Methods of interpreting result
- Elements of research report
- Research result through different means
- Ethics in research undertaking
This course includes:
5 h 10 min recorded video
Downloadable resources (books and articles)
One year access
Access on mobile and TV
Advanced Level
Certificate of completion