Management Development Institute Gurgaon Post Graduate Program in Management-2012 Research Methods in Business Instructor: Ashok Panjwani Objective

of the Course The objective of this course is to build a mindset of scientific inquiry. The course contributes to your knowledge and skills relevant to conducting valid, reliable, and useful scientific research. By the end of the course you should move closer to the goal of being able to conceptualize, design, analyze, and interpret scholarly research studies, and improve your skills to critically evaluate research. This is a state-of-the-art course on Research Method. It attempts to impart a basic understanding of the various research techniques currently employed by some of the major corporations in the U.S., India and around the world. Exposition of these techniques will be offered along two dimensions: theoretical and practical. While this is essentially a course in research methods, the problem contexts used to illustrate the various concepts will be managerial. In discussing the research techniques, the emphasis will be on applied aspects unique to the managerial situations and not on methodological elegancies. Pedagogy Lectures, case analysis, role plays, simulation, and group projects on the different modules of the course. Grading Grades will be assigned on the following basis: Group Research Project..................... 25.0% Mid Term Exam................................. 25.0% End Term Exam................................. 30.0% Quiz ( best n-1 to be counted )........... 20.0% + Assignments 100.0% ( no make up quizzes will be given ) Course Content: In brief, the course focuses on: 1. The scientific method and behavioral research

2. 3. 4. 5.

Developing and testing research ideas Survey approaches to studying behavior Experimental approaches to studying behavior Fundamentals of data analysis

Detailed Course Outline and Session Plan:

Session No. 1

Topics

The Scientific Approach What is science-Approaches to Knowledge-Assumptions of science-Aims of social science-The role of methodology-Scientific revolution-The research process-Ethical concerns in Social science research.

Conceptual Foundation of Research Concepts- Definition Theory: Functions and Types-Models-Empirical Research

Basic Elements of Research Research Problems-Units of analysis-Variables: Dependent, Independent, Control, Continuous and Discrete-Relations: Kinds, Direction and MagnitudeHypotheses-Sources of Problems and Hypotheses-Types of research for management decisions.

4 5

Research Design: Exploratory, Conclusive, Descriptive and Causal Observational Methods Roles of observation-Types of behavior- Types of Observation- Controlled Observation: Laboratory experiments, field experiments, participant observation, the roles of the observers, recording observations- Uncontrolled Observation.

Qualitative Research and Analysis Nature of qualitative research-case researcher's role-triangulation-methods of analysis-report writing- validity, reliability and generalizability issues

7-10

Survey Method Planning and designing the survey-developing survey instruments: composing questions-creating item scales-building questionnaires- Item analysis- Issues related to reliability and validity analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis.

11-14

Data Analysis and Interpretation, (SPSS Applications) Scoring, coding and cleaning of the data-Recording and displaying dataUnivariate, Bivariate Multivariate techniques (Comparing means, Correlation, ANOVA, MANOVA, Simple and Multiple Regression, Canonical correlation, Multiple discriminant analysis, Multidimensional scaling and conjoint analysis and cluster analysis, Report Writing; Referencing, Styles of APA

15-16

Experimental Design Logic and Structure of Experimental Design- Causal Inferences-Procedures for control-Types of experimental (Solomon four group design and quasiexperiments designs. Statistical tests to analyze the experimental data, t-test and Analysis of Variance, Completely Randomized Design, Randomized Block Design and Factorial Design

17-18

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques Sampling techniques, population and sample, probability and non-probability sampling designs, sources of data collection; using secondary data, collecting primary data, techniques for data collection.

19-20

Group Project Presentations:

Recommended Books Malhotra, N.K. (2004). Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2003) Research methods for Business Students, Pearson Education Kerlinger, F.N. (2000). Foundations of Behavioral Research. Surajeet Publications Rosenthal, R., & Rosnow, R.L. (1991). Essential of Behavioral Research Method, McGraw Hill Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. & Black, W.C. (1998). Multivariate Data Analysis. Pearson Education Kirk, R.E. (1995). Experimental Design: Procedures for the Behavioral Sciences. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company Zikmund, W.G. (2003). Business Research Methods. Thomson South Western