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BUS 3104: Research Methodology

Course Outline – FALL 2016

 

“Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire.”

William Butler Yeats

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University Mission:

 

To seek sincerely and achieve diligently true knowledge and wisdom for life and living, through studies in humanities and technologies, based on the local Bangladesh culture and spiritual heritage, so that the students develop their best selves to serve their society and contribute effectively to humanity.

 

 

 

 

Course:                                       Business Research Methodology

 

Term:                                           Fall - 2016

 

Instructor:                                 S M Feroj Mahmood ; Senior Lecturer

 

Email:                                          feroj@ndub.edu.bd

 

 

Course Scenario 

Imagine that you have been selected by your company or organization to take a course on research methods. The company is planning some innovative and exciting changes in an effort to meet its vision statement. Upon completion of this research methods course, it is expected that you will be leading a team of researchers to measure the tangible and intangible aspects of human behaviour and change.

Over the next thirteen weeks, you will be studying the theory of research methods and developing the critical and practical skills to design appropriate research projects to meet the company’s needs. You will have the opportunity to further your skills as a team manager through group work, as a speaker through presentations and as a researcher through the development of a final project proposal on a topic of your own interest. Preparation prior to class and interaction between class members will amplify the benefits of the course. Your personal knowledge growth will be measured through examinations and assignments.  Overall, the course is designed to be engaging and to assist you in your future research endeavors.

 

Required Textbook:             

 

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY by William G Zikmund, 8th Edition,South-Western Cengage Learning.

 

References Textbook:         

 

Research Methods for Business Students by Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, Pearson

Business Research methods by Donald r. Cooper and Pamela s. Schindler, 12th Edition, The McGraw-Hill/Irwin Series

 

Course Objectives :

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The primary objective of this course is to develop a research orientation among the scholars and to acquaint them with fundamentals of research methods. Specifically, the course aims at introducing them to the basic concepts used in research and to scientific social research methods and their approach. It includes discussions on sampling techniques, research designs and techniques of analysis. Some other objectives of the course are:

• To develop understanding of the basic framework of research process.
• To develop an understanding of various research designs and techniques.
• To identify various sources of information for literature review and data collection.
• To develop an understanding of the ethical dimensions of conducting applied research.
• Appreciate the components of scholarly writing and evaluate its quality.

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Course Outcome :                    

The course learning outcomes are what you should be able to DO by the end of this course if you participate fully in learning activities and successfully complete the assessment items. The course learning outcomes are:

1. Recognize distinct nature of various research approaches and methodologies and be able to apply them to examine a research problem
2. Critically analyse and review research papers and assess their strengths and weaknesses
3. Conduct information searches, critically assess relevant literatures and write a literature review
4. Identify research problems, develop and justify research questions and hypothesis (if applicable)
5. Develop a research proposal that demonstrates ability to conduct a literature review, develop research question(s) and design a study to answer them
6. Discuss ethical aspects of research and in particular those related to the research proposal
7. Present a well-argued and logically structured research proposal orally and in a form of a written report.

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Course Requirements and Grading Criteria:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

University Grading System:

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Course Schedule: