New Global Vision College

Advanced Business Research Methods

Course Code: MBA 522
Credit Hours: 3 Hrs.
Instructor: Mikiyas M. (Ass. Professor, PhD Scholar)
mikiusc2017@gmail.com 0911522780

Course Description:
Topics covered in this course include introduction to business research, business research
proposal, business research design, the sources and collection of data, processing and analysis of
data, interpretation of data, and research report writing.

Course Objective:
The main objective of the course “Business Research Methods” is to enable the students to
develop their research skills by acquiring a comprehensive knowledge in research process and its
considerations and apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to real-life situations. After
completion of the course, the students will be able to:
 Explain various tools and techniques of research
 Apply various methods of research to solve Business problems
 Prepare a good business research proposal
 Identify what sampling method to adopt in various situations and design scaling
technique
 Distinguish the various sources of data, data collection methods, statistical tools
for the analysis of the data, and effective ways to interpret the data
Chapter One: Introduction to Research Methodology
1.1 Definition of Research
1.2 Research Methods vs. Research Methodology
1.3 Types of researches
1.4 Essentials of qualitative research approach
1.5 The research process
1.6 Motivation/Importance of research
1.7 Characteristics of good research
Chapter Two: Research Topics and Problems Formulation
2.1 Choosing a research Topic
 2.1 Background of the study
2.2 What is problem statement
2.3 Steps in problem definition
Chapter Three: Literature Review and Hypothesis Formulation
3.1. Need for literature review
3.2. Sources and Methods of reviewing literatures
3.3. Theoretical concepts and empirical studies
3.4. Theory and Establishing research Hypothesis
3.5. Operationalization of variables
Chapter Four: Research Methods
4.1 Research Design (Introduction of research methodology)
4.2 Approaches of research
4.3 Types and Sources of data
4.4 Scales of data measurement
4.5 Population Vs. sample size determination
4.6 Sampling techniques: Probability and non-probability methods
4.7 Methods of data collection and ethical issues;
4.8 Concepts of reliability and validity
4.9 Methods of Data analysis
Chapter Five: Research Proposal writing
5.1 What is a research proposal?
5.2 Importance of a research proposal
5.3 Components of the Research Proposal
5.4 Developing a proposal
Chapter Six: Data Analysis and interpretation
6.1 Preparing data for analysis (Editing, coding and data entry)
6.2 Statistical techniques in Quantitative analysis
6.3 Data Interpretation
Chapter Seven: Communicating Results of a Research
7.1 What is research report Writing?
7.2 Components of research report writing

References
1 Kothari., C.R. (2004) Research Methodology. 2nd ed. New age International Publishers.

2 Sarah., Quinton & Teresa Smallbone. (2006) Postgraduate Research in Business: A Critical Guide. Sage
Publications Ltd.
3 John W. Creswell. Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approach. Sage Publication Inc.,
 ( any edition)
4 John W. Creswell. (2007) Qualitative inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five
Approaches. Sage Publication Inc.,
5 Steven R., Terrell. (2016) Writing a Proposal for your Dissertation: Guidelines and Examples. The Guil
Ford Press.
6 Donald R. Cooper., and Pamela S. Schindler. (2014) Business Research Methods. 12th ed.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Companies Inc.,
7 Mark, Saunders., Philip, Lewis. and Adrian, Thornhill. (2009). Business Research Methods for
Business Students. Pearson Education Ltd.
8 Kenneth S, Bordens. and Bruce B, Abboh. (2006) Research Design and Methods: A Process Approach.
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,
9 John., Adams., Robert, Raeside., Hafiz T.A. and David, White. (2007) Research Methods for
Graduate Business & Social Science Students. Sage Publication Inc.,
10 Colin Fisher.,John Buglear., Diannah, Lowry., Alistair, Mutch. and Carole, Tansley. (2007)
Researching on Writing a Dissertation: A Guide Book for Business Students. 2nd ed. Pearson

Education Ltd.
11 Andy, Field. (2009) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. 3rd ed. Sage Publication.

12 Alan C., Elliott. and Wayne A., Woodward. (2007) Statistical Analysis Quick Reference Guidebook with
SPSS Examples. Sage Publications Inc.,
13 Duncan, Cramer. (2003) Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis. Open University Press.

14 Perry R., Hinton., Isabella., McMurray. and Charlotte, Brownlow. (2014) Spss Explained. Routledge,
Taylor & Francis Group.
15 Samprit, Chatterjee. and Alis, Hadi. (2006) Regression Analysis By Example. 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons
Inc., Hoboken.
16 Darrell, Huff. (1954) How to lie with Statistics. New York: Norton and Company, Inc.

17 Sylual Barnet. And Hugo, Bedau. (2011) Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to
Argument. 7th ed. Bedford/st. Martin’s.

Course Work Participation

In this course, 50 % from total evaluation will be based on their participation on the individual and group
assignments of the following topics;
1. Thesis evaluation (Group)
2. Formulating a research proposal (Group)
Learning Activities
1) Theses Review
This activity is designed to give exposure about thesis research work at the postgraduate level so as students will
start to develop and investigate questions around research methodologies and methods. Hence, students by
targeting on selected topics of interest start to review about whether and to what extent previous researches on
their research problem, objectives, methodology, findings, conclusions and recommendation are interlinked.
Prepare a paper that briefly summarizes and reviews the thesis chosen. Special emphasis should be made for the
following issues;
 Briefly discuss the research problem of the selected thesis
 Evaluate appropriateness and completeness of the research questions in line with the stated
research problem
 Assess suitability of research design, selection of sample and specification of population, type of
data collected, method of data collection, method of data analysis, and validity and reliability of the
research.
 Examine to what extent the analysis are framed to address the research questions raised and that the
conclusions follows findings and the recommendation are based on the conclusions drawn.
 Identify the strength and weakness of the thesis
 Summarize the lessons you have gathered from the review exercise
The paper should be between 9-12 pages in length. The assignment should be submitted to the instructor on
16-17/04/2022 before 12:00 P.M
2)Research Proposal
This aim of this research proposal is to provide students with the opportunity to try out a research
methodology in a fairly concise manner. Thus, students are required to come up with a researchable area
which is closely related to their area of study, and to collaborate with other team members in conducting this
mini research. Among other, the research proposal is expected to encompasses;
 a clear statement of the problem and questions to be researched;
 the purpose and motive of the research
 the research design: methodology, population and sampling, method of data collection and
analysis, and how to ensure reliability and validity of the study
 an analysis of the limitations and scope of the study
 Review of relevant literature in the area, both empirical and theoretical literature
The length of the proposal should be 10-15 pages. The assignment should be submitted to the instructor on
30/04/2022 – 02/05/2022 before 12:00 P.M

Method of Assessment
In this course, the total evaluation will be made in the following manner;
1. Thesis evaluation (Group)----------------------------------------------------- 20%
2. Formulating a research proposal & Presentation (Group) -------------- 30%
3. Final Exam ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 50 %
Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 100%