SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES(SOGS)

POSTGRADUATE
COURSE OUTLINE (SYLLABUS)
A. COURSE DETAILS:

Course Code MCPC 616 3

Course Title Research Methods

Academic Year 2022/2023

Programme ALL MBAs

Course URL: http//:

B. COURSE INSTRUCTOR(S) DETAILS:

Name: Course Dr. Alhassan Bunyaminu

Lecturer
Office Location Student Centre, 608

Mobile

Email - Course alhassan.bunyaminu@upsamail.edu.gh

Lecturer
Email - Head of edward.attah-botchwey@upsamail.edu.gh
Department
Course Lecturer(s) Dr. Alhassan Bunyaminu
Dr. Adam Salifu
Dr. James Doku
Dr. Andaratu Achuliwor

C. COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is an advanced-level course in Research Methods designed to provide postgraduate students
with the foundations needed to undertake scholarly research in business and management. The
course also offers students the opportunity to begin research on their final year project by providing
clear and holistic guidance on how to generate and refine a research idea into a clear and
unmistakable research topic with relevant, specific, measurable and realistic objectives or research
questions. Specifically, the course will cover topics such as what is research? Why do we conduct

1
Service Excellence
 research? How to generate research ideas, how to evaluate research topics, how to plan a research,
the sources of knowledge and the process of critically reviewing the relevant literature, the theory of
Knowledge, the philosophy and ethics of research. Others topics to be covered in this course shall
include: the research process as it relates to conceptualization and design of appropriate research
methodology to achieve the desired research objectives, techniques of data collection and analysis,
and drafting and writing a research Report.
This Course will be learner-centred and therefore shall use a combination of strategies such as
assignments, proposal development, seminar presentations, group discussion, and hands-on practice
with statistical packages to achieve the intended goal.

PREREQUISITE (IF ANY)

This course has no prerequisite because it is a first-year course.

D. COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this course are to:
 Introduce students to the scientific community, how it works, and how research fits into it.
 Expose students to the culture of the scientific community, including norms and patterns of
formal communication (journals).
 Provide students with the fundamental knowledge to be able to distinguish between
qualitative and quantitative research methods, understand how each approach systematically
gathers data.
 Develop students’ creative skills to be able to develop a research proposal for their final-
year dissertation
 Develop students’ analytical skills to be able to analyze data and interpret the results
 Sharpen students communicative skills to be able write a research report and defend it
before informed audience.

E. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Identify a problem/gap for research;
2. Critically evaluate social science research;
3. Discuss and apply basic concepts of research, such as variables, operationalization,
sampling, reliability, and validity;
4. Recognize the ethical issues involved in research, and practice ethical research standards;
5. Explain the difference between quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research and
what types of research questions can be answered with each method;
6. Use theory and previous research to create research questions and hypotheses;
7. Construct a coherent research proposal that includes an abstract, introduction, literature
review, research questions, ethical considerations, and methodology;
8. Develop data collection instruments according to the underlying theoretical framework;
9. Explain how to conduct data collection
10. Analyze qualitative data using content analysis

2
Service Excellence
F. COURSE CONTENT IN A WEEKLY FORMAT
The course outline is prepared on weekly format, describing the topics to be thought in each week.
Teaching is scheduled to start on March 17, 2023. This means that March 13-19, 2023 is week 1.
Students should note that the weekly lecture is fixed on Friday (Evening Session) from 5:30pm to
8:30pm and Saturday (Weekend Session) from 7:30am to 10:30am

WEEKS COURSE CONTENT

WEEK 1 REVIEW OF COURSE SYLLABUS AND INTRODUCTION

Review course outline
Solicit students’ expectations
Set the ground rules
Why do research?
Types of Research
WEEK 2 RESEARCH PROPOSAL WRITING
What is Research Proposal?
Importance of Research Proposal
Component of Research Proposal

WEEK 3 PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF RESEARCH AND ETHICS

Epistemology
Positivism
constructivism
Theories of ethics

WEEK 4 LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH

ETHICS
Types of literature reviews
Sources of information for literature review
Creating a review
Evaluating a literature review
Ethics/References/Plagiarism
WEEK 5 RESEARCH DESIGN
Qualitative, quantitative and Mixed Designs
Philosophical paradigms
Research approaches
Descriptive, causal, exploratory and explanatory
WEEK 6 MEASUREMENT AND SAMPLING
What is measurement?
Scales of measurement
Levels of measurement
Validity and Reliability
Sampling methods

3
Service Excellence
WEEK 7 CHOOSING A METHOD - QUANTITATIVE
Factors to consider
Experimental
Survey
Nonreactive/secondary data

WEEK 8 & 9 ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA

Coding/entering/cleaning quantitative data
Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics

WEEK 10 CHOOSING A METHOD - QUALITATIVE

Factors to consider
Field research
Interviews
Observation
Focus group discussion
Historical and comparative
WEEK 11 ANALYSIS OF QUALITATIVE DATA
Concept formation and qualitative coding
Analytic strategies
Content analysis
Thematic analysis
Domain analysis
Network analysis
WEEK 12 REPORTING RESEARCH
Structure of Report
Audience
Language
Stylistics
Presentation
WEEK 13 GENERAL REVISION

4
Service Excellence
G. COURSE TOPICS CREDIT HOURS ACTIVITIES AND READINGS IN A WEEKLY
FORMAT

WEEK TOPIC CREDIT HRS ACTIVITIES READINGS

WEEK 1 Review of course 3 Lecture

syllabus and Class discussion
Introduction Students are
expected to: read Course Outline.
about the course Sunders et al.
syllabus; state (2016), Chapter 1.
their course Lecture ppt
expectations and
set up ground
rules for the class
WEEK 2 Research Proposal 3 Students are
Writing expected to start
Sunders et al.
searching for the
(2016), Chapter 2.
published article
Lecture ppt
they will want to
write a critique on
WEEK 3 Philosophical 3 Discussion on
Foundations and research questions
Ethics in Research to work on,
refining questions, Sunders et al.
and objectives, (2016), Chapter 4.
Students are Lecture ppt
expected to read
on proposal
writing;
WEEK 4 Literature Review 3 Students are
and Research expected to read
Ethics about literature
review and ethics Sunders et al.
in research (2016), Chapters 3
The Individual & 6.
Assignment Lecture ppt
should start

WEEK 5 Research Design 3 Lecture, Class Sunders et al.

Discussion (2016), Chapter 5.
Students are Lecture ppt
expected to read
about research
designs

5
Service Excellence
WEEK 6 Measurement and 3 Lecture, Class Sunders et al.
Sampling Discussion (2016), Chapter 7.
Students are Lecture ppt
expected to read
about
measurement and
sampling
The Individual
Assignment is
due for
submission

WEEK 7 Choosing a 3 Lecture, Class Sunders et al.

Method - Discussion (2016), Chapters 8
Quantitative Students are & 11.
expected to read Lecture ppt
about Quantitative
research methods
WEEK 8 &9 Analysis of 3 Lecture, Class
Quantitative Data Discussion
Students are
expected to come Sunders et al.
to class with their (2016), Chapter
lap tops for hands- 12.
on training on Lecture ppt
Quantitative data
analysis

WEEK 10 Choosing a 3 Lecture, Class Sunders et al.

Method – Discussion (2016), Chapters 9
Qualitative Students are & 10.
expected to read Lecture ppt
about Qualitative
research methods
The Group
assignment (mini
project work)
should start
WEEK 11 Analysis of 3 Lecture, Class Sunders et al.
Qualitative Data - Discussion (2016), Chapter
Content Analysis 13.
Lecture ppt
WEEK 12 Reporting 3 Lecture, Class Sunders et al.
Research Discussion (2016), Chapter
Preparation of 13.
PowerPoint Lecture ppt

6
Service Excellence
 presentations
The Group
assignment (mini
project work) is
due for
submission

WEEK 13 General Revision 3 Class

Discussion

.
H. COURSE ASSIGNMENT
The course will have two assignments: one individual and one group. There will also be marks for
class attendance and participation. These assessable areas are explained below:

Attendance
Your early attendance and participation in class are very important. These will help you better
process and understand the materials we cover while also increasing the collective understanding
of the class. You should come to class prepared to ask questions, generate ideas, and discuss the
assigned readings. You can miss up to three classes without penalty. However, beyond this
maximum number of three, each additional class missed will attract a penalty point of 1 mark.
Only hospitalization, serious illness, and serious family emergencies will qualify as excused after
you miss three classes. In the event that you miss a class for any of the aforementioned reasons,
you are required to submit an empirical evidence to back your excuse; otherwise the penalty point
will be applied. Students who miss class for any reason are responsible for getting the class notes
for that class from their friends.

Assignment - Individual
This assignment is an interview project. Students are expected to choose an organization and
conduct a 20-30-minute interview with some key personnel in that organization. The purpose of
the interview should be to identify an existing problem that can potentially become a topic for
your project work in the final year. The works to be submitted for this assignment are: 1-page
interview guide; verbatim transcription of the interview; and 1-page write-up of the
description of the problem.

Mini Project Work - Group

The mini project is a follow-on to the individual assignment and is intended to help students
initiate work on their final-year project work. This project is to be done in groups of not more than
2 people in a group and may be used as a basis for the development of your final-year project
work. The outline of the mini project should include:
o Title
o Profile of organization
o Problem statement (Explanation of the nature of problem in organization)
o Purpose of project
o Significance of the project
o Brief explanation of theory or theories to be used

7
Service Excellence
 o Empirical literature review
o Foreseeable challenges
o References (APA Style)

Guidelines and Policies for ALL submitted work

All assignments should be conducted in accordance with the principles of academic honor detailed
in the University Students’ Handbook. I encourage you to discuss ideas from class with your
classmates. However, unless otherwise noted, assignments should be completed independently and
all work turned in should be your own. If your topic for the research proposal is one that you’re
exploring in another class, independent study, or other academic work, you must let me and the
other professor(s) know. Your work in assignments and the research proposal should include
citations to ideas and direct quotes from course readings as well as outside sources.

In addition to the above policies, the following guidelines also apply to all assignments. Failure to
observe them will result in loss of points.

 Cover page
 Typed in Times New Roman with 1’’ margins on all sides
 12 pt. front
 Double spaced
 Pages numbered
 Be free of spelling errors
 Be grammatically correct
 Be referenced correctly
 Follow APA style

Late Submissions

The submission of assignments is expected on the indicated “due date” during that day’s class
meeting (unless otherwise stated). Requests for extensions should be made prior to the due date.
Please note that grades on non-approved late submissions will be penalized. Any work turned in
late will attract a penalty.

I. COURSE INSTRUCTIONS
The course involves lectures, workshops, presentations, discussions, and individual and group
learning activities and assignments. Each class will have a topic, specific tasks and reading material
set in advance. A class will typically involve a lecture/seminar – presenting a new topic and related
readings – followed by hands on activities related to the topic for the week. Students will be
expected to present or discuss pre-specified reading material in the class. Please bring your printed
preparation work to class because these may be collected in selected weeks. These activities will be
assessed.
The teaching activities for the Course include:
 Lectures
 Power Point Presentation
 Discussions
 Classroom presentation
 Mock defense

8
Service Excellence
Classroom Etiquette: Disruptions to class negatively affect everyone’s ability to learn. Thus, student
must avoid any practice that will bring about disruptions.

J. COURSE ASSESSMENT
The course will be assessed using the FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS. The
breakdown of marks will be as follows:
FORMATIVE 40%
SUMMATIVE 60%

K. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
The following formative assessment methods will be used:

FORMATIVE Assessment Task Weight

1 Attendance and Participation 5%
2 Individual Assignment 15%
3 Mini Project Work - Group 15%
4 Class Contribution 5%

LEVERAGING OF TECHNOLOGY
Moodle, email, and WhatsApp, given convenience and speed, would be used to send and retrieve
course materials.

L. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT EXAMINATION

The final exams will constitute the summative assessment. This will three - hour paper with 5
questions out of which candidates will be required to attempt 3 questions. Close to the examination
period, a confirmation of the final arrangement will be communicated to students in class.

M. READING LISTS/REFERENCES
BASIC TEXTS

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students. 7th
Edition. Pearson Education Limited.

SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS

Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. (2015). Management research. Sage.

Creswell, J., W. (2010). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches.
Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Garner, R., & Scott, G. M. (2013). Doing qualitative research: designs, methods, and techniques.
Pearson Education.

9
Service Excellence
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
At the end of the course the students will be equipped with the following employability skills to this
extent On a scale of 1-5. 1 is the lowest 5 is the highest.

SKILLS SCALE

Ability to work independently 3

Ability to work under pressure 3

Analytical skills 4

Communication skills/Interpersonal skills 4

Computer skills 3

Creativity/Creative thinking 4

Decision making 4

Entrepreneurial Skills 2

Leadership skills 4

Negotiating Skills 3

Organisational skills 4

Problem Solving Skills 4

Team work and team orientation 4

Time management 4

Writing Skills 4

REACH THE FOLLOWING IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK OR COMPLAINT

POSITIONS EMAIL

Lead Lecturer James.doku@upsamail.edu.gh

Head of Department edward.attah-botchwey@upsamail.edu.gh

10
Service Excellence
Director - Quality Assurance director.qualityassurance@upsamail.edu.gh

Academic Dishonesty
Please remember Academic Dishonesty:

● Harms the good name of the University

● Affects your personal integrity
● Is a barrier to knowledge and attitude you would have acquired
● Decrease your value in the eyes of people
● Have a heavy penalty

DO NOT CHEAT OR CONDONE CHEATING

11
Service Excellence