TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

QUEZON CITY

MANUAL ON
BUSINESS RESEARCH WRITING I

An Empirical Study of the Employability of Logistics and Supply Chain

Management Graduates

PREPARED BY:

ANASCO, ROCHELLE A.
BAUTISTA, PHILIP CLOYD R.
CATANGHAL, SHAIRA
DELA CRUZ, ELYSSA MARIE A.
GONZALES, MARICAR G.
LACSON, KATRINA MAE U.
MANAHAN, MARK CHRISTIAN M.
PALAROAN, RAFFY JAY D.
ROSAL, JOSE MARIA C.

Co- Author:
Sir Joel B. Tan
 I. INTRODUCTION

This module is authored with the objective of ensuring uniformity in the physical
format of writing Research Proposal as course requirement for Business Research (MAN
010). It is done with the combined effort of the College of Business Education’s Chair
and Faculty Members, benchmarked with the existing templates of other universities
offering business program in both local and international settings.

Business Research Proposal aims to provide the students with the essential
knowledge needed to conduct research, to review the advantages and disadvantages of
different research methods, and to prepare students with the skills to develop an
undergraduate thesis (research paper) proposal in the business field, which is a partial
requirement for graduation from the program. Business research is a process of acquiring
detailed information of all the areas of business and using such information in
maximizing the sales and profit of the business. Such a study helps companies determine
which product/service is most profitable or in demand. In simple words, it can be stated
as acquisition of information or knowledge for professional or commercial purpose to
determine opportunities and goals for a business.

Submission of this document is a step in a program leading to the awarding of a

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. The original copy will be kept in
TIP-QC Library for public use, while an electronic copy will be stored on a properly
labeled USB at the TIP-CBEQC Department for archival purposes. Undergraduate
students must be familiar with the guidelines before writing their paper. The use of
correct tone, grammar, punctuation, spelling and format shall be observed and it is for
this purpose that this module was written.

II. MANUSCRIPT CONSTRUCTION

A. Appearance

The manuscript must be prepared on a computer, neat in appearance, and without

error. Strikeovers, handwritten corrections, or interlineations are not accepted. Printing of
the research proposal should be ink/laser quality with dark black characters that are
consistently clear and dense. The manuscript can be printed on only one side of each page
received. Reproduced copies are acceptable only if high quality photocopying is used.

B. Paper
 Official TIP-CBE QC paper with the appropriate logo must be used. Soft copy of the
template is available at the TIP-CBEQC Department. Type face Times New Roman or
Arial are the only acceptable fonts. The same typeface must be used throughout the
manuscript, including figures, tables, plate captions with the exception of certain tables,
figures and appendix material, which may use a different type. Italics should be used only
to highlight specific words or phrases in the text. The official font size is 12 point and
must be used for all material in the text. A sample official template appears in Appendix
“A”.

C. Spacing

Double spacing is required throughout the manuscript. Footnotes, bibliographic

entries, long quoted passages, figure and table captions, and items in lists and tables may
be single-spaced. If individual footnote or bibliographic entries are single-spaced, there
must be double-spacing between each entry. There are special spacing requirements for
some of the preliminary pages.

D. Margins

Margins must be uniform on all pages. Margin requirements apply to all materials
included in the thesis/dissertation such as figures, tables, photographs, etc., and all
material in appendices. The margins of the thesis page are:

 1 inch minimum on the top and bottom

 1.5 inches minimum on the left
 1 inch minimum on the right

Page numbers must fall within the margins. Page numbers must be placed in the top of
the page at the right side. The body of the text must be in fully/double justified with one
inch indentation of each paragraph’s first sentence

E. Post-Defense Action

After the Final Oral Defense, the student candidate/s shall do the following:
1. Revise the manuscript in compliance with the panel members’ comments and
suggestions;
2. Submit a copy of the revised manuscript together with the summary of
suggestions to the Research Adviser and to each of the panel members for further
evaluation.
3. Submit the revised manuscript to the editor once it is approved by the panel
members before its final printing; and
 4. Submit ring bound copies and a soft copy with Portable Document Format or PDF
and Word document of the revised and edited manuscript (final copy) stored in
USB to the CBE Department as final requirements for the subject.

F. Manner of grading

The paper will be graded in two ways, 50% will come from how well the paper is
constructed and how the conditions/instructions in this manual is accurately followed.
The Rubrics for Research Paper will be used to evaluate the paper. C33opy of the rubrics
for research paper is shown on Appendix “C”

The other 50% will be based on how well they could present their paper and how
they answer question from the panel. Rubrics for Oral Presentation will be used to
evaluate the presentation. Copy of the rubrics for oral presentation is shown on Appendix
“D”

III. PARTS OF RESEARCH PAPER

A. Preliminary Pages
1) Title Page (All successive preliminary pages are numbered consecutively)
2) Approval Sheet (bears no page number but is counted as page 2)
3) Certificate of Originality
4) Acknowledgments
5) Abstract
6) Table of Contents
7) List of Tables
8) List of Figures

1) Title Page

The TITLE for the Research Proposal should include meaningful key words
descriptive of the subject and content. Indicate your degree and field and give the month
and year of graduation, not the date of completion of the thesis. The title should appear
like an inverted pyramid, written in upper case letters using single spacing.

The TITLE should be 10 spaces from the top of the page. Type the title of the
research as it is worded in the abstract in uppercase letters, centered with single spacing.
If the title runs over one line, it should appear as an inverted pyramid. An example of the
Title Page for a research is shown in Appendix “E”. Notice that, the full legal name of the
candidate appears in bold uppercase letters followed by the month and year of graduation.
 2) Approval Sheet

The Approval sheet is to be signed by both the research adviser and the panel of
reviewers. The panel of reviewers is composed of three members. Signatures must be in
permanent BLUE INK. Appendix “F” shows an example of an approval sheet.

3) Certificate of Originality
A certification coming from the author that the work presented embodies the result of
original and scholarly work carried and does not contain words or ideas taken from
published sources or written works that have been accepted as basis for the award of a
degree from any higher education institution, except where proper referencing and
acknowledgement were made. A sample certificate of originality appears in Appendix
“G”

4) Acknowledgments

This section must not be more than 2 pages long. Place the acknowledgments heading
at the top of page centered, all in uppercase letters. Leave one blank line, and then begin
the text, which is double-spaced. Indent the first line of each paragraph. A sample
acknowledgments page appears in Appendix 4

5) Abstract

The abstract should briefly describe the background, and method of your research
and should work as a separate standalone document. Interested parties will read this
section first in conjunction with a glance at the results and conclusions when deciding
whether or not they will read the rest of the study. Key points to remember when writing
your abstract:

 Write this document after the content section of the Business Research is
completed.
 Although the abstract is written last, it is presented first.
 It should be comprised of approximately 150 to 200 words. See Appendix “I” for
sample.

6) Table of Contents

The table of contents is to include the following pages: title page, approval sheet,
acknowledgment list of tables, list of figures, bibliography, appendices and curriculum
vitae as well as the major sections of the text. Sample table of contents is shown in
Appendix “J”.
 7) List of Tables

List of tables include set of data arranged in rows and columns. The list of tables
is on a page by itself and arranged in the same general format as the table of contents.
Sample of list of tables is shown on Appendix “K”.

8) List of Figures

List of figure includes graphs, maps, photographs and all other types of
illustrations. Designate figure numbers with Arabic numerals. Appendix “L” shows an
example of a list of figures.

Note: Pagination of preliminaries shall be in lowercase Roman numerals placed at the

bottom center of the page.

B. Body of Text

TIP-CBEQC will follow the five-chapter format for Business Research Paper,
each chapter must begin on a new page. Chapters should be numbered with Arabic
numerals. It will use the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition style of
writing using Arial size 12 as official font
I. CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
This part introduces the entire research study. This section deals with the
following: (1) Introduction; (2) Background of the Study; (3) Theoretical
Framework; (4) Conceptual Framework; (5) Statement of the Problem; (6)
Hypotheses; (7) The Scope and Delimitations of the Study; (8) Significance of
the Study; and, (9) Definition of Terms

1. Introduction
The beginning of the introduction is the presentation of the topic, that
is what the topic is all about and its importance. The next part of the
introduction is the reference to the existence of an unsatisfactory
condition, a problem that has to be solved. The ending of the
introduction should be the rationale of the study-the need to solve the
problem, the reason for conducting the study

2. Background of the Study

Consists statements on what led the investigation to launch the study.
A historical background may be given. Situations that may have
spurred the researcher to undertake the study are included.
3. Theoretical Framework
This is the foundations of the research study. It means relating to or
having the characteristics of the theory. It refers to the set of
interrelated construct, definitions, and prepositions that presents a
systematic view of phenomena by specifying relations among
variables. This is the part of the business research paper that pursues
the linkage between theory and the problem at hand, the researcher
views theoretical framework as an organized body that explains what
has been done and what has been said on the topic or problem being
investigated.

4. Conceptual Framework
This section shall show the research paradigm or structure of the entire
study. This will guide the researcher what to do or not to do and what
are needed or not needed in the study. This is a map that guides the
researcher in undertaking the study. It shows how he/she understands
and looks at the problem by means of presenting relationships of
variable after a review of related literature and studies. The discussion
of the conceptual framework is followed by a diagram (also called a
paradigm) that allows the reader as well as the researcher to have an
idea of the whole research process at one glance.

5. Statement of the Problem

A research problem is a situation of concern brought into focus for

concentrated study. It is a condition that requires study to bring ways
and means by which improvements are brought about. It must be
written out in a simple language specifying what the researchers
proposed to investigate. It may be in the form of: (1) a question or
questions or a single question followed by several sub-questions; (2) a
declarative statement or a series of complete statements; and, (3) a
statement followed by a series of question.
6. Hypothesis/Hypotheses
This section provides a tentative conclusion or answer to a specific
question raised at the beginning of the investigation. It is an educated
guess about the answer to a specific question. It is a hunch usually
stated in the null form. The null hypothesis is stated statistically. The
computed statistical value provides the basis for determining whether
the hypothesis is to be accepted or rejected. It must be stated in
operational form – stated in the affirmative, and also states that there is
 a difference between two phenomena or null form – stated in the
negative, and also states that there is no difference between the two
phenomena.

7. Scope and Limitations of the Study

The scope of the study defines where and when the study was
conducted and who the subjects were. The scope sets the delimitations
and establishes the boundaries of the study. Limitations is a phase or
aspect of the investigation which may affect the result adversely but
over which the researcher has no control.
8. Significance of the Study
Refers to the significance of the study to the field involved, its
timeliness and its practical value in terms of the applicability and
eventual implementation of the results. The researcher should make
certain that the results will indeed be useful.

9. Definition of Terms
This is the section where terms are defined according to their use in
the study. Terms are defined by operational or functional definition or
based on how the word was used by the researcher in the study.

II. CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This section must begin with an introduction of the chapter that is consist of one
paragraph which cites the contents of the chapter.
1. Review of Related Literature (place subheadings of the related topics)
This part of the research outline deals with summaries or abstract
deduced from readings highly pertinent to the research problem. The
first part of this chapter may present general concepts, principles, and
theories related to the study both foreign and local. This part of the
manuscript presents, in one way, the justification of the research
project. It enables the researcher-student to determine and have a good
idea of the topic he is interested on through reading literatures and
studies (theses, dissertations, books, and periodicals).

2. Synthesis of the Literature

A final part of this chapter is the Synthesis (presents whether the
present investigation confirm, negate or innovate the findings in other
 inquiries about the same research problem or topic so that
generalizations or principles maybe formulated.

II. CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The components of research methodology or procedure are (1) research

method used; (2) population sampling; (3) description of respondents (4)
description of instruments used in the collection of data (5) validation of the
instruments (6) how the data were collected (7) how data were treated and
organized.
1. Research Method Used
This section describes the appropriate research method used in the
study. The selected research method maybe descriptive, experimental,
or historical. The method should be suited to the research problem.

2. Population and Sampling Technique

This part describes how the researchers selected places, products,
situations, and respondents. It explains what constitutes the sampling
frame, the basis for classification, and the selection of phases.

3. Description of the Respondents

This section provides the characteristics of the respondents for the
study. The respondents are described as a small group or as a big
group. Characteristics may include sex, age levels, socio-economic
status, marital status, level of intelligence, education, type of
community (urban or rural, barrio or town) ethnic group, and other
characteristics sought by the researcher to describe his respondents.

4. Description of Instruments Used

The tools to be used in gathering data are described in this section. The
description includes the phases or aspects of the instruments in terms
of how the items were selected and validated, and the number of items.
What the section purports to measure should be mentioned too. It is
also desirable to mention how the respondents are expected to respond
to the instruments.

5. Validation of the Instruments

In this section, suggestions, corrections, and refinement of the draft
may be explained thoroughly. The different persons involved in the
 corrections and refinement of the research instrument may be
mentioned. It must also describe the test that the researchers will
conduct to measure the validity and reliability of the survey
instruments. Statistical tools and/or subject matter experts’ validation
may be used for the test of reliability of the survey questionnaires.

6. Data Collection
This part clarifies the data gathering steps, procedures and time
schedule. Explains for whom and how permission to conduct study
will be obtained, how it will be administered to and retrieved from the
respondents. How long it will take the respondents to answer each
instrument and when the data gathering will be done.

7. Treatment of Data

In this part, the questions of the study in Chapter I under the Statement
of the Problems will be answered using statistical tools, which may be
described, and the formula may be explained. The level of probability
may be stated to determine the degree of significance of the findings.
The data must be described, how it will be analyzed and the rationale
for the selection of the particular technique. Treatment of data includes
the classifications made, the tallying, and the statistical computations
made. Statistical formulas are presented on this part. It would be
beneficial to the readers if the symbols are interpreted and explained
C. References

The List of References appears after the Body of the Document. It is a complete
listing of all cited resources used to create your document. These could be books,
monographs, pamphlets, articles, written speeches, and other research studies
reported in journals. The Technological Institute of the Philippines adopts the
American Psychological Association (APA) format.

D. List of Appendices
List of appendices include materials (questionnaire, form, letter graph or chart)
not vital to the text but which will supplement the text. Each type of material
forms a separate appendix, which must be labeled separately (Appendix A,
Appendix B, etc.).

Note: Use Arabic numerals to paginate the text, references, and appendices. Number all
the pages consecutively starting at number 2 on the second page of the first chapter. The
first page of each chapter, though counted, shall not be numbered. Type the page number
at the upper right-hand corner of the paper
 An Empirical Study of the Employability of Logistics and Supply Chain

Management Graduates

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to determine the Employability of Logistics and Supply

Chain Management Graduates of Technological Institute of the Philippines, Quezon

City.

Specifically, the study attempts to find solutions to the following sub problem

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of the following variables?

1.1. Gender;

1.2. Age;

1.3. Occupation;

1.4. Year of Graduation;

1.5. Civil Status;

1.6. Religion;

2. What is the incidence of employment, self-employment, unemployment, and further

education among the graduates?

3. How relevant are the school-acquired skills and competencies to the graduates’

chosen occupations?

4. What skills competencies do the graduates recommend to make curricular offerings

more relevant to current jobs?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses that this study wants to test are:

1. There is no significant difference in the respondents’ assessment on the Employability

of Logistics and Supply Chain Management Graduates of Technological Institute of the

Philippines, Quezon City when they are grouped according to their profile.
 Survey Questionnaire Form

Relative to Employability of Logistics and Supply Chain Management Graduates of

Technological Institute of the Philippines, Quezon City.
Instruction: Check (  ) the box which matches your answer and fill in the required
information on the blanks provided.
PART 1. Profile.
1. Name (optional) _________________________
2. E-mail address ___________________________
3. Personal Qualities/Demographics
Gender
 Male
 Female

Civil Status

 Single
 Married
 Single Parent

Highest Educational Attainment

 MBA Graduate
 With Masters Units
 BS LSCM Graduate

Year of Graduation

 2019 & Above

 2013-2018
 2007-2012
4. Employment Status

 Regular
 Temporary
 Contractual
 Self-Employed
 Unemployed

5. Nature of Occupation

 Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

 Trade/Industry
 Transportation
 Purchasing
 Distribution
 Government
 Services
 Academic

6. Initial Gross Monthly Earnings on their Current Job

 10,000 to less than 14,999

 15,000 to less than 19,999
 20,000 to less than 24,999
 25,000 and above

7. Employment, Self-employment, Unemployment

 Employed
 Self-Employed
 Unemployed

8. Extent of Use and Relevancy of the School-acquired Knowledge or Competencies

and Skills in their Chosen Occupation

 Very Highly Useful / Relevant

 Highly Useful / Relevant
 Moderately Useful / Relevant
 Fairly Useful / Relevant
 Poor Useful / Relevant
9. Extent of Development on the School-acquired Knowledge or Competencies and
Skills in their Chosen Occupation

 Very Highly Developed

 Highly Developed
 Moderately Developed
 Fairly Developed
 Poorly Developed

10. Recommendation of Skills and Competencies for Curricular Offerings to be More

Relevant to Current Job

 Communication Skills
 Problem Solving Skills
 Critical Thinking Skills
 Logisticians Skills
 Other Skills

11. Job Level

 Rank and File/Clerical

 Professional, Technical, or Supervisory
 Managerial or Executive
 Self-Employed