OBE Based RM Course Outline

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – BANGLADESH

Faculty of Business Administration
BBA Program
Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management

COURSE OUTLINE

I. Course Code and Title: Research Methodology

II. Credit: 3

III. Prerequisite: Business Statistics

Class Schedule:

Sunday and Tuesday (Sec C) Venue: Room # Online Time: 12.30 – 14.00

IV. Course Description and Objectives:

Information and knowledge are indispensable tools for helping and ensuring the continuity and
sustainability of any organization. They should be acquired first and then assessed before they can be
utilized in the decision-making process. This is where the usefulness of research methodology or
business research lies. The application of careful scientific research methods, and by using proven
analytical and evaluative tools and techniques, corporate managers can acquire insights into issues
which they can use to help them accomplish their organizational goals and objects, set up priorities,
adopt prudent strategies and approaches, effectively and efficiently manage their resources.
This course gives a comprehensive introduction to the subject of business research methods.
Acquainting participants with all modern and universally applied research concepts, tools and
techniques, which are encouraging students to apply their acquired theoretical knowledge to practical
life situations, are paramount course objectives.

V. Course Outcomes: At the end of the Course, the Student will be able to:

CLO1 Understand and apply research approaches, techniques and strategies in the appropriate
manner for senior managerial decision making
CLO2 Develop necessary critical thinking skills to evaluate different research approaches

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

utilized in the service industries

CLO3 Apply a wide range of quantitative and / or qualitative research techniques to business
and management problems / issues
CLO4 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of data analysis and presentation in relation
to the business research process
CLO5 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of data discussion and interpretation in
relation to the business research hypotheses and objectives
CLO6 Conceptualize an overview research process
CLO7 Develop research proposal
CLO8 Conduct proposed research to finalize report writing

VI. Mapping of Course Outcomes to Program Outcomes:

Table: VI. A
PLO1 PLO2 PLO3 PLO4 PLO5 PLO6 PLO7 PLO8 PLO9 PLO 10
CLO1      
CLO2     
CLO3      

CLO4     
   
CLO5
  
CLO6
    
CLO7
    
CLO8

Table: VI. B
CO/CLOs Level of Domain PO Assessment Tools
Assessed
C P A S AO
 Quiz, Assignments, Round Table
CO1 CT 1 Discussion
 Quiz, Assignments, Round Table
CO2 CT 1 Discussion
CO3  TS 3 Quiz, Assignments, Presentation
CO4  TS 4 Quiz, Assignments, Term Exam
 Quiz, Assignments, Round Table
CO5 CT 4 Discussion
CO6  TS 2 Quiz, Assignments, Round Table

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

Discussion
CO7  CT 4 Quiz, Assignments, Presentation
CO8  TS 5 Quiz, Assignments, Term Exam
C: Cognitive; P: Psychomotor; A: Affective; S: Soft skills (CT: Critical Thinking, TS:
Teamwork, Leadership etc.); Any other: AO

VII. Topics to be covered:

Topics Specific Suggested Time Teaching CO
Objectives Activities Frame Strategies Mapped
Introduction to Research: To provide  Library 1st  Brain CLO1
 Meaning, Definitions, holistic ideas research Week storming
Nature, Objects, and  Presentation  Power Point
Motivation, and knowledge on  Illustration/P Presentation,
Significance Research and ractical Whiteboard
Research exercise Illustration
Research Methodology: Methodology  Giving Reporting
 Research Method versus feedbacks  Socialized
Methodology (Face to face  Both way
 Approach to Business Questions discussion
 Research in Business? and
 The role of business Answers),
research. Quizzes, and
 Business research in 21st Assignments
Century using information
systems and knowledge
management
 Ethical issues in business
research

Types of business research Confident to  Study groups 2nd  Power Point CLO2
following different modes identify the  Round table week Presentation,
(Application, Objective and business discussion Whiteboard
Inquiry): pure and applied research  Giving Illustration
research; descriptive, types feedbacks  Reporting
exploratory and causal (Face to face  Guided
research; qualitative and Questions discussion
quantitate research with and  Team
various example from Answers), teaching
current emerging issues Quizzes, and
Assignments

Chronological Stage of the An Overview

Research Process: on Research

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

Problem Formulation Process

Problems with the research
process
Identifying and defining
research problem along with
background and justification
of research issue.

Literature Review Highly  Presentation 3rd  Power Point

 Importance of literature confident to  Illustration/P week Presentation
review write ractical  Whiteboard
 Types of literature review: literature exercise Illustration
Conceptual ad Theoretical review  Giving Reporting
framework of literature feedbacks  Brain
review (Face to face storming
 Obtaining and searching Questions  Reporting
the literature review, and  Socialized
assessing the quality of Answers), discussion
literature Quizzes, and  Both way
 Example of literature Assignments discussion
review  Practical
 Writing a critical review to exercises
develop hypothesis
 Develop research objective
in accordance with
hypothesis

Research Design: Confident  Preparation 4th  Power Point CLO3

Sampling enough to of proto-type week Presentation,
 Classification of design, understand criteria in Whiteboard
sources of data, types of and write performance Illustration
data and measurement research evaluation  Reporting
 Methods of data design  Giving  Guided
collection, sampling feedbacks discussion
techniques, sample size, (Face to face  Team
key statistical concepts Questions teaching
 Degrees of accuracy, and  Lecture
internet sampling Answers), presentation
 Steps in sampling Quizzes, and  Both way
designs and procedures Assignments discussion
 Practical sampling
concepts from various
sampling methods
 Technical and
operational definition of
variables and relevant

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

terms: Its importance in

research

Data Collection:
Primary data collection
Observation,
experimentation, survey,
interview, diary methods
Secondary data collection
Searching engine google and
various sources, exercises
Surveys Confident  Practical 5th  Power Point CLO4
Design, questions, pilot enough to exercise in week Presentation,
survey, administering the collect both preparing a Whiteboard
survey, ensuring response primary and questionnaire Illustration
rate, missing information, secondary  Study groups  Socialized
coding and data input research data  Round table discussion
discussion  Prototyping
Field work: why conducts  Giving of data
field work, recording the feedbacks gathering
response, terminating the (Face to face instruments
interview, principles of good Questions
interview, field work and
management Answers),
Quizzes, and
Assignments

 Time Table and Confident  Study Groups 6th  Power Point CLO5
 Budgets enough to  Round table week Presentation,
develop discussion Whiteboard
N.B: Above mentioned milestone and  Giving Illustration
processes will guide to write budget for feedbacks  Socialized
a Research Proposal research (Face to face discussion
proposal Questions  Prototyping
and of data
To draft a Answers), gathering
Research Quizzes, and instruments
Proposal Assignments

7th Week: Mid Semester Assessment

Data Processing, Data Confident  Topic 8th  Socialized CLO6
Analysis, Presentation and enough to  Presentation week Discussion
Interpretation: analyses and  Discussion  Hypothetical
presentations  Giving data analysis
Data Processing: of research feedbacks  Invite
 Editing and coding: data (Face to face Lecture on

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

Transformation raw data Questions Excel &

into information and SPSS
 An overview of the stage Answers),
of data analysis Quizzes, and
 Editing, field editing, in- Assignments
house editing, pretest
editing, point estimates
confidence intervals
 Error checking

Basic Data Analysis: Practical  Individual 9th  Hands on CLO6

 Demonstration on SPSS: knowledge to dataset week training on
Both theory and practical analyses data  Presentation data analysis
 Descriptive Statistics using both  Discussion using Excel
 Nature of descriptive descriptive  Giving & SPSS
analysis and inferential feedbacks
 Measures of central statistical (Face to face
tendency, cross tabulation techniques Questions
and
Uni-variate statistics Answers),
 Hypothesis test Quizzes, and
 Choosing an appropriate Assignments
statistics technique
 t-distribution

Bi-variate statistics: Test of

differences
 Cross tabulation tables:
The Chi-Square Test for
goodness of fit
 t-test for choosing two
Means
 z-test for comparing two
proportions
 Analysis of variance
(ANOVA)
 F-test

Bi-variate statistics:
Measures of association
 Correlation and coefficient
 Regression analysis

Multivariate analysis:
 Analysis of dependence

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

and independence
 ANOVA
 The Chi-Square

Data Presentation:
 Tabulation, graphic and
text methods for data
presentation using
computer

Results & Discussions Highly  Individual 10th  Power Point CLO7

 Exploring, displaying and confident to findings week Presentation
examining data present and  Discussion in  Both way
 Tailoring the format to the discuss accordance discussion
research project objective research with  Dictation
 Effective use of data findings individual based on
presentation use of result findings
tabulation, graphic aids and
text methods
 Interpretation of research
data findings to fulfill the
research objectives

Conclusion Confident  Individual 11th  Power Point CLO8

 Presenting insights and enough to findings week Presentation
findings write research  Conclusion  Both way
 Both deductive and conclusion in accordance discussion
inductive mode and with  Dictation
 Significance of findings recommendati individual based on
and its use on finding and findings
 Limitations and future objectives
research suggestions (if
any) Confident to
write an
How to write Abstract abstract

Writing Research Report Confident to  Practical 12th  Workshop CLO

 Short reports write a Exercises week 8
 Long reports Research  Round table
Report discussion
Research Report  Review for
Components the Final
 Preparatory Items: Report
 Introduction  Giving
 Materials and methods feedbacks
(Face to face

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

 Results and discussion Questions

 Conclusions and
 References Answers),
Quizzes, and
Assignments
Discussion individuals and Review of  Presentation 13th Review guide CLO8
groups in the class room entire class if and week
 Presentation of statistics there are any discussion
 Text, tabular and semi- queries  Submission
tabular and graphical of Bound
 Writing the draft report Evaluation Reports
using report  Giving
Oral presentations submission, feedbacks
 Preparation presentation
 Delivery and viva voce
 Audiovisuals

Report Submission,
Presentation, Viva Voce of
the Final Research Report
14th week: Final Assessment

Remarks: All Rights Reserved to Change: An example, Topics Time Frame may be overlapped and
Topic Outline will also be edited in accordance with needs.

Quizzes: Three to four quizzes will be taken before each of the term examination. The sudden quiz
and free scheduled quizzes are generally based on previous class lectures. No make-up quiz will be
taken. Students are strongly recommended not to miss any of the quizzes.

VIII. Students Performance Evaluation: Grades will be calculated as per the university
grading policy and individual student will be evaluated based on the following criteria with respective
weights.

SL No. Items Points

1. Assessment (Mid and Final) 40%
2. Class Attendance and Performance 15%
3. Class Quizzes 15%
4. Research Proposal, Report Writing & 30%
Presentation
Total 100%

IX. Mid-Term Will Carry 40% and Final Exam Will Carry 60% Points.

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OBE Based RM Course Outline

X. Requirements to Complete the RM Course

 Preparation and Presentation of Report based on Current and Emerging Issues
 Furnish Each Student Individually or a Group Copy of the Research Proposal and Report
 Submission of the Individual Research Proposal and Report
 Present and Defend the Research Proposal and Report in the Class Room
 Taken and Passed the Written Examination
 Regular Class, Computer Lab and Exam Attendance are mandatory

XI. Reference Books:

1. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. 2015. Research Methods for Business Students. 7th
Editions, Pearson Education Limited.
2. Donald Cooper and Pamela Schindler. 2014. Business Research Methods, 12th Edition, McGraw
Hill/Irwin Co., New York.
3. Zikmund et al., 2013. Business research Methods, 9th Edition, Thomson South-Western, USA.
4. Ranjit Kumar. 2011. Research Methodology, A Step by Step Guide for Beginners, 3rd Edition,
Pearson Education, Australia.
5. Kothari, C.R. 2004. Research Methodology-Methods and Techniques, 2nd Edition, New Delhi,
India.
6. Fely David. 2002. Understanding and Doing Research, A Handbook for Beginners, Panorama
Printing Inc. Iloilo City, Philippines.
7. Anthony Graciano and Michael Raulin. 2000. Research Methods, A Process of Inquiry, 4th edition,
USA.
8. Lesiker R and John Pettit. 1995. Report Writing for Business. 9th Edition, Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin.
USA.
9. William Emory and Richard Irwin. 1980. Business Research Methods, Inc. Illinois, USA.

NAME & DESIGNATION SIGNATURE

APPROVED BY:
FARHEEN HASSAN
DIRECTOR, BBA PROGRAM
FBA, AIUB

PREPARED BY:
PROF. DR. MD. FARUQUE HOSSAIN
OSCM, FBA, AIUB
Annex 4, 1st Floor, Room 42129
Email: mfhossain@aiub.edu, hossainfaruque@hotmail.com