Manipal Institute of Management

Course Description
MLP 31

Course Title: Business Research Methods (MBA Regular)

Course Code: MGA 610

Credit Points: 4

Semester, Year: Second Sem, Feb 2022 – June 2022

The Course Outcomes outlined in this document are linked to the following MBA Program
Outcomes (POs):
The MBA graduates will be able to:
PO1. Relate broad knowledge in key management theories and practice.
PO2. Utilize hard and soft skills that are useful in organizations.
PO3. Apply knowledge and skills to solve organizational problem and issues.
PO4. Evaluate approaches to manage volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous
business environment.
PO5. Appreciate value-based management practices.
PO6. Integrate functional strategies to manage organizations efficiently and effectively.
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

Faculty Member
Lecturer Details
Name Dr. Rajasekharan Pillai K.
Email Contact kr.pillai@manipal.edu; krpillai123@gmail.com
Office Location MIM, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
Phone Contact 8095132740
Consultation Hours Wednesday & Thursday (4.00 pm – 5.00 pm)

Student Responsibility

It is the responsibility of every student to be aware of the requirements for this course, and understand the
specific details included in this document.

It is emphasised that this course requires a significant commitment outside of formal class contact. The
learning tasks in this course may include classes (lectures or seminars), required reading, the preparation
of answers to set questions, exercises and problems, and self-study. In addition, students may be required
to complete an assignment, test or examination.

Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction
(Contents)
What is research; Business research; Nature of business research;
Evidence-based decision making; Research Philosophies; Research
methodology; The process of research; Types of business research;
Significance of business research; Language of research; Features of a
good research study: Ethical research
Module 2: Building Research Skills
Generating and refining research ideas; Attributes of a good research idea;
Identifying and formulating a research problem; Developing a research
proposal; research objectives; Research questions; Formulating
hypothesis; Review of literature
Module 3: Research Design
What is research design; Nature of research design; Types of research
designs: Exploratory – Descriptive – Causative - Action research –
Experimental - Case study; Mixed Methods; Triangulation
Module 4: Data Collection
Primary and secondary data; Various methods of data collection: Survey
method – observation - content analysis - focus group method – Interviews
- Participatory Rural Appraisal - Projective techniques; Census Vs. sample
survey; Probability and Non—probability sampling techniques; Estimation
of sample size; Types of measurement scale; Classification of scales;
Criteria of a good measurement; Measurement error; Questionnaire design
Module 5: Data Analysis and Interpretation (SPSS orientation)
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

Editing; Coding; Classification and tabulation of data; Descriptive analysis:

Averages – Proportions – Dispersions - Cross-tabulation; inferential
analysis: ANOVA – Correlation – Regression – Mediation & Moderation
Analysis - Factor analysis - Cluster analysis - Hypothesis testing:
Concepts’- steps in hypothesis testing; Parametric and non-parametric
analysis – Introduction to SEM (AMOS), JAMOVI, & JMP
Module 6: Report Writing
Types of Business Reports; Lay out of research reports; Citations; footnote,
end-notes; References Vs. Bibliography, APA style of referencing,
Plagiarism
Course Outcomes
At the end of the course the learners should be able to;
(COs)
CO1. comprehend various approaches of business research (PO2, PO3,
PO4)
CO2: Understand the need of ethics in research (PO2, PO5)
CO3: apply the principles of scientific research in various settings (PO3,
PO4, PO6)
CO4: analyse the data, using suitable tools, amenable to be interpreted
and inferred, with the help of SPSS (PO3, PO4, PO6)
CO5: synthesise research evidence to address the managerial dilemma
(PO2, PO3, PO5, PO6)
CO6: solve managerial/ decision problems through scientific inquiry (PO2,
PO3, PO4, PO6).

Learning
Strategies, Contact LEARNING STRATEGY CONTACT HOURS SLT
Hours and Student Lecture 20 60
Learning Time Seminar 5 20
(SLT) Small Group Discussion (SGD) 2 5
Self-directed learning (SDL) 2 20
Problem Based Learning (PBL) 2 10
Case Based Learning (CBL) 2 10
Practical 10 10
Revision 2 5
Assessment 0 0
TOTAL 45 140

Main Text Books T1: Zikmund, W.G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J.C., Adhikari, A., & Griffin, M.
(2016). Business Research Methods: A South –Asian perspective. New
Delhi: Cengage Learning
T2: Dawson, C. (2016). 100 Activities for teaching research methods.
Sage; New Delhi.
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

Expanded Course Outline and Schedule

Topics Course Outcomes Week from, Week to

OR Hours from, Hours
to
• (CO1)
• (CO2) 05
Introduction
• (CO3)
Building Research Skills • (CO3) 06
• (CO5)
Research Design • (CO1) 04
• (CO3)
Data Collection • (CO3) 07
Data Analysis and Interpretation (SPSS orientation) • (CO4)
• (CO6) 20
Report Writing • (CO6) 03

Attendance and Participation

It is in students’ interest to make every effort to attend all the classes for this course and to complete all
preparatory and assessment tasks. It is our experience that those students who do not attend class or carry
out the associated activities are more likely to do poorly or to fail the course completely.
A student who has not attended 75% of the classes, held in a course, will not be eligible to appear for the
semester end examination.
To become eligible to appear for the semester end examination in this course, the student has to register
as a “casual” student in this course (or its equivalent) when the same is offered for the immediate
succeeding batch by paying the prescribed fees and fulfil the attendance requirements by attending the
classes in the course. The student would undergo internal assessment as well.
If a student, for any reason, discontinues the program of studies he/she may be permitted to resume studies
in the succeeding year by registering afresh for the term in which the studies were discontinued. The
maximum period for completion of the program would continue to be four years from the date of admission
to the program.

Late Submission
Assessment tasks submitted after the due date, without prior approval/arrangement, will be penalised at
10% of the available marks per day. Requests for extension of time must be made with the faculty member
concerned and based on Special Consideration guidelines

Microsoft Teams:
Microsoft Teams is used to host course resources for all courses. Students can download lecture and
tutorial notes to support class participation.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the presentation of the expressed thought or work of another person as though it is one's own
without properly acknowledging that person.

Students must not allow other students to copy their work and must take care to safeguard against this
happening. In cases of copying, normally all students involved will be penalised equally; an exception will
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

be if the student can demonstrate the work is their own and they took reasonable care to safeguard against
copying.

Plagiarism is a serious offence.

Adopted Reference Style:

American Psychological Association (APA)

Learning Task and Assessment:

Assessment criteria set out the details by which performance in each task will be judged. This information
will give a clear and explicit understanding of the expected standards to be achieved relative to the marks
awarded.

Assessment Task Course outcome Assessment Weighting Week Due

Assessed Type
1. Mid-term test CO1, CO2, CO3 ePad Test 20% Week 10
2. Self-directed learning CO1, CO3, CO4 Coursera 05% Self-paced
3. Class assignments CO3, CO4, CO5 Class activity 10% Continuous
4 Assignment (Mini CO1, CO2, CO3, Group activity 15% Week 15
Business Research CO4, CO5, CO6
Report)
5. Review (Final Exam) CO1, CO2, CO3, ePad Exam 50% Week 20
CO5 CO6

Assessment Task 1: Mid-term Test

1) Assessment Details:
Questions based on the course content will be posed to the students to give adequate
responses with suitable illustrations and examples.

2) Criteria used to grade this task: Comprehension (5), application (10) and skill (5)

3) Task Assessor: Internal Faculty

4) Suggested time to devote this work: Week 9

5) Submission details: Legibly written on e-pads using stylus pen

6) Feedback and return of work: Script cannot be returned, but fed back will be given
immediately after assessment.
Assessment Task 2: Self-directed learning
1) Assessment Details:
Three courses from Coursera have been identified to be asked the students to complete
the course successfully.
I. Qualitative Research, Offered by University of California
II. Quantitative Research, Offered by University of California
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

III. Research Report: Delivering Insights, Offered by University of California

2) Criteria used to grade this task: Successful completion (5) MS Teams-based Quiz (5)

3) Task Assessor: Internal Faculty

4) Suggested time to devote this work: Self-paced, on or prior to 13th week

5) Submission details: Online

6) Feedback and return of work: Not applicable.

Assessment Task 3: Class assignments

1. Assessment Details: Topics would be assigned to the students, preferably in groups, in

advance on selected topics, which need to apply some research skills.

2. Criteria used to grade this task: Preparation (2) Delivery (2) Response to questions posed
(1)

3. Task Assessor: Internal Faculty

4. Suggested time to devote this work: Continuous

4. Submission details: No submission of documents

5. Feedback and return of work: On the spot and one to one in person

Assessment Task 4: Group Assignment

1) Assessment Details:
One mini research project (group) on any business-related problems to display the
sufficient understanding and mastery on the nuances of research. It is to be submitted
at the 15th week and followed by oral presentation. (2000 words, including charts, tables
and graphs).

2) Criteria used to grade this task: Comprehension (3), application (3) and skill (4)

3) Task Assessor: Internal Faculty

4) Suggested time to devote this work: 15th week

5) Submission details: Neatly type-set of legibly written

6) Feedback and return of work: Depend on requests by students

Assessment Task 5: Final Exam

1. Assessment Details:
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

Questions based on the course content will be posed to the students to give adequate
responses with suitable illustrations and examples.

2. Criteria used to grade this task: Comprehension (30%), application (50%) and skill (20%)

3. Task Assessor: Both internal and External Examiner

4. Suggested time to devote this work: Week 20

5. Submission details: E-pad based exam

6. Feedback and return of work: No feed-back and the answer scripts will not be returned

Additional Resources:

R1: Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2011). Business Research Methods, 3rd edn. United Kingdom:
Oxford University Press.
R2: Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2011). Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Edn. New Delhi: Pearson Education Ltd.
R3: Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2010). Business Research Methods 12th edn. New
Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited.
R4: Sekaran, U. (2013). Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, 4th edn.
USA: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
R5: Creswell, J.C. (2014). Research Design, 4th edn. New Delhi: Sage Publications Ltd.
R6: Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, New Delhi: Sage
R7: Oliver, P. (2010). The student's guide to research ethics. UK: McGraw-Hill Education
R8: Macfarlane, B. (2010). Researching with integrity: The ethics of academic enquiry. New
York: Routledge

Journal articles:

1. Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2011). Generating research questions through

problematization. Academy of management review, 36(2), 247-271.

2. Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in

social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical
considerations. Journal of personality and social psychology, 51(6), 1173.

3. Bartunek, J. M., Rynes, S. L., & Ireland, R. D. (2006). What makes management
research interesting, and why does it matter? Academy of management Journal, 49(1),
9-15.

4. Dawson, J. F. (2014). Moderation in management research: What, why, when, and

how. Journal of Business and Psychology, 29(1), 1-19.
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

5. Edmondson, A. C., & McManus, S. E. (2007). Methodological fit in management field

research. Academy of management review, 32(4), 1246-1264.

6. Feldman, D. C. (2004). The devil is in the details: Converting good research into
publishable articles. Journal of Management 30(1) 1–6

7. K. R. Pillai, Upadhyaya, P., Ashish, V P., Mukesh H V., Badrinarayan S R., & Yogesh, P.
(2021, Jan). End-User Satisfaction of Technology-enabled assessment in Higher
Education: A Coping Theory Perspective. Education and Information technologies ……
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10401-2

8. Mukesh, H. V., Pillai, K. R., & Mamman, J. (2020, Aug). Action-Embedded Pedagogy in
Entrepreneurship Education: An Experimental Enquiry, Studies in Higher Education,
45(8), 1679-1693. https;//doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1599848

9. Pillai, K. R. & Christina, I. (2020; May). Causes of Under-five Mortality among BRICS
Nations: A Comparative Study. Value in Health Regional Issues (Asia), 21, 238-244.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vhri.2019.11.005

10. Pillai, K. R., Pallavi, U., Asha, K. V., & Janaki, N. (2019; January). Versatile Learning
Ecosystem: A Conceptual Framework. Higher Education for the Future, 6(1); 85–100,
https://doi: 10.1177/2347631118802653

11. Pillai, K. R., Soundarya, N., & Christina, I. (2019; June). Inexorable Transmutation of
Healthcare Seeking Behaviour: An Enigma of Dichotomy. International Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 13(2), 200–212.
https;//doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-03-2018-0020

12. Randolph, J. (2009). A guide to writing the dissertation literature review. Practical
Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 14(1), 1- 13

13. Reuber, A. R., & Sharma, P. (2013). The anatomy of a paper. Family Business Review.
26(2) 113– 120.

14. Wee, B. V., & Banister, D. (2016). How to write a literature review paper? Transport
Reviews, 36(2), 278-288

15. Wong, P. T., & Psych, C. (2016). How to write a research proposal? Langley: Trinity
Western University Langley. Retrieved, 26.
https://notendur.hi.is/th/MSritgerdir/How%20to%20Write%20a%20Research%20Propos
al.pdf

Other Learning Resources (Journals):

1. Business Research
2. Marketing Research
3. Management Science
4. Journal of Management
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

5. Journal of Business Research

6. Journal of Management Studies
7. Academy of Management Review
8. Journal of Indian Business Research
9. International Journal of Management Reviews
10. International Journal of Economics and Business Research

Link to Online Video Lectures:

1. Introduction to Business Research; Definition and
Features: https://youtu.be/3d4G0BFvUYg
2. Application of Business Research: https://youtu.be/GrXNxfZCIBg
3. Research Problem: https://youtu.be/ERf00_biuwU
4. Types of Research: https://youtu.be/Ce5cEUAm8T0
5. Research process: https://youtu.be/cWNbo1TnHIg
6. Process of formulating Research problem: https://youtu.be/8CC_VZ4QYM0
7. Research Proposal: ttps://youtu.be/hMZ885mjt4w
8. Nature of research design: https://youtu.be/J8ywZP9yQx0
9. Descriptive Research Design: https://youtu.be/nYhh8vQ_bEg
10. Exploratory Research Design: https://youtu.be/TrUDHp1Exfs
11. Experimental design: https://youtu.be/VZI2_28HvSs
12. Scale measurements: https://youtu.be/_R6E5DsK61o
13. Comparative scales: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OdP61KSvVBc
14. Non-comparative scales: https://youtu.be/CjqhXfk_gW0
15. Criteria of a good measurement: https://youtu.be/MvZZgXQANW4
16. Sampling concepts: https://youtu.be/VgAa9leNaLs
17. Probability sampling designs: https://youtu.be/tE3kNvGsPg0
18. Non-probability sampling designs: https://youtu.be/J9Uqd67nVzE
19. Observation methods: https://youtu.be/KXwUnkuI1zg
20. Interview method: https://youtu.be/wBkat3nrJU8
21. Focus group discussion: https://youtu.be/n8f1gHEPDSs
22. Determination of sample size: https://youtu.be/V4YE2KtGacs
23. Questionnaire method: https://youtu.be/VmXm5A4TxkQ
24. Process of designing questionnaire: https://youtu.be/MVMZaI-opoA
 Course Description
Course Title:
Course Code:

25. Merits and demerits of questionnaire: https://youtu.be/oCL-k_M7gBA

26. Coding of data: https://youtu.be/9GsQcAYbpDc
27. Descriptive univariate Analysis part 1: https://youtu.be/sGyr7Q_jx2Y
28. Descriptive univariate Analysis part 2: https://youtu.be/UzrwNe90fUo
29. Descriptive analysis of bi-variate data: https://youtu.be/ONRbaCDuB0U
30. Descriptive Vs. Inferential statistics: https://youtu.be/0ISw3V_1jgw
31. Research Hypothesis: https://youtu.be/I9lgw99_vUo
32. Testing of hypothesis: Concepts & Steps: https://youtu.be/FnSN9j3roYE
33. One-sample t-Test: https://youtu.be/Zp4DN_Hz8u8
34. Two-sample t-Test: https://youtu.be/RU458yJD0ss
35. One way ANOVA: https://youtu.be/yJuErGO__xg
36. Two-way ANOVA: https://youtu.be/I1QoZ3IberI
37. Factorial AANOVA; https://youtu.be/gMj1adZ_R3k
38. Chi-square (Goodness of fit): https://youtu.be/Q9VuE7d9pc8
39. Chi-square (Test of Association/ Independence): https://youtu.be/s2dmFyLvljg

Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by

Dr. Rajasekharan Pillai K Dr. V K Ranjith Dr. Raveendranath Nayak

Course Instructor MBA Coordinator Director, MIM

______________________________