Research Methodology & Quantitative Methods

DescriptionAssignment
Introduction
Choosing a proper research topic, knowing how to undertake a research project and to know
how to evaluate (and appreciate) research done by someone else (e.g., when outsourced) has
become a necessary step for IBA-graduates in their professional career. It is almost a challenge
to do your final thesis without such knowledge. This requires reading skills, logical thinking and
writing skills, besides knowing the techniques. In order to conduct a valuable research, you
should be able to produce relevant research objectives and research questions, based upon
knowledge from secondary sources. This course will bring you techniques as well as exercises
to acquire theses skills. When it comes to analysing the collected data, help may come from
using software like Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Knowing how
to use these tools, together with asking the right questions concerning the reliability and validity
of the sample and the results makes it relatively easy to check differences or associations
between variables and making predictions. That is why this course is scheduled before you start
with your Work Placement and/or writing (a proposal for) your dissertation.
Aims and Objectives
1. Define the objectives of a research report and plan a valid and workable project to meet
the objectives.
2. Carry out a critical literature review that provides a structure and focus for the
dissertation.
3. Define concepts and structure them in ways that give a useful theoretical shape to the
dissertation.
4. Design and apply appropriate research methods and analyse the research material
systematically.
5. Frame, and argue for, a clear thesis in the documents and draw safe conclusions.
6. Write a clearly structured, adequately expressed and well-presented dissertation.
Resources for your assignment
• The required literature is ‘’M. Saunders, PG. Lewis, A. Thornhill (2015), Research
Methods for business students, Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; ISBN10: 0273716867 ,
ISBN-13: 978-0273716860’’
• Recommended literature: ‘’Steve Rayner (Author), Brian White (2014), Dissertation
Skills: For Business and Management Students 2nd Revised edition, Cengage Learning.
ISBN-13: 978- 1408081778’’
• If you do not have the physical copy of the above resources, you can search online per
chapter as opposed to a whole book. This way you can still manage to access the
material you need for the assignment. In addition, you can also use the recommended
literature provided in the module guide