Instructor Room No. Office Hours Email Telephone Secretary TA Office Hours Course URL (if any) DISC 320 Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Business Fall Semester 2017 Muhammad Ali Raja (MAR) and Zehra Waheed (ZW) SDSB 421 (MAR) and SDSB 406 (ZW) TBC (MAR); TT 1030 1230 (ZW) zehra.waheed@lums.edu.pk;ali.raja@lums.edu.pk Ext.8426 (ZW) Ahmad Ali Extension 8041 (ZW) To be communicated by the TAs DISC 320 Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods tab at http://lms.lums.edu.pk COURSE BASICS Credit Hours 3 Lecture(s) Number of Lectures/ Week 2 Duration 75 min COURSE DISTRIBUTION Core Elective Open for Student Category Close for Student Category Yes No COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to impart education in the foundational methods, techniques, and analytical tools of research in a business/management context. Students would examine and be practically exposed to the main components of a research framework, i.e. problem definition, research design, data collection, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, paper writing and presentation. The course would cover both qualitative and quantitative methods to do academic as well as action research. Once equipped with this knowledge, students would be well placed to conduct disciplined research under supervision in a management subject of their choosing. In addition to their application in an academic setting, many of the methodologies discussed in this course would be similar to those deployed in professional research environments, such as those found in market research firms or corporate departments of strategy or marketing. COURSE PREREQUISITE(S) DISC 203 MATH 230 MATH 231 ECON 230 Basic knowledge of statistics is required to fully understand quantitative portion of this course Probability & Statistics (OR) Probability (AND) Statistics (OR) Statistics & Data Analysis UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS & OBJECTIVES General Learning Goals & Objectives Goal 1 Effective Written and Oral Communication Objective: Students will demonstrate effective writing and oral communication skills Goal 2 Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify and address ethical issues in an organizational context. Goal 3 Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify key problems and generate viable solutions. Goal 4 Application of Information Technology Page 1 of 7
Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to use current technologies in business and management context. Goal 5 Teamwork in Diverse and Multicultural Environments Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to work effectively in diverse environments. Goal 6 Understanding Organizational Ecosystems Objective: Students will demonstrate that they have an understanding of Economic, Political, Regulatory, Legal, Technological, and Social environment of organizations. Major Specific Learning Goals & Objectives Goal 7 (a) Program Specific Knowledge and Understanding Objective: Students will demonstrate knowledge of key business disciplines and how they interact including application to real world situations. Goal 7 (b) Understanding the science behind the decision making process (for MGS Majors) Objective: Students will demonstrate ability to analyze a business problem, design and apply appropriate decision support tools, interpret results and make meaningful recommendations to support the decision maker PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Goal 1 Effective Written and Oral Communication Goal 2 Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Goal 3 Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills Goal 4 Application of Information Technology Goal 5 Teamwork in Diverse and Multicultural Environments Goal 6 Understanding Organizational Ecosystems Goal 7 (a) Program Specific Knowledge and Understanding Goal 7 (b) Understanding the science behind the decision making process COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES Minor (CG 5) Sensitize about ethical issues influencing the research process (CG 6) The techniques (Qualitative and Quantitative) employed to identify the problem, collect and analyze relevant data (CG 3) The tools (Qualitative and Quantitative) which are available to effectively perform all these processes (CG 4) Course objectives as listed above (All the course goals) Philosophies guiding problem identification and the decision making process (CG 2) COURSE ASSESSMENT ITEM Project Presentation and Project Report. Project Report Quizzes, Exams and Project Report Quizzes, and Project Report Quizzes, Exams and Project Report Quizzes, Exams and Project Report COURSE OBJECTIVES The main objective of this course is to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct research in a business/management and organizational context. The course aims to: 1. Teach basic understanding and purpose of employing Research Methods, 2. Explain the philosophies that guide these methods, 3. Introduce the techniques (Qualitative and Quantitative) that are employed to identify the problem, collect and analyze relevant data, 4. Introduce the tools (Qualitative and Quantitative) which are available to effectively perform all these processes 5. Teach report writing, and 6. Sensitize students about ethical issues influencing the research process. Page 2 of 7
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of the course the students should be able to: 1. Understand the framework of research process. 2. Make a research design and select appropriate research techniques. 3. Conduct basic qualitative and quantitative analysis using advance data analysis tools under supervision. 4. Appreciate the components of scholarly writing and evaluate its quality 5. Realize ethical issues in research GRADING BREAKUP AND POLICY Quiz(s): 25% (12.5%+12.5%) Attendance: 5% Max of 4 absences (including petitions) allowed. From 5th absence, there will be negative grading in place. Midterm Examination: 20% Project write up + project presentations: 30% Final Examination: 20% EXAMITION DETAIL Midterm Exam Yes/No: Yes Combine Separate: Combine Duration: 100 min Preferred Date: 14 th Session Exam Specifications: TBA Final Exam Yes/No: Yes Combine Separate: Combine Duration: TBA Exam Specifications: TBA ATTENDANCE, QUIZZES AND CLASS POLICY Your class presence is required. A maximum four (4) absences are tolerated throughout the entire course. Any further absences shall count towards deduction from your grade. Students with more than 8 absences will automatically be given an F grade. Petitions for absences should be submitted along with proper documentation (e.g. a medical certificate certifying illnesses or OSA certifying participation in OSA activity) and will be approved on case by case basis. OSA activities are planned in advance, therefor the documentation must be brought to class BEFORE the absence. Later OSA petitions will be assumed not to be genuine. You are also expected to arrive in class exactly at the prescribed time. There will be no grace for late arrivals and you will be marked absent. Once all four absences have been used up, 1% deduction from the grade will be made for every extra absence. Cell phone usage will not be tolerated. Therefore, make sure they are switched off when you arrive in class. (Sessions 1 14: Qualitative Research Methods) There will be at least four quizzes (some may be take home) during the first half of the course and n 1 will be utilized. Page 3 of 7
Further Instructions (sessions 1 14: Qualitative Research Methods) Reading: Students are expected to complete the assigned readings and material made available through LMS in advance of each class. The readings posted on LMS are identical to the ones in the course pack, however, additional material may be given through LMS so it is important to look up LMS prior to each class. Students are encouraged to participate in class discussions and contribute towards a supportive learning environment. Make sure you are going through the material on a regular basis. Material will not be revisited if you are unable to attend class. At times a case brief may be asked and students will be graded on the brief as a sub component of the quizzes grade. Term project: students will undertake a term project surrounding any given research problem in groups of 5 each. Exact deliverables and timelines will be communicated through LMS. Please make sure groups are formed immediately and names shared with the TAs by September 16 th, 2017. The first project related assignment on the group s philosophical orientations will be due shortly after. Communication and grade management is carried out through LMS and Zambeel so students must make sure their details are correct and up to date on both LMS and Zambeel. University wide policy on plagiarism and foul means to obtain a grade hold. The instructor reserves the right to modify the course contents and the sessions breakup. (Sessions 15 26: Qualitative Research Methods) In addition to above, in Ali Raja s sessions, there shall be a quiz (in almost every class) during the first 10 minutes of the class. The quizzes intend to test your understanding of the reading material and the previous Lectures. The Qualitative chapters are an intense reading of statistical techniques. Thus minimal pages have been identified to facilitate students to focus on the content. Lab work shall be on SPSS for advanced topics. COURSE OVERVIEW Background, Research Design and Philosophies 1 Introduction to the course Background to research: the why and how of undertaking any type of research 2 Formulating and clarifying the research topic 3 Critically reviewing literature Introducing Zotero for referencing Cooper/Schindler Ch1, pages 2 23 Ch. 2, Saunders pages 26 62 Ch. 3, Saunders Pages 70 116 Understand research and its different types; Distinguish between good research and that which is not good enough; The value of learning the research process and skills Developing a research topic; Understanding attributes of a good research topic; Turn research ideas into coherent research questions and research objectives Understanding the significance and purpose of a critical literature review; Knowing what to include in a literature review; Develop an awareness of primary, secondary and tertiary literature; Page 4 of 7
Evaluate relevance, value and sufficiency of literature found; Reference the literature correctly 4 Understanding research philosophies and approaches 5 Research method and research design 6 Conducting Research Ethically Ch. 4, Saunders Pages 122 156 Ch. 3, Bryman pages 44 77 Ch. 6, Saunders pages 228 265 Understand philosophical perspectives including positivism, realism, pragmatism and interpretivism; Distinguish between the main inductive and deductive approaches Understanding the criteria for social research including reliability, replicability and validity Understanding research design Anticipate ethical issues that a researcher may face; Be able to evaluate ethical issues associated with data collection and handling Data Collection Qualitative (Sources and Methods) 7 Observational Studies Ch. 8, Cooper/ Schindler Pages 170 187 Learn when observational studies are most useful Understanding the various types of observations 8 Semi structured, in depth Interviews 9 Focus Groups 10 The Case Study Method Data Coding and Analysis (Qualitative) 11 Analyzing qualitative data 12 CAQDAS and coding for developing higher level themes 13 NVIVO (Tutorial) Ch. 10, Saunders pages 388 413 Ch. 21, Bryman Pages 500 520 Ch. 1 Yin Ch. 13, Saunders Pages 566 617 Ch. 5 Richards Pages 103 122 Classify different types of interviews Be aware of research situations favoring the use of semi structured and in depth interviews Advantages of one on one and group interviews Learning to conduct research groups Understand group interactions and limitations of focus groups Understand the use of single site of multiple site cases and the advantages of using cases Understand main issues to consider when preparing qualitative data for analysis; Transcribing audio; Analysis methods and approaches Preparing for CAQDAS analysis understanding the development of themes 14 Mid Term Exam Data Collection (in lieu of Analysis) 15, Exploring and Describing Data: Pre processing: Validating Data and Coding, Exploratory Data Analysis, (page 496 537) Page 5 of 7 Understand that data collection Sample Plan is defined by keeping the end in mind, i.e. subject to the: Research Objective Research Design Grouping of collected data
Descriptive Statistics, Overview: Research Query types: Trends, Inter relationships and/or Group Differences (page 327 335) Ch 15 Churchill (page 363 371) Handouts: Ch 11: Saunders possible Statistical Techniques for each variable data type and, relevant, convincing, audience centric Presentations 16 Sample Types and Sample Design Sample Stats and Population parameters Data Analytics 17 Testing Normality of a single variable / Distribution Test whether two variables are different Testing for Significant relationships between two variables 17 Hypothesis Testing a fundamental Statistical Technique Ch 11 Churchill Ch 12 Churchill Handouts: Ch 13 Churchill (page 533 538, page 541 542) (page338 339) (page537 538) Ch 15A Churchill (page 373 380) Understand that scope of data collection has a bearing on effort and cost of Research by considering: Central Limit Theorem Confidence Interval Sample Size Understand the Statistical Approach to comparing two variables, and when to reject a hypothesis Use Kolmogorov Smirnov (K S)/ Shapiro Wilk (along with a graphical approach) to check Normality (for ordinal variables) Understanding the mechanics of Hypothesis Testing 18 Testing for comparing two or three variables (ordinal / categorized) (page339 347) Understand cross tabs are most widely used data analysis technique in marketing research (for nominal / ordinal or categorized continuous) 19, 20 Test whether two variables are independent (or conversely, dependent or associated) To assess the strength of relationship between pairs of variables (page 538 541) (page 544 547) (page338 339) Ch 14A Churchill (page 352 357) (page 357 361) When to use Chi Square & Kramer V and Phi Enhanced reliability of a Cross tab using statistical significance i.e. the Chi square. Understand similarity between Chi square and K S. The idea that extending Chi square to 3+ variables requires Log linear models, leading to Correlation and Regression Correlation coefficients: Spearman s Rho, Kendal s Tau 21 Testing whether two groups are the same or different Ch 16 Churchill (Page 382 392) Revisiting Hypothesis Testing Page 6 of 7
22 Testing whether three groups are different Ch 16A Churchill (pf 395 404) Understand that Research Design can become quite complex with variables having multiple factors. ANOVA allows comparing these factors for three or more variables. ANOVA as an extension of the t Test 23, 24 To assess the strength of a cause and effect relationship between dependent and independent variables To predict the value of a variable from one or more variables Page 547 548 Page 548 551 Ch 17 Churchill (Page 406 424) Coefficients of Determination and multiple determination Simple and Multiple Regression 25 To understand more complex simultaneous relationships amongst variables Report Writing Ch 17A Churchill (Page 428 438) Understand that Dummy Regression is widely used in Marketing Research 26 Report writing Ch 14 Saunders Effective written communication 27, 28 Final project presentations Review of the course TEXTBOOK(S)/SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS MAIN TEXTBOOKS: 1. Saunders, M. N., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students (5th ed.): Pearson Education. 2. Bryman, A. (2012) Social research methods. 2nd. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3. Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2013) Business Research Methods, Eighth Edition. McGraw Hill Education. 4. Churchill, G. A., & Lacobucci, D. (2009). Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations. Cengage Learning. OTHER TEXTBOOKS: 5. Yin, R. K. (2002). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (4th Ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. 6. Richards, L. (2015). Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. Sage Publications Ltd Page 7 of 7