Module in

BA CORE 7–BUSINESS
BUSINESS RESEARCH

A Practical Guide for Undergraduate

Students of NEUST
Prepared by:

JENNIFER G. FRONDA
ARJHEL V. DOMINGO
MA. GERMINA E. SANTOS
ROLLIEZA GRACE D. TARUC
FILIP CARLO P. BOLISAY
(CMBT–Sumacab
Sumacab Campus)

JENNILYN C. MINA
(CMBT–San
San Isidro Campus)

ISAGANI F. PASCUA
(CMBT–Atate
Atate Campus)

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Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology
2020
 Table of Contents

Title Page 1
Table of Contents 2

Unit 1: Introduction to Business Research 4

Business Research 4
Types of Business Research 5
Importance of Business Research 5
Qualities of Good Academic Research 6
How to Choose Research Topic? 6
Defining Good Research Topics 7
The Business Research Process: An Overview 7
Assessing Learning 12

Unit i: Literature Review 16

Definition of Literature Review 16
Purposes of Literature Review 17
Steps of the Literature Review Process 17
APA Citation Style Guide (6th Ed.): In-text Citation 18
Assessing Learning 21

Unit 3: Research Design 26

Definition of Research Design 26
Types of Research Design 27
Quantitative Research 27
Types of Quantitative Research 28
Data Collection Methodologies for quantitative data 29
Sources of Data 29
Sampling Methods 29
Methods Used for Data Collection for Quantitative Research 32
Fundamental Levels of Measurement 33
Data Analysis Techniques 33
Qualitative Research 34
Qualitative Data Collection Methods 35
Qualitative Data Analysis Methods 35
Qualitative Research Methods vs Quantitative Research Methods 36
Assessing Learning 37

Chapter 4: Format for Business Research Presentation 40

Assessing Learning 49

References 50

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Page 3 of 51
UNIT I: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS RESEARCH
Overview

This unit gives you background on the nature of business research. Through this
unit, you will realize the importance of research in the undertakings of every business.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the unit, I am able to:

1. discuss the nature and significance of business research
2. analyze different types of business research
3. determine the qualities of a good research
4. illustrate the business research process

Setting Up

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Direction: Arrange the following stages in conducting business research in correct order.
Write your answer on the space provided before the number.
__________1. Data collection and presentation
__________2. Reporting the results
__________3. Proposing research
__________4. Clarifying the research question
__________5. Data analysis and interpretation
__________6. Designing the research project

Lesson Proper

Business Research
Business research is a field of practical study in which a company obtains data and
analyzes the same to manage the company better. Executives and managers who use
business research methods can better understand their company, the position it holds in
the market, and how to improve that position. Business research is a systematic and
objective inquiry that provides information to guide managerial decisions, which are
arrived at through a process of planning, acquiring, analyzing, and disseminating relevant
data to decision-makers in ways that mobilize the organization to take appropriate actions
to maximize business performance. (https://www.iedunote.com/business-research)
Business research is a process of conducting a comprehensive study of all aspects of
business, including the industry and consumers and using these information to increase the
company revenue and profit. Business research helps you make wise decision and helps you
identify the key areas to invest your money in.
An automotive manufacturer, for example; plans to unveil the newest car model on
the market. They need to design strategies to evaluate and track consumer demand. The
organization would therefore carry out research to gather information and evaluate market

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trends. This will help them draw better decisions as to what car they should produce that
would give them greater market share.

Types of Business Research

Researchers use different research methods to gather relevant data so companies

can make wiser choices. There are two main types of methods in conducting business
research:

a. Quantitative Business tesearch

It is a method of analyzing the largest group that meets your target objectives. It
uses statistical methods and data to describe the industry and market. For instance,
quantitative research can answer questions such as;
a. Are your customers aware of the services or products you offer?
b. How many people are interested in buying your products or services?
c. Who are your best customers and what are their buying habits?
d. How long the visitor stays on your website, and which is their exit page?

The result of quantitative business research is in the numerical form, such as;
a. 40% of customers rate the new product as “attractive”
b. 70% of prospective customers use the Internet to book their hotel room
c. 6 out of 10 customers will buy a new food product after trying the free in-store
sample

The quantitative research methods include numerous surveys such as mail,

electronic, online and face to face.

b. Qualitative Business tesearch

This business research focuses on values, behaviors and intentions of market and
involves questions like: “why” or “how”.
The aim of this research is to gain insights into the distinct attitudes and reactions of
consumers towards a new product. This research is use to evaluate responses of your
market and change marketing campaigns if it is necessary.
Qualitative data can be collected using common methods such as case studies, focus
group discussions and interviews. Often valuable, this data can be time-consuming and
costly to collect, specially for a small business or start-up.

Importance of Business Research

Business Research helps you communicate with current and potential customers in
a better way.
a. It helps you identify opportunities and threats in the marketplace.
b. It helps you minimize risks.
c. Business research is used to plan investments and financial outcomes effectively.
d. It helps you build a better market position.
e. It can keep you updated with current trends and innovations in the market.

Business research helps businesses understand the purchasing habits of their

consumers, gain deeper insights into their competitors, emerging industry dynamics and
demographics. Businesses will remain ahead of competition by using effective approaches
to understand the demand and supply of the market.

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 With business research, chances of failure are less, as it gives an idea of the target
customers and the perfect time to launch a product. Additionally, the businesses can
constantly innovate to meet customers’ demands. Thus, never underestimate the
importance of market research and harness its benefits to give your company an extra edge.

Qualities of Good Academic Research

Academic research is defined as a process by which information is collected,

evaluated and interpreted to give answer to questions or provide solutions to a problem.
But to qualify as a good research, the process must be regulated, rigorous, systematic,
reliable and verifiable, analytical and critical.
The main characteristics for good quality research are listed below:
a. It is based on the work of others.
b. It can be replicated and doable .
c. It is generalisable to other settings.
d. It is based on some logical rationale and tied to theory. In a way that it has the
potential to suggest directions for future research.
e. It generates new questions or is cyclical in nature.
f. It is incremental.
g. It addresses directly or indirectly some real problem in the world.
h. It clearly states the variables or constructs to be examined.
i. Valid and verifiable such that whatever you conclude on the basis of your findings is
correct and can be verified by you and others.
j. The researcher is sincerely interested and/or invested in this research.

Meanwhile, bad research has the following properties:

a. Looking for something when it simply is not to be found.
b. Plagiarizing other people’s work.
c. Falsifying data to prove a point.
d. Misrepresenting information and misleading participants.

How to Choose Research Topic?

To identify a research topic, various strategies involving both logical and

imaginative thought are used. These include:

a. Brainstorming. This is a problem-solving technique which produces best results

when performed as a group. Review each of the group’s suggestions and pick the
one that appeals you the most.
b. Inspiration from experts. Project leaders, teachers, professionals and experts in
the field can also have suggestions for a research project that they are willing to
share.
c. Literature search. Documents, articles in scientific journals are all valuable sources
of research topics. In particular, the review articles also suggest areas where further
research works might be required. Recently published reports usually contain
recommendations that can form basis for further researches.

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Defining Good Research Topics

A good research topic should have well defined objectives. Selecting a research topic
which you will be interested in for the entire research duration is vital. If you have only a
vague interest in the topic, it will be difficult to excel on such a topic. Therefore, you should
have a genuine interest in the research topic you have chosen.
Make sure you possess the required skills and resources, or that you can develop the
capability that is necessary to research the topic within the given timeframe. You should
also be certain that you can access the data you will need to collect in the course of the
research. Your research topic should be one you are familiar with and in which you have the
capacity to produce a well-written final research report.

Examples of tesearch Topics

Previous research topics can serve as sources of inspiration for finding new
research topics. Some examples of different research topics include:
• Media and communications research paper topics
• Environmental research paper topics
• Business research paper topics

The Business Research Process: An Overview

(Sourced from: The business research process: An overview. Retrieved from
https://eis.hu.edu.jo/ACUploads/10643/Chapter%204.pdf)

The research process begins when a management dilemma triggers the need for a
decision.
The origin, selection, statement, exploration, and refinement of the management
question is the most critical part of the research process.
Regardless of the type of research, a thorough understanding of the original
question is fundamental to success.

STAGE 1: Clarifying the research question

The management-research question hierarchy process of sequential question
formulation leads a manager or researcher from management dilemma to investigative
questions.
• The process begins with the management dilemma—the problem or opportunity
that requires a business decision.
• The management dilemma is usually a symptom of an actual problem, such as:
Rising costs.
The discovery of an expensive chemical compound that would increase the
usefulness of a drug.
Increasing tenant move-outs from an apartment complex.
Declining sales.
A larger number of product defects during the manufacture of an
automobile.
An increasing number of letters and phone complaints about postpurchase.

• The management dilemma can also be triggered by an early signal of an opportunity

or growing evidence that a trend may be gaining staying power.
Identifying management dilemmas is rarely difficult.

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 Choosing one dilemma on which to focus may be difficult.
Choosing incorrectly may result in a waste of time and resources.

• Subsequent stages of the hierarchy take the decision maker and his/ her research
assistant through various brainstorming and exploratory research exercises to
define the following:
Management question—the management dilemma restated in question
format.
Research question(s)—the hypothesis that best states the objective of the
research; the question(s) that focuses the researcher’s attention.
Investigative questions—questions the researcher must answer to
satisfactorily answer the research question; what the decision marker feels
he/she needs to know to arrive at a conclusion about the management
dilemma.
Management questions—the questions asked of the participants or the
observations that must be recorded. The definition of the management
question sets the research task.

STAGE i: Proposing research

Resource Allocation and Budgets.

Once the research question is defined, the manager must propose research in order
to allocate resources to the project.
A guide might be that (a) project planning, (b) data gathering, and (c) analysis,
interpretation, and reporting each share about equally in the budget.
Without budgetary approval, many research efforts are rejected for lack of
resources.
Types of budgets in organizations where research is purchased and cost
containment is crucial include:
• Rule-of-thumb budgeting—taking a fixed percentage of some criteria.
• Departmental or functional-area budgeting—allocates a portion of total
expenditures in the unit to research activities.
• Task budgeting—selects specific research projects to support on an ad hoc
(unplanned) basis.

Valuing Research Information.

There is a great deal of interplay between budgeting and value assessment in any
management decision to conduct research.
In profit-making concerns, business managers are increasingly faced with proving
that the research they initiate or purchase meets return-on-investment (ROI)
objectives.
Whether research is conducted by for-profit or not-for-profit organizations, the
value of the research decision with research—however it is measured—must
exceed the value of the decision without research.

Evaluation Methods
A. Ex Post Facto Evaluation
If there is any measurement of the value of research, it is usually an after-the-fact
event.

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 While the post-research effort at cost-benefit comes too late to guide a current
research decision, such analysis may sharpen the manager’s ability to make
judgments about future research proposals.

B. Prior or Interim Evaluation

Some research projects are sufficiently unique that managerial experience provides
little aid in evaluating the research proposal.

C. Option Analysis
Managers can conduct a formal analysis with each alternative research project
judged in terms of estimated costs and associated benefits and with managerial
judgment playing a major role.
The critical task is to quantify the benefits from the research.

The Research Proposal

A written proposal is often required when a study is being suggested.
• This is especially true if an outside research supplier will be contracted to
conduct the research.
• A research proposal may be oral.
• Research proposal contains: research question, research purpose, research
methods, research timing, research budget, legal contracts and legal obligations.

STAGE 3: Designing the research project

Research Design
The research design is the outline for fulfilling objectives and providing the insight
to answer management’s dilemma.

Sampling Design
Another step in planning the research project is to identify the target population
(those people, events, or records that have the desired information and can answer
the measurement questions) and then determine whether a sample or a census is
desired.
• Who and how many people will be interviewed?
• What events will be observed, and how?
• Which, and how many, records will be inspected?

A census is a count of all elements in a population.

A sample is a group of cases, participants, events, or records constituting a portion
of the target population, carefully selected to represent that population.
• Probability sampling (every person within the target population get a nonzero
chance of selection) and nonprobability sampling may be used to construct the
sample.

Pilot testing
A pilot test is conducted to detect weaknesses in research methodology and the data
collection instrument, as well as provide proxy data for selection of a probability
sample.

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 • The pilot test should approximate the anticipated actual research situation
(test) as closely as possible.
• A pilot test may have from 25 to 100 subjects and these subjects do not have to
be statistically selected.
Pilot testing has saved countless survey studies from disaster by using the suggestions
of the participants to identify and change confusing, awkward, or offensive questions
and techniques.
The last step in a research design is often a pilot test.
To condense the project time frame, this step can be skipped.

STAGE 4: Data collection and presentation

The gathering of data includes a variety of data gathering alternatives.
• Questionnaires, standardized tests, and observational forms (called checklists)
are among the devices used to record raw data.
• What are data?
– Data can be the facts presented to the researcher from the study’s
environment.
– Data can be characterized by their abstractness, verifiability, elusiveness, and
closeness to phenomenon.
• Data reflect their truthfulness by closeness to the phenomena.
– Secondary data are data originally collected to address a problem other than
the one which requires the manager’s attention at the moment. Collected
from published data.
– Primary data are data the researcher collects to address the specific problem
at hand—the research question. Created by the researcher through
questionnaires (observation method) …..
• Data are edited to ensure consistency across respondents and to locate
omissions.
– In the case of a survey, editing reduces errors in the recording, improves
legibility, and clarifies unclear and inappropriate responses.

STAGE 5: Data analysis and interpretation

Managers need information and insights, not raw data, to make appropriate
business decisions.
• Researchers generate information and insights by analyzing data after its
collection.
• Data analysis is the editing, reducing, summarizing, looking for patterns, and
applying statistical techniques to data.
• Increasingly, managers are asking research specialists to make
recommendations based on their interpretation of the data.

STAGE 6: Reporting the results

As the business research process draws to a close it is necessary to prepare a report
and transmit the findings, insights, and recommendations to the manager for the
intended purpose of decision making.
• The researcher adjusts the style and organization of the report according to the
target audience, the occasion, and the purpose of the research.
– The report should be manager-friendly and avoid technical jargon.

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 – Reports should be developed from the manager’s or information user’s
perspective.
• The researcher must accurately assess the manager’s needs throughout the
research process and incorporate this understanding into the final product, the
research report.
• To avoid having the research report shelved with no action taken, the
researcher should strive for:
– Insightful adaptation of the information to the client’s needs.
– Careful choice of words in crafting interpretations, conclusions, and
recommendations.
At a minimum, a research report should contain:
• An executive summary consisting of a synopsis of the problem, findings, and
recommendations.
• An overview of the research: the problem’s background, a summary of
exploratory findings drawn from secondary data sources, the actual research
design and procedures, and conclusions.
• A section on implementation strategies for the recommendations.
• A technical appendix with all the materials necessary to replicate the project.

Supplemental Readings:

Sample business researches

Go to: http://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Business_Management

International Journal of Economics and Business Research

Go to: https://www.inderscience.com/jhome.php?jcode=ijebr

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Assessing Learning

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 1

Write five (5) business research proposals following this matrix:

Proposed title (Concept) Reasons for conducting Possible output (benefit)

this study for conducting the study
1.
i.
3.
4.
5.

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Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity i

Directions: Identify the terms being defined or identified by the given statements.
Write your answer on the space provided before each number. Any form of erasure
will invalidate your answer.

_________________1. It refers to the method of conducting a thorough review of all facets

of business, including industry and customers, using this knowledge to maximize
client sales and benefit.
_________________2. It refers to business research that uses statistical methods and
data to identify the industry and market.
_______________3. This research is used to analyze customer reactions and adjust
marketing approaches if necessary.
_________________4. It is a type of research by which information is collected, evaluated
and interpreted in order to answer questions or provide solutions to problems.
_________________5. It is a problem-solving technique which produces best results
when performed as a group.
_________________6. It is the total category of individuals from which the sample may be
drawn.
_________________7. It refers to a group of individuals who participated in the
investigation.
_________________8. It refers to a test conducted to identify shortcomings in the study
technique and the data collection tool, as well as to provide reference evidence for
the selection of the likelihood sample.
_________________9. It is a sampling technique where every individual in the target
population has a non-zero probability of being picked.
________________10. It consists of editing, minimizing, summarizing, looking for
patterns and applying statistical techniques to data.

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Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 3

Multiple Choice.Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Circle
the letter of the correct answer. (1 point each)

1. In the research process, the management question has the following critical
activity in sequence.
a. Clarifying the research question, proposing research, designing the
research project, data collection and presentation, data analysis and
interpretation and reporting the results
b. Clarifying the research question, designing the research project,
proposing research, data analysis and interpretation, data collection
and presentation and reporting the results
c. Clarifying the research question, proposing research, designing the
research project, data collection and presentation,reporting the
results and data analysis and interpretation
d. Clarifying the research question, data collection and
presentation,designing the research project, proposing research, data
analysis and interpretation, and reporting the results

2. The chapter that details the way in which the research was conducted is the
_________ chapter
a. Introduction
b. Literature review
c. Research methodology
d. Data analysis
e. Conclusion and recommendations

3. Business research has an inherent value to the extent that it helps

management make better decisions. Interesting information about
consumers, employees, or competitors might be pleasant to have, but its
value is limited if the information cannot be applied to a critical decision.
a. True
b. False

4. The researcher should never report flaws in procedural design and estimate
their effect on the findings.
a. True
b. False

5. Adequate analysis of the data is the least difficult phase of research for the
beginner.
a. True

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 b. False

6. The validity and reliability of the data should be checked occasionally

a. True
b. False

7. Researchers are tempted to rely too heavily on data collected in a prior study
and use it in the interpretation of a new study
a. True
b. False

8. What is a good research? The following are correct except

a. Purpose clearly defined
b. Research process detailed
c. Research design thoroughly planned
d. Findings presented ambiguously

9. Greater confidence in the research is warranted if the researcher is

experienced, has a good reputation in research, and is a person of integrity
a. True
b. False

10. A complete disclosure of methods and procedures used in the research study
is required. Such openness to scrutiny has a positive effect on the quality of
research. However, competitive advantage often mitigates against
methodology disclosure in business research.
a. True
b. False

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UNIT II: LITERATURE REVIEW
Overview
In this unit, you will be able to realize the importance of literature review in writing
business research.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the unit, I will be able to:

1. discuss the nature and purposes of literature review
2. determine the characteristics of an effective literature review
3. illustrate the steps of writing literature review
4. write literature review based on APA Guidelines on in-text citation

Setting Up

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Answer this question:

Why do you think a literature review shall be made even you are conducting a unique
research? Explain your answer briefly.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson Proper

Definition of Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic.
The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a
particular area of research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively
evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should give a theoretical base for the research
and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research.
A review of literature is a comprehensive summary of prior research on a subject.
The literature review surveys scholarly articles, books and other relevant sources for a
particular research area. This preceding work should be enumerated, defined, summarized,
critically assessed and explained.
It provides a theoretical basis for research and help the author decide what his/her
research is all about. The review of literature honors the works of previous scholars and, in
doing so, ensures the reader that the study has been well conceived.
A study of the literature provides a “landscape” for the reader, giving him/her a full
understanding of the development in the field. This landscape tells the reader that indeed

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all existing, important works in the field have been assimilated into someone’s research
study.

Purposes of Literature Review

1. It Creates a Rapport with Your Audience. A review of literature helps you create a
sense of connection with your audience or readers. As a result, they can give you credit for
your due diligence: you have done your fact-finding and fact-checking mission—one of any
research writing’s initial steps. You may not be an expert in a given field as a student;
however, by listing a thorough review in your research paper, you can tell your audience
that you know what you are talking about. As a result, the more books, articles and other
sources you can list in the review of literature, the more confident your scholarship and
expertise will be.

i. It Helps You Avoid Incidental Plagiarism. If you do literature review, you can prevent
authenticity issues and other related mishap.

3. It Sharpens Your Research Focus. When you compile outside sources, the essence of
external sources will be simplified, analyzed, synthesized and paraphrased in your own
words. Through this, you will be able to position the importance of your work in the
broader sense of what other researchers have already done in the past.

The review of literature will help you compare and contrast what you are doing in
the research’s historical context as well as whether your work is different or original from
what others have done; allowing you to rationalize why you need to do your study.

Characteristics of an effective literature review

In addition to fulfilling the purposes outlined above, an effective literature review
provides a critical overview of existing research by

• Outlining important research trends.

• Assessing strengths and weaknesses (of individual studies as well the existing
research as a whole).
• Identifying potential gaps in knowledge.
• Establishing a need for current and/or future research projects.

Steps of the Literature Review Process

1. Planning: identify the focus, type, scope and discipline of the review you intend to
write.
2. Reading and Research: collect and read current research on your topic. Select only
those sources that are most relevant to your project.
3. Analyzing: summarize, synthesize, critique, and compare your sources in order to
assess the field of research as a whole.
4. Drafting: develop a thesis or claim to make about the existing research and decide
how to organize your material.
5. Revising: revise and finalize the structural, stylistic, and grammatical issues of your
paper.

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 This process is not always a linear process; depending on the size and scope of your
literature review, you may find yourself returning to some of these steps repeatedly as you
continue to focus your project.

APA Citation Style Guide (6th Ed.): In-text Citation

(Sourced from: APA citation style guide (6th Ed.): In-text citation. Retrieved from
https://uscmed.sc.libguides.com/c.php?g=477787&p=3266941#:~:text=Using%20In%2Dt
ext%20Citation&text=APA%20in%2Dtext%20citation%20style,numbers%2C%20use%20a
%20paragraph%20number.)

An in-text citation is a reference made within the body of text of an academic essay.
The in-text citation alerts the reader to a source that has informed your own writing.
The exact format of an in-text citation will depend on the style you need to use, for example,
APA.

This guide contains examples of common citation formats in APA (American

Psychological Association) Style

Using in-text citation

Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from
another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding
entry in your reference list.
APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for
example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example:
(Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page
numbers, use a paragraph number. More information on citing sources without pagination
is given on the APA Style web page.

Example paragraph with in-text citation

A few researchers in the linguistics field have developed training programs designed
to improve native speakers' ability to understand accented speech (Derwing, Rossiter, &
Munro, 2002; Krech Thomas, 2004). Their training techniques are based on the research
described above indicating that comprehension improves with exposure to non-native
speech. Derwing et al. (2002) conducted their training with students preparing to be social
workers, but note that other professionals who work with non-native speakers could
benefit from a similar program.

References
Derwing, T. M., Rossiter, M. J., & Munro, M. J. (2002). Teaching native speakers to listen to
foreign-accented speech. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 23(4),
245-259.
Krech Thomas, H. (2004). Training strategies for improving listeners' comprehension of
foreign-accented speech (Doctoral dissertation). University of Colorado, Boulder.

General Guidelines
In-text references should immediately follow the title, word, or phrase to which they
are directly relevant, rather than appearing at the end of long clauses or sentences. In-text

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references should always precede punctuation marks. Below are examples of using in-text
citation.

Author's name in parentheses:

One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native
speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).

Author's name part of narrative:

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that the most important element in comprehending
non-native speech is familiarity with the topic.

Group as author:
First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2015)
Subsequent citation: (APA, 2015)

Multiple works: (separate each work with semi-colons)

Research shows that listening to a particular accent improves comprehension of
accented speech in general (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Krech Thomas, 2004).

Direct quote: (include page number)

One study found that “the listener's familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly
facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 85).
Gass and Varonis (1984) found that “the listener’s familiarity with the topic of
discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (p. 85).

Note: For direct quotations of more than 40 words, display the quote as an indented
block of text without quotation marks and include the authors’ names, year, and page
number in parentheses at the end of the quote. For example:

This suggests that familiarity with nonnative speech in general, although it is clearly
not as important a variable as topic familiarity, may indeed have some effect. That is,
prior experience with nonnative speech, such as that gained by listening to the
reading, facilitates comprehension. (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 77)

Citing Web Pages in Text

Cite web pages in text as you would any other source, using the author and date if
known.

If the author is not known, use the title and the date as the in-text citation (for long titles
just use the first few words). Your in-text citation should lead your reader to the
corresponding entry in the reference list.

For sources with no date use n.d. (for no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.). Below
are examples of using in-text citation with web pages.

Web page with author:

In-text citation:
Role-play can help children learn techniques for coping with bullying (Kraiser,
2011).

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 Reference entry:
Kraizer, S. (2011). Preventing bullying. Retrieved from
http://safechild.org/categoryparents/preventing-bullying/

Web page with no author:

In-text citation:
The term Nittany Lion was coined by Penn State football player Joe Mason in 1904
(All things Nittany, 2006).

Reference entry:
All things Nittany. (2006). Retrieved from
http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/nittanymascot.html

Web page with no date:

In-text citation:
Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters
recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).

Reference entry:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Recovering emotionally from disaster.
Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters.aspx

Works by Multiple Authors

APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Use the following
guidelines to determine how to correctly cite works by multiple authors in text.
One author: (Field, 2005)
Two authors: (Gass & Varonis, 1984)
Three to five authors:
First citation: (Tremblay, Richer, Lachance, & Cote, 2010)
Subsequent citations: (Tremblay et al., 2010)
Six or more authors: (Norris-Shortle et al., 2006).

Supplemental readings:
Guide to Searching Library Resources: Tools, Strategies and Techniques
Go to: https://bowvalleycollege.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=11500407

Page 20 of 51
Assessing Learning

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 4
DIRECTION: Re-arrange the jumbled letters to get the correct answer and write on
the space provided.

1. It is a systematic overview of prior work on the subject.

TULIRAETRE REIWV _______________________________________.

2. Identifying the emphasis, category, scope and discipline of the analysis that
you intend to write.
INPALGNN _______________________________

3. The process of summarizing, synthesizing, critiquing and comparing the

sources in order to evaluate the field of research as a whole.
ZLYINAGNA __________________________

4. Creating a thesis or assert on existing research and determine how to

arrange the material
TFAINDGR ___________________________

5. It pertains to authenticity issue and related mishap.

MSPLGAAIRI_________________________

Page 21 of 51
Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 5

Literature Review Worksheet

Introduction: What is the topic of my literature review?

Example: Gun control in the USA

Topic sentence:

Example: The number of gun deaths in the US is directly related to the country’s
gun laws.

My sources (works to be read, analyzed and cited):

1.

2.

3.

Lott, John R. More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws.
7thed. University of Chicago Press, 2010

Body: What are the main points/arguments of my sources? How are these points
supported?

Source 1

a.

Page 22 of 51
b.

c.

Source 2

a.

b.

c.

Source 3

a.

b.

c.

Example:

Source 1: Smith argues that stricter gun laws will mean fewer guns in society and
fewer murders. His statistics show that cities that have lower incidences of murder
also have a lower number of gun sales.
Source 2: Lott states that if citizens have the right to protect themselves with their
own guns, that there will be less incidences of random murder. He argues that
potential shooters will be deterred if they know that potential victims could also be
carrying guns to protect themselves.

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Body: Similarities in (comparing) two or more of the articles.

Example: Example: Smith and Lott both agree that private citizens need to go
through mandatory checks to determine whether or not they are psychologically fit
to be carrying firearms.

Body: Differences in (contrasting) in two or more of the articles:

Example: Smith and Lott disagree on the level of security felt by guns owners.

Conclusion: Summarizing

Example: This literature review was conducted to analyze opposing perspectives on

gun laws and gun ownership in the United States.

Why is the topic of this literature review important and/or what should be the next
step of this study?

Example: Further research is needed to examine recent statistics on gun control,

gun
ownership and gun deaths in other countries compared with that in the United
States.

Page 24 of 51
Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 6

Direction: Write a literature review of your chosen topic from the previous activity. Cite a
minimum of 50 in text citation from various sources. Include the list of references following
the APA format.

Page 25 of 51
UNIT III: RESEARCH DESIGN
Overview
This unit provides you information about the different research design that you can
utilize in writing a business research.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the unit, I will be able to:

1. Discuss key concepts of research design
2. Analyze different types of research design
3. Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative design

Setting Up

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Direction: Classify the following statements whether: (A) Quantitative Research Design or
(B) Qualitative Research Design. Write your answer on the space provided before the
number.

___________________1. It is concerned with establishing answers to the whys and hows of the
phenomenon in question.
___________________2. It is defined as being subjective (not objective), and findings are gathered
in a written format as opposed to numerical.
___________________3. Data collected usually analysed in a quantifiable way using statistical
techniques because there may not be commonalities between the various collected findings.
___________________4. It relates to the design of a research project which uses quantitative
research methods.
___________________5. It aims at discovering how many people think, act or feel in a specific
way.
___________________6. It involves large sample sizes, concentrating on the quantity of
responses, as opposed to gaining the more focused or emotional insight that is the aim of
qualitative research.
___________________7. The standard format in this design is for each respondent to be asked the
same questions, which ensures that the entire data sample can be analysed fairly.
___________________8. The data is supplied in a numerical format, and can be analysed in a
quantifiable way using statistical methods.

Lesson Proper

Definition of Research Design

Research design is the framework of research methods and techniques chosen by a

researcher. The design allows the researchers to choose research method that is
appropriate for the topic and set-up in their study. The design of a research topic explains

Page 26 of 51
the type of research (experimental, survey, correlational, semi-experimental, review) and
also its sub-type (experimental design, research problem, descriptive case-study).

The essential elements of the research design are:

a. Accurate purpose statement
b. Techniques to be implemented for collecting and analyzing research
c. The method applied for analyzing collected details
d. Type of research methodology
e. Probable objections for research
f. Settings for the research study
g. Timeline
h. Measurement of analysis

Types of Research Design

To choose which model to use for a study, a researcher must have a clear
understanding of the different types of research design—the qualitative and quantitative
research design.

Qualitative research design: A qualitative research design is concerned with

establishing answers to the whys and hows of the phenomenon in question. Due to this,
qualitative research is often defined as being subjective (not objective), and findings are
gathered in a written format as opposed to numerical. This means that the data collected
from a piece of qualitative research cannot usually be analysed in a quantifiable way using
statistical techniques because there may not be commonalities between the various
collected findings. (https://www.djsresearch.co.uk/glossary/item/Qualitative-Research-
Design)

Quantitative research design: Quantitative research design relates to the design of

a research project which uses quantitative research methods. Quantitative research design
is aimed at discovering how many people think, act or feel in a specific way. Quantitative
projects involve large sample sizes, concentrating on the quantity of responses, as opposed
to gaining the more focused or emotional insight that is the aim of qualitative research. The
standard format in quantitative research design is for each respondent to be asked the same
questions, which ensures that the entire data sample can be analysed fairly. The data is
supplied in a numerical format, and can be analysed in a quantifiable way using statistical
methods. (https://www.djsresearch.co.uk/glossary/item/Quantitative-Research-Design)

Quantitative Research
Quantitative research methods emphasize objective measurements and
the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls,
questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data
using computational techniques. Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data
and generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon. The final
written report has a set structure consisting of introduction, literature and theory, methods,
results, and discussion. (https://lib-guides.letu.edu/quantresearch)

Page 27 of 51
Types of quantitative research

a. Survey Research
Surveys represent one of the most common types of quantitative, social science
research. In survey research, the researcher selects a sample of respondents from a
population and administers a standardized questionnaire to them. The questionnaire, or
survey, can be a written document that is completed by the person being surveyed, an
online questionnaire, a face-to-face interview, or a telephone interview. Using surveys, it
is possible to collect data from large or small populations (sometimes referred to as the
universe of a study). (https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=68)

b. Correlational Research
Correlational research is a type of research method that involves observing two
variables in order to establish a statistically corresponding relationship between them.
The aim of correlational research is to identify variables that have some sort of
relationship do the extent that a change in one creates some change in the other. This
type of research is descriptive, unlike experimental research that relies entirely on
scientific methodology and hypothesis. For example, correlational research may reveal
the statistical relationship between high-income earners and relocation; that is, the
more people earn, the more likely they are to relocate or
not. (https://www.formpl.us/blog/correlational-research)

Example of Correlational Research Questions:

• The relationship between stress and depression.
• The equation between fame and money.
• The relation between activities in a third-grade class and its
students.

c. Causal-Comparative Research
A causal-comparative design is a research design that seeks to find relationships
between independent and dependent variables after an action or event has already
occurred. The researcher's goal is to determine whether the independent variable
affected the outcome, or dependent variable, by comparing two or more groups of
individuals. Neil J. Salkind (2010) http://methods.sagepub.com/reference/encyc-of-
research-design/n42.xml?PageNum=129
Encyclopedia of Research Design

Example of Causal-Comparative Research Questions:

• The impact of drugs on a teenager.
• The effect of good education on a freshman.
• The effect of substantial food provision in the villages of Africa.

d. Experimental Research
Experimental research is a scientific approach to research, where one or
more independent variables are manipulated and applied to one or more dependent
variables to measure their effect on the latter. The effect of the independent
variables on the dependent variables is usually observed and recorded over some
time, to aid researchers in drawing a reasonable conclusion regarding the
relationship between these 2 variable types.
(https://www.formpl.us/blog/experimental-research)

Page 28 of 51
 Data Collection Methodologies for quantitative data

A. Sources of Data
1. In the words of Salkind (2010), a primary data source is:
“an original data source, that is, one in which the data are collected firsthand
by the researcher for a specific research purpose or project. Primary data can
be collected in a number of ways. However, the most common techniques are
self-administered surveys, interviews, field observation, and experiments.
Primary data collection is quite expensive and time consuming compared to
secondary data collection. Notwithstanding, primary data collection may be
the only suitable method for some types of research.”
Sources of Primary Data
a. Personal Investigation
b. Through Investigators
c. Through Questionnaire
d. Through Local Sources
e. Through Telephone
f. Through Internet

2. According to Allen (2017), a secondary data is:

“usually defined in opposition to primary data. The latter is directly obtained
from first-hand sources by means of questionnaire, observation, focus group,
or in-depth interviews, whereas the former refers to data collected by someone
other than the user. In other words, secondary data refers to data that have
already been collected for some other purpose. Yet, such data may be very
useful for one’s research purpose. Literature reviews account for many
varieties of classification for secondary data, including those that seek to
distinguish between raw data and compiled data. “
Sources of Secondary Data
a. Books
b. Published Sources
c. Unpublished Personal Sources
d. Journal
e. Newspapers
f. Websites
g. Blogs
h. Government Records
i. Podcasts
j. Some other sources of data collection include:
• Radio stations
• Public sector records

B. Sampling Methods
Below are the different sampling methods as discussed by McCombes (2019).

1. Probability sampling involves random selection, allowing you to make

statistical inferences about the whole group. Probability sampling means that
every member of the population has a chance of being selected. It is mainly used

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 in quantitative research. If you want to produce results that are representative
of the whole population, you need to use a probability sampling technique.

There are four main types of probability sample:

Simple random sampling. In a simple random sample, every member of

the population has an equal chance of being selected. Your sampling frame
should include the whole population. To conduct this type of sampling, you
can use tools like random number generators or other techniques that are
based entirely on chance.
Example:
You want to select a simple random sample of 100 employees of Company X.
You assign a number to every employee in the company database from 1 to
1000, and use a random number generator to select 100 numbers.

Systematic sampling. Systematic sampling is similar to simple random

sampling, but it is usually slightly easier to conduct. Every member of the
population is listed with a number, but instead of randomly generating
numbers, individuals are chosen at regular intervals.
Example:
All employees of the company are listed in alphabetical order. From the first
10 numbers, you randomly select a starting point: number 6. From number
6 onwards, every 10th person on the list is selected (6, 16, 26, 36, and so on),
and you end up with a sample of 100 people.

Stratified sampling. This sampling method is appropriate when the

population has mixed characteristics, and you want to ensure that every
characteristic is proportionally represented in the sample.
Example:
The company has 800 female employees and 200 male employees. You want
to ensure that the sample reflects the gender balance of the company, so you
sort the population into two strata based on gender. Then you use random
sampling on each group, selecting 80 women and 20 men, which gives you a
representative sample of 100 people.

Cluster sampling. Cluster sampling also involves dividing the population

into subgroups, but each subgroup should have similar characteristics to the
whole sample. Instead of sampling individuals from each subgroup, you
randomly select entire subgroups. This method is good for dealing with
large and dispersed populations, but there is more risk of error in the
sample, as there could be substantial differences between clusters. It’s
difficult to guarantee that the sampled clusters are really representative of
the whole population.
Example:
The company has offices in 10 cities across the country (all with roughly the
same number of employees in similar roles). You don’t have the capacity to
travel to every office to collect your data, so you use random sampling to
select 3 offices – these are your clusters.

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 2. Non-probability sampling involves non-random selection based on
convenience or other criteria, allowing you to easily collect initial data. In a non-
probability sample, individuals are selected based on non-random criteria, and
not every individual has a chance of being included. This type of sample is easier
and cheaper to access, but it has a higher risk of sampling bias, and you can’t use
it to make valid statistical inferences about the whole population. Non-
probability sampling techniques are often appropriate for exploratory
and qualitative research. In these types of research, the aim is not to test
a hypothesis about a broad population, but to develop an initial understanding
of a small or under-researched population.
Convenience sampling. A convenience sample simply includes the
individuals who happen to be most accessible to the researcher. This is an
easy and inexpensive way to gather initial data, but there is no way to tell if
the sample is representative of the population, so it can’t produce
generalizable results.
Example:
You are researching opinions about student support services in your
university, so after each of your classes, you ask your fellow students to
complete a survey on the topic. This is a convenient way to gather data, but
as you only surveyed students taking the same classes as you at the same
level, the sample is not representative of all the students at your university.

Voluntary response sampling. Similar to a convenience sample, a

voluntary response sample is mainly based on ease of access. Instead of the
researcher choosing participants and directly contacting them, people
volunteer themselves (e.g. by responding to a public online survey).
Voluntary response samples are always at least somewhat biased, as some
people will inherently be more likely to volunteer than others.
Example:
You send out the survey to all students at your university and a lot of
students decide to complete it. This can certainly give you some insight into
the topic, but the people who responded are more likely to be those who
have strong opinions about the student support services, so you can’t be
sure that their opinions are representative of all students.

Purposive sampling. This type of sampling involves the researcher using

their judgement to select a sample that is most useful to the purposes of the
research. It is often used in qualitative research, where the researcher wants
to gain detailed knowledge about a specific phenomenon rather than make
statistical inferences. An effective purposive sample must have clear criteria
and rationale for inclusion.
Example:
You want to know more about the opinions and experiences of disabled
students at your university, so you purposefully select a number of students
with different support needs in order to gather a varied range of data on
their experiences with student services.

Snowball sampling. If the population is hard to access, snowball sampling

can be used to recruit participants via other participants. The number of

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 people you have access to “snowballs” as you get in contact with more
people.
Example:
You are researching experiences of homelessness in your city. Since there is
no list of all homeless people in the city, probability sampling isn’t possible.
You meet one person who agrees to participate in the research, and she puts
you in contact with other homeless people that she knows in the area.

C. Methods used for data collection for quantitative research

• Interviews

In the words of Allen (2017) an interview is:

“consist of a researcher talking with another person in order to gather
data about a phenomenon of interest. The individual responding to the
researcher’s questions, often referred to as the study participant, may be asked
to share experiences, ideas, interpretations, perceptions, and suggestions,
known as data, to assist in answering the research questions guiding the
study. “

There are three major types of interviews conducted for data collection
o Telephone interviews
o Face-to-face interviews
o Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)

• Surveys/questionnaires
According to Lavrakas (2008), the questionnaire is:
“set of standardized questions, often called items, which follow a fixed
scheme in order to collect individual data about one or more specific topics.
Sometimes questionnaires are confused with interviews. In fact, the
questionnaire involves a particular kind of interview—a formal contact, in
which the conversation is governed by the wording and order of questions in
the instrument. The questionnaire often is administered in a standardized
fashion, that is, in the same way to all the respondents of the survey.”

There are two significant types of survey questionnaires used to collect online
data for quantitative market research.
o Web-based questionnaire
o Mail Questionnaire

• Observation
Observation, as the name implies, is a way of collecting data through
observing. Observation data collection method is classified as a participatory study,
because the researcher has to immerse herself in the setting where her respondents
are, while taking notes and/or recording. Observation as a data collection method
can be structured or unstructured. In structured or systematic observation, data
collection is conducted using specific variables and according to a pre-defined
schedule. Unstructured observation, on the other hand, is conducted in an open
and free manner in a sense that there would be no pre-determined variables or

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 objectives. (https://research-methodology.net/research-methods/qualitative-
research/observation/

D. Fundamental Levels of Measurement

There are four levels of measurement as discussed by Trochim (2020)

1. In nominal measurement the numerical values just “name” the attribute uniquely.
No ordering of the cases is implied. For example, jersey numbers in basketball are
measures at the nominal level. A player with number 30 is not more of anything
than a player with number 15, and is certainly not twice whatever number 15 is.

2. In ordinal measurement the attributes can be rank-ordered. Here, distances

between attributes do not have any meaning. For example, on a survey you might
code Educational Attainment as 0=less than high school; 1=some high school.;
2=high school degree; 3=some college; 4=college degree; 5=post college. In this
measure, higher numbers mean more education. But is distance from 0 to 1 same as
3 to 4? Of course not. The interval between values is not interpretable in an ordinal
measure.

3. In interval measurement the distance between attributes does have meaning. For
example, when we measure temperature (in Fahrenheit), the distance from 30-40 is
same as distance from 70-80. The interval between values is interpretable. Because
of this, it makes sense to compute an average of an interval variable, where it
doesn’t make sense to do so for ordinal scales. But note that in interval
measurement ratios don’t make any sense - 80 degrees is not twice as hot as 40
degrees (although the attribute value is twice as large).

4. In ratio measurement there is always an absolute zero that is meaningful. This

means that you can construct a meaningful fraction (or ratio) with a ratio variable.
Weight is a ratio variable. In applied social research most “count” variables are ratio,
for example, the number of clients in past six months. Why? Because you can have
zero clients and because it is meaningful to say that “…we had twice as many clients
in the past six months as we did in the previous six months.”

E. Data Analysis Techniques

• Descriptive Statistics

Typically descriptive statistics (also known as descriptive analysis) is the

first level of analysis. It helps researchers summarize the data and find patterns
(Bhatia (2018). A few commonly used descriptive statistics are:
Mean: numerical average of a set of values.
Median: midpoint of a set of numerical values.
Mode: most common value among a set of values.
Percentage: used to express how a value or group of respondents
within the data relates to a larger group of respondents.
Frequency: the number of times a value is found.
Range: the highest and lowest value in a set of values.

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 • Inferential Statistics

Inferential statistics are produced through complex mathematical

calculations that allow scientists to infer trends about a larger population based on a
study of a sample taken from it. Researchers use inferential statistics to examine the
relationships between variables within a sample and then make generalizations or
predictions about how those variables will relate to a larger population. (Taylor,
2020)
Researchers use inferential statistics to examine the relationships within a
sample between variables and then generalize or predict how those variables will
relate to a wider population. Few examples are:
Correlation: describes the relationship between two variables
Regression: shows or predicts the relationship between two variables
Analysis of variance: tests the extent to which two or more groups
differ

Quantitative Research Examples

Some examples of Quantitative Research are:

1. If any organization would like to conduct a customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey,
a customer satisfaction survey template can be used. Through this survey, an
organization can collect quantitative data and metrics on the goodwill of the brand
or organization in the mind of the customer based on multiple parameters such as
product quality, pricing, customer experience, etc. This data can be collected by
asking a net promoter score (NPS) question, matrix table questions, etc. that provide
data in the form of numbers that can be analyzed and worked upon.
(https://www.questionpro.com/blog/quantitative-research/)

2. Another example of quantitative research is an organization that conducts an event,

collecting feedback from the event attendees about the value that they see from the
event. By using an event survey template, the organization can collect actionable
feedback about satisfaction levels of customers during various phases of the event
such as the sales, pre and post-event, the likelihood of recommending the
organization to their friends and colleagues, hotel preferences for the future events
and other such questions. (https://www.questionpro.com/blog/quantitative-
research/)

Qualitative Research

In the words of Streefkerk (2020) qualitative research is:

“used to understand concepts, thoughts or experiences. This type of research enables
you to gather in-depth insights on topics that are not well understood. Common
qualitative methods include interviews with open-ended questions, observations
described in words, and literature reviews that explore concepts and theories.”

For example:
1. Consider a convenience store looking to improve its patronage. A systematic
observation concludes that the number of men visiting this store are more. One

Page 34 of 51
 good method to determine why women were not visiting the store is to conduct
an in-depth interview of potential customers in the category.
2. On successfully interviewing female customers, visiting the nearby stores and
malls, and selecting them through random sampling, it was known that the store
doesn’t have enough items for women and so there were fewer women visiting
the store, which was understood only by personally interacting with them and
understanding why they didn’t visit the store, because there were more male
products than female ones.

Qualitative data collection methods

• Interviews: Asking open-ended questions verbally to respondents.

• Focus groups: Discussion among a group of people about a topic to gather opinions
that can be used for further research.
• Ethnography: Participating in a community or organization for an extended period
of time to closely observe culture and behavior.
• Literature review: Survey of published works by other authors.

Qualitative Data Analysis Methods

Several methods are available to analyze qualitative data. The most commonly used
data analysis methods are:
• Content analysis. As for Allen (2017) content analysis is:
“a widely used method in communication research and is particularly popular in
media and popular culture studies. Content analysis is a systematic, quantitative
approach to analyzing the content or meaning of communicative messages. Content
analysis is a descriptive approach to communication research, and as such is used to
describe communicative phenomenon. This entry provides an overview of content
analysis, including the definition, uses, process, and limitations of content analysis.”

• Narrative analysis: In the words of Allen (2017), narrative analysis is:

“a genre of analytic frames whereby researchers interpret stories that are told within
the context of research and/or are shared in everyday life. Scholars who conduct this
type of analysis make diverse—yet equally substantial and meaningful—
interpretations and conclusions by focusing on different elements. These elements
include, but are not limited to, how the story is structured, what functions the story
serves, what is the substance of the story, and how the story is performed.
Communication scholars from a variety of perspectives ranging from quantitative to
qualitative as well as traditional to postmodern conduct narrative analyses, which
makes it challenging to cover all of its nuances; however, broad strokes are possible.”

• Discourse analysis: According to Salkind (2010), a discourse analysis is:

“used to describe a number of approaches to analyzing written and spoken language
use beyond the technical pieces of language, such as words and sentences. Therefore,
discourse analysis focuses on the use of language within a social context. Embedded in
the constructivismFstructuralism traditions, discourse analysis's key emphasis is on
the use of language in social context. Language in this case refers to either text or talk,
and context refers to the social situation or forum in which the text or talk occurs.”

Page 35 of 51
Qualitative Research Methods Vs Quantitative Research Methods

Attributes Qualitative Research Methods Quantitative Research Methods

This research method focuses on Quantitative research method focuses

Analytical
to describe individual on describing the characteristics of a
objectives
experiences and beliefs. population.

Types of
questions Open ended questions Closed ended questions
asked

Use semi-structured methods

Data Use highly structured methods such as
such as in-depth interviews,
collection structured observation
focus groups, and participant
Instrument using questionnaires and surveys
observation

Form of data
Descriptive data Numerical data
produced

Participant responses affect how Participant responses do not influence

Degree of
and which questions researchers or determine how and which
flexibility
ask next questions researchers ask next
(Sourced from: Bhat, Adi (n.y.)Research design: Definition, characteristics and types.
Retrieved from https://www.questionpro.com/blog/research-design/)

Page 36 of 51
Assessing Learning

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 7
Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of your correct answer and write it on the space
before each number.

________ 1. It is the framework of research methods and techniques selected by the

researcher.
a. Research framework c. Research design
b. Research method d. Research techniques
_______ 2. Is a type of research method that involves the measurement of two
variables in order to create a statistically corresponding relationship between them.
a. Correlational c. Survey
b. Comparative d. Experimental
_______ 3. Is a research design that seeks to establish relationships between
independent and dependent variables after an action or event has already occurred.
a. Survey c. Experimental
b. Correlational d. Comparative
_______ 4. It is a sampling technique wherein every member of the population has an
equal chance of being selected
a. cluster sampling c. simple random sampling
b. systematic sampling d. stratified sampling
_______ 5. Which of the following sampling technique is dividing the population into
subgroups having the same characteristics?
a. cluster sampling c. simple random sampling
b. systematic sampling d. stratified sampling
_______6. A sampling technique which simply includes the individuals who happen to
be most accessible to the researcher
a. voluntary response sampling c. purposive sampling
b. convenience sampling d. snowball sampling
_______ 7. Which of the following is not a type of non-probability sampling?
a. stratified sampling c. purposive sampling
b. convenience sampling d. snowball sampling
_______ 8. The researcher uses his judgment to select a sample that is most useful to the
purposes of his research, what sampling technique does the researcher employ?
a. stratified sampling c. purposive sampling
b. convenience sampling d. snowball sampling
_______ 9. A method of data collection which classified as a participatory study,
because the researcher has to immerse herself in the setting where her respondents
are, while taking notes and/or recording
a. interview c. observation
b. survey d. questionnaire

Page 37 of 51
_______ 10. Which of the following is not a type of inferential statistics?
a. correlation c. regression
b. frequency d. variance

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Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 8

1. Discuss the method of research you will use for your business research.
2. Develop a data collection instrument for your chosen business research concept.

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UNIT IV: FORMAT FOR BUSINESS RESEARCH PRESENTATION
Overview
This unit presents the general format to be used in writing and presenting the
business research manuscript.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this unit, I will be able to:

1. explain the different sections and sub-sections of a business research full paper
2. write a complete business research following the prescribed format

Setting Up

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Direction: Write down the components of each chapter in business research.

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Lesson Proper

Chapter 1- The Problem and It’s Background

Introduction and Review of Related Literature. The primary purpose of the

introductory paragraphs is to capture the reader’s attention and get them “turned
on” about the paper. It sets the stage for the paper and puts a perspective on your
topic. This also contains a sample of relevant literature. It is important because it
reveals what researchers have found before. This is generally very long, and relies
largely on how much work has been done previously in the field you want to
investigate.

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Statement of the Problem. The problems here can be presented in the form of
question or declarative form . These are the list of general and specific questions
that you seek for an answer or solution. For example:
• What is the effect of Covid 19-Pandemic to business establishments? or
Describe the effect of Covid 19 –Pandemic to business establishments.

Research Hypotheses and/or Null Hypotheses. Present whether the variables

you will be tested in your study has a significant difference or relationship on none.

Example:
1. There is no significant difference between the perception of male managers
and female managers
2. There is no significant relationship between work schedule and productivity.

Theoretical Framework. The researcher will write here the gathered

interrelated theories relevant to the study. In addition, the ideas and concepts
crafted from the other sources should be restated by the researcher using his
own words to consider the statement is owned by him. Take note, only the
thoughts and ideas that will help the topic should be included and also the
researcher may combine same ideas or concept of different authors related to the
study (Vinz, 2015).

Conceptual Framework. It illustrates what your research expects to find, including

how the variables you are considering might relate to each other (Swaen, 2015). It
presents the research paradigm of the study in which the concept or the idea of
the study will be discussed here. For example , the Inputs –Process – Analysis
Output is the common form of the research paradigm.

Scope and delimitation. Discusses the coverage/area of the study. It should be

specific and detailed in the sense that the respondents are being described
here , their number, address, and the treatment involved in the study.

The Significance of the Study. It presents the importance of the study to an

individual, groups, agency and organization to fill in certain needs. How this
study may give contributions to them and how the study will develop and
improve certain system or plans.

Definition of Terms. List of significant words used in the study and are being
defined in operational and conceptual form. An example of an operational
definition is: "For the purpose of this research, improvement is operationally
defined as posttest score minus pretest score".

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Chapter II- Research Methodology

The following are the contents of this chapter:

Research Method. This is about the research methodology to be used in the

study. The descriptive method of research is the most commonly used in
research studies.

Respondents of the study. It presents who will be the respondents or subjects of

the study. Write a description of the said respondents. The population and sampling
procedure can also be discussed in this portion.

The Research Locale. It discusses the place where the current study is conducted.
Write a description of the place. A map can be presented in this section.

The Instruments. This is about the discussion of the content of the survey-
instrument or set of questionnaire to be used in data gathering.

Development and Administration of the Instrument. In this section, the

researcher will discuss how the survey-questionnaire was made or constructed
and how it will be administered or be distributed to respondents.

Reliability and Validity. If you have developed your own survey instrument, then
you must describe the steps you took to assess its validity and a description of how
you will measure its reliability.

Statistical Treatment of Data. This will present the statistical tools to be

utilized in order to analyze the gathered data.
Chapter III- Presentation, Interpretation and Analysis of Data

Discuss the findings by answering the research problems stated in chapter 1.

If you use tables or graphs, refer to them in the text and explain what they say. State
literature to support your analyses in your discussion.

Chapter IV- Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

Summary
Begin the final chapter with a few paragraphs summarizing what you did and
found from Chapter III.

Conclusions
State the salient findings of the study as answers in problems posed in
Chapter 1

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Recommendations
Present recommendations based on your findings. Avoid the temptation to
present recommendations based on your own beliefs or biases that are not
specifically supported by your data. Recommendations fall into two categories. The
first is recommendations to the study sponsor. What actions do you recommend
they take based upon the data. The second is recommendations to other
researchers. There are almost always ways that a study could be improved or
refined. What would you change if you were to do your study over again? These are
the recommendations to other researchers.

GENERAL FORMAT

Format for Final Manuscript:

Double Space

Times New Roman

Font size is 12

Margin: Top , Bottom and Right 1” and Left margin 1.5”

Page Number at the bottom right side

Short bond paper

***Hard Copy: Book bind

***NOTE:Take note that this should be in place and in sequence before

Chapter 1

Cover Page (separate bond paper)

Title Page (separate bond paper)

Approval Sheet (separate bond paper)

Acknowledgement (separate bond paper)

Dedication (separate bond paper)

Table of Contents (separate bond paper)

List of Tables (separate bond paper)

List of Figures (separate bond paper)

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ABSTRACT (separate bond paper)- summary of the entire study: this composes
short Introduction (200-300 words); 3-5 key words (bold); methodology used;
findings; conclusions; recommendations; and references (8-10 references).

Format for Abstract: 2 Columns, single space, times new roman, font size-10.

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 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction and Review of Related Literature

Statement of the Problem

Theoretical Framework

Conceptual Framework- Research Paradigm

Scope and Delimitation

Significance of the Study

Definition of Terms

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 Chapter II

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Introduction about the content of Chapter II

Research Method

Research Locale

Instrument

Development and Administration of the Instrument

Reliability and Validity

Statistical Treatment of Data

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 Chapter III

PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

Introduction about the content of Chapter III

The arrangement here should be the table first with table number and title of
the table ( the title is based on the data reflected on the table), next is the
interpretation of the presented data in the table and then followed by analysis
of data. For example:

Table 1

Age of the Respondents

Interpretation

Analysis

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 Chapter IV

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

Conclusions

Recommendations

***The recommendation should be based on the conclusions. If there are 5

conclusions stated there should also be 5 recommendations presented.

References (Following the APA Format)

Bibliography (separate bond paper) - refer to topic above for the sample format.

Appendices- refer to the above topics for the documents to be attached in this
section.

Curriculum Vitae (separate bond paper) - this is the bio-data of the researcher
with 2x 2 picture at the upper corner right of the bond paper.

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Assessing Learning

Name : ________________________________________________
Year and Section : ________________________________________________

Activity 9
Write the complete version of your business research following the prescribed format.
• Send Soft Copy to faculty email address
• Hard copy using the given format will be drop by at the CMBT office on
or before the given deadline or will be send into courier available in
the student’s location/ area.
• Deadlines will be discussed/advised by your research professor.

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