THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

CAVE HILL CAMPUS

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

COURSE OUTLINE

COURSE TITLE: RESEARCH METHODS FOR BUSINESS

COURSE CODE: TOUR2004

LEVEL: TWO

SEMESTER: TWO

NO. OF CREDITS: 3 CREDITS

LECTURER – Mr. Correy Mitchell

Telephone: 417-4309
Email: [email protected]
Office Location: TBA
Office Hours: Lecturers - Fridays 12:00 – 2:00 pm Face-to-Face/ Virtually
Tutorials – Tuesday 1:00 – 2:00pm & 2:00 – 3:00pm Face-to-Face/ Virtually

COURSE DESCRIPTION/RATIONALE

This introductory course is designed to provide students with sound knowledge of the
fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative business research. The course of study will cover the
research design and implementation process, questionnaire and interview schedule design, data-
collection methods and ethics, and data-analysis using various quantitative/statistical (using tools
such as SPSS) and qualitative techniques. Research and data analysis skills will be developed
through the conduct of group research projects in business-related areas including general
management, tourism and hospitality, accounting and finance, marketing and other related
disciplines. Students will be able to conduct the key phases of the business research process to
generate scientific and applied research papers.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Define and write research questions, objectives and hypotheses with clarity;
• Conduct various research methodologies;
• Conduct various qualitative and quantitative analyses;
• Prepare scientific research papers.
COURSE CONTENT

Unit 1: Introduction to Business Research

Unit 2: Research Process
Unit 3: Literature Reviews: Purpose, Process
Unit 4: Quantitative Methods
Unit 5: Introduction to Quantitative Data-Analysis I: Using SPSS
Unit 6: Quantitative Data Analysis II: Inferential Statistics using SPSS
Unit 7: Qualitative Methods
Unit 8: Qualitative Data Analysis
Unit 9: Sampling: Principles, Process and Procedures
Unit 10: Data-Collection Procedures and Ethics in Research

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

Interactive methods, lecture, videos and discussion will be utilised. Multi-media such as Power
Point and Zoom will also be incorporated in each session. Readings from journals and books will
be assigned for each topic addressed in the lectures. Students will engage in group discussions
and online activity assignments.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

This course will be assessed using the three following assessments and/ or assignments and the
Final Examination:

1. Written Research Paper (25%)

Students are expected to individually design and complete a research paper on a research topic of
their choosing. This course is designed to further develop critical thinking skills and research
skills. The assignment was designed so that students experience and engage fully the research
cycle and process. Therefore, by the time students complete the assignment they would have
applied the basic and advanced elements of quantitative and qualitative research design to
business research. Students are required to submit an APA style or Harvard Style research paper
(worth 25% of the total course grade) of no more than 4000 words plus or minus 10% for
quantitative studies and no more than 6000 words plus or minus 10% for qualitative studies.
Please note that written research papers must be submitted to Turnitin before submission. The
research paper should include the following components:

- Introduction
Background
Purpose of Research
Rationale of the Research
 - Literature Review
- Research Methodology
Study Design
Participants (Sample)
Research Instrument
Data-collection Procedures
Data Analysis Procedures
Ethical issues in the Research (ethical considerations)
- Results
- Discussion
- Future Research and Limitations
- References

This assignment should be submitted to the Elearning submission box on April 15th, no later than
11:59pm Barbados time.

2. SPSS Data-Analysis Exercise (15%)

Each student will be required to complete a data analysis Assignment (worth 15% of the course
grade) using databases provided throughout the semester. Students will be expected to run 3
Statistical Test and answer a series of research question/hypothesis. Students must run the correct
test to answer the research question/hypothesis and complete the write-up presenting the
findings. This course is designed to engage students in statistical analysis and presentation of
findings. Therefore, after this assignment, students would have gained an understanding of
statistical analysis. The Data Analysis Assignment should be submitted to the Elearning
submission box on November 20th, not later than 12:00 am Barbados time.

*Please note that rubrics for all coursework assessments will be accessible in the Course
Resources Folder on eLearning.

Final Examination (60%)

RESOURCES

Required Texts

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods

approach. (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publications Inc.

Pallant, J. (2010). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS. (4th
ed.). New York: Open University Press.
Saunders, M., Thornhill, A., & Lewis, P. (2012). Research methods for business students. (6th
ed.). Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Suggested Readings

Babbie, E.R. (2012). The practice of social research. (13th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing

Berg, B. L., & Lune, H. (2011). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. (8th ed.).
Pearson

Brewerton, P. M., & Millward, L. J. (2001). Organisational research methods: A guide for
students and researchers. London: SAGE Publications Ltd

Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS. (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications Ltd
Neuman, W. L. (2009). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. (7th
ed.). Pearson

Neuman, L.W. (2006). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative Approaches.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Sekeran, U., & Bougie, R. (2013). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach.
(6th ed.). UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Silverman, D. (2013). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. (4th ed.).

London: SAGE Publications Ltd.