Business Research

Definition and concept of research, Objectives of research, Importance of research. Types of Research- Descriptive vs Analytical, Applied vs Fundamental, Quantitative vs Qualitative, Conceptual vs Empirical, Historical, Longitudinal Research. Research Approaches, Research Process

Research Design: Meaning, Need and Characteristics of a good research design. Types of Research Design, Identification of a Research problem. Selection of a Research problem. Hypothesis: Purpose, Characteristics, Types and criteria of hypothesis, Process of Hypothesis Testing. Variables: Meaning and Concept, Types of variables.

Sampling & Data Collection: Sampling - Meaning of Census and Sample. Characteristics of a good Sample, Need for Sample, Methods of Sampling- Random Sampling Methods- Simple Random Sampling, Stratified Sampling, Systematic Sampling and Multi-stage Sampling. Non-Random Sampling- Judgment or Purposive Sampling, Convenience Sampling, Cluster Sampling and Sequential Sampling.
Data Collection: Data gathering instruments: Collection of Data, Primary and Secondary Data, Methods of collecting data, Sources of Secondary Data

Primary scales of Measurement -Nominal, Ordinal, Interval & Ratio. Scaling techniques-paired comparison, rank order, constant sum, semantic differential, itemized ratings, Likert Scale; Questionnaire-form & design

Measures of Central Value: Characteristics of an ideal measure- mean median, mode, Quartile and percentile. Merits, Limitations and Suitability of averages. Relationship between averages. Measures of Dispersion : Meaning and Significance. Absolute and Relative measures of dispersion - Range, Quartile Deviation, Mean Deviation, Standard Deviation, Coefficient of Variation