Business Research Methods Notes
Subject Overview
Business Research Methods equips BBA students with the tools to actually conduct research that supports managerial decisions — not just interpret someone else's data. You'll cover the research process and design, sampling techniques and data collection methods, measurement scales and questionnaire design, and close with data preparation, analysis, and report writing. This is a 6-credit core paper across 4 units, and it's the direct methodological foundation for any dissertation or capstone project work.
Subject at a glance
4
Units
23
Topics
6
Credits
4
Infographics
Unit-wise Syllabus
4 units — open any unit for detailed topic-wise notes, diagrams and important exam questions
- Definition
- objectives and scope of management research
- the research process and its limitations
- formulating the research problem
- choice and types of research design
- sources of experimental error
- 1
Define the problem
- 2
Review literature
What is already known
- 3
Formulate hypotheses
- 4
Research design
Exploratory, descriptive or causal
- 5
Collect data
Primary and secondary
- 6
Analyse and interpret
- 7
Write the report
Study guide
Research gives business decisions an evidence base. You study the definition, objectives and scope of management research, the research process and its limits, how to formulate a research problem, the choice and types of research design and sources of experimental error. Practise turning a vague business issue into a precise research question.
- Advantages and limitations of sampling
- the sampling process
- probability and non-probability sampling techniques
- sampling and non-sampling errors
- primary and secondary data collection
- observation and survey methods
Selection
Random, known chance for each unit
Based on judgement or convenience
Examples
Simple random, stratified, cluster
Convenience, quota, snowball
Generalisation
Results can be generalised
Limited generalisation
Cost and time
Higher
Lower
Study guide
You study sampling (advantages, limits and process), probability and non-probability techniques, sampling and non-sampling errors, primary and secondary data and observation and survey methods. Know when to use each sampling method.
- Levels of measurement — nominal
- ordinal
- interval and ratio
- comparative and non-comparative scaling techniques
- types of questionnaires
- guidelines for developing a good questionnaire
Nominal
Categories only
Gender, city
Ordinal
Order or rank
Satisfaction: low, medium, high
Interval
Equal gaps, no true zero
Temperature in °C
Ratio
Equal gaps and a true zero
Income, age, sales
Study guide
Measurement and questionnaires follow: levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio), comparative and non-comparative scaling techniques, types of questionnaires and guidelines for developing a good one. Draft a short questionnaire on a topic you care about and test it on friends.
- Editing
- coding and cross-tabulation
- practices through Excel
- types of research reports
- guidelines for writing and evaluating a report
- 1Editing
Check for errors and gaps
- 2Coding
Give answers numeric codes
- 3Tabulation
Cross-tabs in Excel
- 4Analysis
Statistics and charts
- 5Report
Findings, conclusions, recommendations
Study guide
The final unit covers editing, coding, cross-tabulation, Excel practice, types of research reports and guidelines for writing and evaluating a report. Practise cross-tabulating survey data in Excel.
Why Business Research Methods Matters
Research skills are needed for project reports, marketing research, HR surveys and analytics roles, and they are the foundation of any dissertation or MBA research project.
How to Prepare for Business Research Methods
- Do a small real survey, from questionnaire to a short report.
- Learn the four scales of measurement with an example of each.
- Practise explaining the research process as a sequence of steps.
Business Research Methods: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the four levels of measurement?
Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio.
What is the difference between primary and secondary data?
Primary data is collected first-hand for the current study, while secondary data already exists, collected earlier for other purposes.