ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Commonwealth of Learning Executive MBA/MPA Programme)

WARNING
1. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING
THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD
OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE.
2. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENT(S) BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM
OTHER(S) AS ONE’S OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN
“AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY”.

Course: Research Methodology for Management Decision (5599) Semester: Spring, 2022
Level: Executive MBA/MPA

Instructions:
a) All written assignment must be well organized, presented in an easy-to-read format,
and neat. If your handwriting is not legible, type or compose the written assignment.
Moreover, pay particularly close attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation and
understandability. Communication is extremely important in this course.
b) Documentation is likewise very important. Un-supported statements or opinions
without citation/reference are worth less to the reader who desires to verify your
finding. Complete and specific documentation is mandatory. Also, your references
should be from primary sources, except in rare and unusual situation.
c) Quoting should be kept to an absolute minimum.
d) Before writing the assignment, you are advised to thoroughly study the guidelines
for assignment writing.
e) Keeping in view the topics studied in the subject, students are required to submit a
Critical review essay considering the Guidelines for Writing Research Papers .
 COURSE DESCRIPTION

What is this course about?

The endeavor of this predominately Distance Learning with enhanced Face-to-Face
Component course is to enable students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills (or to
further develop their existing knowledge and skills), to be able to successfully complete a
significant research project in a managerial environment. The course aims to help you to
develop an understanding of how research is carried out in management settings and
appreciate some of the specific problems and issues they are likely to face. It introduces you
to the field of management and business studies and the associated range of research
paradigms and theoretical traditions. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of competing
approaches to research and some of the main ethical and practical problems that you are
likely to confront in carrying out research into organizations.

In this course you will be introduced to the complexities and differences in research methods
currently being utilized in management related disciplines. You will primarily learn how to
select your research topic, to frame your research question(s), how to undertake the answering
of that question and how to present your work to examination level.

OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the completion of this course, you will
i. Understand the major approaches to business research and the methodological
choices that need to be made
ii. Understand the various aspects of research design and be able to design managerial
research
iii. Be able to access library resources using various retrieval techniques
iv. Understand the requirements of a literature review
v. Understand the principles of quantitative and qualitative data analysis
vi. Be familiar with the various quantitative and qualitative methods of data gathering
and have knowledge of methods appropriate to your research
vii. Be familiar with the ethical issues involved in managerial research
viii. Be able to prepare and present a research proposal

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Warning against Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person without
appropriate referencing as though it is one’s own. Plagiarism is not permitted in this
course. The use of another person’s work or ideas must be acknowledged. Failure to do

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so may result in charges of academic misconduct which carry a range of penalties
including cancellation of results and exclusion from this course.
University Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism: the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is
your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to
expulsion from the programme. Plagiarised material can be drawn from and presented in,
written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data and oral presentations.
Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.

Examples of plagiarism include

i. Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources,
whether published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books,
journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without
proper citation
ii. Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper citation
iii. Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences
iv. Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging
their source
v. Copying designs or works of art and submitting them as your original work
vi. Copying a whole or any part of another student's work
vii. Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you
viii. Enabling Plagiarism
ix. The act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own work.

ASSIGNMENT No. 1
Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 40

Instructions:
a) This assignment encompasses the Literature Review Report of the proposed research
topic and the research proposal which will be developed in Assignment No. 2 of this
course. You are required to develop a Literature Review report and submit to the
tutor for evaluation prior to the final examination. The last date of this assignment
will be notified separately by our Directorate of Regional Services and the same will
be communicated to you directly as well as through approved study centers assigned
to you.
b) You will have to participate in the activity fully, actively and practically to be eligible
to sit in the final examination of the course.
c) If you fail to submit this assignment in the class, then you will not be able to sit in
the final examination conducted by AIOU. You will be considered fail in this
course and have to re-enroll for this subject in next semester.

ASSESSMENT TASKS

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The objective of Assignment No. 1 is to prepare a Written Literature Review report of the
proposed research topic, in order to provide students with experience in preparing a final
project report that will be required for forthcoming Project course 5598 by students.
In this assignment students are required to prepare a Literature Review Report between
twenty (20) to twenty-five (25) pages (7,000 to 10,000 words) and at least 30 – 35
research articles from published source may be consulted. With minimum of 15 research
papers should be from the past 05 years. Students must follow the proper referencing and
citation style to be mentioned at the end of the Literature Review Report under the
References heading. Students are advised to consult the tips of writing literature review
as mentioned below.

TIPS FOR WRITING LITERATURE REVIEW

The Literature Review Defined

What is it and why are students required to do one? The literature is exactly what one
would expect from its title – it is a review of a collection of previously published
literature on a specific topic or topics. The literature review is often required of students
as they undertake research into a particular topic in order to determine whether or not
their specific research topic has already been undertaken. Generally speaking, the
literature review summarizes and condenses an extensive amount of material. In addition,
the review allows the student to organize a vast amount of information into a pattern that
is meaningful to his or her research purposes, and will allow the student to draw his or
her own conclusions about the nature of that information.

Objectives of the Literature Review

What should students strive for? When a student is performing his or her literature
review, perusing all that information, having a specific objective(s) in mind is very
important. Without a specific objective(s) in mind, students can end up spinning their
wheels, not accomplishing much. The following are common objectives for a literature
review; students should choose the objective(s) that best correspond with their particular
research goals.
i. Summarize Information – As stated above, the main objective of the literature
review is to summarize previously released research information. While not all the
objectives on this list apply to every literature review, this is one objective that
every student should strive for when reviewing literature.

ii. Compare Findings and Results – The literature review allows students to compare
the results from a wide variety of published research. The rates of similarity or
discrepancy in research findings can go a long way in helping the student to
understand how his or her research may unfold in the future.

iii. Compare Research Methods – The literature review also allows students to
evaluate the different research methods used among those that have previously
studied their topic of interest. Weighing the pros and cons of those research
methods enables students to choose the method that best suits them.

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iv. Identify Untapped Areas of Research – By thoroughly organizing and reviewing
an extensive collection of research material, a student performing a literature
review will be able to identify areas that have not been addressed, or addressed
poorly, by the literature that is currently available. In addition, if a student does
happen to discover that his or her research topic has been previously undertaken,
this will allow the student to more easily choose a secondary topic.

v. Identify Major Research Studies – Not all research studies are created equal. The
literature review allows students to recognize which particular studies have been
the most important to the furthering of knowledge in their particular research area.

vi. To Better Understand the Relevance of Your Upcoming Research – If the

student's upcoming research has proven to be untapped, the literature review will
allow the student to better understand where his or her findings will fit into the
system of knowledge on that particular subject.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a multitude of other reasons and
objectives for completing a literature review. However, these are the most common
objectives for university students, and they can provide students with the basis for the
effecting of a thorough literature review.

ASSIGNMENT No. 2
Total Marks: 100 Pass Marks: 40

The objective of this assignment is to prepare you for final research project which will be
offered in fourth semester. For the topic selection and preparing a research proposal, you
should consult the tutors assigned for the guidance of subject (5599). To complete the
assignment # 2 you are required to prepare a research proposal between ten (10) to

fifteen (15) pages (5,000 to 7,000 words) which covers:

1. The Title of Project.
2. A summary (Abstract) of their proposed research project written in language
understandable to people outside your discipline area.
3. The following areas should be included in the research proposal:
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background of Study
1.2 Problem Identification
1.3 Problem Statement
1.4 Objectives of the Study
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Scope of the Study
Chapter 2: Literature Review

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 Literature must be relevant to the research/variables of the study. Write literature
rationally, thematically, and in chronological order. Give proper headings to each
variable and relationship with dependent variable. You must write the operational
definitions of the variables. The Hypotheses should be developed in the light of
reviewed and cited literature. Research Model/Theoretical framework/Conceptual
Framework should be given after detailed review of related literature. Develop
hypotheses and write after the model. Provide detail description of your model.
Distribute this chapter according to heading and sub-heading
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
3.1 Population of the Study
3.2 Sampling Techniques
3.4 Sample Size
3.4 Research Tools / Questionnaire: The questionnaire must be reference/s
based.
Write about the questionnaire and it must measure the variables taken in
your research study. If your thesis data is based on time series data, then
give measures of variable and justify the application of model. Then
interpret analysis.
3.5 Data Collection Procedure
As with Assignment 2, a cover sheet with your name, roll number and proposed research
title should be attached. The written research proposal is due on the day to be notified
separately and should be submitted to your teacher. This assignment will serve as the
useful prerequisite for final project (5598). The students would complete the major part
of the research proposal in this assignment with the topic selection. In final project (5598)
students just have to complete their research report for final approval with the same
research topic which they have selected in this assignment.

This proposed research proposal should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words in length
(longer assignments will be asked to re-submit). It should be typed and single-spaced.
You are advised to refer to the Guidelines for Writing Research Papers and Assignments
already provided to you on referencing and formatting of your assignment. It is not
necessary to attach the articles reviewed with your assignment; however, you should
include a detailed reference list. The APA format (one of the most commonly used
author-date styles) is the preferred referencing and citation style used by the AIOU.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR MANAGEMENT DECISIONS
(5599)
COURSE OUTLINE
BLOCK 1: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Unit-1 Importance of Research in Decision Making
1.1 Meaning of Research
1.2 Role of Research in Important Areas
1.3 Process of Research
1.4 Types of Research
Unit-2 Defining Research Problem and Formulation of Hypothesis
2.1 Points to Ponder on Research
2.2 Units of Analysis
2.3 Tie and Space Coordinates
2.4 Characteristics of Interest
2.5 Environmental Conditions
2.6 Research Problem as Hypothesis Testing
Unit-3 Experimental Designs
3.1 Completely Randomized Design
3.2 Randomized Complete Block Design
3.3 Latin Square Design
3.4 Factorial Design
3.5 Analysis of Covariance
BLOCK 2: DATA COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT
Unit-4 Methods and Techniques of Data Collection
4.1 Primary and Secondary Data
4.2 Methods of Collecting Primary Data
4.3 Merits and Demerits of Different Methods of Collecting Primary Data
4.4 Designing a Questionnaire
4.5 Pre-testing a Questionnaire
4.6 Editing of Primary Data
4.7 Technique of Interview
4.8 Collection of Secondary Data
4.9 Scrutiny of Secondary Data
Unit-5 Sampling and Sampling Designs
5.1 Advantage of Sampling Over Census
5.2 Simple Random Sampling Frame
5.3 Probabilistic Aspects of Sampling
5.4 Stratified Random Sampling
5.5 Other Methods of Sampling
5.6 Sampling Design
5.7 Non-Probability Sampling Methods
Units-6 Attitude Measurement and Scales
6.1 Attitude Attributes and Beliefs
6.2 Issues in Attitude Measurement
6.3 Scaling of Attitudes
6.4 Deterministic Attitude Measurement Models the Guttman Scale
6.5 Thurston’s Equal Appearing Interval Scale

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6.6 The Semantic Differential Scale
6.7 Summative Models
6.8 The Q-Sort Technique
6.9 Multidimensional Scaling
6.10 Selection of an Appropriate Attitude Measurement Scale
6.11 Limitations of Attitude Measurement Scales
BLOCK 3: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Unit-7 Data Processing
7.1 Editing of Data
7.2 Coding of Data
7.3 Classification of Data
7.4 Statistical Series
7.5 Tables as Data Presentation Devices
7.6 Graphical Presentation of Data
Unit-8 Statistical Analysis and Interpretation of Data Nonparametric Tests
8.1 One Sample Test
8.2 Two Sample Tests
8.3 K Sample Tests
Unit-9 Multivariate Analysis of Data
9.1 Regression Analysis
9.2 Discriminant Analysis
9.3 Factor Analysis
Unit-10 Model building and decision making
10.1 Models and Modeling
10.2 Role of Modeling in Research in Managerial Decision Making
10.3 Types of Models
10.4 Objectives of Modeling
10.5 Model Validation
10.6 Simulation Models
BLOCK 4: REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION
Unit-11 Substance of Reports
1.1 Proposal
1.2 Categories of Report
1.3 Reviewing the Draft
Unit-12 Formats of Reports
12.1 Parts of a Report Cover and the Title Page
12.2 Introductory Pages
12.3 Text
12.4 Reference Section
12.5 Typing Instructions
12.6 Copy Readings
12.7 Proof Reading
Unit-13 Presentation of report
13.1 Communication Dimensions
13.2 Presentation Package
13.3 Audio-Visual Aids
13.4 Presenter’s Poise

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