RESEARCH IN HOSPITALITY

BA 2001 BUSINESS RESEARCH

HPC
400 (Thesis Writing)
Module 1

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Welcome Message

Welcome to HPC 400. This is a three-unit course where you will be re-
introduced to research in business context. This course pack is composed of four
modules. The first module puts an emphasis of why business research is important.
It will also review the different types of research as well as the ethical concerns in
conducting one. The second module will direct you to observe your own
organization and see how research can help resolve issues and concerns. An
overview of how research is conducted will be discussed as well. The lessons will
delve on the importance of defining the management problems and the research
problems. Finally, the second module will guide you in writing the first chapter of
your business research proposal.

The third module, on the other hand, will discuss the review of related
literature, the theoretical framework, and the conceptual framework. You will begin
to appreciate the importance of the various theories and principles as well as the
different findings of different studies relevant to your topic.

The last module details the different considerations needed to conduct the
actual research. It will help you answer the question, “How will the study be
conducted?” In the course of the discussion, you will be able to differentiate the
research designs, the sources of data, and the use of data gathering instruments.
You will also be able to differentiate the different types of sampling techniques and
choose which one is appropriate for your proposal. You will also revisit the
descriptive statistics and how they are commonly used in processing collected
data. All these topics are needed in order for you to write the chapter 3 of your
research proposal.

The modules will aid you in learning more about Research in Hospitality.
You are expected to do a lot of reading, and use the materials you have read in
preparing the research proposal, which is the final requirement for the course.

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Faculty Information:

Faculty in-charge: Dr. Suzette C. Quico

Office: College of Business Administration
Contact Information:
Class chat room
Consultation hours: Scheduled consultation through email or fb chatrooms

Getting help

For academic concerns: Arggie Roy G. Busalla

For administrative concerns: Dr. Gilbert M. Gordo
For UVE concerns:
For health and wellness concerns (UAGC, HSD and OSAS - Contact details)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE

Cover page ………………………………… 1

Welcome Message ………………………………… 2

Faculty Information ………………………………… 3

Table of Contents ………………………………… 4

USeP Vision, Mission and Goals ………………….. 5

USeP Graduate Attributes ………………………… 6

USeP Core Values ……………………………….... 7

Course Overview ………………………………… 7

Course Assessment ……………………………….. 8

Course Map ………………………………… 17

Module 1 Overview ………………………………… 18

Lessons in Module 1………………………………… 19

Module 2 Overview ………………………………….. 34

Lessons in Module 2 …………………………………. 35

Module 3 Overview ………………………………….. 51

Lessons in Module 3 …………………………………. 52

Module 4 Overview ………………………………….. 71

Lessons in Module 4 …………………………………. 72

Course Summary ……………………………………

References …………………………………..

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES

VISION

Premier Research University in the ASEAN.

MISSION

USeP shall produce world-class graduates and relevant research and extension
through quality education and sustainable resource management.

GOALS

At the end of the plan period, the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP)
aims to achieve five comprehensive and primary goals:

1. Recognized ASEAN Research University

2. ASEAN Competitive Graduates and Professionals
3. Vibrant Research Community
4. Proactive Research-based Economic Empowering
Extension Services
5. Capacity for Innovative Resource Generation

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INSTITUTIONAL GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Creates and inspires positive changes in the organization; exercises

responsibility with integrity and accountability in the practice of one’s profession
or vocation.

CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL THINKING SKILLS

Demonstrates creativity, innovativeness, and intellectual curiosity in optimizing

available resources to develop new knowledge, methods, processes, systems,
and value-added technologies.

SERVICE ORIENTED

Demonstrates concern for others, practices professional ethics, honesty, and

exemplifies socio-cultural, environmental concern, and sustainability.

LIFELONG LEARNING

Demonstrates enthusiasm and passion for continuous personal and professional

development.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE

Demonstrates proficiency and flexibility in the area of specialization and in

conveying information in accordance with global standards.

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CORE VALUES OF THE UNIVERSITY

UNITY
STEWARDSHIP
EXCELLENCE
PROFESSIONALISM

THE COURSE OVERVIEW

(NOTE: all the necessary information below can be found in the syllabus. Just
copy them and paste it here!)

COURSE TITLE : Business Research

CREDIT : 3 units
SEMESTER : First Semester, Academic Year 2020 - 2021
TIME FRAME : 18 weeks (54 hours)
COURSE DESCRIPTION :
This course requires preparation of research proposals as they learn the
rudiments and process of research writing.

COURSE OUTCOMES : The student will be equipped to prepare a research

proposal.

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COURSE ASSESSMENT

Learning Evidence and Measurement Rubrics

Learning Evidence Description and other Details

AA1 Article Critique The student will be asked to look for a scientific
article / study about any business function, and
critique it.
AA2 Insight Report The student will observe his/ her organization
and submit a report about an area of concern
that can potentially be explored for research.
LE1 Chapter 1 - Introduction Discussion of management problem the student
want to discuss in his research proposal.
LE2 Chapter 2 – Review of Related A literature review of the research problem, and
Literature presentation of theoretical and conceptual
framework,
LE3 Chapter 3 – Methodology Presentation of the different methods to be used
in conducting the proposed research
LE4 Research Proposal Compilation of revised chapters 1 to 3
LE5 Participation to
training/seminar

AA1: Article Critique

Area to Beyond Expected Satisfactory Acceptable Unacceptab

Assess Expectation 91-95% 86-90% 80-85% le
96-100% Below 80%
Content The content The content The content The content The content
60% is well- is complete is is is
written, but there are incomplete. incomplete incomplete.
complete some parts Although and not well Most of the
and that are not well-written, written. Most discussion is
addressed well-written some of the of the major far off.
all the major and unclear. major points points are
points Some of the are not presented
required in major points properly but not
the case/ are not identified properly
article. properly and discussed.
identified discussed.
and
discussed.
Discussion The The Some of the Most of the All of the
and discussion is discussion is major points major points major points
organization very clear very clear identified are identified are identified are
30% and the but some not properly not properly not properly
paper is well points are discussed discussed discussed;
organized. not well- and the and the the ideas
All the points organized. ideas were ideas were were not
discussed There are not well- not well- well-
are easy to some areas organized organized organized,
understand. that are and difficult

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vaguely but can be but can be to

discussed. understood. understood. understand.
Grammar / The paper is The paper is The paper is The paper The paper
format / well written well written well written has a lot of has a lot of
presentation with no with few with some grammatical grammatical
10% grammatical grammatical grammatical errors. Most errors. Did
error. It errors. Some errors. Most of the format not follow
followed the of the format of the format requirement the format at
format given. requirement requirement s are not all and the
Figures, is not s are not followed. figures,
illustrations, followed. followed. Most of the illustrations,
diagrams Some of the Most of the figures, diagrams
and the like figures, figures, illustrations, and the like
are properly illustrations, illustrations, diagrams were neither
presented, diagrams diagrams and the like labelled nor
labelled and and the like and the like are not discussed.
discussed. are not are not properly
properly properly presented,
presented, presented, labelled and
labelled and labelled and discussed.
discussed. discussed.

AA2: Insight Report

Beyond Expected Satisfactory Acceptable

Area to Expectation 91-95% 86-90% 80-85%
Assess 96-100%
Integration of The paper The paper The paper The paper does
knowledge demonstrates that demonstrates that demonstrates that not demonstrate
(30%) the author fully the author, for the the author, to a that the author
understands and most part, certain extent, has fully
has applied understands and understands and understood and
concepts learned has applied has applied applied concepts
in the course. concepts learned concepts learned learned in the
Concepts are in the course. in the course. course.
integrated into the Some of the
writer’s own conclusions,
insights. The however, are not
writer provides supported in the
concluding body of the
remarks that paper.
show analysis
and synthesis of
ideas.
Depth of In-depth In-depth The writer has Cursory
discussion discussion & discussion & omitted pertinent discussion in all
(30%) elaboration in all elaboration in content or content the sections of
sections of the most sections of runs-on the paper or brief
paper. the paper. excessively. discussion in only
Quotations from a few sections.
others outweigh
the writer’s own
ideas
excessively.
Topic focus The topic is The topic is The topic is too The topic is not
and focused narrowly focused but lacks broad for the clearly defined.
enough for the direction. The

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cohesiveness scope of this paper is about a scope of this Does not tie
(10%) assignment. A specific topic but assignment. together
thesis statement the writer has not information.
provides direction established a Sometimes ties Paper does not
for the paper, position. together flow and appears
either by information from to be created
statement of a For the most part, all sources. Paper from disparate
position or ties together does not flow - issues. Headings
hypothesis. information from disjointedness is are necessary to
all sources. Paper apparent. link concepts.
Ties together flows with only Author's writing Writing does not
information from some does not demonstrate
all sources. Paper disjointedness. demonstrate an understanding
flows from one Author's writing understanding of any relationships.
issue to the next demonstrates an the relationship
without the need understanding of among material
for headings. the relationship obtained from all
Author's writing among material sources.
demonstrates an obtained from all
understanding of sources.
the relationship
among material
obtained from all
sources.
Spelling & No spelling &/or Minimal spelling Noticeable Unacceptable
grammar grammar &/or grammar spelling & number of
(10%) mistakes. mistakes. grammar spelling and/or
mistakes. grammar
mistakes
Sources & More than 5 5 current sources, Fewer than 5 Fewer than 5
citations current sources, of which at least 2 current sources, current sources,
(10%) of which at least 3 are peer-review or fewer than 2 of or fewer than 2 of
are peer review journal articles or 5 are peer 5 are peer-
journal articles or scholarly books. reviewed journal reviewed journal
scholarly books. All web sites articles or articles or
Sources include utilized are scholarly books. scholarly books.
both general authoritative. All web sites Not all web sites
background utilized are utilized are
sources and Cites most data credible. credible, and/or
specialized obtained from sources are not
sources. Special other sources. Cites some data current..
interest sources APA citation style obtained from
and popular is used in both other sources. Does not cite
literature are text and Citation style is sources.
acknowledged as bibliography. either
such if they are inconsistent or
cited. All web incorrect.
sites utilized are
authoritative.

Cites all data

obtained from
other sources.
APA citation style
is used in both
text and
bibliography
Completeness No missing 1 section missing 2 sections 3 or more
& timeliness sections based based on outline/ missing based on sections missing
(10%) format provided.

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on outline/ format outline/ format based on outline/

provided. Submitted a day provided. format provided.
after due date.
Submitted on or Submitted 2 days Submitted 3 days
before due date. after due date. after due date.

LE1: Chapter 1 of the Research Proposal

Area for Substantially Moderately Minimally Inadequate

Assessment: Developed Developed Developed 81-85
96-100 91-95 pts 86-90 pts
Background of The The Some parts of The
the Study background of background of the background background of
(30%) the study is the study is of the study is the study is
very clear. clear. not clear. not clear.
International, International, International, One or two of
national, and national, and national, and the
local views are local views are local views are international,
systematically systematically systematically national, and
presented. presented, presented, local views
The research although some although some are no
gap is clearly areas are not areas are not presented.
defined. clearly discussed. The research
discussed. The research gap is not
The research gap is established.
gap is somehow
somehow defined.
defined.
Statement of The statement The statement The statement The statement
the Problem of the problem of the problem of the problem of the problem
(40%) is very clear, is somewhat is somehow is unclear,
cohesive and clear, cohesive unclear, not does not have
organized. and organized. very cohesive cohesion, and
and a little bit is not
unorganized. organized.
Objectives of The objectives The objective The objective The objective
the study of the study is of the study is of the study is of the study is
(10%) clear and is somehow clear not clear but unclear and
aligned with the but some parts some of the are not
statement of are not aligned parts are aligned to the
the problem. to the aligned with the statement of
statement of statement of the problem.
the problem. the problem. .
Significance of The various Some of the Some of the A lot of the
the Study stakeholders various various various
(10%) who will benefit stakeholders stakeholders stakeholders
from the results who will benefit who will benefit who will
of the study are from the results from the results benefit from
properly of the study are of the study are the results of
identified and properly properly the study are
the benefits identified and identified but not properly
they get from the benefits the benefits identified and
they get from they get from the benefits

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the results are the results are the results are they get from
well-explained. well-explained. not properly the results are
explained. not properly
explained.
Scope and The scope and The scope and The scope and The scope
Limitation limitation limitation limitation and limitation
(10%) clearly clearly clearly clearly
discussed what discussed four discussed discussed
the study is of the following: three of the less than
about; who will what the study following: what three of the
be part of the is about; who the study is following:
study; where will be part of about; who will what the study
the study will the study; be part of the is about; who
be conducted; where the study; where will be part of
when the study study will be the study will the study;
will be conducted; be conducted; where the
conducted; and when the study when the study study will be
how will the will be will be conducted;
study be conducted; and conducted; and when the
conducted. how will the how will the study will be
study be study be conducted;
conducted. conducted. and how will
the study be
conducted.

LE2: Chapter 2 of the Research Proposal

Area for Substantially Moderately Minimally Inadequate

Assessment: Developed Developed Developed Below 85 pts
96-100 pts. 91-95 pts 86-90 pts
Presentation Information is Information is Information is Information is
(articles format, gathered from gathered from gathered from gathered from
grammar and multiple, multiple, multiple, a very few
referencing) – research-based research- research- research-
30% sources, more based sources, based based
than 20 more than 10 resources, sources, less
journals, journals more than 5 than 5
properly cited. properly cited. journals, journals, many
some errors in errors in
Follows APA Follows APA citation. citation.
format. format
Some errors Many errors
No grammatical Few following APA following APA
errors. grammatical format format.
errors.
With many With many
grammatical grammatical
errors errors.

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Well-organized, Well organized, Weakly No

demonstrates but organized organization,
logical demonstrates with no logical sequencing
sequencing and illogical sequencing or nor structure.
structure. sequencing or structure.
structure. Only one area
Several areas Few areas are is considered
about the topic Some areas considered and does not
are considered about the topic and shows show attention
and there is are considered little attention to detail.
evidence of and shows to detail.
attention to attention to No analysis
detail. detail. Analysis is shown.
very minimal.
Studies have Some evidence
been analysed of analysis
for differences shown.
and
commonalities
about the topic.
Detailed Conclusions There is some No
conclusions are are reached indication of conclusions
reached from from the conclusions are made from
evidence evidence from the evidence
offered; there is offered; there evidence offered; no
evidence of is evidence of offered; lacks synthesis
synthesis made. synthesis synthesis. made
made
Theoretical Very Appropriate but Appropriate Inappropriate
Framework – appropriate, not quite but lacks and there is no
40% well-researched researched research and discussion.
and well- and discussed. discussion.
discussed.
Conceptual Variables are Some variables Some Many variables
Framework – well defined and seem lacking variables seems lacking
30% direction of the but the seems lacking and directions
relationships directions of and directions of relationships
between the of between
variables are relationships relationships variables are
correctly shown. between between clearly
variables are variables incorrect.
correctly seems
shown. incorrect.

LE3: Chapter 3 of the Research Proposal

Area for Substantially Moderately Minimally Inadequate
Assessment: Developed Developed Developed Below 85 pts
96-100 pts. 91-95 pts 86-90 pts
Method Used The method The method The method The method
(20%) used is used is used is not used is not
appropriate for appropriate for appropriate presented.
the study and it the proposed for the
study and it is

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is adequately vaguely proposed

discussed. discussed. study..
Sources of Data The sources of The sources The sources The sources
(10%) data is of data is of data is not of data is not
appropriate for appropriate for appropriate presented.
the proposed the proposed for the
study and it is study and it is proposed
adequately vaguely study..
discussed. discussed.
Data gathering The data The data The data The data
Instrument gathering gathering gathering gathering
(20%) instrument is instrument is instrument is instrument is
appropriate for appropriate for not not presented.
the proposed the proposed appropriate
study and it is study and it is for the
adequately vaguely proposed
discussed. discussed. study..
Sampling The sampling The sampling The sampling The sampling
Technique technique is technique is technique is technique is
(15%) appropriate for appropriate for not not presented.
the study and it the proposed appropriate
is adequately study and it is for the
discussed. vaguely proposed
discussed. study.
Procedure of the The procedure The procedure The The procedure
Study (15%) of the study is of the study procedure of of the study is
appropriate for for the the study is not presented.
the study and it proposed not
is adequately study and it is appropriate
discussed. vaguely for the
discussed. proposed
study.
Statistical The statistical The statistical The statistical The statistical
Treatment treatment is treatment is treatment is treatment is
(20%) appropriate for appropriate for not not presented.
the study and it the proposed appropriate
is adequately study and it is for the
discussed. vaguely proposed
discussed. study.

LE4: Research Proposal

Area for Substantially Moderately Minimally Inadequate

Assessment: Developed Developed Developed Below 85 pts
96-100 pts. 91-95 pts 86-90 pts

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Introduction – 20% Introduces the Introduces Introduces Does not

- Background topic very the topic the topic introduce the
of the study. clearly and the clearly and quite clearly topic clearly
- Statement of reason why the reason and the and does not
the Problem the research why the reasons why explain the
- Objectives of should be research the research reason why
the Study undertaken. should be should be the research
- Significance undertaken. undertaken. has to be
of the study Problem undertaken.
- Scope and statement, Problem Problem
Limitation of objectives and statement, statement, Problem
the Study significance of objectives objectives statement,
- Definition of the study are and and objectives
Terms very clearly significance significance and
stated. of the study of the study significance
are clearly are of the study
Scope and stated. somewhat are not
Limitation of clearly defined.
the Study are Scope and stated.
very well- limitation of Scope and
defined. the study are Scope and limitation of
well-defined. limitation of the study are
Terms are the study are not defined.
correctly given Operational somewhat
operational definition of clearly Operational
definitions. some terms stated. definition of
are unclear. most of the
Operational terms are
definition of unclear.
many terms
are unclear.
Review of Literature Uses several Uses several Use several Uses several
and Theoretical journals (>20). journals journals (>5) journals (<5)
Framework – 50% (>10)
- Related Well- Weakly No
Literature organized and Well organized organization,
and Studies presents and organized but with no sequencing
- Theory Base presents a presents logical nor structure
- Conceptual logical flow. illogical sequencing of ideas and
Framework structure of or structure themes.
- Research Synthesis ideas and of ideas and
Assumptions done clearly themes. themes. No synthesis.
and evident. Synthesis not
Hypothesis. Synthesis quite evident
seems
evident.
Methodology -30%
- Method Used The The The The
- Sources of methodology methodology methodology methodology
Data is appropriate is appropriate is not is not
- Data for the for the appropriate presented.
gathering proposed proposed for the
Instrument study and is study and it is proposed
adequately vaguely study.
discussed. discussed.

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- Sampling
Technique
- Procedure of
the Study
- Statistical
Treatment

Grading System

Assessment Percentage of
Grade Source (Score or Rubric Grade)
Item Final Grade
AA1 Output Presentation / Results of Quizzes / Results 10%
of Article Critique
AA2 Insight Report 10%
LO1 First Chapter of the Research Proposal 20%
LO2 Second Chapter of the Research Proposal 20%
LO3 Third Chapter of the Research Proposal 15%
LO4 Research Proposal 25%

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The Course Map

BUSINESS RESEARCH

Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4

Introduction Research – The Review Conducting
to Business Getting of Related the Business
Research Started Literature Research

Lesson 1:
Research Design
Lesson 1: The Lesson 2: Sources
Lesson 1: Review of Related of Data and the
Research and its Lesson 1: The Literature Data Gathering
Value to Business Research Process Lesson 2: Theory Techniques
Lesson 2: The Lesson 2: The and research Lesson 3:
Types of Research Problem Lesson 3: The Sampling
Research and Its Conceptual techniques
Lesson 3:
Characteristics Preparing Chapter Framework Lesson 4:
Lesson 3: 1 of the Research Lesson 4: Writing Research and
Research and Proposal Chapter 2 of the Statistics
Ethics Research Lesson 5: Writing
Proposal Chapter 3 of the
Research
Proposal

Outcome: MBA students who are able to prepare business research

proposal

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Module 1

Introduction to Business Research

Module Overview:

Welcome to Module 1 of the BA 2001, Business Research. This module will

contextualize business research, and re-introduce the different types of research
and how it can be applied in business. Ethics in conducting research will also be
tackled.

Module Outcomes:

After completing the module, you are expected to appreciate the importance
research in starting, operating, managing and sustaining the business. You will be
able to characterize what a good research is and express understanding of how
research results can be used in the business. Finally, you will be able to apply
ethical practices in conducting research.

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Lesson 1: Research and its value to business

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the lesson, you will be able to:

1. Explain the basic concepts of research;
2. Discuss the importance of research in doing business;
3. Assess whether research is needed;

Time Frame: The lesson will take you around 2 hours to complete.

Introduction

This section will re-introduce you to research and its applicability to business. The
research process is also presented here as well as the different factors to consider
before deciding to conduct research. You will be asked to observe an organization
or read about an existing organization and look for areas of concern that can be
addressed through research.

Activity

Instruction: Answer the following questions briefly.

When was the last time you conducted research?

________________________________________________________________

How did you conduct the research?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

When is research useful in the business?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Analysis
Come to think of it:
1. Why was the research conducted?
2. Why was it conducted in such manner?
3. How was the findings used?

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Abstraction
Research is the process of finding answers to questions. What makes it different
from other forms of answering a question, is the science behind it and the
systematic process of finding the answer to the question.

For example, you asked why ABC Co. stopped producing Product X. One may
answer based on speculation.

Speculations may include:

1. Because they are losing money.
2. Because their head engineer resigned.
3. Because they can no long find suppliers for raw materials.

The speculations are just that, speculations. And many want to give such kind of
answer because it is easier. However, answers like these are not credible and are
unreliable.

If you want to find the most credible and reliable answer, you need to conduct
research. This means that you have to go through the following process:

Plan your Make sense

Prepare the Collect the
Clarify the approach in of the Report your
needed needed
questions answering information findings
materials information
the questions collected

As seen in the above process, you need to make sure that the questions are
defined. In addition to that, you have to be clear of why you are doing the research
in the first place, as this will guide you in your next steps. Research in business is
usually done for the following purposes:

1. To report - here, data is presented to the stakeholders to bring awareness

of what is happening in the organization. The report could be about the trend
in sales, turnover of employees, and productivity of operating activities,
among others.
2. To describe – in this type of research, one wants to present the certain
scenarios. It aims to answer, who, what, when, where, and sometimes, how
questions. It may describe changes in behaviour of consumers, the changes
in preferences of generations, and cultural differences that may affect
advertising strategies of companies.
3. To explain – this goes beyond mere description. It aims to answer the
question, why. This type of research aims to explain the reason why things
happen.
4. To predict – there are also times when research is conducted because the
business or the decision makers want to make an educated guess of what
will happen to make a more appropriate behaviour. An example would be
forecasting the demand for a product for the next month in order to supply
enough goods to address them.

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Once the research question is clear, it is time to plan how to answer the question.
The plan will start with the kind of research you will conduct. Will it be quantitative
research, which will rely mostly on numeric data, or will it be qualitative, which will
delve more on narratives. After deciding on the approach of conducting the study,
you need to decide on the following:

✓ Who will be included in the study?

You need to find out who will be part of the study. For example, you want to
find out what makes employees stay in the organization. Who will these
employees be? Are they employees of one company? Or multiple
companies? What type of companies? BPOs? Educational institutions?

For instance, you want to study the employees of Higher Educational

Institutions (HEIs), but you want to narrow it down and include the regular
teaching personnel from the HEIs in Davao City.

Population
This is any group that is composed of
members that share at least one common
characteristic that is of interest to the
researcher.

Sampling Frame
This is a list of items or individuals from a
population where the sample is taken from

Sample
This is the actual portion of the population
that will be included in the study.

There are different types of sampling

techniques which will be discussed in
succeeding modules.

In the above example, the population is the HEIs in Davao City. The
sampling frame will be the list of regular teaching personnel from the
different HEIs, from which the sample will be taken.

There are also instances when you want to focus on specific participants of
the study. This is the case for most qualitative studies. Let’s say you want
to find out the experiences of teachers who left the university because of
health concerns, then you need to look for faculty with such experiences.

✓ How many of them will be included?

The number of respondents who will take part in the study will be answered
by your sample size. There are different ways of determining the sample
size and this will be further discussed in the succeeding modules.

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✓ What data will be collected from them?

There are two main types of data, the primary data and the secondary data.
The primary data are those you collect yourself. This can be acquired by
conducting a survey, an interview, or a group discussion. Secondary data,
on the other hand, are existing data that you can request from different
sources. This can be the data about the Philippine population kept by the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the sales data kept by your marketing
department, productivity data kept by your operations team, and the like.

✓ How will these data be collected?

There are different ways of collecting the data. This will depend on the
approach you will employ. Quantitative researches normally use survey
questionnaires, while qualitative approach normally use interviews and
group discussions.

✓ How will you deal with the data once they are collected?

You also have to include how your data will be processed. Different
statistical tools are usually used to make sense of the data collected in a
quantitative research. On the other hand, thematic analysis, is often used in
qualitative studies.

You need to plan in order to prepare for the actual research. This will allow you to
be more realistic about your timeline, your budget, and your scope. Moreover, this
gives you the opportunity to prepare the right instrument to collect the data you
need, and apply the tools needed to analyse and make sense of the data you have
collected.

After making sense of your data, you write the findings in a report and present it to
the stakeholders. In business, the users of the research findings are often the
decision-makers.

Business research is important because it provides information acquired through

systematic inquiry to address management questions (Blumber, Cooper, &
Schindler, 2014) and make business decisions (Zikmund, 2000). Information is
critical to making business decisions. This is why the process of acquiring these
information is crucial since unreliable data would mislead decision-makers and the
results could be catastrophic for the organization.

Business research covers all functional areas of business. This includes

production, finance, marketing, and management. This would also suggest that
business research is applicable even to non-profit organizations since almost all
types of organizations have similar functional areas.

Here are some of ways decision makers used research findings:

✓ Discover customer needs to offer better products and/or services;

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✓ Develop strategies in establishing better customer relationships;

✓ Understand the human resource to manage them better;
✓ Predict changes in the economy to make better decisions to manage risks;
and
✓ Formulate strategies to leverage on their competitive advantage.

How else can business research help decision makers?

Although research is vital in making important decisions, you do not need to

conduct intensive research to make decisions all the time. To help you decide
whether you need to conduct research or not.

1. Do you have enough time?

2. Is the data available?
3. Is the decision derived from the research important both strategically and
tactically?
4. Does the value of the information generated from the research surpasses
the cost of conducting the research?

If the answer to all the question is yes, then conduct the research.

Application

Answer the following questions.

1. What areas in your organization needs research?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

2. How will you conduct the research?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

3. How will the research findings help you’re organization?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Closure
Congratulations! You have just completed lesson one of the first module. This
lesson re-introduced you to research and gave you an overview of its process. It
also presented the importance of research to businesses and gave you tips as to
how to decide if such rigorous process is needed.

The next lesson will present the different types of research and its characteristics.
This will give you a better understanding of how you can start putting together your
research proposal.

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Lesson 2: The Types of Research and Its Characteristics

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the lesson, you will be able to:

1. Differentiate the types of research.
2. Explain when to use certain types of research.

Time Frame: The lesson will take you around 2 hours to complete.

Introduction

This section will continue to reintroduce you to research. Here, you will be able to
revisit the different types of research. You are expected to look for published
studies relevant to business and examine the type of research applied.

Activity:

Read the following and answer the question that follows:

The study of Dodds and Holmes (2020) found that there are noticeable
difference between rural beachgoers and city beachgoers in Ontario beaches
in Canada. For one, they found that rural beach goers have higher income
levels compared to the city beachgoers. They also found that city beachgoers
have higher education level than the rural beachgoers. However, rural
beachgoers would be willing to spend more in every trip and have higher levels
of satisfaction.

How do you think this research was conducted?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Analysis:

Why do you think the research is done in such a way?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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Abstraction:

Research can be categorized in several ways. It may be classified based on the

approach used, its goal, its purpose, type of analysis, and according to the field of
the study.

Approach Goal Purpose Field of Study

• Quantitative • Basic Research • Descriptive • Natural Science
Research • Applied • Exploratory • Social Sciences
• Qualitative Research • Explanatory
Research
• Mixed method

In lesson 1, qualitative and quantitative researches were mentioned. It was

mentioned that quantitative research is more concerned about numeric data, while
qualitative research delves more on the narratives. There are also instances that
a study adopts both types of research, this is where mixed method comes in.

Here is a summary of the subtypes of research according to the research approach

used:

Quantitative Research Qualitative Research Mixed Method

• Descriptive Research • Phenomenological • Convergent Parallel
• Correlational Research Research Mixed Method
• Causal-comparative • Ethnography • Explanatory Sequential
Research • Case Study Mixed Method
• Experimental Research • Textual Analysis • Exploratory Sequential
• Applied Research Mixed Method
• Narrative Research
• Grounded theory

As mentioned in lesson 1, quantitative studies focus more on numerical data. Data

collection are often done through surveys and the use of existing numerical data.
There are more specific types of quantitative research. These are:

➢ Descriptive Research - this simply describe current scenario. The study

presented at the beginning of this lesson is an example of descriptive
research.
➢ Correlational Research – correlational research presents how the different
variables considered in the study relate to one another. It often describe the
relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.
➢ Causal-comparative Research or quasi experimental research – this
type of study focuses more on the cause-and-effect relationship of the
different variables considered in the study.
➢ Experimental Research –this is similar to causal or quasi experimental
research. The main difference lies in the assigning of the participants. In
experimental research, participants are assigned to both the control and the

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experimental group randomly. In causal-comparative research, on the other

hand, participants are not randomly assigned to either group.

Qualitative research, on the other hand, relies more on narratives and textual
information. The data are often gathered through interviews, focus group
discussion, and observations. The following are other helpful information about the
different types of qualitative research as presented by Vanderstop and Johnston
(2009).

➢ Phenomenological Research is conducted to study experiences of

phenomenon. The subject of the research often includes individuals and
groups and are often aimed at explaining the phenomenon.
➢ Ethnography. This type of qualitative research studies the culture of a
certain community. It aims to draw the cultural map the community under
study.
➢ Case Study. This focuses on a certain individual, group or incident. It aims
describe and interpret the case.
➢ Textual Analysis. This type of research focuses on language and symbols.
And it aims to interpret these languages and symbols.
➢ Applied Research. The study often finds solution to a problem or evaluates
the action taken to resolve the problem.

There were other types of qualitative research not mentioned in Vanderstop and
Johnston (2009) but were explained by Creswell (2014).

➢ Narrative Research is about describing the life of individuals. Stories about

people are collected and retold by researchers.
➢ Grounded Theory. This is a qualitative process done to generate a theory
that explains the data collected relating to processes, activities, events and
interactions, and how they are connected.

In addition to the quantitative and qualitative approaches, mixed method can also
be adopted in research. As earlier presented, there are different types of mixed
methods Here is a summary of the differences among these types of mixed
methods as explained in Creswell (2014):

Type of Mixed Method Characteristic

Convergent Parallel Mixed Method Here, both quantitative and qualitative data
are simultaneously collected and merged to
provide a comprehensive explanation.
Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method Here, quantitative research is conducted first,
with its results and data are further explained
using qualitative research.
Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method This is the opposite of the explanatory
sequential mixed method. In this sequence,
the qualitative research is done first. The
information derived from the qualitative phase
is usually used to develop instrument for the
quantitative phase.

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As mentioned earlier, research can also be classified based on its goal. Its goal
could be to contribute something new to the body of knowledge, or it could be to
resolve an existing concern. The findings of the study presented at the beginning
of the lesson would tell you about the differences between two groups of tourists.
It describes some demographic characteristics of these tourists as well as their
spending behaviour. If you look at the findings, it offers information. Something that
can be added to the bulk of information about tourists visiting the beaches of
Ontario.

Basic Research
- Aims to contribute something
new to the body of knowledge.
Research
according to goal
Applied Research
- Aims to solve certain issues
and concerns.

An example of the applied research is one authored by Mgonja (2017) concerning

workplace absenteeism in Tanzania. Its main goal is to study mechanisms to
mitigate workplace absenteeism. This is an example of a study that aims to resolve
a problem existing in the workplace.

Research may also be categorized according to its purpose. There were three
purposes of research presented by Lawrence Neuman (2007), who also provided
the following summary of their characteristics.

Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Explanatory Research

• In this type of research, • This type of research • This types of research
the researcher presents a clear picture provides an explanation
examines a new topic of the areas of concern of why things happen. It
to develop research in the study. is often built from
problems that can be descriptive research
addressed by future
researches.

Research can also be classified based on the field of study. There are natural
sciences and social sciences. Researches are done in both types of sciences. Here
are some common examples of natural and social sciences.

Natural Science Social Science

1. Astronomy 1. Anthropology
2. Biology 2. Psychology
3. Chemistry 3. Political Science
4. Geology 4. Sociology
5. Physics

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Social science involves the study of people, their behavior, belief system
(Lawrence Neuman, 2007), relationships and the like. Business research falls
under social science.

Application:

Based on your answer in the application questions in Lesson 1, what specific type
of research do you think should be used? Why?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Closure

You have just completed lesson 2 of module 1. The next lesson will talk about
ethics in research and why it is needed when conducting a study.

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Lesson 3: Research and Ethics

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the lesson, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the different ethical considerations in research; and
2. Apply ethical standards when conducting research.

Time Frame: The lesson will take you around 2 hours to complete.

Introduction

The lesson will talk about different ethical considerations in research. You are
expected to apply what you have learned in this section in your research proposal.

Activity

Do your own reading on the following:

• The Nuremberg Code
• The Declaration of Helsinki
• The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
• The Belmont Report

Briefly discuss what the above items have in common:

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Analysis

Why is it important to have guidelines, codes, and standards in conducting

research?

Abstraction

There were several researches in the past that did not follow ethical standards.
Among them were the medical experiments done by 23 German physicians to
unwilling concentration camp prisoners, this brought about the Nucemberg Code
(Mandal, Acharya, & Parija, 2011).

What is research ethics?

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Research ethics are practices that should be observed by responsible researchers

(Research Methods, 2020). This protects the respondents, subjects, or participants
of the study. This also refers to truthful processes of conducting the study to ensure
that the results are not biased.

According to Research Method (2020), there are several principles of research

ethics. These are; honesty, objectivity, integrity, carefulness, openness, respect for
intellectual property, confidentiality, responsible publication, responsible
mentoring, respect for colleagues, social responsibility, non-discrimination,
competence, legality, animal care, and human subject protection.

The American Psychological Association, meanwhile, provides five principles for

research ethics. These were discussed by Smith (2003). These principles are as
follows:

1. Discuss intellectual property frankly.

2. Be conscious of multiple roles.
3. Follow-informed consent rules.
4. Respect confidentiality and privacy.
5. Tap into ethics resources.

The guidelines provided by the Nucemberg code as presented by Jarmusik (2019)

are presented here:

1. There has to be voluntary consent.

2. The study should be beneficial to the society.
3. The conduct of the study should be based on the results derived from animal
experimentation. Moreover, there should be sufficient knowledge about the
history of the disease or the issue tackled by the research that will justify the
conduct of the study.
4. In the conduct of the study, any form of physical and mental harm should
be avoided.
5. The experiment should not be conducted if it is believed to result in death
or disability.
6. The benefits derived from conducting the experiment should always exceed
the risks involved.
7. The facilities should be adequate and the preparations should be properly
done to protect the subject from any form of harm.
8. Only qualified scientists / researchers should conduct the experiment.
9. The subjects should be able to stop their participation in the experiment at
any time.
10. The scientist conducting the experiment must be ready to stop the
experiment if there is reason to believe that injury, disability, or death is likely
to happen.

The Nucemberg Code emphasizes the importance of consent. It is important that

the respondents or the participants agreed to the research process. If you also look
at the guidelines closely, it is crucial that the human subjects of the experiments
are protected against injury, disability, and death. In today’s practice, it is important

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that participants in studies sign a consent form to signify that they were indeed
aware of the study and that they give consent and agree to take part in it.

It is also important that confidentiality and privacy of the respondents or participants

in the study are protected. In the Philippines, the Data Privacy Act 2012 provides
protection to the personal data of not only those who participate in research, but
everyone who provides information. Additionally, participants should be provided
with adequate information and explanation about the study, especially if they are
partaking in the experiment.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study that took place from 1932 to 1972, as relayed by
Mandal, Acharya, and Parija (2011), monitored 600 low-income African American
of whom, 400 have syphilis. Although they were given free medical examination,
they were not informed about their disease. Moreover, the study continued until
1972 even after a proven cure, which is penicillin, was already available in 1950.
When this became known, there was public outrage and the US government had
to terminate the research in 1973.

Although most of the cases mentioned above are researches in the medical field,
this also apply in social researches. Monette, Sullivan, and DeJong (2013)
identified seven ethical issues that arise from the said researches. These are:

a. Informed consent;
• According to Nunan, and Yenicioglu (2013), Informed consent is the
process of ensuring that those who will participate in the research
fully understand what the research will do to them, up to where their
participation will be and are fully aware of the risks involved, should
they consent to taking part in the research.
b. Deception;
• Rubin (2017) defined deception as the deliberate intention of a
person to send false message to generate fake conclusion from the
receiver of the message. Rubin further stated that there are four
types of deception, these are lying, omission, concealment, and
equivocation.
c. Privacy (this includes confidentiality and anonymity);
• In research, it is essential that identifiable characteristics of an
individual participating in the study will not be disclosed. Moreover,
their identity should not be revealed (Wiles, 2012)
d. Physical or mental distress;
e. Concerns about sponsored researches;
f. Scientific misconduct or fraud; and
These are the common research misconducts (Research Method, 2020)
• Falsification
• Plagiarism
• Fabrication
g. Scientific advocacy

There is now a question of how to make your research ethical. Israel and Hay (as
cited in Wiles, 2012) provided 7 steps. These are:

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1. Identify the nature of the problem and the stakeholders involved;

2. Identify various options for resolving the dilemmas;
3. identifying the range of consequences of each option for different
stakeholders;
4. considering the short and long-term implications of decisions;
5. considering the options by reference to moral principles such as honesty,
trust, autonomy, fairness and equality;
6. integrating consequences and principles to reach an independent and
justifiable decision; and
7. reflecting on the decision.

There are several ethical concerns about conducting research. What is crucial is
that the respondents or participants gave their consent and agree to participate in
the study, they fully understand the risk (if any), and that they are protected against
any form of harm. This includes physical and emotional harm.

Application

What do you think are the ethical considerations you will encounter when you start
conducting the research you proposed in lesson 1?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Closure

Congratulations, you have just completed module 1. The next module will get you
started in writing your research proposal.

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ss Research Methods, (Fort Worth: Dryden).

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