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GB 598 301 Business Research Methods

Fall 2011 (T-R: 17:1519:45)
Fort Hood SDC Room D106
August 29 October 21, 2011

Instructor: Dr. Rick Simmons
Office: Nursing Building, B229
Phone: 254-519-8010
Email: simmrick@ct.tamus.edu
Office Hours: Virtual Office: M: 13:00 15:30 (Blackboard)
Office Hours: T-W-R: 13:00 15:30 (B229)

Access to the Blackboard classroom is at: http://online.tarleton.edu/Dual/DualLoginPage.htm.

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1.0 Course Overview and description: This course studies the nature, scope, and
significance of business research and research methodologies. Additionally, the course studies
primary and secondary research methods with applications to specific problems, using
qualitative and quantitative methods for individual investigation and reporting on current
problems within a student's area of interest.
The study of Business Research Methods will be conducted using the text and selected scholarly
sources, as well as in-class lecture. Students are required to complete a significant research
project and submit a report of their findings. Additionally, students will develop a research
proposal as part of a team, presenting the proposal, as a team, to the class. The overarching
goal of the course is to allow the student to become an informed user of business research and
an active participant as a part of a research team.
Prerequisite: There are no official prerequisites; however, students will be required to identify
appropriate statistical methods in the methodology section of their project.





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2.0 Course Objectives: The student will be able to select a research topic, conduct initial
research to develop appropriate problem statements, research questions, and hypotheses so
that an appropriate research method can be selected. The student will also be able to develop a
literature review and a research methodology based on the selected topic.

2.1 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
2.11 Define the research problem
2.12 Conduct a literature review
2.13 Identify variables and understand levels of data
2.14 Develop purpose statements
2.15 Develop research questions, hypotheses, central questions, and sub questions
2.16 Understand and identify quantitative and qualitative research designs
2.17 Identify statistical methods for data analysis
2.18 Develop research methodologies
2.19 Use appropriate manuscript writing procedures (i.e. APA)

2.2 Competency Goals Statements (certification or standards)
2.21 The student will be able to conduct critical research as an individual or as a team
member, and critically evaluate previous research in selected topics.
2.22 The student will be able to develop a research proposal in which the problem, purpose,
research questions, and hypotheses are clearly defined.
2.23 The student will be able to develop an appropriate methodology section including the
proper identification of populations, samples/sample sizes, research procedures, and statistical
methods.

3.0 Required Textbooks:
3.1 Text: Creswell, John W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and
Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (4th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Merrill Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-67395-0.
3.2 Text: American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author. ISBN-13: 978-1-4338-0561-5
3.3 Optional: Creswell John W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and
Mixed Methods Approaches (3rd Edition). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 978-1-
4129-6557-6
3.4 Recommended: Sabine, W. A. (2010). The GREGG reference manual. (11th ed.). Boston:
McGraw Hill Irwin. ISBN-13: 978-0-0733-9710-8

NOTE: A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a
university-affiliated bookstore.



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3.5 Research Proposal Research Project Checklist: Provided in the Essay/Manuscript
Writing Aids folder in the Black Board Course Content for the course.

4.0 Course Requirements:
4.1 Assignments: All assignments must be completed and turned in as indicated on the
schedule. Late assignments will be reduced by 20% per day, unless prior coordination is
conducted with the instructor. Late assignments will not be accepted after the third day
(weekend days are included). All essay assignments will adhere to the American Psychological
Association (APA) Publication Manual requirements for manuscripts. Additionally, all papers will
have an APA formatted title page, and an APA formatted reference page unless otherwise
noted by the instructor. Finally, students will submit the research proposal to the Turnitin
plagiarism checking service through the link provided in the Blackboard Classroom.
4.11 Submit your proposal to TURNITIN and then log off the web site.
4.12 Return to the web site after 10-45 minutes (time varies based on the size of the
proposal and program usage).
4.13 Check your Similarity Index, both color (should be green) and number.
4.14 The ideal index is between >1% and 0% (Correct and resubmit as needed see note
below).
4.15 Research proposals within 5% or less will be accepted for grading, all others will be
returned for revision and will be counted late (see late assignments statement).
4.15 Consider your assignment turned in (once submitted to TURNITIN) when the due
date/time has passed. I will download from TURNITIN.
4.16 Learning Team Evaluation (Due October 21, 2011, not later than 11:59 pm): Each team
member will complete a Learning Team Evaluation, including him or her, after the completion
of the team project/presentation. The reviews will be submitted to the Assignment Dropbox.
Reviews will not be shared with fellow team members or class members. The instructor uses
the peer reviews as part of the team grading process.

NOTE: If you submit your paper to TURNITIN multiple times, the processing delays for the
second and subsequent submissions will be between 24-48 hours, for each submission. Plan
accordingly; I will download the assignments from TURNITIN on time.

4.2 Individual Research: Throughout this course, you will be developing the main elements
contained within an academic research proposal. By the end of the course, you will have
completed an individual research proposal, including the research background, problem and
purpose, research question and/or hypotheses, literature review, and method. Upon the start
of this course, you will need to begin thinking of a business, economic, or human resource area
of focus, within which you will research a problem. As instruction is completed in particular
areas of the research process, you will need to complete those portions of your individual
research proposal. Complete the research proposal in an APA manuscript format. The
manuscript word count will be between 3000 5000 words and a minimum of 25 scholarly
sources (not including your textbooks) in the list of references. See the appendix for the grading
rubric.

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4.21 Individual Research Problem and Purpose Statements (Due September 18, 2011, not
later than 11:59 p.m.): Select a business, economic, or human resource area of focus. Develop a
well-characterized research problem and purpose statement for this area. You will use a
quantitative design. Refer to Chapters 10 12, 16 for quantitative/mixed designs. The problem
and purpose statements will be used for your final research proposal. You will need to ensure
that you will be able to collect primary and secondary data for your analysis. Use of references
in addition to your textbook is required. Word count is dependent on your well-characterized
problem statement. This assignment will require the proper use of APA and will be formatted
accordingly. Develop a proposal title page and use for this initial assignment. Turn in to
Assignment Drop on Blackboard (do not turn in to TURNITIN).
4.22 Individual Research Questions/Hypotheses or Central Phenomenon/Sub Questions
(Due September 24, 2011, not later than 11:59 p.m.): Based on your approved research
problem and purpose, develop appropriate research questions and/or hypotheses that will
support your data collection in resolving the problem. Additionally, propose at least two
research methods or designs that can be used to answer the questions and test the hypotheses,
providing advantages and disadvantages of each. Finally, recommend one of the two methods
for your use in the final study. Append this required information to the corrected copy of your
Individual Problem and Purpose Statement assignment. Continue with the proper use of APA.
Turn in to Assignment Drop on Blackboard (do not turn in to TURNITIN).
4.23 Individual Research Literature Review Outline (Due September 25,2011, not later than
11:59 p.m.): Based on your initial research, develop an outline for the literature review. The
outline will consist of an introduction to the literature review, followed by an outline of major
paragraph headings (primarily level 1 and 2 headings). Turn in to Assignment Drop on
Blackboard (do not turn in to TURNITIN).
4.24 Individual Research Methodology Outline (Due October 2, 2011, not later than 11:59
p.m.): Based on the purpose statement and research questions, develop an outline for the
methodology section. The outline will consist of an introduction to the methodology, followed
by an outline of major paragraph headings (primarily level 1 and 2 headings). Turn in to
Assignment Drop on Blackboard (do not turn in to TURNITIN).
4.25 Individual Research Proposal (Due October 15, 2011, not later than 11:59 p.m.): The
research proposal will consist of the following sections: introduction, background, problem,
purpose, research questions / hypotheses / central phenomenon/ sub questions, definitions,
literature review, method, references, appendixes. The proposal will also follow the standards
for an APA manuscript and will be written in future tense. Turn in to Turnitin.com.
4.26 Research Proposal Manuscript Section Headings: Use the following as the Level 1
headings for the individual research proposal:
Introduction (Do not use the word introduction see APA)
Background
Problem
Purpose
Research Questions / Hypotheses / Central Phenomenon/ Sub Questions
Definitions

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Literature Review
Method
References (Formatted as a title not a level 1 heading)
Appendixes

4.3 Team Project: Teams will be selected by the instructor during the first class meeting.
Teams will meet at a time of their convenience (not during class) and complete a team charter.
Class time may be provided for team and individual work when time is available. Go to
Blackboard for a sample charter. Teams will determine and develop a local area problem
(whether in the University or in the local community). The project elements will be based on
either a quantitative or qualitative design. Refer to Chapters 10 17 for research designs.
Decide on the appropriate design once you have completed the problem and purpose
statement. Each team will present a research proposal, in MS PowerPoint

to the class and to

the instructor on the final day of the course. In developing and presenting this proposal, all
proposal elements will be researched, developed, and discussed. Teams will have
approximately 15 minutes to present their proposals. Turn in specified proposal elements as
listed on the schedule. Turn in to Assignment Drop on Blackboard by October 19, 2011, not
later than 11:59 p.m.
4.31 Team Research Background, Problem, Purpose Statements, and Research
Questions/Hypotheses (Due October 2, 2011, not later than 11:59 p.m.): Provide an overall
background to your study. Develop a well-characterized research problem and purpose
statements for this area. Based on your research problem, develop appropriate research
questions and/or hypotheses that will support your data collection in resolving the problem.
Turn in to Assignment Drop on Blackboard (do not turn in to TURNITIN).
4.32 Team Method and Expected Analysis (Due October 9, 2011, not later than 11:59 p.m.):
Determine the best method for your research, based on your problem/purpose and questions.
Provide an outline of the method and which statistical methods or qualitative design analysis
you will use to analyze data. Provide the process you will use in analyzing the data that would
be collected for this project, and provide an example analysis using dummy data (YOU WILL
NOT COLLECT DATA). Turn in to Assignment Drop on Blackboard (do not turn in to TURNITIN).
4.33 Team Project Presentation Headings: The presentation will address the following:
Introduction
Background
Problem
Purpose
Research Questions / Hypotheses
Definitions
Method
Analysis (expected)
Summary / Conclusions
References


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5.0 Grading Criteria
5.1 Grade Computation: Students earn their course grades by effectively completing
scheduled assignments; no extra credit assignments are given. To pass this course satisfactorily,
students must complete each of the graded items listed below. Failure to submit appropriate
documents for scoring in each category may result in a failing grade.

5.2 Grading Scale:

A = 90- 100% C = 70-79.99% F = 59.99 % & below
B = 80-89.99% D = 60-60.99%


Final grades will be calculated as follows:

Item Points Percentage
Individual Research Problem
and Purpose Statements
10 8%
Individual Research
Questions/Hypotheses or
Central Phenomenon/Sub
Questions
10 8%
Literature Review Outline 10 8%
Methodology Outline 10 8%
Team Charter 10 8%
Team Research Problem and
Purpose Statements and Team
Research
Questions/Hypotheses
10 8%
Team Method / Analysis 10 8%
Individual Research Proposal 30 24%
Team Project/Presentation 15 12%
Learning Team Evaluation (per
essay/team project) 5 points
each
10 8%
TOTAL 125 100%


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6.0 Course Calendar

COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSIGNMENTS
WK
Class/Activity Subject Assignments Due (Turn in date) (Check
Blackboard for updated assignments)
1
28 Aug 3 Sep
Course Intro
Intro to BRM
Syllabus and Requirements Review
Role of Research and the Research
Process (Chapter 1)

2
4 10 Sep
Initial Research
Process
Reporting and Evaluating Research
(Key: Dissertation/Thesis Proposals)
(Chapter 9)

Identifying a Research Problem
(Chapter 2)
4 Sep: Team Charters

3
11 17 Sep

Initial Research
Process
Specifying a Purpose, Research
Questions and Hypotheses, or Central
Questions and Sub-questions (Chapter
4)


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18 24 Sep Initial Research
Process
Research Methods
Literature Review (Chapter 3)

Collecting Quantitative Data (Chapter 5)

18 Sep: Individual Research Problem and
Purpose Statements
24 Sep: Individual Research
Questions/Hypotheses or Central
Phenomenon/Sub Questions
5
25 Sep 1 Oct Research Methods
Collecting Qualitative Data (Chapter 7)
Developing the Methodology (Research
Checklist)
Sep 25: Literature Review Outline
6
2 8 Oct
Analysis and
Interpretation
Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative
Data (Chapter 6)
2 Oct: Methodology Outline
2 Oct: Team Problem, Purpose,
Research Questions, and/or Hypotheses
7
9 15 Oct
Analysis and
Interpretation
Analyzing and Interpreting Qualitative
Data (Chapter 8)
9 Oct: Team Research Method/Expected
Analysis
15 Oct: Individual Research Proposals
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16 21 Oct
Team Assignments
and
Projects/Presentations
Team Meetings (Bring Laptops) and
Presentations
19 Oct: Team Presentations
21 Oct: Learning Team Evaluation


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7.0 Drop Policy: If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records
Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the
responsibility of the student. The records office will provide a deadline for which the form must
be returned, completed and signed. Return the signed form to the records office, wait 24 hours,
go into DuckTrax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW-
UP with the records office immediately. You are to attend class until the procedure is complete
to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or fail to follow the procedure, you
will receive an F in the course.

8.0 Academic Integrity: Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to
maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic
dishonestly are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited
to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of
resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for each case of
academic dishonestly. More information can be found at www.ct.tamus.edu/StudentConduct.

9.0 Disability Support Services: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-
discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with
disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be
guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their
disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact
Ryan Thompson, Academic Support Programs Coordinator, at (254) 519-5796 or by email at
rthomp8@ct.tamus.edu.

10.0 Tutoring: TAMUCT offers its students tutoring, both on-campus and online. Subjects
tutored include: Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (MLA and APA). For
hours, or if you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-
519-5496 or by emailing gnichols@ct.tamus.edu.

Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive
FREE online tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing,
Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. Chat live with a
tutor 24/7 for any subject on your computer, or use the Tutor.com To Go App on your iPhone,
iPod touch, or iPad. Visit www.tutor.com/togo to download the app for free. For access please
visit www.ct.tamus.edu/AcademicSupport and click the link for Tutor.com.



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11. Library Services: INFORMATION LITERACY focuses on research skills which prepare
individuals to live and work in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with
students in the development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the
appropriate use of secondary research techniques. Help may include, yet is not limited to:
exploration of information resources such as library collections and services, identification of
subject databases and scholarly journals, and execution of effective search strategies. Library
Resources are outlined and accessed at:
http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library/


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APPENDIX A (Essay Grading Rubric)

Individual Research Proposal (Due August 8, 2011, not later than 11:59 p.m.): The research
proposal will consist of the following sections: introduction, background, problem, purpose,
research questions / hypotheses / central phenomenon/ sub questions, definitions, literature
review, method, references, appendixes. The proposal will also follow the standards for an APA
manuscript and will be written in future tense. Turn in to Turnitin.com.
Grade:
Essay Rubric
% Possible Points Points Earned
Content 70% 14
Intro
(Intro/Background
/ Prob / Purp / RQs
/ etc.
3.5
Literature Review 5.25
Method 5.25
Essay Structure 12.3% 2.46
APA Format 12.7% 2.54
Spelling/Grammar 5% 1.0
Total 100% 20