UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

PERLIS

BBA (HONS) HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

MARCH 2020

MGT 648
RESEARCH METHOD
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT QUESTION

PREPARED BY

MOHD YUSOF IZZUDDIN

2018644734
RBMHA

PREPARED FOR:

DR AHMAD NIZAN BIN MAT NOOR

FACULTY OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
UiTM PERLIS
Q1 - a )

Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails collection of data; documentation of critical
information; and analysis and interpretation of that data/information, in accordance with suitable
methodologies set by specific professional fields and academic disciplines.

Research is conducted to evaluate the validity of a hypothesis or an interpretive framework, to assemble a

body of substantive knowledge and findings for sharing them in appropriate manners; and to generate
questions for further inquiries.

Q1 - b )

1. Data collection/analysis
Entrepreneurs that are interested in a certain business endeavour are well served when they start off
researching their idea through existing secondary data such as government and trade association data
about the industry and market sector that they wish to enter.

Data collection normally consists of examining relevant data in the form of databases, reports, financial
records, newsletters, etc. to gain insight quickly. This can be a faster and cheaper way to gather
information. When combined with other research methods, data collection and analysis can give you the
information you need to make a business decision.

2. Surveys
Surveys are popular in business, and they are effective for business research. A survey can be one of the
more inexpensive research options, especially if it is done online. Succinct surveys that are more likely to
be completed can be launched for free on a survey website that can be linked to your own website or
social media post.

Telephone surveys can possibly be more in depth, but only if the person agrees to be questioned on the
phone. Mailed surveys still have a niche, especially if they are targeted to a very specific group, but cost
more to launch and administrate.

Q1 - c )

1. Research originate with a question or problem.

Questions lead to the research process. Man, a curious organism wants an answer to his problem or
inquiry, tries to seek solutions through research.

2. Research requires clear articulation of a goal.

The ultimate goal of research must be clearly stated. The statement should answer the question, "What
problem do you intend to solve?"

3. Research is a specific plan or proceeding.

A researcher should plan the overall research design and methods in a purposeful way so that he can
acquire data relevant to his/her research problem.
4. Research usually divides the principal problem Into more manageable sub-problems.
Breaking down the principal problems into small manageable sub-problems is a good strategy to solve the
main problem.

5. Research is guided by the specific research problem, question, or hypothesis.

Having the problem divided into sub-problems, the researcher usually forms one or more hypotheses
about what he or she may discover.

6. Research accepts certain critical assumptions.

The researcher should set forth a valid assumption or else the research would be meaningless.

7. Research requires the collection and interpretation of data In an attempt to resolve the problem
that initiates the research.
After conducting research the data collected, must be analyzed and interpreted in the alight of the findings.
Those which are not analyzed and interpreted can never help the researcher answer the questions
he posed.

8. Research is, by its nature, cyclical or more exactly hellcal.

It is said that research begets more research because in its conduct, it is possible that one encounters some
problems that could be resolved by another research to be conducted.

Q2 - a )

A problem statement is a concise description of an issue to be addressed or a condition to be improved

upon. It identifies the gap between the current (problem) state and desired (goal) state of a process or
product. Focusing on the facts, the problem statement should be designed to address the Five Ws. The first
condition of solving a problem is understanding the problem, which can be done by way of a problem
statement.

Problem statements are widely used by most businesses and organizations to execute process
improvement projects. A simple and well-defined problem statement will be used by the project team to
understand the problem and work toward developing a solution. It will also provide management with
specific insights into the problem so that they can make appropriate project-approving decisions. As such,
it is crucial for the problem statement to be clear and unambiguous.

Q2 - b )

1) A research problem is the preliminary step in conducting a research study. A research problem helps you
understand the research procedure in a better manner. Most beginners in research think that a research
problem is easy to formulate but in reality it is not so. A research problem needs great thought on the part
of the researcher in order to formulate a scientific research problem. A scientific research problem is one
that can be solved using scientific procedures.

2) In actual the purpose of the research problem is to determine the objective and intention of the
research, in the absence of an aim or objective you cannot determine the research methodology. A
research problem can help you identify each and every step of the research process: the study design,
sampling strategy, research instrument and research analysis.
3) The research problem should have great clarity since the research process in itself generates more
questions. In the absence of a clear and well defined research problem the researcher can become
confused. In addition the research question or research problem should have to be interesting so that the
researcher become well engaged in the research. The passion of the researcher in conducting the research
matters a lot in the research.

4) The research problem should have to be manageable within your resources, otherwise it will become
difficult for you to undertake it. You should know about the time, energy and money that you have in order
to design a manageable research.

Q2 - c )

Research Questions

 A clear research statement or problem must translate into a research question.

 Research question to be fact-oriented, information -gathering question.

 Research question must be capable of being confirmed or refuted.

Research Objectives

 Research objectives are the specifications/ activities to answer the research questions

 Objectives indicate what we are trying to get from the study or the expected results /outcome of the
study.

 Research objectives should be clear ,achievable and verifiable - as they directly assist in answering the
research questions / problem.

Q3 - a )
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature review
surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of research. The review
should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify this previous research. It should
give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author) determine the nature of your research.
The literature review acknowledges the work of previous researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader
that your work has been well conceived. It is assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of
study, that the author has read, evaluated, and assimilate that work into the work at hand.

Common in the social and physical sciences, but also sometimes required in the humanities, a literature
review is a summary of past research in your subject area.
Q3 - b )

1. To Demonstrate Understanding
In a college paper, you can use a literature review to demonstrate your understanding of the subject
matter. This means identifying, summarizing and critically assessing past research that is relevant to your
own work.

2. To Justify Your Research

The literature review also plays a big role in justifying your study and setting your research question. This is
because examining past research allows you to identify gaps in the literature, which you can then attempt
to fill or address with your own work.

3. Setting a Theoretical Framework

It can help to think of the literature review as the foundations for your study, since the rest of your work
will build upon the ideas and existing research you discuss therein.

A crucial part of this is formulating a theoretical framework, which comprises the concepts and theories
that your work is based upon and against which its success will be judged.

4. Developing a Methodology

Conducting a literature review before beginning research also lets you see how similar studies have been
conducted in the past. By examining the strengths and weaknesses of existing research, you can thus make
sure you adopt the most appropriate methods, data sources and analytical techniques for your own work.

5. To Support Your Own Findings

The significance of any results you achieve will depend to some extent on how they compare to those
reported in the existing literature. When you come to write up your findings, your literature review will
therefore provide a crucial point of reference.

If your results replicate past research, for instance, you can say that your work supports existing theories. If
your results are different, though, you’ll need to discuss why and whether the difference is important.

Q3 - c )

1. Choose a topic. Define your research question.

Your literature review should be guided by a central research question. Remember, it is not a collection of
loosely related studies in a field but instead represents background and research developments related to
a specific research question, interpreted and analyzed by you in a synthesized way.

Tips:

 Make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow. Is it manageable?
 Begin writing down terms that are related to your question. These will be useful for searches later.
 If you have the opportunity, discuss your topic with your professor.
2. Decide on the scope of your review.
How many studies do you need to look at? How comprehensive should it be? How many years should it
cover?

Tip: This may depend on your assignment. How many sources does the assignment require?

3. Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.

Make a list of the databases you will search. Remember to include comprehensive databases such as
WorldCat and Dissertations & Theses, if you need to.

Where to find databases:

 Find Databases by Subject

UWF Databases categorized by discipline

 Find Databases via Research Guides

Librarians create research guides for all of the disciplines on campus! Take advantage of their expertise and
see what discipline-specific search strategies they recommend!

4. Conduct your searches and find the literature. Keep track of your searches!
- Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. This will save you time.
- Write down the searches you conduct in each database so that you may duplicate them if you need to
later (or avoid dead-end searches that you'd forgotten you'd already tried).
- Use the bibliographies and references of research studies you find to locate others.
- Ask your professor or a scholar in the field if you are missing any key works in the field.

5. Review the literature.

Some questions to help you analyze the research:

 What was the research question of the study you are reviewing? What were the authors trying to
discover?
 Was the research funded by a source that could influence the findings?
 What were the research methodologies? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used,
the results, and the conclusions. Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been
conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise?
 If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is?
 How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited?; if so, how has it been analyzed?

Tips:

Again, review the abstracts carefully.

Keep careful notes so that you may track your thought processes during the research process.
Q4 - a )

A theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together with their definitions and reference to relevant
scholarly literature, existing theory that is used for your particular study. The theoretical framework must
demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts that are relevant to the topic of your research
paper and that relate to the broader areas of knowledge being considered.

Q4 - b)
 The theoretical framework is one of the main parts of the research manuscript. It should be presented
in the first section of all dissertations.

 It is the structure that holds or supports a theory by introducing and describing it as to what research
problem it exists.

 It demonstrates an understanding of theories and concepts relevant to the topic of the research. And
it provides the broader areas of knowledge under consideration.

 The explicit statement of the theoretical assumptions enables its reader to evaluate it critically.

 It connects the researcher to the existing knowledge through guidance by relevant theory, also, by
providing the basis of the hypotheses and the choices of the research methods.

 It helps researchers to generalize the various aspects of an observed phenomenon from simply
describing it and also identifies their limits.

 It specifies the key variables that influence a phenomenon of interest and highlights the necessity to
examine them for what circumstances they might differ

 The theoretical framework is vital to all researches to clarify the implicit theory in a manner that is
more clearly defined. It may also provide researchers to consider their limitations and alternative
theories that challenge their perspective. It is what all academic supervisors check in the first place,
and they better understand the research problem with the right theoretical framework.

Q4 - c )
1. An explicit statement of theoretical assumptions permits the reader to evaluate them critically.
2. The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge. Guided by a relevant theory,
you are given a basis for your hypotheses and choice of research methods.
3. Articulating the theoretical assumptions of a research study forces you to address questions of why
and how. It permits you to move from simply describing a phenomenon observed to generalizing
about various aspects of that phenomenon.
4. Having a theory helps you to identify the limits to those generalizations. A theoretical framework
specifies which key variables influence a phenomenon of interest. It alerts you to examine how those
key variables might differ and under what circumstances.
Q5 -

a ) Correlational study due to identify relationship between variables.

b) Hypothesis testing study due to establish relationship between variables.

c) Field study because in which correlational or cause and effect relationship among the 3 variables.

d) The unit of analysis is Individual because the problem statement focuses on knowing the relationship
among the 3 variables

e) Cross-sectional study due to it related to the collection of data from a particular sample only once or
one-shot in order to meet a research objective.

f) There are two(2) variables involved. The variable is:

1. Dependent variable because the variable that measure the effect of the independent variables
2. Independent variable is one that influences the dependent variable in either a positive or negative
way.

g)