Writing and Presenting Project Report-Modern Research Methods-Lecture Slides, Slides of Research Methods for Managers

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• Lecture –

» Create time for your writing

˃ Writing requires sustained concentration, so create time for writing

» Write when your mind is fresh

» Find a regular writing place

˃ One cannot write in unfamiliar surroundings. Find a place where you cannot be interrupted, so remove all distractions including TV, magazines, computer games, etc.

» Set goals and achieve them

» Use word processing

» Generate a plan for the report

» Finish each writing session on a high point

˃ So that it is easy to restart next time

» Get friends to read and comment on your work

˃ Ask friends to read to point out difficult things that are not easy to understand, along with all omissions, spelling, punctuations and grammatical errors Docsity.com

Suggested structure

» Abstract

» Introduction

» Literature review

» Method

» Results

» Conclusions

» References

» Appendices

The abstract should contain four short paragraphs

that answer the following questions:

1. What were my research questions and why were they important?
2. How did I go about answering the research questions?
3. What did I find out in response to these questions?
4. What conclusions can be drawn?

» The introduction should give the reader a clear

idea about the central issue of concern, and why

it was thought worth studying.

» It should include full statement of research

questions and research objectives.

» If research is about some organization,

introduction should then also include some

details of the organization, including its history,

size, product and services.

» Introduction should also include a „route map‟ to

guide the reader through rest of the report –

including brief on content of each chapter.

The contents and organization of literature review

should be such that:

» It helps to set your study in its wider context;

» it helps to explain how your study supplements the

existing work;

» it helps to develop hypotheses;

» it helps to identify and finalize your research

methodology; and

» It helps to provide materials to give references in

„introduction‟, as well as, in „discussion‟ where

references are needed to quote in support of or

against the researcher‟s findings.

b. Participants/sampling:

1. How many? Sample size?
2. How were they selected? Sampling techniques?
3. What were their characteristics?
4. How were refusals/non-response handled?

c. Materials:

1. What tests/scales/interview or observation schedules/ questionnaires were used?
2. How were purpose-made instruments developed?
3. How were the resulting data analysed?

d. Procedures

1. What were the characteristics of the interviewers and observers, and how were they trained?
2. How valid and reliable do you think the procedure were?
3. What instructions were given to participants?
4. How many interviews/observations/questionnaires were there; how long did they last; where did they take place?
5. When was the research carried out?

Saunders et al. (2009)

• This section/chapter provides the second major opportunity to researcher to shine, and demonstrate the real originality of thought; he gets the first opportunity to shine and demonstrate real opportunity of thought when he chooses the research topic.

• The difference between the „Findings chapter‟ and „Conclusion chapter‟ is that you make judgements in the latter while you report facts in the former.

• For each finding, there should be at least one conclusion. Answering the research questions, meeting the objectives, and supporting or otherwise the research hypothesis is the main purpose of the conclusion chapter.

» Start your „References‟ section at the beginning

of the writing process, and add to it as you go

along; it would become a very tedious, boring and

time-consuming task if you left it until you have

completed the main body of test.

» Cite all sources referred to in the text.

» Check all citations to prevent plagiarism.

A copy of Appendix 2 on Harvard and APA style of referencing Is provided in your class „Reading Materials‟,

» Appendices should be kept to the minimum.

» If material is „essential to know‟, then it should be

included in the main body of the report. If it is

„interesting to know‟, then it should be included

as appendix.

» Include blank copies of questionnaire, interview

or observation schedules as appendices.

SPSS Exercise 6(b)

What is an outlier? “An outlying observation, or outlier, is an observation that is much different (either very small or very large) in relation to the observations in the sample. More precisely, an outlier is an observation from a different population to that generating the remaining sample observations. The inclusion or exclusion of such an observation, especially if

the sample size is small, can substantially alter

the results of regression analysis”.

(Gujarati, 2007; p.399)

SPSS Exercise 6(c)

Let‟s use the following SPSS commands, which may help us to identify certain outliers in our data set.

ANALYZE.....DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS.....EXPLORE

(Go-to-Statistics).....DESCRIPTIVES.....OUTLIERS.....

CONTINUE.....(on-display, pick).....STATISTICS.....OK.

Study the output; it contains 2-parts: (i) Descriptives (ii) Extreme cases (Gives both