Department of Business & Management

Spring 2021- Term 2: MBA Program

Management Research Methods (MGT 550)

        Faculty: Dr. Mahmoud H. Haj-Ahmed

Instructions:

a)     This assignment is the first of three assignments you are expected to complete as part of the assessment strategy of the “MRM –MGT 550” course. The mark allotted for these assignments together is 20% of the total mark of the course.

b)     The deadline for submitting this assignment is April 15th 2021. Please take note that this deadline date is final and can’t be extended.

c)    The final submitted work shall not exceed 5 type written pages (using Arial Font OR Times New Romans – size 12, double space).

d)     Please ensure to follow the APA citation style when preparing your final submission.

e)    Plagiarism is a serious academic misconduct and it will be dealt with as per the College’s policy.

f)   You are required to complete the three parts of the assignment.

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Part I.        Short Answer Questions (CLO 1 – 40 marks)

a)   How can you define research?

b)   Briefly outline research process.

c)   Highlight the different research approaches.

d)   Discuss the qualities of a good researcher.

e)   Briefly explain the different types of research.

f)   What is a research problem?

g)   Outline the features of research design.

h)   What is the difference between probability and non-probability sampling?

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Part II.       Discussion Questions (CLO 2 – 20 marks; 10 each)

a)   It has been stated that: “Research is, by its nature, cyclical or, more exactly, helical.” Explain why “cyclical” is an appropriate description of the research process. Then explain why “helical” is a better description.

b)   Professors of Graduate students like to insist that the completion of a thesis or a dissertation research is not merely an “academic exercise” or final hurdle to obtaining the desired degree. Explain at least one personal benefit that an individual student may derive from completing a high-quality thesis or dissertation. Then explain at least one societal benefit that follows from the individual’s completion of a high-quality thesis or dissertation.

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Part III.       Research Scenario (CLO 3 – 40 marks)

Here are the key elements of a research brief sent out by a client, the general manager of a not-for-profit education and training center. Having read the brief, you have decided that you would like to meet the client face-to-face to discuss his requirements in more detail so that you might make useful suggestions about a way forward. List the questions that you want to ask at this meeting together with your rationale for asking them.

The Brief:

We are a not-for-profit education and training provider specializing in the delivery of IT programs and courses to those aged 50 and over. We are based on the outskirts of a city with a population of around 100,000. Demand for our provision has remained steady over the last five years but we expect it to increase over the next five to ten years as the population of those aged 50 and over grows. Our building is now more than 100 years old and although it is in good condition we are finding it difficult and costly to adapt it to suit our needs and to meet health and safety and other regulations. We would like to build a new state-of-the art training suite on our current site - we have outline planning permission to do so. We understand that government funding may be available to cover the capital cost of building the new facility. To make a sound case for this funding we would like to gather evidence via a program of research. We should like you to provide us with costs for the following: a series of focus groups with existing users of our facilities; a survey of older people within our area; and an audit of the employment opportunities available to older people who have completed our training programs. We have a budget for this research of around €10,000. The funding application must be submitted in two months' time. We should therefore like you to provide a detailed work plan that fits this timeframe.

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