GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY, DELHI
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (H) w.e.f. 2025-26
BCOM 205 Business Research Methods L-4, T-0 Credits -3
Objective: The aim of this paper is to explore the different facets of research and to identify
the various tools accessible to researchers. Additionally, it highlights how research
methodology can assist business managers in making informed decisions.
Course Outcomes: After completion of the course the students will be able to:
CO1. Define and develop the research problem and research design
CO2. Gather and analyze primary and secondary data
CO3. Select sampling technique and determine sample size
CO4. Compile and present findings in a research report
Course Contents
Unit 1: Introduction (10 Hours)
Basics of Research; Scope of Business Research; Purpose of Research, Types of Research,
Steps in the Research Process, Types of Research Designs and its applications, Criteria of
Good Research, Scientific Thought in Research -Inductive & Deductive Reasoning
Terminologies in Research : Unit of Analysis - Individual, Organization, Groups, Model
building - Defining Construct, Attributes, Variables and relationships.
Unit 2: Data Collection (10 Hours)
Primary and Secondary sources of Data; Qualitative Vs Quantitative data; Source of primary
data collection – Interviews, focus group discussions, observation, Survey Method. Source of
Secondary data collection- internal data sources, external data sources. Questionnaire
Designing: Steps in Designing Questionnaire, pilot testing, cautions in questionnaire
designing.
Unit 3: Measurement (15 Hours)
Definition; Designing and writing items; Uni-dimensional and Multidimensional scales;
Primary Scales of Measurement- Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio; Attitude Measurement
Scales/ Attitudinal Scales : Thurston, Likert and Semantic Differential scaling, Paired
Comparison, Reliability and Validity of scale. Sampling -Steps, Types, Sample Size
Decision. Hypothesis Formulation and Testing: Types of parametric and non-parametric tests.
Unit 4: Report Preparation (10 Hours)
Meaning, types and layout of research report; Steps in report writing; Literature review and
its significance, Citations (Styles like APA, IEEE etc), Bibliography and Annexure in report,
Essentials of good research report, presentation of a report, Ethics in Research.
Suggested Readings: (Latest Editions must be used)
1. Cooper, Donald R and Schindler, Pamela. Business Research Methods. Mc Graw Hill
Education.
2. Deepak Chawla & Neena Sodhi, Research Methodology: Concepts and Cases, Vikas
Publication.
3. Levin, Richard and Rubin, DS. Statistics for Management, Pearson Education.
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GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY, DELHI
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (H) w.e.f. 2025-26
4. Bell, Emma. Bryman, Alan. & Harley, Bill. Business Research methods. Oxford
University Press.
5. Dangi, H.K. Business Research Methods. Cengage Learning.
Recommended Projects: Students may be encouraged to use the skills developed in this
course while conducting Major Research Projects in the Final Semester.
Mapping of Course Outcomes with Program level outcomes
Considering the weights of 1 to 3 as ‘Low’ to ‘High’, all course outcomes are mapped with
Program Outcomes and Program Specific Outcomes as follows-
Program PO PO PO PO PO PO PO PO PO PSO PSO PSO PSO PSO PSO6
level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5
Outcomes
CO1 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 3 3
CO2 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3
CO3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3
CO4 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3
AVG 3 3 2 3 2.3 2.5 2.5 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 3
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