vcc.ca
HOSP 3960: Research Methods in Business
Effective date
September 2026
Department
Hospitality Management App Deg
School
Hospitality, Food Studies and Applied Business
Description
This course focuses on research methodologies including qualitative and quantitative methods, data sources, reliability, validity, and other measurement issues as well as data collection and research design, research ethics, and report writing and presentation. Students will learn how to design, conduct and analyze research for making informed business decisions.
Credits
3.0
Year of study
3rd Year Post-secondary
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe the nature of business and management research.
- Conduct a literature review.
- Apply different business research philosophies and approaches to the analysis of business cases.
- Select a research design appropriate for the topic and project.
- Identify the importance of research ethics and apply for research ethics approval as necessary.
- Apply appropriate sampling techniques in business research studies.
- Recognize ethical considerations and potential biases in sample selection.
- Use secondary data efficiently.
- Collect primary data required to answer research questions (e.g. observation, interviews, questionnaires)
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data.
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 45
Total Hours: 45
Total Hours: 45
Instructional Strategies
Presentations, discussions, online research, reflective writing, case studies, individual and group work, variety of interactive and collaborative learner engagement activities
Grading System
Letter Grade (A-F)
Passing grade
D (50%)
Evaluation Plan
|
Type |
Percentage |
Assessment activity |
|
Participation |
10 |
Attending class/ Participation in discussions/ Networking |
|
Assignments |
15 |
Idea Paper |
|
Assignments |
20 |
Annotated Bibliography |
|
Assignments |
20 |
Literature Review |
|
Assignments |
15 |
Ethics Tutorial |
|
Project |
20 |
Research Proposal Preparation |
Course topics
- Business and Management Research
- Formulating and Clarifying the Research Topic
- Critically Reviewing the Literature
- Research Philosophies and Approaches
- Research Design
- Research Ethics
- Selecting Samples
- Using Secondary Data
- Collecting Primary Data through Observation, Group Interviews, Questionnaires
- Analyzing Quantitative and Qualitative Data
- Research Project Reports
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/. - To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.