Identify a topic of interest that you might want to pursue for research. Pick a topic for which you have several unanswered questions you would like to research. You are not tied to this topic when you reach the dissertation sequence, but it should be a topic that you find interesting now and relates to your program and specialization. Please make sure it is a business-oriented topic.
Next, conduct a literature search using the University’s library to locate two quantitative studies examining your selected topic and in which the authors present statistical findings. Quantitative studies will use qualitative analysis as a methodology like what is discussed in the University’s School of Business Best Practice Guide for Quantitative Research Design and Methods in Dissertations.
Once you have located your articles, you will prepare a short paper using the following format:
• Introduction to the selected topic of interest
• Brief summary of the first article
• Include research question(s) and hypotheses, if stated, and general findings.
• Include statistical tests used. Include the gaps in the literature which provided an incentive for the authors to pursue the topic.
• Reflect on whether the authors answered the research questions they set out to achieve.
• Brief summary of the second article.
• Include research question(s) and hypotheses, if stated, and general findings.
• Include statistical tests used.
• Include the gaps in the literature which provided an incentive for the authors to pursue the topic.
• Reflect on whether the authors answered the research questions they set out to achieve.
• Synthesis
• Specifically, compare the two articles, assessing the types of statistical methods and analysis used.
• Reflect on whether the authors created new knowledge previously known to scholars, practitioners, and society.
• Conclusion
• Assess what approach you might take if you were to conduct a study in this topic area. Are there other methods you may want to explore? Why or why not?
• Examine basic statistical concepts used in research for public and private organizations.
• Interpret the meaning of exploratory data analysis in relevant applications.
• Interpret statistical results to draw inferences.
