Tribhuvan University
Faculty of Management
Office of the Dean
Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM)
Course Description
:This course focuses initially on problem identification, theoretical framework development, and hypothesis formulation. It then addresses research design, measurement, sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of appropriate research techniques and statistics, while developing professional project report writing and presentation skills
Course Objective
:This course introduces innovative critical thinking and data analytics skills. Students will learn to design rigorous academic research frameworks tailored to the hospitality sector. Additionally, they will use quantitative and statistical methods to solve empirical industry challenges an d ultimately produce and defend an independent, market-oriented research project report. Course Description This course focuses initially on problem identification, theoretical framework development, and hypothesis formulation. It then addresses research design, measurement, sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of appropriate research techniques and statistics, while developing professional project report writing and presentation skills
Course Contents:
Lecture hours show the approximate classroom time allocated to each unit.
Unit 1. Introduction
- Meaning of research, scientific research - concept and features. Concepts and purpose of business research, Application of resea rch in the hospitality industry. Types of research: Basic versus applied resea rch - definitions and differences.
- Approaches: Quantitative, qualitative, and mi xed-method. Paradigm shift- Positivism vs.
- interpretivism philosophies. Ethical issues: Plagiarism rules, informed consent, and data privacy.
Unit 2. Research Problem, Literature Review and Hypothesis Formulation
- Topic Selection : Identifying cur rent gaps in hospitality trends. Problem Statement: Writing clear, conci se, and researchable statements. Literature Review: Searching, analyzing, an d synthesizing academic sources.
- Frameworks: Developing conceptual and theoretical industry models.
- Hypotheses: Formulating null hypotheses / alternative hypotheses and directional / non- directional hypotheses.
Unit 3. Research Design and Sampling
- Designs: Exploratory, descriptive, causal, correlation and experimental setups, Population: Defining target markets, guests, or employee groups. Probability Sampling: Simple random, system atic, stratified and cluster techniques. Non-Probability Sampling: Convenience, judgmental and quota methods. Sample Size : Rules for determining adequate sample sizes.
Unit 4. Data Collection Methods
- Variables: Independent, dependent and moderating variables. Primary Data: Sources and methods, Designing structural questionnaires, Research interviews- face to face and telephone interviews, computer assisted interviewing . Measurement Scales : Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales . Scale Types : Likert scales and semantic differential formats. Secondary Data : Utilizing industry reports, journals, and financial statements
- advantage and disadvantage of using secondary data . Pilot Testing: Testing tools for reliability and internal validity.
Unit 5. Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Data Preparation : Editing, coding, and entering survey data. Presenting data in tables, diagrams and graphs Descriptive Statistics: Mean, median, mode, and standard deviation.
- Inferential Statistics : t-tests, Chi-square, and correlation analyses. Qualitative Analysis: Thematic coding and content analysis methods.
- Software: Introduction to SPSS, Excel, or open-source tools.
Unit 6. Project Report Writing Guidelines
- Structure of project report : Layout of preliminary, body, and supplementary pages.
- Introduction: Writing the background, significance, and limitations. Methodology Chapter: Documenting participants, tools, and procedures clearly. Findings: Presenting data via clean tables and charts. Discussion: Linking empirical results back to reviewed literature. Referencing: Formatting citations using the APA style guide.
Suggested Readings:
Bryman, A. and E. Bell. Business Research Methods. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Pant, P. R. Fundamentals of Business Research Methods . Kathmandu: Buddha Academic Enterprises. Zikmund, and G. William. Business Research Methods. New Delhi: Thomson India. Chawla, D. and N. Sondhi. Research Methodology -Concepts and Cases . New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. Cooper, D. R. Business Research Methods. New Delhi: Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing Company Ltd.