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RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
( For Private Circulation Only)

Reference:
1
...
Kothari, C
...
,1985, Research Methodology- Methods and Techniques, New Delhi,
Wiley Eastern Limited
...
Kumar, Ranjit, 2005, Research Methodology-A
Beginners,(2nd
...
),Singapore, Pearson Education
...

More than a set of skills, it is a way of thinking: examining critically the various
aspects of your professional work
...

DEFINITION OF RESEARCH
When you say that you are undertaking a research study to find answers to a question,
you are implying that the process;
1
...
uses procedures, methods and techniques that have been tested for their
validity and reliability;
3
...

Philosophies means approaches e
...
qualitative, quantitative and the academic
discipline in which you have been trained
...
Reliability refers to the quality of a measurement procedure that provides
repeatability and accuracy
...

(Bias is a deliberate attempt to either conceal or highlight something)
...

However, the degree to which these criteria are expected to be fulfilled varies from
discipline to discipline and so the meaning of ‘research’ differs from one academic
discipline to another
...
We can
identify these requirements by examining some definitions of research
...

re is a prefix meaning again, anew or over again
search is a verb meaning to examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe
...

Research is a structured enquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to
solve problems and create new knowledge that is generally applicable
...

Although we engage in such process in our daily life, the difference between our
casual day- to-day generalisation and the conclusions usually recognized as scientific
method lies in the degree of formality, rigorousness, verifiability and general validity
of latter
...

But to qualify as research, the process must have certain characteristics: it must, as far
as possible, be controlled, rigorous, systematic, valid and verifiable, empirical and
critical
...

The concept of control implies that, in exploring causality in relation to two variables
(factors), you set up your study in a way that minimizes the effects of other factors
affecting the relationship
...
However, in the social sciences
(Hospitality and Tourism) it is extremely difficult as research is carried out on issues
related to human beings living in society, where such controls are not possible
...


-Rigorous-you must be scrupulous in ensuring that the procedures followed to find
answers to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified
...

-Systematic-this implies that the procedure adopted to undertake an investigation
follow a certain logical sequence
...
Some procedures must follow others
...

-Empirical-this means that any conclusion drawn are based upon hard evidence
gathered from information collected from real life experiences or observations
...
The process of investigation must be foolproof and free from
drawbacks
...

For a process to be called research, it is imperative that it has the above
characteristics
...
application of research study
2
...
inquiry mode employed
Application:
From the point of view of application, there are two broad categories of research:
- pure research and
- applied research
...
The knowledge produced through
pure research is sought in order to add to the existing body of research methods
...
It can be
exploratory, but is usually descriptive
...
Applied research can be carried out by academic or industrial
institutions
...

Objectives:
From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified as
-descriptive
-correlational
-explanatory
-exploratory
Descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem,
phenomenon, service or programme, or provides information about , say, living
condition of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue
...

Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship between
two or more aspects of a situation or phenomenon
...

In practice most studies are a combination of the first three categories
...

Here everything that forms the research process- objectives, design, sample, and the
questions that you plan to ask of respondents- is predetermined
...

e
...
how many people have a particular problem? How many people hold a particular
attitude?
Unstructured approach:
The unstructured approach to inquiry is usually classified as qualitative research
...

It is more appropriate to explore the nature of a problem, issue or phenomenon
without quantifying it
...

e,g, description of an observed situation, the historical enumeration of events, an
account of different opinions different people have about an issue, description of
working condition in a particular industry
...
Both have their strengths and
weaknesses
...

For example, suppose you have to find the types of cuisine / accommodation
available in a city and the extent of their popularity
...


THE RESEARCH PROCESS
The research process is similar to undertaking a journey
...

There are practical steps through which you must pass in your research journey in
order to find answers to your research questions
...

At each operational step in the research process you are required to choose from a
multiplicity of methods, procedures and models of research methodology which will
help you to best achieve your objectives
...

Steps in Research Process:
1
...
Extensive Literature Review
3
...
Preparing the Research Design including Sample Design
5
...
Analysis of Data
7
...
Preparation of the Report or Presentation of Results-Formal write ups of
conclusions reached
...
Formulating the research problem:
It is the first and most crucial step in the research process
- Main function is to decide what you want to find out about
...

Sources of research problems
Research in social sciences revolves around four Ps:
a group of individuals
• People• Problems- examine the existence of certain issues or problems relating to
their lives; to ascertain attitude of a group of people towards an issue
• Programs- to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention
• Phenomena- to establish the existence of a regularity
...


Every research study has two aspects:
1
...
Subject area• Problems: issues, situations, associations, needs, profiles
• Program : content, structure, outcomes, attributes, satisfactions, consumers,
Service providers, etc
...


Considerations in selecting a research problem:
These help to ensure that your study will remain manageable and that you will remain
motivated
...

Interest: a research endeavour is usually time consuming, and involves
hard work and possibly unforeseen problems
...

2
...
Narrow the topic down to something
manageable, specific and clear
...

Measurement of concepts: Make sure that you are clear about the
indicators and measurement of concepts (if used) in your study
...

Level of expertise: Make sure that you have adequate level of expertise for
the task you are proposing since you need to do the work yourself
...

Relevance: Ensure that your study adds to the existing body of
knowledge, bridges current gaps and is useful in policy formulation
...

6
...

7
...

Steps in formulation of a research problem :
Working through these steps presupposes a reasonable level of knowledge in the broad
subject area within which the study is to be undertaken
...

Step 1 Identify a broad field or subject area of interest to you
...


Step 3

Select what is of most interest to you
...


Step 5

Formulate objectives
...


Step 7

Double check
...
But every study
in social sciences has a second element, the study population from whom the required
information to find answers to your research questions is obtained
...

Step 2
...

-Literature review is integral part of entire research process and makes valuable
contribution to every operational step
...
Its functions are:
a
...
Improve your methodology;
c
...
Contextualise your findings
...
Bring clarity and focus to your research problem;
The process of reviewing the literature helps you to understand the subject area better and
thus helps you to conceptualise your research problem clearly and precisely
...

b
...
Thus you will be better positioned to select
a methodology that is capable of providing valid answer to your research questions
...
Broaden your knowledge base in your research area:
It ensures you to read widely around the subject area in which you intend to conduct your
research study
...
It also helps you to understand how the findings of your study fit into the
existing body of knowledge
...
Contextualise your findings:
How do answers to your research questions compare with what others have found? What
contribution have you been able to make in to the existing body of knowledge? How are
your findings different from those of others? For you to be able to answer these
questions, you need to go back to your literature review
...

Procedure for reviewing the literature:

i) search for existing literature in your area of study;
ii) review the literature selected;
iii) develop a theoretical framework;
iv) develop a conceptual framework
...

-Next compile a bibliography for this broad area
...
books
2
...

Advantage-material published generally is of good quality and the findings are integrated
with other research to form a coherent body of knowledge
...

Search for books in your area of interest, prepare a final list, locate these books in the
libraries or borrow from other sources
...

JOURNALS
Journals provide you with the most up-to-date information, even though there is a gap of
two to three years between the completion of a research project and the publication
in a journal
...
This can be done as follows:
-locate the hard copies of the journal that are appropriate to your study;
- use the internet
- look at the index of research abstracts in the relevant field to identify and read the
articles
...
Select the latest issue, examine its content page
to see if there is an article of relevance to your research topic
...
If you think you are likely to use it,
photocopy or prepare a summary and record it for reference for later use
...

If you do not have a theoretical framework of themes in mind to start with, use separate
sheets of paper for each article or book
...

As you read further, go on slotting the information where it logically belongs under the
theme so far developed
...

Read critically with particular reference to the following aspects:
• Note whether the knowledge relevant to your theoretical framework is confirmed
beyond doubt
...

• Examine to what extent the findings can be generalized to other situations
...

Develop a theoretical framework:
As you have limited time it is important to set parameters by reviewing the literature in
relation to some main themes pertinent to your research topic
...
Use these aspects as a
basis for developing your theoretical framework
...

Literature pertinent to your study may deal with two types of information:
- universal;
- more specific( i
...
local trends or specific program)
In writing about such information you should start with the general information,
gradually narrowing down to the specific
...
e
...

-Convert them into subheadings
...

-Now, under each subheading, record the main findings with respect to the theme in
question, highlighting the reasons for and against an argument if they exist, and identify
gaps and issues
...
e
...
Quote from these studies to show how your
findings contradict, confirm or add to them
...
This function is undertaken when writing about your
findings i
...
after analysis of your data
...

It is an alphabetical list as per the author’s surname
...
For a Book
Surname of author, name or two initials, Title taken from titlepage-underlined or in
italics, Edition (if more than one), volume if more than one, place of publication,
publishers, date on title page or copyright date
...
g
...
R
...

Step 3 The formulation of objectives:
-Objectives are the goals you set out to attain in your study
...

-It is extremely important to word them clearly and specifically
...

• The main objective is an overall statement of the thrust of your study
...


• The sub-objectives are the specific aspects of the topic that you want to investigate
within the main framework of your study
...

-Wording should clearly, completely and specifically
Communicate to your readers your intention
...

-Use action oriented words or verbs when writing objectives
...

The wording of objectives determines the type of research (descriptive, correlational
and experimental) and the type of research design you need to adopt to achieve them
...
g
...

-To find out the opinion of the employees about the medical facilities provided by five
star hotels in Mumbai
...

-To compare the effectivenesss of different loyalty programmes on repeat clientele
...

-To demonstrate that the provision of company accommodation to employees in
Mumbai hotels will reduce staff turnover
...
Correlational Studies (experimental and non-experimental)…
...
I

Identifying Variables:
In a research study it is important that the concepts used should be operationalised in
measurable terms so that the extent of variations in respondents’ understanding is
reduced if not eliminated
...

Their knowledge, therefore is important in ‘fine tuning’ your research problem
...

- Food in this restaurant is excellent
...

When people express these feelings or preferences, they do so on the basis of certain
criteria in their minds
...

These are judgements that require a sound basis on which to proclaim
...

The definition of a variable:
An image, perception or concept that can be measured – hence capable of taking on
different values- is called a variable
...

A concept cannot be measured whereas a variable can be subjected to measurement by
crude/refined or subjective/objective units of measurement
...


Concept
-Subjective impression
-No uniformity as to its
Understanding among
Different people

Variable
- Measurable though the
degree of precision varies
from scale to scale and
variable to variable
...

e
...

e
...

• Excellent
- gender (male/female)
• High achiever
-age (x years y months)
• Rich
-weight ( --kg)
• Satisfaction
- height ( -- cms)
• Domestic violence
- religion (Catholic, Hindu)
-Income ( Rs ---per year)

Concepts, indicators and variables:
If you are using a concept in your study, you need to consider its
operationalisation- that is, how it will be measured
...

The choice of indicators for a concept might vary with researchers, but those
selected must have a logical link with the concept
...
Income
2
...
No
...
Income
2
...

1
...
of guests
served in
Month/year

1
...
If>Rs250000

diff
...
Changes
2
...
of excellent
- do in Ratings
per 100 feedback
a ) extent of
b) pattern of
___________________________________________________________

Types of measurement scales:
Measurement is central to any enquiry
...

S
...
Stevens has classified the different types of into four categories:
• Nominal or classificatory scale
• Ordinal or ranking scale
• Interval scale
• Ratio scale

The nominal or classificatory scale:
A nominal scale enables the classification of individuals, objects or responses into
subgroups based on a common/shared property or characteristic
...

For example, ’water’ or ‘tree’ have only one subgroup, whereas the variable “gender”
can be classified into two sub-categories: male and female
...

The sequence in which subgroups are listed makes no difference as there is no
relationship among subgroups
...

They are arranged either in ascending or descending order according to the extent a
subcategory reflects the magnitude of variation in the variable
...
The
‘distance’ between these subcategories are not equal as there is no quantitative unit of
measurement
...

The interval scale:
An interval scale has all the characteristics of an ordinal scale
...

For example,
Celsius scale:
0*C to 100*C
Fahrenheit scale: 32*F to 212*F

Attitudinal scales: 10-20
21-30
31-40 etc
The ratio scale:
A ratio scale has all the properties of nominal, ordinal and interval scales plus its own
property:the zero point of a ratio scale is fixed, which means it has a fixed starting
point
...

The measurement of variables like income, age, height and weight are examples of
this scale
...

Constructing hypotheses:
As a researcher you do not know about a phenomenon, but you do have a hunch to
form the basis of certain assumption or guesses
...

The verification process can have one of the three outcomes
...
right;
2
...
wrong
...

Hence, a hypotheses is a hunch, assumption, suspicion, assertion or an idea about a
phenomenon, relationship or situation, the reality or truth of which you do not know
...

In most studies the hypotheses will be based upon your own or someone else’s
observation
...

You can conduct a valid investigation without constructing formal hypotheses
...
It tells you what
specific aspects of a research problem to investigate
...

• As it provides a focus, the construction of a hypothesis enhances objectivity in a
study
...
It enables
you to specifically conclude what is true or what is false
...
PREPARING THE RESEARCH DESIGN
Research design is the conceptual structure within which research would be
conducted
...

The preparation of research design, appropriate for a particular research problem,
involves the consideration of the following :
1
...

2
...
Source of information—Sample Design
4
...
Data Analysis-- qualitative and quantitative
1
...

2
...


Methods of Primary Data Collection
OBSERVATION METHOD:
Commonly used in behavioural sciences
It is the gathering of primary data by investigator’s own direct observation of relevant
people, actions and situations without asking from the respondent
...
g
...


• A food service operator sends researchers into competing restaurants to learn
menu items prices, check portion sizes and consistency and observe point-ofpurchase merchandising
...

Observation can yield information which people are normally unwilling or unable to
provide
...
g
...

Types of Observation:
1
...
Unstructured—for exploratory research
3
...
Non- participant observation
5
...

- expensive method
Because of these limitations, researchers often supplement observation with survey
research
...

Structured Surveys: use formal lists of questions asked of all respondents in the same
way
...

Survey research may be Direct or Indirect
...

e
...
Why don’t you eat at MacDonalds?

Indirect Approach: The researcher might ask: “What kind of people eat at
MacDonald’s?”
From the response, the researcher may be able to discover why the consumer avoids
MacDonald’s
...

ADVANTAGES:
-can be used to collect many different kinds of information
-Quick and low cost as compared to observation and experimental method
...

-Busy people may not want to take the time
-may try to help by giving pleasant answers
-unable to answer because they cannot remember or never gave a thought to what they
do and why
-may answer in order to look smart or well informed
...

-respondents may give more honest answers to personal questions on a mail
questionnaire
-no interviewer is involved to bias the respondent’s answers
...


Telephone Interviewing:
- quick method
- more flexible as interviewer can explain questions not understood by the
respondent
- depending on respondent’s answer they can skip some Qs and probe more on
others
- allows greater sample control
- response rate tends to be higher than mail
Drawbacks:
-Cost per respondent higher
-Some people may not want to discuss personal Qs with interviewer
-Interviewer’s manner of speaking may affect the respondent’s answers
-Different interviewers may interpret and record response in a variety of ways
-under time pressure ,data may be entered without actually interviewing
Personal Interviewing:
It is very flexible and can be used to collect large amounts of information
...

They can guide interviews, explore issues, and probe as the situation requires
...

Interviewers can also show actual products, advertisements, packages and observe and
record their reactions and behaviour
...

-allows researcher to reach known people in a short period of time
...


-interviewer must gain the interviewee’s cooperation
-time involved may range from a few minutes to several hours( for longer surveys
compensation may be offered)
--involves the use of judgmental sampling i
...
interviewer has guidelines as to whom
to “intercept”, such as 25% under age 20 and 75% over age 60
Drawbacks:
-Room for error and bias on the part of the interviewer who may not be able to
correctly judge age, race etc
...

Focus Group Interviewing:
It is rapidly becoming one of the major research tool to understand people’s thoughts
and feelings
...
The meeting is held
in a pleasant place, and refreshments are served to create a relaxed environment
...

The moderator starts with a broad question before moving to more specific issues,
encouraging open and easy discussion to bring out true feelings and thoughts
...

-often held to help determine the subject areas on which questions should be asked in
a later, large-scale, structured-direct interview
Comments are recorded through note taking or videotaped and studied later to
understand consumer’ buying process
...

e
...
Some hotel managers often invite a group of hotel guests from a particular market
segment to have a free breakfast with them
...

The guests appreciate this recognition and the manager gets valuable information
...

Drawbacks:
-Cost: may cost more than telephone survey

-Sampling: group interview studies keep small sample size to keep time and cost
down, therefore it may be difficult to generalize from the results
...

EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
Also called Empirical Research or Cause and Effect Method, it is a data-based
research, coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified with
observation or experiment
...

e
...

-Tenderisers ( independent variable) affect cooking time and texture of meat(
dependent variable)
...

-Develop recipes to use products
...

In such a research, it is necessary to get at facts first hand, at their source, and actively
go about doing certain things to stimulate the production of desired information
...

- Then work to get enough facts (data) to prove or disprove the hypothesis
...

Evidence gathered through experimental or empirical studies today is considered to be
the most powerful support possible for a given hypothesis
...

Ideally, the sample should be representative and allow the researcher to make accurate
estimates of the thoughts and behaviour of the larger population
...

How many people will be surveyed? (Sample Size)
• Large samples give more reliable results than small samples
...

How should the sample be chosen? (Sampling)
• Sample members may be chosen at random from the entire population
( probability sample)
• The researcher might select people who are easier to obtain information from
( nonprobability sample)
The needs of the research project will determine which method is most effective

Types of Samples
Probability samples
Simple random sample: Every member of the population has a known
chance of being selected
...

Cluster(area)sample: The population is divided into mutually exclusive groups such
as blocks, and the researcher draws a sample of the group to interview
...

Judgment sample:
The researcher uses his/her judgement to select population
members who are good prospects for accurate information
...

TOOL FOR DATA COLLECTION (RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS)

The construction of a research instrument or tool for data collection is the most important asp
of a research project because anything you say by way of findings or conclusions is based upo
the type of information you collect, and the data you collect is entirely dependent upon the
questions that you ask of your respondents
...
The research tool provides the input into a
study and therefore the quality and validity of the output (the findings), are solely dependent o
it
...

Step I: Clearly define and individually list all the specific objectives or research
Questions for your study
...

Step III: Take each research question listed in step II and list the information
Required to answer it
...

The Questionnaire:
Structured surveys/ interviews employ the use of a questionnaire
...

The respondents read the questions, interpret what is expected and then write down
the answers themselves
...

Because there are many ways to ask questions, the questionnaire is very flexible
...

There are three basic types of questionnaire:
• Closed –ended
• Open-ended
• Combination of both

1
...

-e
...
multiple choice questions, scale questions
- Type of questions used to generate statistics in quantitative research
...


2
...

-Questionnaire does not contain boxes to tick but instead leaves a blank section for the respon
to write in an answer
...

-As there are no standard answers to these questions, data analysis is more complex
...


3
...

-Begins with a series of closed –ended questions, with boxes to tick or scales to rank, and then
finish with a section of open-ended questions or more detailed response
...
e
...

- Avoid negative questionswhich have not in them as it is confusing for respondent to agree or disagree
...
Questions about educational
qualification or income might elicit this type of response
- Use indirect questions for sensitive issues- in indirect questions respondents can
relate their answer to other people
...
“Don’t Know”
category also needs to be added
...

e
...
“How often do you wash your car?” assumes that respondent has a car and he
washes his car
...
Which respondents will enjoy answering
- If combined questionnaire, keep open ended Qs for the end
...
Into specific topic as this it makes it easier to understand
and follow
...

Piloting the Questionnaire
Once you have constructed your questionnaire, you must pilot it
...

This is done by asking people to read it through and see if there are any ambiguities
which you have not noticed
...
Depending upon your plans, you
might commence interviews, mail out a questionnaire, conduct experiments and/or
make observations
...

- Anyone who collects information for a specific purpose, adhering to the
accepted code of conduct, is a researcher
...

i) Collecting information:
Your request for information may put pressure or create anxiety on a respondent
...
Provided any piece of research is likely
to help society directly or indirectly, it is acceptable to ask questions, if you first
obtain the respondents’ informed consent
...

ii)Seeking consent:
In every discipline it is considered unethical to collect information without the
knowledge of the participant, and their expressed willingness and informed consent
...
It is important that the consent should be voluntary
and without pressure of any kind
...

Is it ethical to provide incentives to respondents to share information with you because
they are giving their time?
Giving a present before data collection is unethical
...


For most people, questions on drug use, pilferage, income, age, marital status etc are
intrusive
...

It is not unethical to ask such questions provided that you tell your respondents the
type of information you are going to ask clearly and frankly, and give them sufficient
time to decide if they want to participate, without any major inducement
...
Harm includes l research that might include hazardous experiments, discomfort,
anxiety, harassment, invasion of privacy, or demeaning or dehumanizing procedures
...
e
...
If the way
information is sought creates anxiety or harassment, you need to take steps to prevent
this
...
Sometimes you need to identify your study population to put your
findings into context
...

It is unethical to identify an individual’s responses
...


b) Ethical issues relating to the researcher:
i) Avoiding bias:
Bias on the part of the researcher is unethical
...

ii) Provision or deprivation of a treatment:
Both the provision and deprivation of a treatment/ intervention may pose an ethical
dilemma for you as a researcher
...
Ensuring informed consent,
‘minimum risk’ and frank discussion as to the implications of participation in the
study will help to resolve ethical issues
...
g
...

iv) Incorrect reporting:
To report the findings in a way that changes or slants them to serve your own or
someone else’s interest, is unethical
...
If so, the study population needs to be protected
...
An example would be a study to examine the feasibility of
restructuring an organization
...

Should you ask respondents for information that is likely to be used against them?
It is ethical to ask questions provided you tell respondents of the potential use of the
information, including the possibility of it being used against
some of them, and you let them decide if they want to participate
...


The Data Processing operations are:
1
...


2
...
Depending on the nature of phenomenon involved
a) Classification according to attributes: here data is analysed on the basis
of common characteristics which can either be
: descriptive such as literacy, sex, religion etc
...

Such classification can be either:
Simple classification: where we consider only one attribute, and divide the universe
into two classes—one class consisting of items possessing the given attribute and the
other class consisting of items which do not possess the given attribute
...
Hotel Employees with MBA Degree

MBA Degree

Yes
21

No
9

Total
30

Manifold classification: Here we consider two or more attributes
simultaneously, and divide the data into a number of classes
...
Educational Qualification of Hotel Employees
Yes
M
MBA Degree 12
B
...
H&HA 15

F
9
15

No
M
F
3
6
0
0

Total
M
F
15
15
15
15

b) Classification according to class –intervals: is done with data relating to
income, age, weight, tariff, production, occupancy etc
...


e
...
persons whose income are within Rs 2001 to Rs 4000 can form one
group or class, those with income within Rs 4001 t0 Rs 6000 can form another group
or class and so on
...


Income Range

Table 3
...
1001-2000
Rs
...
3001-4000
Total

10
8
2
20

50
40
10
100

3
...
It is an orderly arrangement of
data in columns and rows
...

b) It facilitates the process of comparison
...

d) It provides the basis for various statistical computations
...
Simple
tabulation generally results in one-way tables which supply answers to
questions about one characteristic of data only
...


Data Analysis Methods
Qualitative Data Analysis:

Qualitative data analysis is a very personal process with few rigid rules and
procedures
...

Content Analysis means analysis of the contents of an interview in order to identify
the main themes that emerge from the responses given by the respondents
...
Identify the main themes
...
From these responses the researcher develop broad
themes that reflect these meanings People use different words and language to express
themselves
...
These
themes become the basis for analyzing the text of unstructured interviews
...
Assign codes to the main themes: If the researcher wants to count the number
of times a theme has occurred in an interview, he/she needs to select a few responses
to an open- ended question and identify the main themes
...
Write these
themes and assign a code to each of them, using numbers or keywords
...
Classify responses under the main themes: Having identified the themes Next
step is to go through the transcripts of all the interviews and classify the responses
under the different themes
...
Integrate themes and responses into the text of your report: Having identified
responses that fall within different themes, the next step is to integrate into the text of
your report
...
There are others
who count how frequently a theme has occurred, and then provide a sample of the
responses
...


Quantitative Data Analysis:

This method is most suitable for large well designed and well administered surveys
using properly constructed and worded questionnaire
...

Manual Data Analysis:
This can be done if the number of respondents is
reasonably small, and there are not many variables to analyse
...

Manual data analysis is extremely time consuming
...
Detailed headings can be used
or question numbers can be written on each column to code information about the
question
...

In addition, if you want to carry out statistical tests, they have to be calculated
manually
...

Data Analysis Using a Computer:
If you want to analyse data using computer, you should be familiar with the
appropriate program
...

The most common software is SPSS for windows
...


Step8: REPORTING THE FINDINGS:
Writing the report is the last, and for many, the most difficult step of the research
process
...
The report should be
written in an academic style
...


Written Research Project Report Format
Traditional written reports tend to be produced in the following format
...
g
...
Sc Hospitality and Hotel
Administration”
-Date of Publication

Table of Contents
In this section is listed the contents of the report, either in chapters or in subheadings
e
...

Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Page No

Introduction

1

Theoretical Framework and
Review of Related Literature

3

Research Design

30

Chapter III Data Analysis and Interpretation

35

Chapter IV Summary and Conclusion

70

Suggestions for Further Research
References/ Bibliography
Appendices
Appendix I
Appendix II

Questionnaire for Employees
Questionnaire for Managers

75

List of Tables
This section includes title and page number of all tables e
...


Table No
...

31
35

List Of Figures
This section contains title and page number of all graphs, pie charts etc
...
g
...


Title

1
...
Bar Graph showing popularity of menu items

Page No
33
37

Acknowledgements
Here the researcher may acknowledge Institute Principal, Faculty Guide-both
research guide and technical guide, research participants, friends etc
...

It includes a rationale for the research
...
You must indicate from where all the information
Has come, so remember to keep a complete record of everything you read
...
When
you are referring to a particular book or journal article, use the Harvard system
...
After reading this, any
interested party should be able to replicate the research study
...


Data Analysis and Interpretation:
If you have conducted a large quantitative survey, this section may contain tables, graphs,
pie charts and associated statistics
...

Summary and Conclusion:
In this section you sum up your findings and draw conclusions from them, perhaps in
relation to other research or literature
...
A list of clear recommendations
which have been developed from the research is included- sometimes this section is
included at the beginning of the report
...
Perhaps some results are inconclusive, or
perhaps the research has thrown up many more research questions which need to be
addressed
...

List of References /Bibliography

- List of references contains details only of those works cited in the text
...
(larger dissertations or thesis)
- Small research projects will need only a reference section
...
The popular referencing
system Harvard System lists books and periodicals in the following manner:
For Books
1
...
Date of publication
3
...
Place of publication, Publisher
...
g
...
E
...

For Journal Article:
The title of the article appears in inverted commas and name of the journal comes in italics,
followed by volume number and pages of the article
...
g
...
E
...

Appendices do not count towards your total number of pages/words
...


Certification Page:
CERTIFICATE

Certified that this research project titled---------------------------------------------------------------------------- is the bonafide record of work carried out by------------------------- for
final year B
...
Hospitality and Hotel Administration
...
5inches X 11 inches

Margin:

Font:

LeftTopBottom
Right

1
...
R
...

Kumar, Ranjit, 2005, Research Methodology-A Step-by-Step Guide for
Beginners, (2nd
...




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