Business Research? (With Methods and Examples)

Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1
Business research methodology
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BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2
Business research methodology
1 -Research Questions and Short Form Proposal
1.1 Research Questions
Based on the dataset on the title “Gender, Mental Illness, and Crime in the United States, 2004
(ICPSR 27521)”, from https://rs.io/100-interesting-data-sets-for-statistics/, the following
research questions were identified and will be tested.
i. Is there a statistically significant difference in mean age when first smoke cigarettes
for the genders?
ii. Is there a statistically significant association between ever smoking and ever being
arrested and booked for breaking the law?
iii. Is it true that those from public schools are more likely to involved in ever smoking
than any other school?
iv. What is the relationship between currently enrolled in a school and ever smoking?
1.2 Short form research proposal
In this proposal, various factors contributing to smoking will be identified. All the proposal
components are discussed in the research proposal guide below.
2 - Literature review and methodology development
2.1 Literature review
According to the study by (Bachman, et, al, 2018), the students in the lower grades are likely to
be initiated into smoking habits unlike those in higher grades like senior high school students.
The author further stated that age difference is not statistically significant when these students
who were involved in smoking cigarettes between higher and lower grade students. The above
study investigated the association between smoking and grade difference in smoking but not
smoking and gender differences which the proposed study aims at investigating thus filling the
gap in the literature reviewed.
Besides, some researchers have established that the association between ever smoking and ever
being arrested and booked for breaking the law is significant among the employees, (Gottschalk,
2016). The reviewed finding is on the employees but not the students which the proposed study
will explore thus filling the literature gap. Again, there has been a norm that students from public
schools are more likely to engage in smoking habits unlike those not in public school. Hence, the
proposed study aims to confirm the norm thus coming up with scientific results that can be
generalized to another context.
2.2 Methodology and methods
The study will utilize secondary data with a sample size of 800 students. In addition, a
correlational study design will be used to test the statistical associations between the variables.
Appendix B: Short-form proposal guide and template
1-Title of the project:
Differential factors contributing to ever smoking among students.
2- Statement of purpose:
The research aims to identify some of the differential factors contributing to ever smoking
among students. These factors are derived from the following questions:

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3
i. Is there a statistically significant difference in mean age when first smoke cigarettes
for the genders?
ii. Is there a statistically significant association between ever smoking and ever being
arrested and booked for breaking the law?
iii. Is it true that those from public schools are more likely to involved in ever smoking
than any other school?
iv. What is the relationship between currently enrolled in a school and ever smoking?
3- Background:
Generally, several factors have been thought to have a significant influence, especially on the
adolescents when first initiated into smoking or using specific tobacco products, (Thomeer, et, al,
2019). The results were seen in the adolescent’s lives including but not limited to the display of
being stressed up, isolation, low self-esteem and just loss of interest like in academic affairs.
Also, some students are initiated into such practices by their parents, siblings or other friends
who in one way or the other they see smoking.
As much as efforts have been put in place to teach students and counsel students against such
habits, limited or no studies have focused on the differential factors like gender, age, school type,
and law enforcement whenever students began smoking and this forms the background of the
proposed study.
4- Significance:
The study will give an important finding especially on the association between gender and
smoking so that gender and age-specific policy measures can be adopted while designing
psychosocial support programs to students against smoking. Furthermore, by establishing school
factors exposing students to smoking, specific policymakers can be put in place based on the
school type to discourage students from smoking.
5- Description of the project:
Given the nature of the research questions which is majorly on the associations, the correlational
study design is appropriate since in one way or the other it can give the statistical association
between variables that can inform other future studies.
6- Preliminary literature review:
Some of the articles reviewed include but not limited to Bachman, et, al, 2018 who study
adolescence and Young Adulthood. Transitions Through Adolescence: Interpersonal Domains
and Context to establish an association between student’s grades and smoking patterns. Another
article reviewed was for Gottschalk, (2016) whose main concern was smoking behaviors among
the employees and breaking of the law.
7- Data analysis plan:
The dataset was obtained from https://rs.io/100-interesting-data-sets-for-statistics/ on a study
conducted by Melissa Thompson, Portland State University on Gender, Mental Illness, and
Crime in the United States, 2004 (ICPSR 27521). There was a total of 55,602 observations with
3,011 variables.
The reason for choosing this dataset was to help to understand whether the mean age when first
smoke cigarette differs between the genders as well as establishing the association between ever