Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Introduction to Research, Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices (pp. 1-7). USF Tampa Bay Open Access Textbooks Collection. Book 3. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/oa_textbooks/3.

Ong, W., Lee, D., Ye, A., Wu, C. and Liao, S. (2015). IKEA Case Study. Created with Wix.com http://wjong7.wixsite.com/ikeacasestudies

Rabianski, J. S. (2003). Primary and secondary data: Concepts, concerns, errors, and issues. The Appraisal Journal, 71(1), 43-55.

Lunenburg, F. C., & Irby, B. J. (2008;2014;2007;). Writing a successful thesis or dissertation: Tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences (1st ed.). US: Corwin Press. Chapter 1:Selecting a Suitable Topic. (p. 2-15).

Optional Reading
Blackstone, A. (2012). Paradigms, Theories, and How They Shape a Researchers Approach, Principles of Sociological Inquiry (pp. 15-18) http://www.saylor.org/books.

Trochim W. and J. Donnelly (2008). Foundations (Philosophy of Research-Structure of Research), The Research Knowledge Base (3 ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning. http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/intres.php.

Sacramento State University Library (2017.) APA Style Guide: Table 6.1 Basic Citation Styles. http://csus.libguides.com/content.php?pid=134045&sid=1151388

California State University, Chico, Merriam Library (2011). What is a scholarly article? Retrieved from http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/scholarly.pdf

Assignment Overview
In this Case Assignment, we will begin exploring empirical research in its basic form. The purpose of this assignment is to get you acquainted with what empirical research is and what it looks like.

An empirical research article is an article which reports research based on actual observations or experiments. The researcher may have used quantitative methods, which generate numerical data and seek to establish causal relationships between two or more variables, or the researcher may have used qualitative methods, which objectively and critically analyze behaviors, beliefs, feelings, or values with few or no numerical data available for analysis.

You will also discuss the process of identification of a research topic and use this knowledge to practice this important task. This module will give you the opportunity to explore potential topics of study.

Case Assignment
After reading the required background material and finding at least two other resources on your own, write a paper discussing the topic:

Selecting a Suitable Topic in Business Research
In your paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and critical thinking.

What is empirical research and how it is related to applied research?
Describe two topics of your interest and using the information of the book chapter, justify why those two topics could be suitable for your own research. (Remember that this is just an exercise and you do not have to use these topics for your DSP at the end of the program).
Using the material from Bhattacherjee (2012), describe in detail the sources you are using to identify these two topics and also the criteria for topic selection that you are considering.