Doing research in business and management

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Brief Contents......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
About this text......Page 12
About the authors......Page 16
Acknowledgements......Page 17
 1.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 20
 1.2 Why choosing the right research topic is so important......Page 21
 1.3 Why choosing a research topic is difficult......Page 23
 1.4 Ten ways to generate ideas for a research topic......Page 24
 1.5 How to refine research topic ideas......Page 30
 1.6 What makes a good research topic?......Page 34
 1.7 How to turn a research idea into a research project......Page 37
 Summary......Page 47
 Thinking about your research topic......Page 48
 References......Page 49
 2.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 50
 2.2 What a critical literature review is......Page 51
 2.3 Why it is important to review the literature critically......Page 53
 2.4 The types of literature available to you......Page 56
 2.5 Searching for and obtaining literature......Page 58
 2.6 Evaluating the usefulness of literature to your research......Page 65
 2.7 Reading, noting and correctly referencing useful literature......Page 66
 2.8 Drafting your critical literature review......Page 71
 Summary......Page 74
 Thinking about your critical literature review......Page 75
 References......Page 76
 3.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 77
 3.2 Getting access to your research organisation, respondents and participants......Page 78
 3.3 What about access to information?......Page 80
 3.4 Six strategies for making sure that you get the organisational access you want......Page 81
 3.5 Managing yourself......Page 88
 3.6 Managing your supervisor......Page 90
 3.7 Managing your university......Page 93
 3.8 The ethics of doing research......Page 94
 Summary......Page 102
 References......Page 103
 4.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 104
 4.2 Forms secondary data can take......Page 105
 4.3 The potential of secondary data......Page 112
 4.4 Possible pitfalls of using secondary data......Page 115
 4.5 Assessing the suitability of secondary data......Page 117
 4.6 Where and how to find secondary data......Page 119
 Summary......Page 120
 Thinking about using secondary data......Page 121
 References......Page 122
 5.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 123
 5.2 The importance of research philosophy......Page 125
 5.3 Differing approaches to theory development: deduction, induction and abduction......Page 130
 5.4 Differing purposes: exploratory, descriptive and explanatory studies......Page 134
 5.5 Differing strategies......Page 138
 5.6 Making sure your research conclusions are believable......Page 150
 Summary......Page 154
 References......Page 155
 6.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 156
 6.2 Selecting samples......Page 157
 6.3 Collecting data using questionnaires......Page 167
 6.4 Collecting data using semi-structured or unstructured interviews......Page 177
 6.5 Collecting data using observation......Page 187
 Summary......Page 195
 References......Page 196
 7.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 198
 7.2 Different types of data......Page 199
 7.3 Analysing data quantitatively......Page 202
 7.4 Analysing data qualitatively......Page 221
 Summary......Page 231
 Thinking about analysing data......Page 232
 References......Page 233
 8.1 Why you should read this chapter......Page 234
 8.2 The importance of the research proposal......Page 235
 8.4 What you should include in your research proposal......Page 239
 8.5 The style you should use to write your research proposal......Page 246
 8.6 How your research proposal will be judged......Page 250
 Thinking about your research proposal......Page 256
 References......Page 257
Appendix 1: How to reference......Page 258
Bibliography......Page 266
 D......Page 269
 H......Page 270
 N......Page 271
 Q......Page 272
 R......Page 273
 T......Page 274
 Y......Page 275