Research Methods For Business Students

Front Cover......Page 1
Half Title Page......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Brief contents......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
How to use this book......Page 18
Preface......Page 23
Contributors......Page 25
Publisher’s acknowledgements......Page 28
1.1 Introduction......Page 35
1.2 The nature of research......Page 37
1.3 Business and management research......Page 39
1.4 The research process......Page 44
1.5 Keeping a reflective diary or research notebook......Page 46
1.6 The purpose and structure of this book......Page 48
Review and discussion questions......Page 52
References......Page 53
Further reading......Page 55
Catherine Cassell......Page 56
Self-check answers......Page 58
2.1 Introduction......Page 59
2.2 Characteristics of a good research topic......Page 62
2.3 Generating and refining research topic ideas......Page 64
2.4 Developing your research proposal......Page 75
2.5 Writing your research proposal......Page 86
Self-check questions......Page 94
Progressing your research project: Choosing a research topic and developing your re-search proposal......Page 95
References......Page 96
Further reading......Page 97
Kathrin Schwark, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill......Page 98
Self-check answers......Page 102
3.1 Introduction......Page 105
Progressing your research project: Assessing the......Page 0
3.2 Being ‘critical’ and the purposes and forms of review......Page 108
3.3 The content and structure of a critical review......Page 112
3.4 Literature sources......Page 116
3.5 Planning your literature search......Page 123
3.6 Conducting your literature search......Page 127
3.7 Reading critically and evaluating the literature......Page 137
3.8 Note taking and referencing......Page 140
3.9 Using systematic review......Page 143
3.10 Drafting your critical review......Page 145
3.11 A note about plagiarism......Page 148
Self-check questions......Page 149
Review and discussion questions......Page 151
References......Page 152
Further reading......Page 154
Deborah Anderson......Page 155
Self-check answers......Page 159
4.1 Introduction......Page 161
4.2 The philosophical underpinnings of business and management......Page 163
4.3 Research paradigms......Page 171
4.4 Five management philosophies......Page 177
4.5 Approaches to theory development......Page 185
4.6 Summary......Page 192
Review and discussion questions......Page 193
Progressing your research project: Heightening your Awareness of your Research Philosophy (HARP)......Page 194
References......Page 198
Neve Isaeva and Des Williamson......Page 200
Self-check answers......Page 203
5.1 Introduction......Page 205
5.2 Choice and coherence in research design......Page 206
5.3 Methodological choice: the use of a quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods re-search design......Page 208
5.4 Quantitative research designs......Page 209
5.5 Qualitative research designs......Page 212
5.6 Mixed methods research designs......Page 214
5.7 Recognising the purpose of your research design......Page 219
5.8 Choosing a research strategy or strategies......Page 222
5.10 Establishing the ethics of the research design......Page 245
5.11 Establishing the quality of the research design......Page 246
5.12 Taking into account your role as researcher......Page 252
5.13 Summary......Page 253
Self-check questions......Page 254
Progressing your research project: Deciding on your research design......Page 255
References......Page 256
Further reading......Page 259
Bill Lee......Page 260
Self-check answers......Page 262
6.1 Introduction......Page 265
6.2 Issues associated with gaining traditional access......Page 267
6.3 Issues associated with Internet-mediated access......Page 273
6.4 Strategies to gain access......Page 276
6.5 Research ethics and why you should act ethically......Page 285
6.6 Ethical issues at specific stages of the research process......Page 296
6.7 An introduction to the principles of data protection and data management......Page 309
6.8 Summary......Page 313
Self-check questions......Page 314
Progressing your research project: Negotiating access and addressing ethical issues......Page 315
References......Page 316
Further reading......Page 318
William S. Harvey and Andreas Paul Spee......Page 319
Self-check answers......Page 321
7.1 Introduction......Page 325
7.2 Probability sampling......Page 330
7.3 Non-probability sampling......Page 348
7.4 Multi-stage sampling......Page 358
Self-check questions......Page 359
Review and discussion questions......Page 362
References......Page 363
Case 7: Starting-up, not slowing down: social entrepreneurs in an aging society......Page 365
Self-check answers......Page 367
8.1 Introduction......Page 371
8.2 Types of secondary data and uses in research......Page 374
8.3 Advantages and disadvantages of secondary data......Page 384
8.4 Searching for and locating secondary data......Page 388
8.5 Evaluating secondary data sources......Page 393
8.6 Summary......Page 401
Self-check questions......Page 402
suitability of secondary data for your research......Page 403
References......Page 404
Further reading......Page 405
David Houghton......Page 407
Self-check answers......Page 409
9.1 Introduction......Page 411
9.2 Dimensions of observation......Page 413
9.3 Participant observation......Page 423
9.4 Structured observation......Page 433
9.5 Internet-mediated observation......Page 441
9.6 Observation using videography, audio recordings and visual images......Page 447
9.7 Summary......Page 457
Review and discussion questions......Page 458
References......Page 459
Further reading......Page 460
Matina Terzidou......Page 461
Self-check answers......Page 464
10.1 Introduction......Page 467
10.2 Types of research interview and their link to the purpose of research and research strategy......Page 469
10.3 When to use semi-structured and in-depth interviews......Page 477
10.4 Data quality issues associated with semi-structured and in-depth interviews......Page 480
10.5 Preparing for semi-structured or in-depth interviews......Page 484
10.6 Conducting semi-structured or in-depth interviews......Page 488
10.7 Managing logistical and resource issues......Page 498
10.8 Group interviews and focus groups......Page 500
10.9 Telephone interviews......Page 505
10.10 Internet-mediated interviews......Page 509
10.11 Visual interviews......Page 512
10.12 Use of research diaries to collect data......Page 515
10.13 Summary......Page 522
Review and discussion questions......Page 523
Progressing your research project: Using research interviews and research diaries......Page 524
References......Page 525
Further reading......Page 527
Finola Kerrigan......Page 528
Self-check answers......Page 531
11.1 Introduction......Page 535
11.2 An overview of questionnaires......Page 538
11.3 Deciding what data need to be collected......Page 543
11.4 Questionnaire validity and reliability......Page 549
11.5 Designing individual questions......Page 551
11.6 Constructing the questionnaire......Page 566
11.7 Pilot testing......Page 573
11.8 Delivering and collecting the questionnaire......Page 575
11.9 Summary......Page 582
Self-check questions......Page 583
Progressing your research project: Using questionnaires in your research......Page 585
References......Page 586
Almuth McDowall......Page 588
Self-check answers......Page 592
12.1 Introduction......Page 597
12.2 Preparing data for quantitative analysis......Page 600
12.3 Data entry and checking......Page 609
12.4 Exploring and presenting data......Page 614
12.5 Describing data using statistics......Page 630
12.6 Examining relationships, differences and trends using statistics......Page 635
12.7 Summary......Page 657
Self-check questions......Page 658
Review and discussion questions......Page 660
References......Page 661
Frank Bezzina, Vincent Cassar and Simon Grimma......Page 663
Self-check answers......Page 666
13.1 Introduction......Page 669
13.2 The diversity of qualitative data, their implications for analysis and the interactive nature of this process......Page 671
13.3 Key aspects to consider when choosing a qualitative analysis technique......Page 674
13.4 Preparing your data for analysis......Page 677
13.5 Aids to help your analysis......Page 681
13.6 Thematic Analysis......Page 684
13.7 Template Analysis......Page 693
13.8 Explanation Building and Testing......Page 697
13.9 Grounded Theory Method......Page 701
13.10 Narrative Analysis......Page 707
13.11 Discourse Analysis......Page 710
13.12 Visual Analysis......Page 714
13.13 Data Display and Analysis......Page 723
13.14 Using CAQDAS......Page 725
Self-check questions......Page 728
Progressing your research project: Analysing your data qualitatively......Page 729
References......Page 730
Further reading......Page 732
Amanda Lee......Page 733
Self-check answers......Page 736
14.1 Introduction......Page 739
14.2 Undertaking writing......Page 741
14.3 Structuring your project report......Page 745
14.4 Writing reports for different audiences......Page 763
14.5 Making the report’s content clear and accessible......Page 764
14.6 Developing an appropriate writing style......Page 767
14.8 Writing a reflective essay or section......Page 772
14.9 Oral presentation of the report......Page 774
Self-check questions......Page 780
Progressing your research project: Writing your project report......Page 781
Further reading......Page 782
Colin Hughes......Page 783
Self-check answers......Page 785
Bibliography......Page 787
1 Systems of referencing......Page 804
2 Calculating the minimum sample size......Page 822
3 Random sampling numbers......Page 824
4 Guidelines for non-discriminatory language......Page 825
Glossary......Page 829
Index......Page 855
Back Cover......Page 867