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l i st of 1gu rl'
\n ir
f n to l usim: , re C:'arch
Introduction
The meaning of research
Busine5S research
Whv research is important
Rarch in Action- The London O]ympics 2012 logo
Kev concepts of research
H;,.,, business research links to the organization
Research skills
Research process
Differences behveen academic and organizational research
The role of the supervisor
Research in Action: Multi-strategy research
Summa'} ana conclusion
Case study: The relevance of research methods classes
You 're rhe supmnsor
Common questions aud answers
References
Further reading
2 De doping a rcsearc.h topil

Introduction
Nature of your topic
Vvhat makes a good research topic?
How to develop research questions
How to develop aims and objectives
Theory, research questions and objectives
Case study
xxi
1
1
-t
4
6
10
21
24
25
27
30
31
32
32
33
34
35
37
38
43
48
52
55
56
Re.search in Action Are you happy:

Summary and ccmclusion
Case study "fommg a research topic inro aims. objectives a,uI quesnons
Ycm 're the supervisor
Common questions and answers
References
Further reading
.,
uctmg a Ii ratur r \ie,

Introduction
Nature of a literarure review
Literature reYiew process
Sources of literature
Critical review
Structure of a literature review
Research m Action Conducting a stematic literature review
Summary a11d amclusum
Case study. Writing a successful litertUuTI:! review
Ycm 're the superoisor
Common questions ani answers
References
Furr.her reading
4 Add ""ing I c
lntroduction
The nature of ethics
'Vhy do I need to leam about ethics?
Ethical responsibilities to research stakeholders
Ethics across cultures
Ethical aprovaJ for research involving human subjects
Research m Action- Ethical issues and your employer
Summary and cvnclusio,i
Case study Ethical issues prwr to ronducting research
u 're the siipenrisor
Cammon questions and answers
References
Funher reading
5
YI
Est b!1sh 11 :i r c.e r 1 dt.,,gn

Introduction
Nature of your research design
Types of research studv
Types of research design
Testing the quality of research
The research propos.aJ
CONTENTS
Research in Action: The internationalization and brand

development of Chinese firms
The relationship benveen research design and research strategy
Research in Action: Online branding - the case of McDonald'!,
Summary mid condusfon
Case study: Case analysis opttOtrS
You 're the supervisor
References
Further reading
57
57
58
58
59
59
60
GI
61
62
64
""'O
76
Ti
82
84
84
85
85
86
89
90
95
95
103
104
109
110
lIO
1U
11 l
l12
113
115
l] 5
116
117
119
129
136
6 J' 1 1 lata collection

Introduction
What are primary data?
Primary data collection options
Introduction to questionnaires and interviews
Interviews
Questionnaires
Research in Action
Observation
How to conduct fieldwork within your own organization
Cultural issues and data collection
Data collection using online methods
Case study: Samsunj; and SurvevMonkey
Triangulation of data collection
Your project superYisor and primary data collection
Research ID action: Bnnsh Auways pie
Summary and cmiclusion
Case study: Types of interoiew
}'cn.t 're the supenlisor
Common questions a,ul answers
References
Further reading
-
138
142
143
]44
145
]45
145
146
147
149
149
151
J 52
152
153
163
167
174
] 76
176
178
180
181
182
182
J 83
183
184
184
185
186
u;lS7
188
l i ,.,
1d. n data
Introd ucoon
\Vhat are secondary data?
Reasons for basing your research project entirely on
secondary data
Business and secondary data
Reliance on the Internet as a secondary data source
The distinction between literature review and
secondary data ana1ysis
Classifying secondary data
The advantages of secondaJ)' data
189
190
191
191
192
195
CONTENTS
vi
The disadvantages of second

ary data
The usage of foreign langua
ge sources
faaluating secondary data
Presenting second
ary data
Your project supervisor and sec
ondary data
How to link pnmary and sec
ondary data
Research in Action: Examining
sources of secondarv data
Summ.ruy arzd concb.tsion
Case study: Evalu.an,ig and pre
senting seconda ry da ta
You 're the supervisor
References
Further reading
1 l IJ
Introduction
Stages m the sampLng process
St.ige 1: Clearly defU1e your targ
et population
Stage 2: Select your sampung
frame
Stage 3: Choose your sampling
techoique(s)
Stage 4: Determme your sample
size
Stage 5: Collect your data
Stage 6: Assess your response rate
Research in Action: Innocent
Drinks
Summary and coricluSion
Case study
You're the SUJ>en'lSor
Common questions an.d answer
s
References
Further reading
I , , 1 11 tit ttiv(> data

lntroducoon
What is quantitative data ana
lysis?
Preparing your data fur analys1
5
Summarizing and presenting you
r data
Describmg your data
rnferenrial st.atistics
How do I know which st.<itisti
caJ tests to use?
Statisocal software packages
Preparing your data for analysi
s using SPSS
Entering your data into SPSS
Producing descriptive statistics
usmg SPSS
Producing charts usmg SPSS
Research in Action: Using des
cnptive statistrcs and
hypothesis testing
...........__________
vi.
OONTENTs
196
'99
200
20)
202
20 3
203
204
205
205
206
207
207
_(JIJ
209
10
210
212
212
220
224
224
225
226
227
227
227
228
229
231
232
234
237
244
254
26-
267
268
270
27]
271
273
:2.74
274
Sumrnarv and concfo.sion

."..l., Flexible u,rt,rking _ descnpri.ve suuisrics
Case stty.
275
276
276
276
You 're rhe supenrisor
Cammati questions and answers

References
Furtlier reading
Z-9
10 Anahz. .. t I tati\l' data

Introdua:ion
\J\,'hat is qualitati,e analysis?
Steps in qualitative analysis
Transcribing your data
Reading and generating categories, themes and patterns
Interpreting your findings
Approaches to qualitative analysis
Quantifving quaLt.ative data: Content analySJ.S
\,'\fh.ich ualitative approach should I use to analyze mj, data?
Qualitative analytical sofuvare packa es
.
.
_aoal,sIS
,.
Research in Action: Undertaking qualitative content
Summary and conclusion
Case study: Corporate tlisioizs of Japan's l.eading brands
You're the .supen>i.sor
Common questions arul answers
References
Further reading
II
27
280
282
282
284
288
288
292
293
294
294
295
296
298
298
299
300
301
301
302
307
315
. ' i. ' nd pre cuti ig ,; ur r-.ear h

Introduction
V\lbere co start - writing up
Structure of a research project
. .,
What are the criteria for evaluating a research proJect.
Presenting your research project
.
Common errors found in student research pro1ects
Wr1ting up and yous project supervisor
Research in Action: Writing an abstract
Swnmmy and conclusion
Case study: Submitting a researclz project
You're tire supervisor
Cammon questions and answers
References
Further readi ng
317
323
323
324
325
325
326
326
327
327
(,lo<.sar)
Index
329
339
CONTENTS
IX
List of Figures
1.1 The Honeycomb of Research Methodology

1.2 How theory fits into your research
13
1.3 Possible steps taken by a market research agency
20
1.6 Research process, mduding the role of the research supervisor
22
29
29
2.1 Narrowing down your research topic

2.2 Sources of ideas
41
44
1 4 The pnnciples of the l\.1RS 'code of conduct'

1.5 Extract from a student/supervisor meeting log
23 An example of a mind map
24 Relationship ben,,,.een problem, aims, objectives and questions

4 1
Re.search stakeholders
46
55
91
4.2 Ethics application form
107
108
5.1 The Honeycomb of Research tvlethodology

5.2 Case study research designs
5.3 Examples of case .selection options
5.4 internal and external validit:y
l 17
4.3
Participant consent fonn
6.1 The Ho11eycomb of Research Methodology

6.2 Pnmary data collect10n tools and survey methods
6.3 Stages m the interview process
6.4 Interview methods
6.5 Example of a completed semantic differential question
121
123
133
150
152
1S5
161
171
7.1 Classification of secondary data
192
8.1 Stages in the sampling process
211
82 Relationship benveen population. sampling frame and sample

8.3 Sampling techniques
8.4 Stages to stratified sampling
8.5 An e.xample of stratified sampling
213
215
217
217
9.1 The Honeycomb of Research

Methodology
9.2 Example of an extract fro
m a data spreadsheet
9.3 Sal for ABC Lt.cl (first qua
rter 2008)
9.4 A pie chart showing marke
t share figures for
construction companies
9.5 Numbers of employees in
ad,enising agencies
9.6 HJStogram showing cus
tomer waiting times
9. 7 Scatter diagram showin
g a strong positive hnear cor
relation
9.8 The output of a dnnks fac
tory over a period of three yea
rs
9.9 The Vanable View after
we have named and defined
the properties of the variabl
es
9.10 The Dat,a View after we
have entered the data
9.11 Descriptive statistics for
household spending
9. l 2 A bar chan for nationalit
y
9.13 A frequency table for nationa
lity
10.] The Honeycomb of Res
earch I\.1ethodology
W.2 Example of an extract fro
m a verbatim transcript
10.3 Example of a coded extra
ct from an interview transcript
10.4 Stages rn grounded theory
] 1.] Structure of an argument
1 J.2 Structure when testing
a theory
l 1.3 Example of a title page
11.4 Example of how to stru
cture a contents page
11.5 Research project assessme
nt critena
11.6 Daily fruit saJes for ABC
G rocers Ltd
x[
LIST OF AGURES
List of Tables
133
234
240
241
242
243
253
254
270
270
27]
272
272
28]
283
286
289
308
308
312
3)4
317
318
1.1 Examples of business research

] .2 Your research questions answered
1.3 Major differences between deductive and inductive
approaches to research
1.4 Positivism, interpretiv1sm and pragmatism epistemologies
1.5 Research methods - examples of learrung outcomes
2.1 Sample topics by area, field and aspect
2.2 Research questions and their relationship to
the 'broken vase' method
3.1 How important is trust and commitment in business-to-business
relationships?
3.2 How important is trust and commitment in business-to-business
relationships? (2)
3.3 A comparison of academic and newspaper articles
3.4 Academic journals
3.5 Comparing defmitions of trust in inter-flnn relationships
14
19
23
42
52
66
67
72
72
79
5.1 The relat.ionship benveen purpose of research, research design

and research strategy
143
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
Differences between questionnaire and interviev.

Examples of reverse questions
Example of a category question
Examples of closed questions
Examples of multiple choice questions
Example of a Likert-scale question
Example of a completed rank order quesuon
Comparing online survey tools and the services they offer
153
165
165
169
169
170
171
179
7.]
7.2
7.3
7.-l
7.5
Useful electronic daG1 sources

An example of raw data
An example of processed (cooked) data
Evaluating information sources
FDI by type of investment
193
198
198
200
202
8 I Strengths and weaknesses of sampling techniques

8.2 Sample s1.2e for 5% precision levels where confidence l evel is
95% and P = .5
9.1 Examples of descriptive statistics
9.2 Frequency distribution table: number of cars among
company directors
9.3 Frequency distribution showing salaries among employees
9.4 A summary of market share figures for seven
construction companies
9.5 >lumbers of departmentaJ emplorees
9.6 Frequency table shmvmg customer waiting times
9. 7 Calculating the mean in a set of grouped data sales staff monthly bonuses
9.8 Finding the mean and standard deviation
9.9 Number of returned items over 12 months
9.10 Number of returned items in ascending order
9 .11 Number of returned items over I 1 months
9.12 A\'erage price of new cars over time
9.13 Index of new car sale prices (1978-82)
9. l .,t Car manufacturer supplier purchases (2004/05)
9.15 Cross-tahuJation showing nationality by gender for
business school students
9.16 Examples of' mferent,a[ statistics
9.17 Possible outcomes of a hypothesis test
9.18 Confidence level For each mterval and respective cntical value
9.19 Production output data
9.20 Ranked data based on company size and profit
9.21 Employee sick leave over a 12-month period
9.22 The chi-squared table
9.23 Extract from a darn spreadsheet
9.24 Sales data
10. l Coding fi-ame for qualitative research
l0.2. Example of a codmg frame - Chinese concept of guanxi
10.3 Themes of advertisements for hotel chains and
independent hotels
11.1
11.2
11.3
I] .4
Time allocation to writing your research project

Examples of po!Jtically correct and incorrect terms
Structure of a research report
Frequency of employees attending a health anJ
safety Lraining programme
11.5 Typical viva questions
xlv
UST !lf TABLES
Companion Website
221
223
238
($)SAGE
238
239
241
242
Book Home
243
245
248
249
249
2-19
250
25]
-,--,
_.,_
252
255
257
2.58
262
263
264
265
268
275
286
287
293
303
305
309
3]8
321
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Preface to the second edition
This book is dedicated to my students at Anglia Ruskin l:niversitv v,,;ho remind me

why I decided to become a lecturer in the first place. I would als like to dedicate
this book to my fami.Jy, especially my beautiful daughter Jemma and mother Jean
It is only due to their love and suppon that I was able to write this book.
Since the publication of the first edition in 2010, the feedback J have received from
both lecturers and students suggests that Essentials of Business Research: A Guide to
Doing Yaur Research Project has delivered on what it set out to achlei,.e. That LS,
to offer a concise, student-focused guide to business research. ln most cases, the
feedback has been overwhe]mingly positive - it is always nice to receive a positive
response from readers, especially students] However, when \vriting the second
edition 1 was particularly interested in some of the recommendations as to areas of
t01provernent. I am grateful for these suggestions and have tried to incorporate
many of them in the new edition.
Like the first edition, this book is intended for both undergraduate and
postgraduate students W1dertaking a research methods module and/or business
research project. It is also an ideal text for research project supervisors and those
teaching research methods. In relation to the latter, the book is set out with this i.n
mind. Each chapter is organized in a clear; thematic way therefore making it
straightforv...ard for students to foUow.
V{hy the need for a second echtion? Has wnting a research proJect really changed
that much in the last three years? \Veil, in many cases, no it hasn't. The research
proJect continues to be a feature of many university degree programmes. Moreover,
it remains a significant piece of work that is often the culmination of three or four
years of study. However. certainly from my ov,.rn experience of teaching research
methods and supervising students, it is apparent that there are particular elements
of the research process that are often difficult for students to grasp. One of these
elements is research methodology. As with the fost edition, this book provides. a
detailed overview of research methodology. Yet, in an attempt to make the whole
1ssue of methodological approach more explicit, I have introduced the Honeycomb
of Research Methodology m Chapter 1 The mam arm behind th.is framework is to
illustrate the key concepts of research in a honeycomb diagram, so as to show you
m simple terms how they fit into your research methodology.
In this edition, I have striven to introduce new matenal and pedagogical
features which improYe the book and reflect changes in the subject area. For
example, in the re1ative1y short period of time since the first publication there are
certain things that have changed. Undoubtedly, students are increasingly mo\ing
away from more traditiona1 data collection too]s to online data collection. The ease
of use and accessibility means that there JS a growing trend towards web-based data
collection tools such as Survey 'l\.lonkey, so Chapter 6 has been expanded to
include a section looking at online data collection. A new pedagogical feature m
each chapter is 'Research in Action'. This examines a particular aspect of an actuaJ

academic pie ce of research or research practice, dep ending on the topic covered
within the chapter. More general updates include new case studies and leamin
material to aid business students with their research project. Once again, J have
introduced student case studies as many students are interested in the challenges
faced by their peers.
A popular feature in the first edition and included in this revised book i5 You're
the supervisor'. This requires the reader to take on the role of the research supervisor
by answering typical student questions. The importance of the super'\'isor LS stressed
throughout, as they typically play an important role in the research process. At
the end of each chapter there is also a case study common questions and answers,
references and further reading. A useful glossary section is provided at the end of the
book These are all intended to help test and further your knowledge of the subject.
It is worth noting that I have avoided making major changes and have endeavoured
to maintain the conciseness and student focus that was so well received m the first
edition. A summary of the key features include:
project. finally, I would like to express my gratitude to lecturers, students and

re\'iewers who proY1ded tn'\'aluable feedback on the fin;.t book: I op e that readers
_
will provide a similar le\"el of feedback on this revised second edmon.
Jonathan Wilson, Cambridge
vou're the Supervisor' sections - helps students to meet their learning outcomes;
'Common questions and answers' - provides students with an invaluable point of refer
ence for some of the challenges they are likely to face while undertaking their research
prorect;
Research in Action.
a full student glossary;
student case studies:
annotated further reading sections and summary and references at the end of each chapter.
This edition also includes a revised companion website containing e>.."tensi\'e material
for lecturers and students, mcluding:
chapter-by-chapter links to academic journal articles demonstrating each method's application,
chapter-by-chapter links to YouTube resources to provide further context;
chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint slides to help lecturers and students;
copies of completed student research projects;
author video and audio podcasts.
The l l hapter structure of the first edition remains the s.ime; Chapter l sets out
by introducing business re.search, in particular ilie differences between academic
and organizational research. In Chapter 2 we concentrate on how co develop a
research topic Chapter 3 focuses on hov. to conduct a literature review, v.hile
Chapter 4 deaJs with the importance of addressing ethical issues.. Chapter 5 looks
at establishing a research design, Chapters 6 to 7 des<:ribe data collect1on - primary
and second ary, respectively. In Chapter 8 we focus on sampling techniques. I also
gjve ad,ice on how to overcome sampling problems. Chapters 9 and 10 examine
data analysis, the former being quantitative analysl5, while the latter qualitative
an.ilysis. Finally, Chapter 11 deals with the important task of writing up. [t provides
a detailed look at the typical structure, content and presentation of your research
1
.l
PREFACE
PREFACE
XIX
Acknowledgements
I am grateful for the support I have received from my rnlleagues, friends and famiJy
during the writ.mg of chis book. I am particular!) indebted to .lai Seaman of Sage
Publications for her commitment and guidance throughout the publication process.
I would also like to acknowledge the invaluable feedback from my students at
Anglia Ruskin University. I have taken on board man) of their comments in this
revised second edition.
Above all, I would like to e."\.'tend my smcere 1?rat1tude to my former PhD
supervisor Dr Ross Brennan, now at the University of Hertfordshire, ,vho has been
instrumental throughout my acadenuc career.
I am grateful to the following for pernusston to reproduce copyright material:
Table 1.3 from Saunders. M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2007) Research Methods for Business
Students (4th edn). repnnted IJy permission of Prentice Hall, Harlow, Essex:
Figure 1.4 reprinted tJv permission of The Marl<et Research Society;

Table 1.5 and an extract from 'ARU presentation and submission of major proiects and
dissertations for taught higher degrees', 5th edn. September 2007, reprinted by permission or
Anglia Ruskin University;
Pages JO-31 'ICT: Is it still a turn on?' Clapperton, G., 1he Guardian, reprinted by permission
of Guardian News & Media;
Pages 39-40 'Difficulty issues'. rrom jankowicz, A.D. (2005) Business Research Projects.
Copyright2005 Cengage Leaming. Reproduced with permission from Cengage Learning
Page 105 'Professional standards, ethics and disciplinary procedures in accordance with Royal
Charter bye-laws, reprinted bv permission of the Chartered lnstttute of Marketing;
Table 3.5 from Raimondo, M. (2000) 'The measurement of trust in marketing studies: A review
of models and methodologies' Proceedings of the 16th Annual IMP Conference. Bath.
Septemr. reprinted witt, kind permission from the author
Page 308 'Structure of an argument', from Levin, P. (2005) Excellent Drssertations. reprinted
by permission of Mctiraw-Hill:
Page 308 'Structure when testing a theory'. from Levin, P. ( 200 5) Excellent Oissertations.
reprinted by permission of McGraw-Hill:
Figure 7.2 from Blumberg. 8., Cooper, D.R. and Schindler, P.S. (2008) Business Research
Methods (2nd edn). reprinted IJy permission of McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead;
Table 8.1 from Malhotra, N.K. and Bif1<s, O.F. (2006) Marketing Research; An Applied Approach
(2nd e<fn). reprinted by permission of Prentice Hall, Harlow, Essex:
Figure 11.5 from Saunders. M.N.K. and Davis, S.M. (1998) 'The use of assessment criteria to
ensure consistency of marking'. Quality AsSlJrance in Education, 6 (3): 162-71; reprinted by
permission of Emerald Publishing Ltd.
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. However, if any bave been
inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary
arrangement at the earliest opportunity.
An Introduction to Business
Research
After reading this chapter. you should be able to:

know what research and business research are, and why they are important in both
business and academia;
understand the key concepts of research;
be aware of the relationship between the key concepts of research as illustrated tn the
'Honevcomb or Research Methodology';
understand the rationale ror using multi-strategy research;
appreciate haw business research is linked to the organization;
be aware of the research skills required to undertake research;
know tt,e stages in the research proass;
understand the differences between academic and organizational research; anll
know the role played by research project supervisors and the kind of support they proviele.
lntroductinri
Research is one of those words that you are likely to come across on an almost daily
basis. You may have read in the newspaper that the latest market research study
Im.ks passive smoking to an increased likelihood of lung cancer. Or perhaps a ne'\ovs
headline makes reference to a groundbreaking piece of medical research into a pos
sible cure for HIVIAIDS. To be sure, illustrations of vanous types of research are
regularly publicized in the media However, the mformation provided often only
relates to research findings. v\l'hat ex:actly is research? What distinguishes business
research from other types of research? Tus chapter aun.s to answer these questions
and sets out to prmide a clear introduction to business research.
This ch.apter starts by clearly defining and explaining research, and more impor
tantly business research. In order to emphasize the message that an understanding
XXI
ACKNOWl.EDGEMENTS
of research, methodology and methods is an essential requirement to your project,

we s pend a reasonable amount of time looking at these particular terms. Following
this, readers are first mtroduced to The Honeycmnb of Research Methodology. This is
a new feature of the second edition. One of the aims of the honeycomb is to show
the six main elements th.at combine to make up the centre segment - research
methodology. We begin by examining the first three of these elements, also referred
to as the 'key concepts of research', and consider the relationship bet-Neen all th:ree
concepts, The other elements of the honeycomb are addressed later in the book.
Next, we look at how business research is linked to the organization and explore the
necessary research skills required to be an effective researcher. This is followed by
an overv1ew of the likely steps that you will go through when conducting your
research. Although the majority of this book is aimed at business students, the next
part of this introductory chapter provides an insight into the differences be"'een
academic and organizational research. tvlature students and those of you who have
workecl within a business setting may already be familiar with the nature of organ
izationa1 research. However, it is important to understand the differences that exist,
not least because it will impact on your approach towards your research proJect.
The last section looks at the role of the project supervisor. The importance of
your project supervisor cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately, many students
fail to use their supenrisor to good effect. Therefore, l have included a section,
'The ro1e of the supervisor', in Chapter l in orde.r to illustrate the importance of
the supervisor from the outset. Finally, the chapter concludes with a case study,
'You're the supervisor', and common questions and atlS',\'ers. These pedagogical
features are a common theme within each chapter. They are designed to a1d you
during the research process by including actual student case examples, common
student questions that I have come across in the contell"t of project supervision, and
nnally what l call role reversal', where you are required to answer questions from
the project supervisor's perspective.
QI
JlAo;injn
nf
Rec;p;irch
Although the title of this book makes reference to 'business research', I think 1t is
worth having a review of what is actually meant by the term 'research'. The major
ity of students usually take some kind of research skills module as part of their study
programme. For that reason, some of you may have an understanding of what 1s
meant by research.
Wbi]e research is important in both business and academia, there is no consensus
in the literature on how it should be defined. The main reason for this is that dif
ferent people can interpret research differently. However, from the many definitions
th.ere appears to be conformity th.at:
research is a proa!ss of enquiry and Investigation;
it is systematic and methodical; and
research increases knowledge.
2
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
Let us look at each of the abO\e points in turn. Fi:rst. a 'process of enquiry and
investigation' suggests that research is all about having a predetermined .>et of ques
tions. and then auning to answer these questions through the gathering of information,
and later anaJysis. Second, 'systemattc and methodical' imply that your research must
be well organized and go through a series of stages. Finally, research increases knowl
edge is relatively self-explanatory. Your own knowledge about your chosen subject will
certainly improve as a result of your research, but so too, hopefully, will that of your
audience, and this may also include your pro1ect supe1V1sor!
Research can be defined as a step-by-step process that involves the collecting,
recording, analyzing and interpreting of information'. As researchers, we are inter
ested in improving our knowledge and understanding of our chosen topic. To do this
effectively, researchers must have a clear set of research questions. The importance
of research questions cannot be stressed highly enough. The research questions are
the main focus of any projec.t, and can probably best be described as 'rhe glue that
holds the project together'.
Generally speaking, research is alJ about generating answers to questions - to
advance knowledge. The nature of these questions depends on the topic of research.
For example, a marketer might carry out research to investigate consumer percep
tions about a certain brand. Or a medical researcher might want to explore the
association bet"veeo recovery times and different medical treatments. Although the
research questions are tailored towards a partiL"Ular topic, essentially the process
that researchers go through usuall, involves a similar series of stages, and I shall
address these later on in this chapter.
Io addition to research. it is likely that you have come across methods and merh
odology. It is necessary to distinguish the difference betv.een the two terms as stu
dents often use them .interchangeably, although there is a distinct difference. Metli
odolott, can be defined as 'the approach and strategy used to conduct research'. ln
generaJ, methodology is concerned with the overall approach to the research pro
cess. This includes everything from your theoretical application to the coUection
and analysis of you:r data. On the other hand, merhods refer to the different Nays by
which data can be coUected and anal yzed.
11c:jru:u;c: Do
r.-h
The purpose of business research is to gather information ill order to aid business
related decision-making. Busittess research is defined as 'the systematic and objective
process of collecting, recording, analyzing and interpreting data for aid in solving
managerial problems'. These managerial problems can be linked to any business
function, e.g. human resources, firumce., marketing or research and development.
Your research proJect can also be interpreted as business research in the sense that 1t
will be related to business and management. In some cases, this may encompass more
than one particular business discipline. For instance, a study might focus on the level
of marketing knowledge among finance managers (marketing and finance). Some
mples of areas of business and pos.sible research issues are shown m Table l. l.
AN INTROOUCTION TO BUSINESS R:ESEARCli
TABLE 1.1
E: mpt.es
Business aspet
Research issues
i:onslJmer beria1,loor
rlUman tesrurces
Prclnotian
Buying habits. t:.aml preferem:e. c:oosume1 attltudes

Employe e attitudes, staff retention, matenal ncenti
Media research. ollbUc relationsstuoies. proooct recall throug,, ao,-ertiS1ng
'"est makets, concept stuales. perfonnance studies
Forecasting. bu. etf1tiencv of accounting software
Procklct
Finaoce
Why Research is
Im
nrtant
We have already established that research is all about prm,;din answers to ques
tions and developing knm, ledee. These que!>t,ons m themsd,e.., are significant,
hence the need to conduct research. You are likely to ha, e rnnducted your own
research to address questions that are important to you For example, if the inter
national students among you wish to return home for Chnstmas, 1t is unlikely that
you would buy a ticket from the Hrst airline that you see advertised . ln!)tead, you
would probably do some research to find out if there exists a cheaper alternative
carrier. This may involve exploring ,arious airline websites, or asking friends and
family. Quite simply, research is the key to decision-making. \"''ithout sufficient
information, decision-making 1s likely to be more diftkult.
Importance of research in business
In business, research is important in 1denofying opportunities and threats. Often, a

company's success or failure is dependent on the actions undertaken as a result of
conducting research. Although Larrymg out business research does not guarantee
success, it ts likely to increa.st> the possibility that a m:w product, service, branJ
identity or even an event is successful. [n some cases, the level of research conducted
can be questionable, epecially if public opinion is markedl) different to that of an
organization's\ ie.,vpomt, as illustrated in the follo,..vmg c:ac.e example.
The London Olympics 2012 logo

The Logo o f the London 2012 Dlvmpic Games was unveiled to the world in June 2007. At a cost
of 400.000. it was hailed as dynam ic' and Vtoranr by organizers, while its graffiti style' was
desi gned to appeal to the yoonger g eneration and work across a variety of media platforms.
Designed by leading brand consultants Vtlol.ff Olins, the logo took the best part or a year to
produce and bears a resemblance to the yea r 2012. However, shortly after its launch, the design
came up against widespread disapproval, with one Jewish person even ringing t he BBC to complain
that 1t was rerruniscent of the infamous Nazi SS symooL
4
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS RESEAROi
Design guru Stephen Bayley condemned it as a puerile mess, an artistic flop and a commercial
scandal'. An ooline petition to get the logo scrapped received thousands of signatures, while
research conducted by lpsos MORI. one of the UK's leading res earch companies. found a similarty
negative response. For example. when questioned 'Do you approve or disapprove of the Logo?'
only 16% of respondents commented that they approved of the logo.
Although the LDndon Organising Committe e of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG)
stressed that the Logo was paid for by private money. Mr Bayley voiced his astonishment that the
emblem - available in blue. pink. green and orae - had cost 400.000. "That's outrageous,'
he said. 'lhere are 5,000 talented designers who could have done the ,ob for 10, 000.' (Cartin.
200 7; lpsos MORI, 2007)
In the case of the Lon<lon Olvmp1cs 2012 logo, 1t can be questioned as to
whether LOCOG carried out sufficient re5earch prior to choosing the new logo.
Later media coverage suggests that many people eventually warmed to the design,
thus U lustrating that business research may only provide a snapshot of people's
opinion, and that attitudes can change over time.
Why studyin rP<:Prch methods is important
Tht> London Olympics 2012 logo example highlights why research is important m a
commercial setting However, s mentioned in the introduction, it is also an impor
tant part of your course. Your research proiect is probably the culmination of three
to four vea of hard study. Yet, for those students who participate in a research skills
module 35 part of their study programme, in some cast.--s the module is perceived as
not being essential, or even relevant. There are perhaps two reac;ons for this. First, it
is often embedded within a course and sits alongside modules that are relevant to
vour chosen subject. For e.xample, if you are studying a flnance degree, you will prob
;blr take modules in auditing, management accounung corporate finance, etc. Yet a
firs,, glance at your study timetable may raise the question '\.Yhat is this module?', or
perhaps 'I'm he.re to study for a degree in finance, not research skills' A common
problem facing us poor lecturers is to try to get across the message chat research . l:lls
is relevant to your course, prmides a wide range of transferable skills and, abovt: all,
serves to provide the necessary skills in order to succe55fully complete your n:scarch
project. Second, when taking a research skills module, students usually ha\'e a wide
range of questions from the outset. In general, if these questions are addressed early,
1t can {.ertainly help to alle\'iate some of the apprehension regarding the subject.
Examples of some of the more common questions students tend to ask towards the
beginning of learning research slulls is shown in Table 1.2.
What are the long-term benefits of studying research skills?
As mentioned in the short term, the primary importance of studying research skills
is so that you are aware of what is required in order to sat:isfactorUy complete your
AN INTRODUCTION 10 BUSiNESS RESEARCH
TA,I_I: 1.2
Question
Answer
IM!ai is rese.arrn?
Resean:ti can be ciefinee! as a 'steti-bv-ste,i proce:ss th.at irw!X'l'E5 the

collecting, reCOf'ding, analyzing anc! intf?fpreting of information
An essentlal part or mDt busmess-re1ated stui1\t progran1mes is the
research project. Leanirng aoout business researr.11 helps you to
successfullv complete iOur projec.t as well as provide 1ra11sferable Sl<i!Ls
that can be used rn a wide 1ariety of tJusiness and mana,gemeflt
oositi:Jns.
This Dool< fully exp1.a1ris eVEr(Jliflg you need to k:now aboot how to
conooct re:sean:ti. By Ule eno of the book you should oe in a pas.moo 10
answer this Question!
Tnis migtit seem obvious. Hcme\'er, lntemaliona studertts rnav decide to
a.ioouct research in their avm count,y. pamrularty iF focusing on
aoss-OJ!tural research, while tf1ose srudems wflo work p-art-time may
coorJuct some aspects Of their research in the worlq)lace.
In genera[, unaertalcir,g your research p,roject cnmmences towaros the
end of voor final year of Stud\'. However. checi< with 'l'OI.Jr university Cl(
college.
LVliv do I need ro team

aoout 111.lsfn.ess
research?
How cJo I ccmdvct
researcti?
Wllere do I eondlJct
reseafC.!17
When oo I conouct
research?
research project. However, the skills learned through studying research skills can
also have long-term benefits, such as helping you to become a better reader of the
research of others. This is an important skill for anyone going into business. For
instance, at some point in your career you will probably be required to read and
interpret a business report. This could be on any subJect. If you have learned about
research skilL. and research in general, then you are far more likely to be capable of
understanding the study, not to mention interpreting the results and drawing your
own condusions.
Having experience of carrying out research is also an important requirement
if ou wish to continue with your education. Like undergraduate degrees, mas
ter's programmes usually require the submission of a major research project.
These tend to be based on a larger number of words (typicaJJy 20,000-25,000).
Yet much of what you learn through studying research skills can still be fullv
applied.
1< eu fn rpn s of Recor,:.,

Having established the nature of research - in particular business research and why
research is important - this next section takes a more theoretical look at research.
Under the broad heading of 'key concepts of research', we shaU look at research
philosophies, research approaches and research strategies. By the end of this section
you should understand each of these concepts, how they relate to your research
project and the relationship benveen them.
6
ESSENTIALS OF BUSJNESS RESEARCH
Tt,p HonPvrol'"'lh "" pnraz,.-:h M2thodology

1n order to understand the key concepts of research and how they fit into your
methodology we now con.sider the R07leycomb of R.eseardi Methodology (see Figure 1.1 ).
ln this honeycomb, the three highlighted elements or key concepts of research are
joined with three other eJements to make up research methodology. Put another
way, i.n the honeycomb, the six main elements - namely: (I) research philosophy;
{2) research approach; (3) research strategy; (4) research design (5) data coUection
and (6) data analyS1S techniques - come together to form research methodology.
This structure is characteristic of the main headings you v.ill find in a methoclology
chapter in a business research project. The purpose of the numbered segments 1s to
help you to see at which stage each element faJls within the chapter.
Earlier in the chapter we looked at methodolog) noting that there is a distinc
tion between methodology and methods. At thjs point, it is also worth stressing that
there are many different interpretations of 'research methodology'. Once again, my
view is that: methodology 1s 'the approach and strategy used to conduct research'.
Se\eral authors share a similar vie'N. For example, Somekh and Lewin (2005 346)
defined methodology as both 'the collection of methods or ruJes by which a par
ticular piece of research is undertaken' and the principles, theories and values that
underpin a particular approach to research' By way of example, let us say you
wanted to construct your own house. Your methodology would nol only include
your proposed plan, but also consideration would be made as to the type of materi
als. timeframe, the approach to building the house, your \.'iews on sustainability and
quality controls.
The highlighted segments in Figure 1.1 mclude a hst of the main research phi
losophies, research approaches and research strategies, respecti\'ely. \Ve will e.xamine
the contents of each list later in this section. Howe\er, they are by no means exhaus
tive. In particular, you will come across a wide range of different types of research
philosophies. It is important that you read additional Jiterature on these key con
cepts as It will give you a more m-depth understanding of how they might feature
in your own research
How does the Honeycomb of Research Methodology compare to other research
mode.ls? Several research methods textbooks sho1.,- the fundamentals of research
methodology m the form of either a Linear-type diagram, or a series of layers.
Although these types of examples are ideal for highJjghting the elements set out in
the honeycomb, they often fail to address three key issues. First, although a resea.rch
methodology chapter typically follows a set structure, you may not necessarily con
sider each element in the order that it is structured ,vithin the chapter. For example,
once your research strategy has emerged from your research approach, Tour ne.c,...-t
step might be to decide to conduct interviews (data collection) and then choose to
analyze a single case (research design). This is 'o\'hy the Honeycomb of Research
Methodology not only shows the typical structure of a research methodology chap
ter by including numbered segments, hut also recognizes the fact that the thought
process may not necessarily he linear. This is illustrated by showing the six outer
elements combining to make up the centre segment, research methodology, as
AN [NTRODUCT10N T1J BUSINESS RESEARCH
0escr1p41ve stallsues
ln1erenllal sta11stJcs
Grounded !heofy
Narrative analys1s
Disoou,se anal!,'Sis
Visual analsls
Con.t.efll analysts
lntervi8'NS
Ouestlonna,res
Observalion
Secondary data
/
Dela analyss
techniques
6
Resea.rch
Methodology
Data colSecl>on
5
R8"le8J'Ch
design
4
Eplstemoogy Positivism,
ln1erore1Nism. Pragmallsm
Ontolog;: Objecti11lsm, SubJectMsm
Aloology: Value-free, &3sed
lnducbve
Deductive
Resean;t,
sJrateg;
3
Ouant1tallve
Oualitaliile
Combmlng quarnitat1'le end
qualilal1ve s1rategies
tmuHlslrategv research}
Action research
Case study
Expenmental
Longillldlnal
Cross-sectional
An::t,jyaJ anaJys.as
Comparall\>e
FIGURE 11 11 e
vcomD
esear
Memodotogv
20 3
arhan V, tson)
opposed to a senes of stages or layers. Second, other reseaicb models clo not always
indicate the link or relationship between each of the elements. And finally, the six
elements are not always considered in the context ofwnting a methodology chapter
as part of a business research projecr
\Ve ,.vilJ now consider the three key concepts of research. Other elements of the
Honeycomb of Research Methodology are e..-xplored later in the book. Research desi
1S examined in Chapter 5, vdwe data collection is covered in Chapters 6 and 7.
Finally, data analysis techniques are considered in Chapters 9 and 10, along w1ch a
sununary on the relationship between the six elements.
r--i:ar,..h otiiloso'Jrv
In gene.ral. your research philosophy is linked to your views on the development of
knowledge. ln other words. what you think constitutes knowledge will impact the
way that you go about your research. Subconsciously, this is something that comes
naturaUy. Nonetheless, an understanding of research philosophy is important
because it is fundamental to how you approach your research. Mark Easterby-Srnith
et al. (2002) suggest there are three reasons why an understanding of philosophical
issues is very useful. First, it can help to clarify resea.n:lr designs. This entails consid
ering the type of evidence required and ho'w it is to be collected and interpreted
Second, knowledge of philosophy can help the researcher to recognize \vbicb
designs work best Finally, knm.v)edge of philosophy can help the researcher identify
B
and adapt research designs according to the constraints of different subject or

knowledge structures. ln short, an understanding of research ph.ilosophy is irnpor
cant as it gets you thinking about your own role as a researcher. Research philoso
plnes are now fully explained in the ne."\.,. section.
Episterr'lo."lgy ( ,,ha.. i tfie naurc ...., knowlPr1ge.,,

pistet11oli:Jgy refers to the nature of knowledge which means how we conceive our
surroundings. The key question that epistemology asks is '\Vhat is acceptable knowl
edge? ' - 'A particularly central issue in this conte..xt is the question of whether or
not the social world can and should be studied according to the same principles,
procedures and ethos as the natural sciences' (B ryman and Bell, 2007: 16). If you
intend adopting an approach similar to that of the natural soentist, then your epts
temological approach is likely to be positivist.
Positivism takes an objective view when conducting research and is detached from
those 10volved in the study. On the other hand, you may be critical of the positivist
approach and prefer to take an active role when carrying out your research Lf that
is the case, then you are likely to adopt an imerpreti1flSt view to your research. Unlike
positivists, mterpretiYists often look at one particular subject in-depth. The purpose
of their research is therefore not to generalize, but to be acuvely engaged m their
research through high levels of interaction and/or participation.
Positivism and interpretivism are perhaps the two most well-known research
philosophies. Each one is different in terms of \"hat constitutes knowledge, although
certain aspects can come under the beading of both philosophies. Positivism and
mte:rpretivism are essentially related concepts in the sense that as a researcher,
whichever approach you choose, you need to produce a commcing set of findin gs
and argue that yoUI findings are valid. Tieating the concepts as related is of benefit
because it can help to promote mixed methodologies in order to help validate your
findings. The ne..xt section of this chapter exauunes the main research paradigms tn
greater detail
...,o vi
If you assume a positivist approach to your study then it is your belief
that you are independent of your research and your research can be truly objective.
Independent means that you mamtain minimal interaction with your research
participants when i:arryin out your research. Through bemg detached in this way,
the hope 1s that you can be trul) objective. To put it another way, as a researcher
your own personal biases have no part m the research effort.
Positivists believe that research needs to be carried out in a scientific nature. It
is empirical research that follows a strict set of gmdelines and should be carried out
by appropriately trained sdentists. The carrying out of this research is usually based
on a deductie approach, moving from theory to observation. In genera.I, positivJSts
want the.t.r findings to have appLcability to the whole of a population . .A..nalySIS of
obsenations is likely to be quantifiable as opposed to qualitative. MoreO\er; there is
likely to be a high level of reliability to positt\'ist research due to a highly structured
approach. Reuability is fully discussed in Chapter 5.
AN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS RESEARCH
Researchers critical of the positivist approach are likely co argue that imeresting
inSJghts aie liable to be lost if one adopts positivism. For example, post-positirttSts
argue that reality can never be fully apprehended, only approximated (Guba,
J 990: 12) Post-positivism relies on multiple methods as a way of capturing as much
of reality as possible.
Certam studies are unlikely to lend themseh-es well to a positi\ist approach. For
instance, if you wish to study shopping habits at your local supermarket, as well as
establish consumer perceptions governing pricing, you are more likely to adopt an
interpretrv1st Ytew
lnterpr I
You may not agree with the positnist approach because you believe
that the social aspects of business are too complicated to be measured along the
same basis as the natural sciences. lf so, then you might be mclined to adopt the role
of the interpretivist researcher. lnrerpretii11S1n is an epIStemology that supports the
view that the researcher must enter the social world of what is being examined. If
you decide to assume an interpretivist perspecrtve. then you are likely to analyze
social actors within their own cultural setting. This may involve observations that
are qualitative and subjective in nature.
A ke} factor for the interpretivi.sl researcher is to understand the social world
of the research participants. Thus, interpret1v1sts are often mterdependent with
their research and their research is trulv subjective. Interdependent means that the
researcher is likely to interact with research participants. In certain circumstances,
researchers ma\' even observe research participants \,.:hile working alongside them
(participant observation). This illustrates the interpretivist's v1ew of research as
being both collaborati\e and participatory. The carrvmg out of this research is usu
ally based on an mductive approach, moving from obsenation to theory.
Overall, mterpretivists view the world as comple.x and open to mterpretation It
15 the interpretation of findings that can lead to problems associated \\ ith reliability.
In spite of this, it is often not the intention to generalize, but to provtde mteresting
new lllS1ghts mto a particular ontext.
Researchers critical of interpretivism tend to focus on the issue of measure
ment and reliability. Because studies tend co be qualitative, they do not normally
adopt any precise systems of measurement. Consequently, reliability in the sense
of accuracy and repeatability can be called into question. For instance, to what
e:\.1:ent has the researcher adopted a thorough approach? If a poor record has
been kept in relation to data collection and analysis, then it makes it all the more
difficult for future researchers to come along and carry out the same piece of
\,ork.
P agmat,sm The philosophical debate 15 often centred on the differences between
positi\isrn and interpretivism. If you are unable to choose, or believe that your
research is not aligned with either of these philosophies, then you are perhaps a
pragmatist. The pragmatic paradigm does not align itself with any one philosophical
stance and recogn12es the importance of both the physical and social world.
Pragmatist researchers focus on the 'what' and the how' of the research problem
10
(Creswell, 2003: 11). Pragmatism is generally viewed as the most popular paradigm
for mixed methods social enqw.ry (Greene, 2007), although JnLxed methods could
be used with any paradi gm. Pragmatists place the research problem and research
questions at the centre of tbe research and use the methods they consider to be the
most appropriate in generating the most significant insights into thetr research. for
example, if you are interested in researching hov,; small companies m your region
aie coping \,ith the current economic downturn, you may believe that the 'best
way' to tackle this research question is to inter\'iew the owners of the c:omparues
and admm1ster a questionnaire survey to employees. In short, this example can be
desaibed as taking a pragmatic stance. The focus is clearly on the research problem,
while employing methods considered the most appropriate in answering the
research question.
Onto
nn1
tttie way we tt,nk thP world 1s)
/bile epistemology is concerned with '\,Vhat is acceptable knowledge?', ontology is

concerned with the nature ot reality. In essence, it asks how we perceive the social
world, or to put it another way, the way we think the world is. You need to Jecide
whether you consider the world is e:xtemal to social actors, or the perceptions and
actions of social actors create social phenomena. If you consider the latter onto
logical stance, then you will adopt the subjectivist view. Subjectivism 1s clearly
hoked to interpretivism m that the researcher exanunes the motivation and social
mteract1ons of respondents. As a researcher you need to understand the sub1ective
beliefs and attitudes motivabng respondents to act in a particular way. For e.xample
1f you decide to analyze management perceptions towards their business networks,
you are likel) to record a wide range of feedback based on each person s own expe
rience and perceptions. In effect, what you are doing is analyzing busmess networks
based on everyday interaction Lhat management experience. Business networks an
therefore viewed by analyzing the subjecti\re experiences of individual actors,
namely, management.
Conversely, vou may take an external view of the ,vorld, as:.ociated with objec
tivism ObJecti\'ism is an ontologicaJ stance that implies that sociaJ phenomena are
based on external realities that are beyond our reach or control. Citing the earlier
'business networks' example, rather than involving social actors directly in the
research, ob3ectw1Sm would deal with business netvvorks as being emal to social
actors. Analysis would then be on treating business net,,.vorks as tangible objects that
are clearly defined and external to the everyday changing interact1ons involving
individual actors.
Ax1ologv <ro e f values in inquiry)

Axwiogy is concerned with the nature of value Although this includes notable
ethical issues that we will cover m Chapter 4, a.XIology is essentially concerned with
AN INTRODUCTION TO BUS1NESS RESEARCH
11
the role that your own perception plays in the research. Your values play a role
throughout the entire research process. Positivists consider the process of research
as value free.. One reason for this is that they are independent of their research. Or
to put it another way. the;r are from the outside look.mg in'.
lnterprethists con.sider that they are interdependent with their research, or in
many cases 'embedded'. They are unlikely to be value free as they consider their
own values. Thus, the interpretivist needs ro work hard to ensure the production
of a credible set of results. You will have your own values in terms of collecting and
interpreting your data, and presenting your findings. ln short. values are induded
in the research process. Sometimes these values are likely to be ex:plicit. For
instance, you may decide to choose judgementa! sampling, thereby choosing
respondents whom you percejve as 'adding value' to your stud1. Or the values can
be implicit, such as interpreting fmdings m a cross-cultural study based on your
own cultural values.
to th e unportant distinction between 'induction' and 'deduction'. A deducrivt

ilpproach is concerned with de\eloping a hypothesis (or hypotheses) based on
existing theory and then designjng a research strategy to test the hypothesis. 'In
th1s type of research, theory, and hypotheses built on it, come first and influence
the rest of the research process - this t} pe of research 1s often associated with
the quantitative type of research' (Ghauri and Gr0haug, 2005: 15). On the other
hand, an mductive approach would colJect data and de\elop theory as a result
of your data analysis. This type of research is otten associated with the qualita
tt11e type of research These two types of resean:h strategy are exammed later m
this section .
At this point, it is '\.vorth messing that J have discussed the dichotomy betvveen
qualitative/quantitath,e research and mdudlve/deductive. By dichotomizing these
terms my intention IS to make them easier to understand Many researchers now
challenge such dichotomization bi recognizing that there is no reason why overlap
cannot take place. For instance,
Lio.., dn 1 !<now wr-h ph1lo'.:'O"k' to rl0.:,t?
as evaluation fieldwork ht:gins, the (.'valuation ma)' be open to \\ hate\ er

emerges from the data - a dm.:overy or mduct1ve approach. Then, as the
mqutf) re,eals pattern and ma1or Jimenions if interest, the evaluator
will begin to focus on ,enfyrng and eluctdating what appears to he
emergm2; - a more deductive approach to data collection and analvs1s.
(Pauon, 1991: 194)
You may already see yourself as a particu1ar type of researcher. For instance, you
may consider yourself to be a more 'creative, hands-on' person, and therefore
inclined to think that interpretivism is best suited to your way of thin.king. Alterna
tively, if you see yourself as someone who prefers accurately measuring information,
and ta.king a non-participatory role in your re.search, then vou may opt for a positiv
ist stance In reality, the approach you take largely depends on your proposed
research questions, along with your own assumptions as to how you shouJd go about
your research.
Qec;earcr approacn
Research methods are often associated with two approaches - inductive and deduc
m,e. Let us look at each of these in tum. First, Kenneth F. Hyde (2000: 83) defined
inductive as 'a theory-building process, starting with observations of specific
instances, and seeking to establish generalisation about the phenomenon under
investigation'. In other words, if you decide to follow an inductive approach to your
study, y0l1 will be seeking to make observations about your re;earch. and then per
haps contribute to a new theof). Conversely, a deductive approach 'begms with and
applies a well-known theory'. For e.xample, if your research project was focused on
cross-cultural management and based on a deductive approach, then you may
decide to apply Geert Hofstede's (1980) cultural theory. In other words, you are
applying theory rather than attempting to generate new theory through an induc
tive approach.
One of the main distinguishing features between business research in an
acadenuc setting and 'real life is theory. Quite simply, your own research project
requires theoretical content. However, an important question you will need to
answer quite early on is: 'How will theory feature m my study?' This brings us
1J
ESSENTIALS Of BUSINESS RESEARCH
The approach you choose may depend on existing hterature, e.g. can you see a gap
in the literature that needs to be filled, or possibly your type of research questions,
e.g. looku,g at relationships between variables or theory-bwlding. IL fs worth
remembering that if deciding to follow an inductive approach, you need to
demonstrate excellent knowleclge of the subJe<:t. Figure 1 .2 shows how th.eat")' fits
mto each approach. Clearly, theory can be applied from the outset (deductive] or
be produced as an outcome (inductive). In addition, Table 1.3 summarizes the
maior differences beoveen deductive and inductive approaches to research.
FIGURE 1.2
Inductive approach
Deductive approach
Observa.Uoosf
lindiogs
Theoretical
appllcal.ion
Theory as an
outcome
ObservalJOnSi
findngs
How theury ftts IT'to vour resea;-c

AN INTRODUCTlON 1U BUSINESS RESARCH
TABLE 1.3
cbve
i..,a :ir trerenres
1du apo caches o resea ell
Deduction emphasizes
Induction emphasizes
Scientific principles
Moving from theory to daia
The need ro explain causal relatiooshlp:s
l:retweefl variaDles
The collection of quantitative data
The applTration or contrru to ensure
validity of oata
1'1e operationalization of c1X1ceots to
ellSUre clarity ol definmon
A highly structured apl)road1
Researcher inclepenclence of what is being
researched
The necessity m se!.ect samoles of
suffacient in orner to generalize
crnclus1ans
Gaining, an U11ijerstandJn,g of tne meanings humans

attach ro events
A dose uncerstancfing m tne research comext
Toe collection ot qualitative data
A more flexible structure to permit rnans of
researcn emphasis as the research JXogiresses
A realization ltlat tlle research 15 part of me research
ocess
Less c.orarn with the need to ger1eratize
constraiDL that shape mqurn, Sm:h researchers emphasize the value-laden

nature of inqu1rv. lbey seek answers to questions that stress how social expe
rience is cr<.:ated and given me-arung. In contrast, ,1uantitati11e studies emphaSIZe
the meru.urement and analysis of causa] relationships betv.ceen "anables. not
processes. Proponents of such studies claim that their work u. undertaken from
withm a \'alue-free framework
In all likelihood, these are terms that you may have come across before. In short, the
mam difference is that quantitafr,.-e research is usually associated ""ith numerica1
analysis, while qualitanve is not. Nevertheless, comparing the two strategies on the
basis of analysis 15 rather simplistic. A number of other key differences also exist. For
example, a quantitative strategy is viewed as objective and involves data collection
methods such as questionnaires. Yet a qualitative approach is viewed as subjective
and involves data collect1an methods such as interviews. Increasingly, researchers
are using mixed methods that offer the advantage of overcoming sing)e-method
studies. The next section in this chapter takes a doser look at qualitative and
quantitative research
0 "'lIT"+jt e rP
Once again, Table 1.3 dichotomizes deductive and inductwe in order to show
you the distinction between the t:v.o approaches. Th.is distinction is some\.\hat
ambiguous. For example, an inductive approach could also involve the collection of
quantitative data Similarly, a deductive approach may involve the collection of
qualitative data, e.g. through interviews. The table is imendeo. to highlight the tJ-a
d.itionalJy perceived differences benveen the two approaches. Still, this does not
mean that a certain amount of overlap cannot take place. Then why make the dis
tinction? ln essence, making the distinction between theory and research by consid
ering deduction and induction can help you to dec.ide how to go about your
research. Moreover, it can help you to identify which approach existing researchers
are taking in your chosen area of research. For instance, if the majority of research
ers appear to be adopting an inductive approach, you may decide to 'add something
to the literature' by adopting a deductive approach.
Re--;rcr ..tr....P
Two terms often used to describe the main research strategies to business research
are qualita tiire and quanfltatitie. Norman K. Denzin and Y,onna S. Lincoln (2000: 8)
described the distinction between qualitative and quantitative as fuIIows:
the word 'qualitative' implies an emphasis on the qualities of entities and on
processes and meanings that are not experimentally exarnmed or measured (if
measured at all) in tenns of quantity, amount, intensity or frequency. Quahta
titre researchers stress tbe soc.ially c:onstn1cted nature of realitv the intimate
relationship behveen the research and what ts studied, an<l the situationa]
1,
ESSENTlALS OF BUS4NESS Rf.SARCH
Ch
Once agam, quantitative research examines data that a.re numerical, while qualita
tive inquiry examines data that are narrative. Qualitatiue research shares good com
pany '"'ith the most rigorous quantitative research, and it should not be \iewecl as an
easy substitute for a statistica]' or quantitative study (Creswell, 1998). A qualitative
strategy is usually linked with an inductive study. As we have already established in
this chapter, an inductive theory means that theory is Jikely to be an outcome, rather
than applied from the outset.
Combining qualitative research and inducti\e theory are common as they are
well suited to providing insights that allow for the generation of theoretical frame
works. For e.xample, you might be interested in studying the impact that Chinese
cultura1 values ha\e on Sino-European joint venture performance. If no theoretical
framework exists in this particular area, then one option would be to undertake an
inductive approach. In the first instance, this may involve identifying cultural values
and establi.slung how these will be measured. Nex-t, interviews m.Jght take place
with Chmese and European managers involved in the running of the joint venture.
This would then be followed by an analysis of your findings. Lastly, depending on
your results, you may then propose a theoretic:aJ framework that illustrates the
relations.hip between the cultural values and joint venture performance.
Quantitative ..e,.earch
'A quarztirati.ve approach to research might draw a large and representative sample
from the population of interest, measure the behaviour and characteristics of thar
sample, and attempt to construct generalizations regarding the population as a
whole' (Hyde. 2000: 84). Unlike qualitative research, quantitative research is often
AN INTRODUCTION JO BUSINESS RESEARCH
15
associated with a deductive approach. In other words. theory is applied from the
outset. A.nal ystS is usually statistical anJ involves anal}'zing the results following
theoretical application Rather than generating a theoretical framework as a possible
outcome, you would apply an existing theory that would help interpret your find
ings. Furthermore, because you have probably applied a theory that has been used
by several previous resean.hers, interestingly your results can often be compared
with current studies. U.sing the joint , enture example again, let us assume that now
that you ha e analyzed the relationship benveen cultural values and jomt venture
performance, you arc keen to know how many years managers intend remaining in
a jomt venture The nature of this question is ob_iective and will generate numeric
or quanlitaL.iYe data.
A comparison of qualitative and quantitative research

One way of describm qualitative and quantitati\"e research is to compare the dif
ferencc-s between the two. These differences include:
the rejection of quantitative, positivist methods by Qualitative researchers:
qualitative researchers believe they can get doser to the actors' perspective through detailed
interviewing and ollservation;
qualitative researchers are more llkely to confront the constraints of everyday life, while
quantitative researchers tend to abstract themselves from this wortd and consequently they
seldom stl.ldy it directly; and
qualitative researchers tend to believe that rich descnptions are valuable while quantitative
researchers are less concerned with such detail (Nl!slund 2002: 328).
Qualitati\e and quantitative methods do not necessarily have to be used exclusively.
'One might use qualitative data to illustrate or clarify quanutatively de.rived findings,
or one could quantify demographic findings, or use some form of quantitative data
to partially \'alidate one's qualitative analys is' (Strauss and Corbm. l 9CJO).
Most research projects and researchers, however, place their emphasis on one
form or another, partly out of conviction but also because of trairung and the nature
of the problems studied.
\'\h
' en comparing a qualitative and quantitative study, in a qualitative study, the
research question often starts with a how or what so I.bat initial forays into the topic
describe what is going on. This is in contrast to quantitative questions that ask why
and look for a comparison of groups (e.g. is Group 1 better at somethmg than
Group 2) or a relationship ben,veen variables, with the mtent of establishing an
assoaation, relauonship, or cause and effect, e.g. did variable X explain what hap
pened in variable'\'? (Creswell, 1998).
Although some students shy away from quantitative research for fear of statis
ucs. 1t tS worth noting thal although data collection can be time-Lonsunung and
problematic, data analysis is relatively straightforward. This is in contrast to qualita
tive research where conducting a small number of interviews ma) seem uncompli
cated, yet the analysis, often typing and analyzmg interview transcripts, can be
16
extremely time-consummg. To give you some idea, transcribing a one-hour inter

vie,\ is likely to involve in the rej/jon of 5,000-6,000 ,vords!
Finally, your research strategy is likely to be a matter of choice. Once again, it
i.!> not simply a question of one or the other. In many respects your strategy does
not need to follow a qualitative/quantitati\e divide. Increasingly, students are rec
ognizing that using mixed methods for their data collection can add value to their
study. For example, you may wish to administer a questionnaire survey that
explores customer satisfaction in your workplace, while you are also interested in
conducting follmv-up interview... wilh those mc.hv1duals who appear to be particu
larly dissatisfied
In short, do not be 'pigeon-holed' into one strategy or the other, but consider tht'
merits of adopting an eclectic approach.
Combining qualitative and quantitative research

"multi-drtPOlf research)
In the previous section 1 briefly introduced the term 'mixed methods' and the pos
sibilities available to researchers for combining qualitative and quantitatiYe re.search.
According to Tashakkori an<l Teddlie (1998: 17-18), nuxed method i,tudies are
those that 'combine the qualitative and quantitative approaches into the research
methodology of a smgle study or multi-phased study.' However, arguably this is
perhaps taking a simplistic \iew of so-called 'mixed methods' as research can
involve different paradigms, more than one researcher and a number of research
methods. In brief. mixed methods are complex and should be viewed at a strategic
level This view is shared by B ryman (2001), who argues that a more suitable term
for 'mixed methods' is 'multi-strategy'. This is because 'rruxing' implies combining
qualitat:Ive and quantitative methods in some way. Arguably, a more accurate
description is that qualitative and quantitative are not combined but you have
multiph: levels. Therefore, tor the remamder of this book I will use the term 'multi
strategy' as opposed to 'mixed methods'. Multi-strategy research can be viewed as
'pragmatic research' in that the research does not attempt to 'fit' into an) one para
digm . but the researcher uses whiche\'er methods he or she considers work best for
their particular study.
What 1s the rationale f
mJl
tegy re
Prior to rnD.SJdenng the merits
of conducting multi-strategy research, it is unportant to nok the underlymg re-asons
why some scholars are cntica. ot this approach. First, it can be argued that qualitative
and quantitative methods rest on different paradi gm assumptions and cannot be easily
combined. Second, caming out multi-strategy research is time-consuming and likely
to be expensive. Third,, a student may not be familiar \-.1th both form!> of data and lack
the required skills to conduct both qualitative anJ quantitative research. finally,
carrying out multi-strategy research is rarely an essential requirement al most
academic m.stitutions.
Proponents of multi-strategy research cite a number of reasons why 1t should be
a serious consideration when conduct.mg research. These mdude:
17
Multl-strategy research helps to answer questions that can only be answered by combining
ciuautative and ciuantitative research. For example, 'WhV do respondents provide certain
answers in a questionnaire survey?' In other won:Js, qualitative dara can be used to determine
quantitative results.
Multi-strategy studles are practical and do not restrict the researcher to 'stid<mg to' well
defined research paradigms. In other words, it adopts a pragmatic approach to research.
Multi-strategy research can come across as more comprehensive and in-depth than tleing
restricted to purely ciualitatfve or Quantitative. For example. if you decided to research the
Euroz.one crisis, restricting your analysis to numerical data does not address people's overall
opinions on k.ey issues associated with the crisis.
there 1s now even an acadenuc journal in this area - the Joumal ,f Mi..i::.ed Methods
Research (JNu\-1.R) According to the publishers, the journal's scope includes
'delineating where mixed methods research may be used most effectively,
illuminating design and procedure issues, and determining the logistics of conducting
mixed methods research'
T lt1-,,
1::
r L 11
1 w
u
If you are considering
using multi-strategy research, a key question is deciding how the combination of
qualitative and quantitative research shouJd be incorporated into your study. For
example, should qualitative come before quantitative? Should both the qualitative
and quantitative phases be conducted at the same time? Creswell (1995) addresses
the issue of how and when multi-strategy research should be undertaken by
proposing the following four what he refers to as 'mixed method designs'.
Earlier in the chapter, the Honeycomb of Research Methodology illustrated the sb:
main elements that make up research methodology. By now, you should begin to
see a relationship between the first three of these elements, the key concepts of
research, and recognize how choice of research philosophy is likely to influence
both choice of research approach and research strategy (see Table IA). The inten
tion of this table is to get you thinking about how your own preferences, values and
choice of topic may influence your epistemologicaJ stance.
Once again, to illustrate the relationshjp between the key concepts of research.
if your epistemological stance is a positivist one, then you are likely to view knowl
edge as an object (objective), or rn other words it exists independently of the mmd.
1n addition, you.r research approach is likely to be deducthoe, whilst adopting a
quantitative research strategy. In essence, your choice of research philosophy is
likely to detenrune your research approach and research strategy. For example, if
you intended applymg eXJSting theories for measuring a company's performance,
using financial measures and statistical data, while admim.stering a questionnaire to
gather this data, then there is a dear thread here from epistemology (positivist),
ontology (objective), to research approach (deductive), followed by research strat
egy (quantitative). If you are taking an interpretivist stance, then your ontological
view is likely to consider knowledge as an idea that is independent of someone's
mind (subjective), research approach 1s likely to be inductive, while undertaking a
qualitative research strategy. However, pragmatism does not take one epistemo
logical stance, as pragmatists place the research problem and research questions at
the centre of the research. In addition, they use methods they consider to be the
most appropriate in generating the most significant insights mto their research:
Lei
Two-phase studies: The researcher first conducts a qualitative phase ot a study and then a
quantitative phase, or vice versa. The two phases are separate. For example, the first phase
might Involve carrying out a focus group (qualitative). followed by administering a ciuestion
naire survey (Quantitative).
Parallel studies: The researcher conducts the qualitative and ciuantitative phases at the same
time.
Equivalent status designs: The researcher conducts the study using both tile quantitative and
the qualitative approaches (about equally) to understand the phenomenon under stud\'.
Dominant/less domrnant studies; The researcher conducts the study 'within a single dominant
paradigm with a small component or the overall study drawn from an alternative design'
(Creswell, 1995: 177}.
Tasbakkon and Teddlie (1998) also propose a fifth design - designs with multilevel
use of approaches. The authors describe this design as using different types of meth
ods at different levels of aggregation. For example, data could be analyzed qualita
tively at the individual level, quantitatively at the departmental level, qualitatively
at the company level and quantitativelr at the organizational level.
.1r,
?
u 1 , i e .,., rcn Similar to data collection, a key issue fur multi
strategy researchers is deciding hO'w to write up multi-strategy findin gs. In essence, if
you decide to undertake multi-strategy research, the presentation of your findings
depends on which multi-strategy design you have chosen For example, if carrying out
a two-phase study, then it makes perfect sense to present the findings in the order that
each research approach was undertaken.
\1t I
r
,. , 1 1
et1 ,. tvfolti-strategy research is certainly
receiving greater acceptance m the academic community. Evidence of this is that
18
What is the relationshp between research philosophy,

'"::searct .)roacr and researr'1 :!r:te"',.,
TABLE 1.4
nd p
Research approach
Ontology
Axiology
Research strategy
Positivism
Deaucthe
Dl:Jfective
Quantitatr1e
A1teTreft;ism
looucfue
Pragmatism
Deooctive/ioouctive
Subjective
Objecti,e and
subjective
Value-tree
Sii!SE(j
Value-free/biased
--- --
Qualitati'"e
Quali:'atnoe aoo/or
quantitative
AN INTRODUCTION 10 BUSINESS RESEARCH
19
typically, this involves multi-strategy research. The researcher adopts both an

objecti,e and subjective point of view. Morgan (2007. :-1) refers to the relationship
benveen theory and data in the pragmatic approach as a version of abductive rea
soning' that moves back and forth betvveen induction and deduction. In other
words, in terms of ontology, a multiple view is chosen in order to achieve the research
question(s).
Finally, remember that your epistemology does not have to be quite so rigid.
Your choice in this respect is dmvn to your decision as a11 independent researcher
considering your research prob]em and research questions, you shouJd ask
yourse1f which is your preferred philosophical stance, how this relates to your
research approach, and the research strategy required to help you to address your
initial research questions.
,\ine:n
Of course, businesses also have to make important decisions in terms of how they
approach research, such as decisions governing q1..1alitative and quantitative strat
egies. Yet, the extent of their involvement in business research often depends on
the size and resources withm an organization and whether or not it is earned out
in-house or outsourced to a third party We have established that business
research is conducted m order to aid business-related decision-making, usually in
response to external market conditions. For example, a car manufacturer might
decide to conduct research exploring wby a particular model has witnessed a
sudden decline in sales. However, we have yet to examine how business research
links to the organization m terms of how 1t is carried out and by whom. Fre
quently, large companies will employ research agencies to carry out research on
their behalf, whi?e small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) tend co conduc t
research in-house. Research may be conducted on an ad hoc basis or at regular
intervals.
Ipsos MORl lS one oi the UK's leading market research agencies. Clients include
Toyota, Nokia, the BBC and Norfolk County Council. Figure 1.3 shows the possible
steps lpsos MORl may take hen conducting research on behalf of the UK local
aut.honty, Norfolk County Council.
Unlike Norfolk County Council unfortunately you do not have the luxury of a
market research agency to carry out research on your behalfJ Nevertheless, essen
tially the steps mrnlved are not d1ssun.ilar to those required when undertaking your
own research project. Clearly, your own project will also indude a set of objectives,
data collection and findings. These stages will be explored in greater detail when we
look at 'research process' later in this chapter.
Desearch Ski Ls
1n order to be able to successfully complete your research project, it is essential that
you are familiar 'With the skills required. Th1s section is devoted to what I would caJI
the 'key skills that should be a characteristic of every student researcher.
Research practitioners and student researchers share similar skills when conduct
mg research. Still, there are some notable <liffe.rences. First, let us look at the skills
required to be a research practitioner. As illustrated in the above lpsos MOR! exam
ple. research practitioners are usually vvorking on behall of a client or clients, and
are paid a flat fee for doing so. The size of the fee depends on a number of factors,
such as the amount of work 1.1wo.lved the number of researchers appointed, the
timeframe, the geographical coverage and the number of agendes able to carry out
the research. Obviously, to justify their fee, research practitioners have to portray a
range of qualities - communicatlon and presentation skills, 3n ability to work to
deadlines, effective organizational management and attention to detail. Although
these do not all apply to a student researcher, cert.'1.in qualities, such as organiza
tional management and working to deadlines, are certainly relevant.
The next section dt.scusses essentiaJ skills that should help rou co achieve a bet
ter overall performance when undertaking your research project. Let us look at each
of these in tum.
Odicc1tinr
Step\: Norfolk County Council (NCC} commission lpsos MORI to conduct research inlo peopies
views on education provision within the county
Step 2 lpsos MORI conecl dala on behalf of NCC
Step 3: lpsos MORI
anafyze data oo behalf or NCC
Step 4 lpsos MORI report lind:ngs to NCC

Step 5: NCC considers 1ne report fincfmgs limn !Bk.es Iha appropriate acrion"
'II NCC Is unsatisfied with the serviQ! provided by lpsos MORI, or certain aspects of lfle
llOI meei with 1heir approval, additional research may be required.
FIGUtd: 1.J
20
Po,!>
:.u: s kP
ESSENTIALS OF BUSJNESS RE:sEARCH
a esea
agency
findings do
Undenakm 11; any form of research 1s a time-consuming and usually an e."\.'lremel:, chal
lenging process. Your research project is no different. It is important that you adopt a
dedicated approach from the outset. Starting your project a few short weeks prior to
the submission dea<lline 1s unJikely to produce a piece of work of suffiaent standard.
Naturally, taking into account certain considerations in your research 1s likely to lead
to higher levels of dedication. If you choose a topic that you consider interesting, you
will find it much easier to motivate }roursel.f towards your study. Similarly, if you
choose a topic that yo1..1 aJready have some knowledge and e.xperience of, this can
increase your level. of motivation On the other hand, remember that if you choose a
topic simply on the basis of it being perceived as an easy option, you may find it dif
ficult to motivate yourself to complete your project to a satisfactory conclusion.
AN CNTRODIJCTION TO BUSlNEs.S RESEARCH
21
RP<:r(l"Sihilm,
Both a practitioner and student researcher need to consider areas of responsibility
while doing their research. To give you some idea of the responsibilities required of
a practitioner researcher, Figure 1 A illustrates some of the key professional respon
SJ.bilities expected of researchers working on behalf of the t,.,Iarket Re.earch Society.
MRS ,s the world's largest association serving all those with professional equity in
the provision or use of market, social and opinion research, and in business intelli
gence. market analysis. customer insight and consultancy (ww,,v.mrs.org.uk)
Learnin11 outcomes (threshold standards)
on successful comi)'.e!ioo of trs rnooute the st11dent will be exuectecl m be able to:
1
Knowledge ana unoerstaoong
Demonstrare a critical uncerstandfng of the aifferent
approac:res ID research used in business/f'lilrlagement
am the social. sciences.
ldenlify and Justify decisions regarding their ttlOSEn topic.
researdl uuestloos ancl reseasrh methodology.
teuer:ruai. prartiG1I. affective aoo

uansfe<atrl.e sk./Us
Aesearcners shall ensure tha1 partlcipatlon In lhetr activities Is based on 110luota ry informed
consenl
.
Researchers shall be straightforward and hones! 1n all ltie1r pro!essiooal and oosiness
rationsti ips.
Aesearohers shall be transparent as to the subject and purpose ol data ool!ect1on.
AeseaicheS shall raspecl the confidentiality ol inlormalion coaected m ttieir professional
adJvrt1es
Researchers shall respecl the rights and wel,-being of all 1nd1vidua1s.

Researchers shall ensure Ula! respondents are not harmed or adversely affected by lheir
professional aclJIJJ!ies.
Researchers shall balance the needs of indi\/iduals, clients and their professionaJ activities.
Researchers shall exercise independent professional judgement in the design, conduct and
reporting of lheir professional acllvlties.
Researchers shall ensure that tneif professional actMt1es are oonducled by persons with
appropriate training, quaJificalions and experience.
Researchers shall protect the reputation and lntegnty of the proiesston.
FIGUKE .4
Ihe pn
I les O
Mio
As a srudent researcher you have a number of responsibilities to con.sider. For

examp]e, it you decide to conduct in-depth interviews, research participants must
be asked whether or not they wish the information provided to remain confidential.
Second, you have a responsibility to complete your project in Une with your ovro
uruversity or college code of conduct on project submission. Ake}' feature of this is
likely to be avoiding plagiarism, i.e. claiming that someone else's work is your own.
Lastlr, you have a responsibility to yow-self to make sure that your final project
provides an accurate insight into your findmgs. Several of the points highlighted
above relate to ethica1 standards.
'""lt.l"'lr"l'I
..,.J -,-.-
if English is not your first language, it is worth allowing additional time to conduct
your research. Having your grammar checked by a native English speaker can also
help. Even if English is your nati,se language, you may still lack confidence when it
comes to writing up. Reading articles &om peer-reviewed JOumals can help you to
2J
TABLE 1-5
ESSENT!Al.S OF BUSINESS RE.SEARCH
Synthesize alld criticallv evatua!e the current meoretical

and methooological developments in their crosen field ot
sucy, ma.Icing cJear lheir 0'1,TI contrfuutions to this bod'I' of
WOfX.
OemJ11slrate tile requirecl 51<.ills anc:1 abiLities needed ta

sucr.essfullv plan. organire, undertike and communrc.ate
me findings of a J}iece of smaU-SC&.e business}
management research.
get a feel for the writing style required to complete your project. This IS particularly
true m relation to the literature review (Chapter 3).
Although you are not writing an English language proJect, the reader still
needs to be able to make sense of what it is that you are trying to say. Avoid
simple errors such as 'costumer (customer or consumer). Essentially, you must
show good use of granunar aad punctuation rn your wnting. ?v1any universities
and colleges award marks for presentation; this usuaily includes the level of Eng
lish. Of course, a sound understanding of Microsoft \.Yord can help greatly when
it comes to wntmg your project. Certainly, electronic tooJs such as spell-check
and a thesaurus are extremely useful. Just remember to set the required English
language function 1
FinaJ]y, anyone can become a solid researcher. This primarily relates to having
the required academic ability to fulfil the learning outcomes laid down bv vour
academic institution. Although these tend to va.ry between institutions, oft tliey
are along similar lines. Table 1.5 provides an example of learning outcomes that are
likely to be expected of you by your institution.
Academic skills required to complete your project may have been taught to you
as part of a research skills module. Still, in some institutions study programmes do
not include such a provision. Therefore, a book such as lfilS can help guide you
through the research process. 1n addition, past student projects and peer-re,,iewed
journals can be a U5eful guide to academic requirements.
During your course you will have studied a wide range of modules. For manv
students, their chosen topic is often based on a subject they have studied earlier
their degree. If you are studying a BA (Hons) m Finance, for instance, you may ha,e
particularly enjoyed corporate finance, and tlns may then form the basis of the
topic for your project. Because you have chosen a subject that you already have
23
knowledge about, you are more likely to be confident about your ability to produce
a competent piece of work related to that subject.
Manaaement
This primarily relates to time management and organizational management.
Producin a time management plan &om the outset will help you to keep on track
with your research. A time management plan that you design for yourself ""ill also
allow you to build in the flexibility you need to meet other work/life commitments
Organizational management is also something you need to get into the habit of doing
at an early stage in your research. From my own experience as a student, I learned
how important organizational management is the hard way. Trying to find dozens of
references ,vithout an organized record is by no means an easy task! I quickly learned
the error of my ways and from then on adopted a strict regime of organization.
A.s you b egin to amass a l arge amount of data, keeping an organized file wiJl he]p
you enormously. This can be done either using a lever arch file or electronically.
\iVh.iche"er method you choose, you will undoubtedly notice the benefits of keeping
an organized fi.le of your work. This is especiaUy true during your writing-up stage.
PecQ rrh Prnress
Earlier. I noted that a practitioner researcher and student researcher go through

similar stages when conducting research. Yet there are some notable differences.
first, as a student researcher your research needs to contain a certain amount of
theory. Second, often a key support dunng your research is your projecr supervisor.
The significance of the supervisor is explained later in this chapter. Given the super
\,sor's importance, 1t is something that Iv.rill make reference to on several occasions
throughout the course of th.is book
As is similar to research methodology, the majority of textbooks on research
skills make reference to the research process by illustrating a series of stages. In real
ity, your research is unlikely to follow a logical series of steps. For example, you will
probably start at the literature review stage in order to generate ideas. Furthermore,
you may find that you have a problem with your methodology and, as a result, you
need to go back and rethink your obiectives. Basically, what I'm saying here is that
by all means use the stages model as a guide, but be prepared to revisit stages, or
perhaps even st.art with the literature review. A typicaJ example of the research
process is as follows.
EstabUsh an fntentian. Obviously, you need to have a basic purpose prior to carrying out your
research. In the case of your project, your focus will be on starting and eventually completing
your research within the time period laid down by your college or university.
Choosing a research topic.. Before you start, yoo need a su.biect. Generally, your choice of topic
is Likely to be influenced by what interests you. having suitable access to information. or
24
E.SSENTIAl.S OF BUSLNESS RESEARCH
perhaps career aspirations. The Latter can help bemme a useful sellfng tool when attending
10b i nterviem following your graduation. The nature of the research topic and how to generate
ideas and establish research questions are covered fn Chapter 2.
Conduct a literature review. A literature review is an essential part of academic research.
Basically, it is an acknowtedgement of what has already been written o.n your ctiosen subject
It helps to identify gaps' in the existing literature that may assist ,you in forming the basis of
your study as well as helping to avoid repetition.
Research design. Your research design is a systematic pl.an of the dara collection and analysis
phases of your project. This is fully explored in Chapter S.
Address ethics. Ethics are the principles and values that underpin the way researchers conduct
their research. Although I have briefiy highlighted ethics during this introductory chapter, this
Ts discussed in detail in Chapter 4.
Collect data. The process of gathering your d.ata from often a wide range of sources. These are
likely to include both primary and seconda,v data. We will examine the main data collection
methods ln Chapters 6 and 7, followed 1Jv sampling techniques in Chapter 8.
Analvze data. The process of analyzing your results to see the extent to which they address
your research questions/hypotheses. The tools of analysis depend on whether you have col
lected quantitative or qualitative data. These are addressed fn Chapters 9 and 10 respectwely.
Write up. At some point all that intormation that you have gathered, probably over several
months, needs to be written up. This will fall within the structure of your research project
guidelines. Perhaps one of the main questions concerning writing up is. when to start. This,
along with othEr issues related to writing up and presentation, is tackled in the final section
Chapter 11.
Many students have commented to me that their ov,,.'Il. research was by no means a
linear process. The majority of these tended to coosuJt the literature in order to
generate ideas; from this, research ideas were then formulated. Other students place
little emphasis on consulting the literature. They lmow e.'Xactly what they want to
do and a.re more likely to follow che typical stages in the research process. Tt may be
that they are mature students and have valuable experience and knowledge about
a certain industry, or are perhaps a part-time student who has received support from
bis or her companv to conduct research based on their place of vvork. Either way,
this is reall; personal choice. The same can be said for the ,vnting-up stage. I h.aYe
kno\oVO many students \\rho have started writing as soon as they have sufficient
information to be abie to do so. Others prefer writing up when all of the relevant
stages have been successfully completed. Once again, thtS is personal choice
Differences Between Academic and

Onianizational Researrh
Academics are often preoccupied with research that helps to build or question
theory, and helps develop research approaches. Many 1.miversities requiie academics
to publish m leading academic journals. In busine and management, these are
often journals that practitioners are unlikely to read, such as the Journal of Marketing
and the .foumal of Consumer Research. The practical application of these studies is
AN INTRODUCTION TD BUSINE.SS RESEARCH
25
not always clear. They may be largely theoretical and focus on the ke) literature,
thereby making tbem irrelevant to many applied researchers.
'\>Vhen it comes to decision-making:
QuaHtatiYe researchers m particular are geared towards providing informa
tion that will help clients make a better decision. They, too, build models or
theones but perhaps the latter are les!> formaJ and often relatively srecm ... co
a narrow piece or transient consumer behanour. Likewise, they have a view
point on reality anJ epistemo1oty but this is les:s ohen articulated. Qualita
tive applie<l researchers are driven by rnainsrream com.mt::rcial reality - a
need to attract and retam clients_ (Keegan et al., 2008: 108)
I bave mentioned chat academics build or question theory. Similarly, theoretical
application is of course an important aspect to your own research project. One
reason for conducting researd1 i.s to develop and apply concepts and theories. Basic
(or pure) research attempts to expand our knowledge about a particular subject.
Academic researchers ust1a1ly undertake bask or pure research. For example,
academic researchers might be interested in how consumers make decisions when
buying a range of different products. This might involve analyring their beliefs and
attitudes towards a diverse range of brands. Essentially, basic research tends to be of
an e.xploratory nature. Alternatively, applied research is undertaken 'When a decision
must be made in relation to a real-life problem. Examples of the research applied
researchers might carry out include.
how to improve medical care provision within a particular town or city;
how to combat an rncrease in violent crime; and
how to increase the usage of public transport.
Researchers worlung m the commercial sector are more likely to answer questions
to specific problems. For example, an organization considering an electronic payroll
system for the company's accounts department may conduct research to find out if
employees prefer their existin_g system or the proposed electronic version. in some
cases, studies conducted as a result of basic research may have an influence on
applied research. For instance, the example above, 'How co increase the usage of
public transport', might be influenced by e.xisting basic research findings into what
motivates people to use public transport.
"Jrk-hac;Pd l'.1f '1rrf .. sonal "ractice JJroiP.ct
11
For some students, there is perhaps a 'blur betNeen ,, bat can be described as aca
demic and orgamzatrnnal research. The reason for this is that many universities now
offer bespoke courses to companies. Employees in these organizations are often at
managerial level, study part-time, and the course is funded by their employer
Although there is an 'academic element', t he research project 1s likely to be based
on the student's employer, and/or their role in the organization. This type of so
26
E.SSENTIAI..S OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
called work-based' or 'professmnaJ practice' proJect sometimes results in the find

ings being implemented within the organization. Let us take an example of an
online retailer. As part of their work-based project, an employee may intend to find
out why shoppers buy online (pure research) and how online sales for their com
pan)i can be increased (basic research). Once again, from experience, I know that m
some instances the empirical findings of such studies have been implemented by a
stUdeot s employer.
The Rolo
nf
nPrvjc.;nr
A supervisor in,olved in orgaruzational research usually ensures that his or her team
Fulfils their research brief In short, they oversee a particular research project The
onus JS on the supervisor to make sure that the team carries out a research project
i.vithin a given timeframe, while meeting a set of predetermined objectives.
On the other hand, an academic supervisor's role is not to manage a student
when doing their research, but to p1ay a supportive role. Unlike a supervisor
engaged in orgamzational research, there is no onus on the academic pro1ect super
visor to contact the person carrying out the research, in this case the student.
The mn1ority of te.xtbooks on research skills make a rather 'limiced' reference to the
project supen-isor. Although your final research project is probably an individual piece
of work, do not be an-aid to seek advice and support whenever you feel it is necessary.
An obvious point of contact is your project supervisor. Yet, surprisingly there are some
scudents who perhaps meet up with their supervisor only once or t.vice during their
research. In some cases, no contact is made at all. This is unfortunate. Typically, a super
visor is allocated on the basis of a student's choice of research topic, although there are
ms:ututional differences in terms of how supervts0rs are allocated
Though I belle\"e no saentific study has been uodenaken in this area, often there
appears to be a relationship between the number of supervisor-student meetings
and the quality of a srudent's final project. There are perhaps two reasons for this.
First, in many institutions the first marker is the project supervisor. Obviously, if you
have met your supervisor on several occasions. then you are more like]y to under
stand his or her expectations governing your srudy. Not only that, their specialist
area is likely to be linked to your chosen area of study. Thus, it makes sense to ques
tion your supervisor over theories, sources of information and access to data, etc
Second, meeting your supervisor can also help to build your own confidence while
doing your research, certainly in relation to overcoming potentially difficult areas.
My experience is that the majority of students are undear about research meth
odology yet fail to look for support from their research supervisor. Your supenisor
can be a major influence on your project. While much of the responsibility for your
success lies with you, the role of the supervisor cannot be ignored. Thev can be an
invaluable source of information regarding literature, idea generation, research
methods and writing up. Conducting research can be a lonely business. Quite sim
ply, having a general discussion with someone who is able to relate to your research
can be extremely refreshing.
AN INTRODUCTION TD BUSINE.SS RESEAROi
27
It is vital that you keep your supenisor up to date on your progress throughout
your research. They are then able to ensure that you are fully on track \\"ith your
study and are able to complete it within the timeframe. Jf you are unclear about any
aspe of your research, don't hesitate to ask your supenisor.
ln summury, using your supervisor effectively can pro\icle you with a number of
advantages:
Access to an individual who is likely to be a speciaust in your chosen topic. Because this is
often the case, your supervisor will be able to identify and discuss the strengths and weak
nesses of your chosen topic. In addition, tt,ey are Likely to Ile very famiuar with relevant lit
erature, particularlv key authors in your chosen field.
Whether your supervisor is a speclaust in your chosen field or not. thev will undoubb!dly Ile
famiLiar with the required. structure of your research. Your supervisor will be able to provide
you with constructive support and advice governing important chapters s.uch as literature
review, methodology and results and analysis.
Even if you believe that you are familiar with the rules and. regulations governing the compil
ing and submission of your research project, it is still wise to liaise with your supervisOf to
make sure that you ha\le fulfilled your institution's requirements. For student researchers,
particularly international students, rules and regulatfons governing issues such as plagiarism,
word length, extensions. binding and referencing may we.U be completely alien. Easy marks
can often be lost through faJ1ure to understand these issues. Sadly, despite the importance
stressed to students of adhering to rules and regulations governing the research project, their
abilify to follow these is often a d.isappointment
You can only really capitalize on the above advantages if you carefully organize and
plan your supervisor meetings. Fundamentally, this imTolves three stages:
( I) preparation for a meeting with your supervisor, (2) during the meeting with your
supervisor, and (3) following a meeting with your supervisor. Each of these stages is
addressed below:
Preparation. You must agree a set time with your supervisor and do all you can to stick to the
agreed time slot. Failure to arrive on time, or cancelling at the last minute, ls unlikely to go
down well, especially if it is your first meeting! Also, make sure that you have a predetermined
set of questions ready to discuss with your supervisor. Ideally, you should choose a sufficient
number of questions to Ile covered within your allotted meeting time. For example, ff you have
arranged a 15-minute meeting, o!Jviously arrivrng at your supervisor's office with a list of 25
questions is far too manyl Unfortunately, failure to establish a set of questions prior to meet
ing their supervisor is all too common among student researchers.
During. Once you meet your supervisor, do not hesitate to work through your predetermined
List of questions. It is of pnmary importance that you fully understand your supervisor's
answers to each respective question. If in doubt, do not be afraid lo clarify their answer. For
example, saying something Hke 'So, what you're saying is- or 'Do you mind if I clarify your
answer?' Raemember that one of the main roles of your supervisor is to guide you through the
research process. Therefore, if in doubt, ask.
Your essential tools during your meeting should be a pencil an.cl notepad. Very few people have
the gift of being able to recollect everytt,]ng that was discussed during a meeting. Hence the
need to write thfngs down! Not only shoultl you write down the answers to vour supervisor's
28
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS RE.SEARCH
Datei'time
16 Sept 2008
Comments
DJSCussed h!erature review. Key authors

recommended- Kotler (1998), liofstede (1980)
I and Fang (2001 ). Some problems wllh structure begin by defining Key constructs, adopting a
cnt1ca1 approac
Srgnature
"'AM Tayro,
FIGURE 1.5 Extrau r m s,udc:r/supemsor meefng Log
questions, but also a plan of action. rn otfler words, clear t.argets to be achieved prior to the next
eeting. F111ally, ag_ree a date and time of your next meeting. I have found that some students
Li to keep a meeting log their supervisor. ln the main, this includes date aoo time, along
a sumary of the l<e! issues discussed !luring the course of the meetfng. Lastly, the super
v1Sor ten Sllgns the meeting log as confirmation that the imeting took place (see Figure 1.5).
FoUow,g: When you retum home, make sure that you read through, and underst.and, your
notes ans1ng fm he meeting. The longer you leave them laying in the bottom of your ba!l,
the greater the Lilrhood tat you wfll forget suggestions macle by your supervisor. Preferably,
keep your supervisor meeting notes tn a well-organi2e<J l'ile for future rererence.
HoVv often sh11uld I see rw research supervisnr?
Figure 1 .6 illustrates_ a possible approach to mcorporating your supefVlSor meetings

;vhen "vorkmg on your research project 1n short, each stage of the research process
mrnlves a meeting with your supervisor. For instance, when dec iding on your
Aim ta start research
Moo! supervisor
Clarify research tooic
Discuss ideas
Liferarure review
Discuss literature
Al::ldress ethics
Discuss atti,cs
Aesearnh design
Discuss design
Collect data
Dlsco.ss prima 'Y data
Analyze data
Dlscvss analysis
Write U1>
FIGURE 1.6 Researcfl ocess
Discuss writing up
cud rig I
rote or the re5ea r supe",.sur

AN [NTI!ODUCTION TD BUSINESS RESEAROf
29
reseaich topic, you meet your supervisor in order to discuss your ideas. Following
your meeting, you can then deade whether or not to act on your supervisor' s
advice. This m ay involve developing your topic or, quite possibly, reconsidering your
ideas.
Now, I m not suggesting that all students need to adopt this approach. In reality,
some students have sufficient knm-vJedge and experience to carry out a very good
research project, involving minimal contact time with their supervisor. Unfortu
nately, it is ofte:n those students who need to see therr supervisor the most ,,,.ha fail
to arrange an adequate number of meetings.. Remember that in most institutions the
onus is on the student, not the supervisor, to make c ontact. A supervisor's specialist
knowledge and experience is probably the best source available to students. To not
use it will ultimately lead to an inferior piece of work being submitted.
If you have any tsSues concerning your resea rch project, in most cases your
research superv1Sor can resolve these. The number of times you meet your supervi
sor is fargeJy dependent an your knowledge of ,rour chosen topic, reseaicb exper
tise, the extent to wluch you understand your mstitution s rules and regulations
governing the research project and, finally, whether or not you experience any
unforeseen circumstances during your project that prevent )'ou from making pro
gress. This can be anything from a change in personal circumstances to problems
with your methodology.
I --
--.
- .._
RESEARCH IN 1 ACTION '
Multi-strategy research
JCT: Is it still a turn on?
Figures about the small and m edium sfzed enterprise (SME) market rty around with alarming
regularitv - they're spending this, there are that many of tflem and so on. The Guardian has
conducted some of tts own research to trv to quantify tile market and find out where it 1s placed
as regards information and mmmunication tech nology
According to Guardian figures. there a re 4 million small and m edium sized enterprises (SMEs)
.
rn the UK, When a n SME can have between two and 199 employees These companies account
for 55.6% of employment in the UK and, between them , spent 9.6bn on ICT in 2003. up 21 lo
from 2002. Thrs figure is forecast to grow lo 14.4bn lJy 2006. The larger cam panres are clearly
s.pencting more on technology. wfth an ave rage of 21,298 going out of comp.anies with 50-199
people. compared to 4,271 from companies with between two and five employees {note,
tflough, that the figures per head work out vastly more expensive for the smaller companies).
Unsurprisingly, IT and internet comp.anies spent most in the area. with protessionaL services
coming second.
What was more Interesting was the Qualitative rather than quantitative elements of the survey
Fortlj-one per cent or SMEs disagreed with the statement 'We only invest in new technology whe n
existing equipment breaks down'. and tflree-fifths of respondents intended t o upgrade their
equipment in the next vear. Presumably, this m e.ans more SMEs are noting benefits from staying
ahead of the com petition in tenns of the technology deployed. This ties in neatly with tt,e idea that
ocn.
'
the buying decisions are heading our of the hands of the specialist IT staff and, indeed, away from
the boardroom - over two-th irds of non-directors are involveel in authorizing ICT spend.
Internet awa reness Is high among the SME community. E\len among t he smallest companies,
cornprislng between two and five people, 720/o have a website, rising to 99"/a when you look at
u1e top end; an average of 26% of thos.e companies accept o rders online and broadband is clearly
spreading - an average 67% of romp;anies across. the SME spectrum have it. Of the companies
with broadband. 59% said it had improved their husiness perfonnance a lot. 23% said it had
made a little difference and the rest said it made no difference at all. Fast upload. download and
general internet access were the main benefits
Of the most interest. however, was the perceptions of suppliers and availability of certain
products. Thirty-three per cent of non-broadband companies said they wouldn't get rt wittlln the
next 12 months because it wasn't availa ble, but they took no account ot cable mode ms or fixed
wireless alternatives. Twenty-seven per cent thought most ICT suppliers were not interested in
servicing their needs. and 31 % felt the ICT suppLiers didn 't appreciate tfleir needs - these are
minorities of cou rse, but substantial mrnoritres.
FinaUy, wireless technology, although much written about, continues. to be a minority pursuit.
Although tflere were variants acrording to company size. only 32% or companies in the SME
sector were using any form of wireless tectmolog),. SixteE n per cent were using Bluetoottr, 21"/o
had Bluetooth of some description and only Bil/ were mobile tttrough GSM/36. Forty- nine pe r
cent of those with the technology felt rt was deUverrng benefits. (Claperton. 1004)
As illustrated In the above article, by undertaking mult:1-strategy research the

researchers were not only able to detenmne the amount SMEs spent on ICT (quan
titative), but also when SMEs are likely to purchase ICT equipment and their per
ceptions of supphers (qualitative) . Clearly, understanding the relationship between
SlviEs and JCT is a comple.x subject. The premise of using multi-strategy research
in this case provides a better understanding of this relationship. lf the researchers
had undertaken mono-method research, such as a purely quantitative-based study,
they would have missed the interesting set of quahtative findings generated from
the investigation. Moreover, combining botb methods generates more of a 'com
plete picture' of the phenomenon.
Often, students have ambitions of conducting multi-strategy research . If you
think that your own project may involve using mulu-strategy research , bear in mind
that it remams a challenge for three reasons. first, you may find it difficult to com
plete your research on ti.me. Second, there is likely to be a financiaJ cost incurred.
Finally, not all researchers have the necessary skills requlfed to carry out research of
this type. In spite of the potential drawbacks, it is worth considering the merits
assooated with multi-strategy research m the early stages of your research.
l r-u 3r.w c 5
loO
S mm ry anrl r.onclu .. ion
This chapter has introduced the concept of research , in particular bUS1ness research.
]t has drawn attention to the key concepts of research - research philosophy,
research approach and research strategy. The link betv,reen business research and the
00 GARZA SADA
ITES.M CrurirUS TOWCA
AN INTRDDU
organization has been discussed, along with the necessary research skills required to
be an effectl\"e researcher. Here are the key points from this chapter
The research questions are the main foe.us of any project. and can probably best be described
as the glue that holds ttie project togetfler'.
Researh can e defin as a 'step-try-step process that involves the collecting, recording
analyzing and interpreting of information'.
Method?logy is concerned with the overall approach to the research process. This includes
everything from VoUr theoretical application to the collection and analysis of your data. on the
_
other hand. methods refer to the different ways in which data can be collected and analyzed.
The Honeycomb of Research Methodology illustrates the six main elements that make up
researc methodology. presents the key concepts of research. and provides a framework for
structuring your methodology chapter.
An understanding or epistemology is important because it is fundamental to the way you
approach and interpret your research.
Reearch epistemoLogies iclude: positivism, mterpretivism and pragmatism. The latter 1s
_
_
typ1lly associated with mixed methods or multi-strategy research.
Considr Whe1her a ult!-tegy approach might be preferable to a mono-method design
and think about the 1mpl1cat1oos of dotng multi-strategy research.
Make sure that you make full use of the support and advice of your research supervisor.
The Relevance and Importance of

i---------.
Research Methods Classes
David ParKer a final year BA (Hons) student In Business and Management, was now three
'.
weeks Into hts search methods module. The first part or the module had examined research
phllphy and introduced the undergraduate research project. Although David had enjoyed
earlier modules mverlng all areas of business. he was fmdiog it difficult to see how studying
research methods would benefit hts aspirations of becoming an Advertising Director.
Case study questions

.1. How would you convince David of the value attached to stucfying re.51!arc:h rm?tflods?
2. What are the key skitls David requlres in order to romplete his research proiect?
--------- VOIJ'E
TJ-11= SUPl=QVlOP
--------
Angela is currently in the process of starting her undergraduate research project. She has
undertaken a short course on re.search skills as part of her study programme. Angela under
sta tile general concept of multi-strategv research but is still unclear as to the benefit
assoaated with doig this type of research. She has turned to you. her supervisor. ror advice 0;
_
how she might 1ustify canying out multi-strategy research.
'..!"0rv1sor question
How would you respond to Angela?
32
ESSENTlALS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
1.. I find starting my research project quite daunting and do not understand many of the
terms associated with researcn philosophy. How important is rt to fully understand the
terminology?
AnsWer: This depends on the nshtut1on and the Level/type of degree prog amme you are
studying on However. I would sav that ,t 1s certa nly important to kno ., the basic
differences between the ma research epstemologies. The reason for this is that you w
almost cena nly be required to make reference to research philosophy n your
methodology chapter. This 1s in a!ld t1on to being able to 1ustify your research approach.
The mal1cer of your pro ect will be looking to see 1r you have a firm grasp of your chosen
methOdotogv m your research p1ect. It 1s of course very chflicult to demonstrate this 1f
you do not have a soUd understanding of the key concepts exam ned earlier m this
chapter.
2. As an international st11dent, I have found that the academic requirements associated with
doing a research project in the UK are very different to my home country. Where can I go
for advice?
Answer: Most un verstt1es offer some type o research metnods rnooule or workshop that 1s
des gned to support students before or during their research Yoo can of course seek advice
from \'OUr research supervisor Your supervisor ,. ill be acquainted with tt,e rules and
regulations govern ng content structure and sutm ss1on Moreover. m some mstttutlons you
w,l find that it ls possible to read through past pro1ects For example. the business faculty at
my own mst1tutron keep:s a S"lection of past proiects. The reference L'brary system in place
means that students can read through examples of gOOCI practice. thus ga rung an inialuab e
nstght nto structure and p esentat1on
3. Do I need to meet with my supervisor and what kmd of support can my supervisor give
me dunng my research?
Answer: n response to the rst part of th's question. the short answer is ','t!S. Although the
generic research process is typ c.aUy the same for all researchers your superv sor ls like y to be
an expert m your chosen research topic Ttus means that the\' are able to recommend key
sources of informafon that you can tum to when carrying out your research. Your supervisor
may also be able to provide valuable feedback on draft chapters of your work llga n. whether
your suerv1sor 1s able to read throogh wo k in progress depends on the institution. At some
mstituttons supervisors are perm tted to read through an entire draft pnor to submisS:On. wh le
in others, supervisors may not be allo,.,ed to read through students' work: Typ caUy from my
expenence, the ma ontv of mstrtubons allow supeMsors to read through one chapter or
perhaps 200/o of a student's worK before subrmssion If your unversity falls into th s category
then I suggest asking your supervisor to read through the chapter that you have the most
concerns wllh
(Continued}
33
(Continued)
4. Haw much time do I have to allm:ate to each stage in the research process?
Answer. There IS no easy answer to this question as It usually depends on a number of 1actors
N t least, the amount of time that vou are aole to oevote towards your research Obvioosly. for
part-time students and those with demanding resoos'blUUes the c11ances are that the research
process ,,i!! tak_.e longer. Other issues can atso ma"e f"nlsti"ng wilhn the requ red timetrame
ct,alleng'ng. These mctude expenencing diit1culties with your research methodology, a change in
personal ctrrumstaru:es Of posStllty even your supe MSOr lllOlltng to another rnstitution. In theory,
t e latter shout!! not be such an 1ssue. As discussed eart1er in the chapter, having an effective time
maoa!rement system In place can certatnly help ensure that you meet your deaiJUne. Another
consideration is that yoo may fmd certain stages take longer than expected because of vour cho'ce
o! research methodology. For example, conducting multi-strategy research wi.l ultimately mean
tiat your data coUectlon and anat',sis will take longer than r you opted fo; a mono-method des,gn
RFlferaprps
Anglia Ruskin University (2008) Research Methods for Managers, Mod1,le Gmde.
Cambridge: Anglia Ruskin Un.i\ersity.
Bryrnan,A. (1001) Social Research Methods. Oxord: Oxford University Press.
B ryrnan,A. and Bell, E. (2007) Business Research }vlethods (2nd edn). O>..ford:
Oxford University Press.
Carlin, B. (2007) 'OJympic chiefs under fire for upuerile" logo', The Telegraph, 4
June 2007, httpJ/wwvv.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknev...s/1553545/0lym pic-chiefs
under-fire-for-puerile-logo.html, accessed 25 July 2012.
Clapperton. G (2004) 'ICT: Is it still a tum on?' The Guardian, 30 September 2004.
Creswell, J.\iV. (1995) Research Design. Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches.
Thousand Oaks, CA:. Sage.
Creswell, HV. (1998) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among
Five Traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Creswell, J.\\-. (2003) Research Design: Qualitatwe, Quantitative and Mixed
Methods Approaches {2nd edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (2000) Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd
edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Easterby-Smith, M.P.V., Thorpe, R. and Lowe, A. (2002) lv1r.rn.agemenr Re.search:
An Introduction (2nd edn). London: Sage.
Gbauri, P. and Grnhaug, K. (2005) Research Methods ui Business Stuaies: A
Practical Guide. London- IT/Prentice Hall.
Greene, Jennifer, C (2007) Mixed Methods in Social Inquiry. San Francisco, CA:
John WiJey & Sons.
Guba, E.G. (1990) 'The alternative paradigm dia1og, in E.G. Guba (ed.), The
Paradigm Dialog. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 17-30.
Hofstede, G. (1980) Culture's Consequences. lntemational Differences m Work
rel.ated Values. Beverly Hills, CA- Sage.
Hyde, K.F. (2000) Recognising deductive processes in qualitative research',
Qualitatiue Market Re.search: An lntemationai Jounial, 3 (2): 82-89.
3
ES5EN11ALS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
Jpsos \IORJ (2007) 'Attitudes tmvards The London 2012 Olrmpics Logo', http://
w,.vvr.1psos-mon.corn/researchpublications/researcharchive.aspx?keyword=Lond
on+2012+01yrnpics, accessed 25 July 2012
Keegan, S., Tinsan, J. and Nancarrow, C (2008) 'Practitioner perspectives bridging practitioner-academic divide', Qualitarfoe Marker Research, l 1 (1):
107-112.
Market Research Society (2010) 'Code of Conduct', on.line soUice: www.mrs.org.
uk/pdf/code_of_conduct.pdf. accessed 20 September 2013.
'!organ, DL (2007J 'Paradigm s lost and pragmatism regaineJ Methodological
implications of combining qualitative and quantitative methods' Journal of
Mixed Methods Research, 1 (l ): 48-76.
Naslund, D. (2002) 'Logistics needs qualitative research - especiaUy action
research, fotenumonal Jaurnal of Pl'/)'sical Distribution & Logistics Management,
32 (5): 32.1-338.
Patton, M.Q. (l 99I) Qualitative faaluatfrm and Research Methods [2nd edn).
Newbury Parle, CA: Sage.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2007) Research Methods for Business
Students (4th edn). London: FT/Prentice Hal1.
Sornekh, B. and Levdn, C (2005) Research Methods in Soci.nl Sciences. London:
Sage.
Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. [1990} Basics of Qualitative Research: Groimaed Theory
Procedures and Techniques. London: Sage.
Tasbakkori., A. and Teddlie, C. (1998) Mixed Methodology: Combining Qu.alitarive
and Quantitative Approaches, Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 46.
London: Sage.
Further Re djnv
Bell, J. (2010) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researcher.s iu
EdtKation, Health a1td Social Science (5th edn). Maidenhead: Open University
Press..
Blumberg, B., Cooper, D.R. and Schindler, P.S. (201 ]) Business Researclt lv!etlwds.
London: McGraw-Hill.
Bryman, A. (2012) Sacral Research Methods (4th edn). Oxford: Oxford Universit)
Press.
Collis, J. and Hussey, R. (2009) Business Research: A Practical Guide for
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students. Houndsmill: Palgrave Macmillan.
Easterby-Srn.ith, M., Thorpe, R. and Jackson, P.R (2012) Mimagem.ent Research
(4th edn). London: Sage.
Molina-Azorin. J.F. (2.011) 'The use and added value of mb,.ed methods m
management research', Journal of Mixed Metiwds Research, 5 (1 ). 7-24.
Robson, C (2011) Reai World Research (3rd ed.n). Chichester: John Wiler & Sons.
Saunders, M.N.K. and Le""is, P. (2011) Doing Research in Business and
Management: An Essential Guide ro Pl.anning Your Proiect. London: Prentice Hall.
Thomas, G. (2009) How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students in
Education a1ul Applied Social Sciences. London: Sage.
AN lNTRODUCTlON TO BUSINESS RESEARCH
35
Developing a research topic
earning Ojectives .
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
understano the criteria that need to be considered when choosing a research topic;
know What makes a good research topic:
recognrze how to develop research questions;
recognize how to develop objectives:
evaluate your own research questions: and
understand the relationship between theory, research questions and objectives.
ntroduction
The pr1;:cedmg chapter provided an introduction to business research. You are nmv
ready co start thinking about your own research, in particular, your research topic.
In busines.s, a research topic is usually related to a particular organization and its
respecti\e industry. Research is often carried oul m order to help improve company
performance For ex.ample, this ma, include consumer research so as to improve
customer loyalty, competitor research to establish the potential threat of major
rivals, or simpl) market research to establish if there IS a market for a ne1-; product.
In short, a practice-based researcher is unlikely to have the same flexibility when 1t
--omes to choosing a research topic as a student researcher. If you are studying on a
general busmess and management course, most institutions simply specify that your
topic must be business related. In principle, such a ,.,.1Je range of options sounds
easy. In realit}, 1t IS usuall; anything but!
l11is chapter introduces you to arguably one of the most difficult stages of the
research process - deveJoping a research topic and a set of research questions. Or in
other words, starting! By now, \'Ou should fully understand the nature of research,
especially business research The nex-t step is to start thinking about a suitable topic.
As most of you are studying on business-related programmes, naturally your topic
must fall withm the field of busrness and management. Unfortunately, a study on
the breeding habits of the lesser-spotted eagle does not fall within the realm of
business! Ho\.\e\er, in many cases a topic can always be given a business spm For
example, 'Marketing the importance of protecting the lesser-spotted eagle' LS more
likely to be acceptable.
This chapter begins by discussing the nature of your topic, especially .vhat IS
meant by the word 'topic' in the context of your research project. This is then fol
lowed by a section that examines the best time to deciJe on your area of research,
along with the characteristics that best illustrate a good research topic. 'l:ou ma}'
simply decide to choose a topic that you have a passion for. However, m truth,
stmpl} choosing something that you enJO)' ma, not necessarily be the right choic;e.
This section will help you to determine whether or not your choice of topic ,s a
nable one.
Kext, idea generation is e.."Xplored. Above all, sources of ideas that can help
you to decide on a possible topic preference. Our attention then turns to
research questions. we examine: developing research questions, their impor
tance, how to formulate researchable research questtons and, finally. limitations
that may impact your choice of research questions. Following this, auns and
obiecuves are fullv addressed along with the role of theory. This time the chap
ter concludes with an additional case study to illustrate how topic, objectives
an<l research questions link together.
t 1ro f Vn1
r Topic
Prior to discussing the nature of your topic it is ,vorth reviewing ,vhat JS actuaHy
meant by the word 'topic' The majority of research begins ,.nth a topic. In relation to
busines.s and management, a topic can be defined as a busmess-related idea or issue'.
A topic can be broken down into broad topic' and ' specific tOjnc'. These are largely
self-explanatol). Nevertheless, evef) year l encounter projects that adopt the former
This is disappomting. Basing your research on a broad topic can lead to all sorts of
problems when carrying out your research. For instance, it can make in-depth analysis
later on in your study all the more difficult. An example of a broad topic might be:
'Marketing m the construction sector' Refming th.ts subJect into a specific topic mar
read 'RelatioTLSh1p marketing within the UK construction sector . The importance of
bemg specific when deciding on your topic is covered later in tru5 chapter
When do I have to decidP n'l niy tnn ,..,

Before looking at the cnteria that you need to consider when choosing your topic,
it IS essential that you know at what stage dunng your studies you need to select
your proJect topic. I\'aturally this depends on your course. For most undergraduate
students dtis tends to be sometime towards the end of their second or the beginning
of their tlurd year. For some students the prospect of selectmg a top1c is a daunting
task. while others know exact1y ,vhat it 1s they want to study If you think that you
are likely to fall into the former group, don't panic The ability to generate ideas is
38
ESSENTIALS OF BUS,INESS RESEARCH
a ke}' part to choosing your topic. \au will find a useful guide on how to do this
later in this chapter.
This next section is llTlportant as it sets out cnteria that vou need to consider
when choosing your research topic. Although your area of re;earch is business and
management, the following criten.a could almost apply to any acaderruc discipline.
In general, the characteristic,; of a good research topic include the fol1o"'ing
your topic: is achievable;
your topic is specific;
vaur topic ,s relevant;
topic satisfies project guidelines; and
your
your topic is of interest to you.
Vnur topic is artiii:ivt-ile

Previous modules studied during your course should provide some indication as
to which topics you find easy and which ones are more difficult. Still, the extent
to which your topic 1s achievable is not just dependent on your academic abiHty;
other factors also t.m.pact your research. This includes access to data, the sensitiv
ity of }'Our chosen subject, the nature of your researc.h questions and the
achievability or in other words, the level of difficulty, of your research. Devi
Jankowicz (2005. 29) suggested that 'difficulty can be broken down into the
follo\\;ng six issues. ( 1) the level of qualification to which you are working; (2)
Lhe intrinsic complexity of the subject matter, (3) the availability of expertise on
\\hich you can dra\,; (-4) the ease with which you can access data; (5) the finan
cial costs involved; and (6) the time required to complete a project b ased on the
topic in question.
The level of qualification to Whid! you are working. This relates to the type of degree that
you're studying. For most or you. this is an undergraduate degree. Therefore your chosen topic
should lend itself to an undergraduate degree. You do not need to 'make a contribution to
knowledge. This is something that tends to be a requirement for students undertaking a PhD.
Nor do voo need to reinvent the wheel! As a student researcher. it pays to be aware or your
project requirements_ Most readers are likely to be novice researchers. Therefore thfs will be
reflected in the learning outcomes laid down by your academic institution.
TIie intrinsic complexffy of tile subject matter. This concerns possible ditriculties that you
might face as a result of choosing a particularty complex topic. These mav rnctude: Little
published information in your university or mllege library; concepts and ideas that you may
not have covered during your lectures; the r:ontemporary nature of your topic mav mean that
the only information available is published in the commercial sector. thereby making it ctir
frr:ult to access.
The availability of expertise on which you can draw. This conr:erns access to staff ancl
resources. For example, if you intend studying entrepreneurship among UK small busi
nesses. you will want access to a supervisor who specializes in this particular area.
Similarly, you woulcl also hope that your library r:omputer resources hold relevant infor
mation on your area of research. Yet in some institutlons it 1s not always easy to gain
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH TOPIC
39
access to a supervisor who Is an expert in your chosen area. This is particularly the case
in popular subjects such as Marketfng.
The ease with which you can access data. This depends on the nature of your topic. In some
cases data may be too difficult to come by or simply too expensive, while in others it may
take too long to acquire. The extent to which you are able to access data is an important
consideration prior to going ahead with your research. as you do not want to encounter prob
lems turther down the Line. Access to data is something that is dearly linked to ethical issues.
For example, a director of a company may agree to provide vou with invaluable information
on condition that his or her identity is protected.
The financla! costs inVDlved. While you may nave ambitious ideas for a possible topic. they
may not all be workable due to financial constraints. It is worth considering the financial cost
and resources needed prior to commencing your research, as failure to do so might hinder your
ability to address your objectives.
The time required to romplete a proied based on the topic in question. Most students have a
set timefrarne for completing their research project. Typically, for undergraduate students this
is the final year of their degree programme. Some students find the task of writing a project
within this time period extremely challenging. The key to sucressfully completrng any kind of
project is planning. Having a set timetable to work to should ensure that you submit your
protect prior to your institution's deadline. However, remember that some aspects of your
research, e.g. conducting lntel'\iiews with company directors or travelling overseas to conduct
inteNiews, may b1l susceptible to delays. Therefore, try to build a certain amount of flexibility
into your planning.
Your topic k c;oeriFic

Specific refers to the degree to which your research top1c is focused and clear. The
e..\..'tent to which a research topic is specific depends on the danty and number of
words. Your topic is likely to start at a broad level. However, eventually you should
end up with something that is specific enough for you to achieve within your research
time period. As illustrated in Figure 2 1, t...1arketing' is a very broad topic that encom
passes a number of different subdis.ciplines. These include consumer beha\"iour, mar
ket research and branding. Simply opting for marketing as your chosen topic would
not allow vou the necessary focus required to satisfactorily complete your project. On
the other i1and, the final box in Figure 2.1, 'Business marketing relationship between
Cott Corporation and Tesco', provides the necessary focus required.
Your tnoic is "PLevant

Your college or university usual ly determines whether or no t yorn topic is rele
vant. Obviously, for busines s students, it needs to be within the discipline of
business and management. In general, this indudes all functions of business. The
main areas include marketing, finance, human resources and strategy. Those of
you on courses based on specific areas of business, e.g. a BA (Hons) in Marketing,
,vill undoubtedly select a topic that is relevant to marketing. T his might include
4C
ESSENllALS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
Marketing
Busmess marketing
B4slness marketing between
supplier and reiaUer
Business mart(eling relaoonshrp between Cott

Corporahon and Tesco
FIGURE 2.1 Narr
ng
m \'Ou reseo ht pie
husiness marketing, consumer behaviour, international marketing, marketing commu

nications or marketing researcb. l110se of you on general business study programmes,
however, are likely to have greater Aexibility.
J ha\e supervised man)r research students over the years, yet the variety of topics
never ceases to amaze me. NevertheJess, there are certain topics that l would call
'hot topics among srudents. These tend to come up on a frequent basis because the
large number of sources a\'ailable, plus farniliarit) with the subject, make it a rela
tively easy option. Examples often include case studies such as Coca-Cola, Tesco,
lkea and Marks & Spencer. In recent years there has also been a sigruficant mcrease
in submis.sions focusing on China. This can probabl} be attributed to Chinas rapid
economic grm.\'1:h, accession to the World Trade Orgaruzation (\ITO) in 2001 and
Beijing's hostmg of the 2008 Olympic Garnes. 1n essence, there is nothing wrong
\\ith choosing a popular topic, although most supervisors would probably like to see
something a little more imaginative
Finally, when considering the .relevance of your chosen topic, it is worth taking
a long-term view. In other words. what are your plans after completing your study?
Let's say that you plan on working for one of the 'Big Four accountancy firms. Then
it makes sense t o base your topic on something relevant to an area of accounting
that fits with your career aspirations. For e..xample, 1f you p roduce a project on audit
ing issues among UK SMf..s, not only will this p rovide you with key transferable
shlls that can later be put to good use, but also the project itself may prove to be a
useful selling tool' at interview.
Your topic satisfies project uctprnP'"

Project guidelines a.re likely to be set out b;r your college or university The flexibility
governing your choice af topic typically ,aries berneen institutions; as a general
DEVELOPING A RESEARCJi TOPIC
41
rule, though, the main requirement JS that the topic chosen 'fits' within the course
of study. For example, if Ulldertaking a degree m Human Resource Management, a
study based on reward systems among independent food retailers obviously fits
within the overall study programme.
You may have a sponsor or employer who requires you to focus on a particular
topic. In some cases, the findings of your project may be implemented by your spon
sor or employer. Usually, this is of great personal satisfaction to the student, aJthough
trying to fulfil your own academic achievements, Nhile at the same time producing
a piece of '"'ork that meets your employer's requirements, can be rather stressful to
say the least
Finally, your topic shouJd satisfy ethical guidelines. Make sure that you under
stand your ovm institution's rules and regulations governing ethics.
What Makes a Good Rese;irch Tnvk?
While we have looked at the characteristics of a good research toptc, ,vhat makes a
ood pro ject in terms of ideas? First, you shou1d now understand that you do not
fave to 'reinvent the wheel' to come up v.rjth a suitable tdea. Your idea do not hve
10 be original or unique, and ma) be similar to eXISting studies. Still, your final choice
of topic is llkely to come from your own idea or ideas, rather than someone else's.
Generating ideas in relation to your topic usually begins at a broad level, and
chen a natural progression is to refine your ideas, therebv making them more spe
ofic. In reality, this is not always straightforward. Actually com.mg up with a work
able idea is a common concern among srudents.
Generaf ng resear r Ji ideas
Your topic is of interFr;t to au
The key word here is motimtilm. Ob\iously, if your passion is finance, then opting
for a marketing-based subiect may not satisfy your interest . Sometimes a student
may select a topic because it is perceived as an easy or 'soft' option. Also, choice
may be influenced by the reputation of a project supervisor. In reality, these are
often poor reasons for selecting a particu lar topic. I regu]arly advise students that
choosing a subJect of interest is far more likely to lead to higher levels of motiva
tion towards your research. Table 2.1 shows some sample topics by area, field and
aspect.
Jt is worth noting that occasionally some students decide to change their topic
at some point du.ring their research. For example, if you decide that several months
into ,our research you have 'fallen out of love with finance, one option is to con
sider changing your topic. But, understand that the Jater into your research you
decide to change, the more difficult it will be to complete your project pnor to yotLr
deadline. An added complication if you decide to change from one discipline to
another, e.g. from Human Resources to Finance, is that you may also reqw.re a new
supen'isor. This could prove problematic, considering that most supervisors will
already have been appointed Therefore, if you wish to change your topic, my advice
is to try to keep v.ithin the same subject discipline
TABLE 2.1
Area
Marketing
Human
Resources
Financ.e
42
Field
International marketing
Employee reteflti!lfl
Marlagement ac.counting
ESSENTIA.I.S OF BUSINESS RBEARQ-1
and as OEct
Aspect
An analysis of market enrrv methcx:ls
An arialvsis of employee retention in relation to HaWkins
plc
Devel.opm61t or a Wixd-tlclS.ed financial system rr,- the
Royat l..on.aon Hospital Acc.ounting Department
So far in this chapter you have lea.med the criteria to consider when choosing a
research topic. Naturally, the next step is to start thinking about generating research
uJeas Ideas for a research project can come from a variety of sources. These may
include a discussion w1th your supervisor or employer, brainstorming (perhaps as
part of a research skills class with other swdents), through reading existing litera
ture, scanning previous research projects or drawmg mind maps or relevance trees.
lf you do not have a topic, or are struggling to find one, don't worry! fany stuJents
ta.ke time to select a suitable topic. In some cases, it may be because they have sev
eral ideas and find it difficult to select their preferred option, while others are per
haps hesitant to take that first step of the research process.. V{hatever the reasons,
eventually a suitable topic is chosen. Deciding on a topic can often be made easier
by using a variety of sources (see Figure 2.2) The following section explores some
of these options in greater detail.
Disr 11 .. 'i 0'l with rour supervisor a'" 2mployer
0
In all likelihood, your supervisor will be familiar with the broad topic area that you
ha\e chosen for your research, e.g. marketing, finance, human resources, strategy,
etc. Typically, the role of the supervisor is not to tell a student what to study, how
ever, they can certainly suggest possible topics. Also., they can perhaps recommend
relevant books and/or articles that can help to stimulate ideas.
Consider, too, talking to other tutors within your college or uni\ersity. While not
directly involved in your research project, tapping into their experience and knowl
edge is also likely to stimulate ideas. However, be waiy of the fact that tutors are
often likelv to recommend a topic closely linked to thel.1" own preference and area
of research. As a result, their e..x:pectations of your ,vork may be higher.
Topics such as human resources and marketing are particularly popular with
students. This is especially true of the latter. Therefore, if you opt for a market
ing-based topic, you may find yourself competing with a large number of stu
dents for a small number of potential supervisors. If this means the appointment
DE:VEl..llPJNG A RESEARCH lOPIC:
4l
Brainstorming
Discussion with
your supervisor
or employer
A tnp to the
supermar1<et
Brainstorm ng
Famlly and
business (FAB)
networks
Reading
existing literature
Scanni
previous research
projects
Drawing a
relevance tree
Drawing a m1r,d
map
FIGURE 2.2
es o
of a sup enisor who does not teach your chosen topic., this 1s not a major concern.
A key part to any project is structure. The main chapters, such as introduction,
literature re,iew, methodology and results will be familiar to your supervisor,
irrespective of their specialism.
Many institutions also &equently hold research seminars and guest lectures.
These cn pro,ide an insight into a diverse range ot topics. In some ..:ases guest
lecturers working for local companies are usually happy to take questions during
and after presentations. This may pro,ide an interesting source ot developing
,our ideas.
' Part-time students may be m a fortunate position to d1Scuss their research 'Aith
their employer. ln some cases employers see this as an opportunit, to support the
student in return for having access to their findings. l recall one parucular student
who worked part-time for an established independent hotel Her employer was
full; supportive and took a vested interest in her research. The student was able to
carry out research into the hotel's operational procedures and had luJI access to
staff, guei;t:s and hotel records. Upon completion of her study, management imple
mented a number of her recommendations. At the same Lime, the student found the
whole exprience eA'tremely rewarding. This was reflected in her achieving an excel
lent mark for her efforts.
Not all students, of course, are fortunate enough to have the support of an
emplover. Still it is worth considering discussmg ideas with local firms. Often small
comparues in particular can be very supportive towards students.
44
ESSENTIALS Of BUSINESS RESEARCH
Swdents undertaking .i researh skills module are likely to participate _i a

braiirsronnmg session as pan of their module. Developed by a US advertmng
executive in the 1950s, brainstorming is a problem-solving technique con
ducted in a group environment. Adrian Fumham (2000: 2) sugested at _a
number of rules have been developed to i=nsure that a bramstormmg session 1s
properly conducted:
Group size should be about five to seven people. It there are too rew people. not enough sug
gestions are generated. If too many people participate, the session becomes uncontrolled and
uncon trullable.
No criticism is allowed. AU suggestions should be welcome.
freewheeling is encouraged. The more outlandish the idea the better.
Quantity and variety are very important The more ideas put forth. the more likely is a break
through idea. The aim is to gene.ate a long list of ideas.
Combinations and improvements are encouraged. Building on the ideas of others, incLUding
combini them, is very productive.
Notes must be ta.ken during the sessions Either manually or with an electronic recording
device. The alternatives generated during the first part of the sessioo should later be edited
for duplication and categorizations.
The session should not be O\"erstructured by following any of these rules too rigidly.
Brainstorming is a spontaneous small-group orocess and is meant to be fun.
Students often much prefer to b e able to talk to their peers about their topic,
rather th.an 1ust their supervisor. while bramstorming can be fun, 1t can also be
highly productive by raJSmg both positive and negative aspects associated with your
research
Reading e..-- titPr.:iture
Among sources of ideas for a research project, perhaps the most important are
textboks and academic journals. These can be an excellent source of inspiration. As
a student, you should already be reading these on a regular basis. Reading through
academic or peer-reviewed journals will also give you some idea of the amount of
available literature on a possible topic. Be careful here. Although a large amount of
literarure may prove very useful, it ma y also mean that :1 particular topic has been
e.xhausted. In other words, 1t IS already a well-trodden path Similarly, a dearth of
literature on a possible topic may make it difficult when writing your literature
review.
Unfortunately. students often ignore the significance of academic journals. Not
onh can these be an excellent source of ideas, but they also contain many of the
features associated with a research project. namely an introduction, literature review,
methodology, data analysis, conclusion and referencing. It is worth familiarizing your
self with these features at an early stage as it can only help to better prepare you fur
your own research.
45
Scanning previous research projects

Scanning past projects within your university or college can be a useful '"'a) of gen
erating ideas. In addition to differences in subject, pre\.ious research proiects also
differ in terms of approach. This can help you to start thinking about your own
methodology as well as research topic. As a general rule, universities and colleges do
not reveal marks of past projects. Therefore, m some cases it may prove difficult to
determin e the quality of work. Riley et al. (2000 32) highlighted the advantages
and dtSadvantages of referring to previous projects:
Advantages. The possibility of advancing and/or developing a previous piece of research; and
locating a piece of research where external contacts and respondents who participated in the
research may be willing to help again.
Disadvantages. A risk of relying too heavily on previous research and doing little original
research to adVance it and settling on a dissertation or report that was originally weak 1n
terms of topic choice. execution or some other criterion (to assist with this aspect. it may be
possible to find out how 'good' such pieces of work. were by talking to tutors).
Ora -- m1nct map

A rmnd map involves writing the name of a phrase or theme of your proposed
research m the centre of the page. \ou then branch out with each sub-theme, fur
ther sub-themes, and so on (see Figure 2.3). The advantage of a nund map is that it
can help you to de\elop links between ideas, it can stimulate further ideas, and it
can help you to sec boundaries when conducting your research. Producing a mind
mar involves a series of simple stages:
1 Arm yourself with a blank sheet of AJ or A4 paper and lots of coloured felt tip pens.
RelaX, think creative', you do not have to be an expert artist!
Select your key word or image, for example 'Business research', and write or mark it in the
centre of the page.
Branch off any ideas related to this central theme. such as 'methodology', 'literature review
and 'research questions. Include thoughts which may seem irrational or obscure - they will
give vou a fresh persJ)ective on your subfect
Use one coloor for each branch, with sub-branches flowing off from the centre continuing
until you have exhausted all possible links.
Restrict your thoughts to one word per line, so you are free to make a greater number of
connections.
Use images instead of words whenever possible. and draw boxes around, or otherwise high
light. important information. The more colourful your mind map the easier it will be to
remember things.
When you think you have finished, edit and regroup your notes on a fresh sheet in order to
proouce your final mind map.
(Adapted from 'Mind Maps chart the way to business efficiency', 1998)
Drawing
nc:e tree
A relevance tree IS an alternative form of mind map, but it tends to be more ordered.
Relevance trees provide structure to your literature search as well as generating
boundaries. The headmgs and subheadings are often ker words that can later be
used electronically to aid your literature search. Relevance trees are often a logical
next step following a brainstorming session.
To set out a relevance tree, you should:
begin with your research question or objective at the top of the page;
identify the key subject areas that you think are important;
further subdivide each major subject area into sub-areas which you think are of relevance;
further divide the sub-areas into more prease sub-areas that you think are of relevance;
identify those areas on which you need to focus (your project will be of particular help here):
and
as your reading and reviewing progress, add new areas to your relevance tree.
Family "rl ti ,,iness networks
46
Family and business (FAB) networks relates to your o,..,'11 personal web of contacts.
In general, the latter is probably less likely to apply to full-time students who have
\'et to gain employment. Mature and part-time students, however, may have built
up a comprehensive network of business contacts. These contacts may be in a posi
tion to offer more than a range of ideas, such as sponsorsb.ip of your research.
As well as pro\iding moral support and encouragement dunng your study, fam
ily may also be in a position to help with your research. And I don't mean writing
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH lUPIC
47
it! I mean help:ng in other wa)'s, such as older siblings who have gone through the
research process and are able to provide their own first-hand viev.s of what you can
expect, family contacts who may make suitable interviewees as part of a sample; or
you mav even be in a position where a member of our family runs a business and
is looking for your project to form the basis of their next strategic direction! No
matter what the extent of your fam.i.1y's input, it is a potential source of ideas that
should not be ignored.
/A.. ip tn the supermarket
No, I haven't gone mad! Think about it for a moment. For business and management
students one potential source of stimuJus 1s to look at what's going on in your local
supermarket. Possible topics include product development, branding, consumer
behaviour, pricing, customer service, sales promotion, corporate strategy- the list is
aJmost endless. Because the likes of Tesco and .l\sda have diversified into other prod
ucts and senices, increased their number of stores and penetrated international
markets, the scope for topics on which to write is huge.
Finally, the above sources of ideas are by no means exhaustive. Essentially, they
give you an overview of how to generate and develop your ideas prior to beginning
the nex step: establishing a research problem.
Research problem
A research topic is not the same as a research problem. A research problem tends to
be more specific. For e:.xample, a research topic may be concerned with the
internationalization of German engineering companies, whereas a research problem
leads to a more specific question, such as 'What motivates German engineering
compames to internationalize?' Basically, when you start to move from a general
topic to a research problem, }'Ou are beginning to make progress in refining your
research. Research questions are the tools that help you to answer your research
problem. Yet, just how do you develop these research questions? And why are
research questions so important? The answers to these questions are addressed in
the foHowrng sections.
How to Develop Research Questio _

Although some of you may have a pretty good idea of your chosen topic, at some
point th.is needs to be broken down into research questions. If you already have a
clear idea of your chosen topic, then you should find the ne.'ct subsection beneficial
as it deals with the important task of developing research questions.
The importance of deveJ oping a clear and focused set of research questions has
already been stressed in Chapter 1, though at some point your research idea needs
refining in order to develop research questions. A research question usualJy follm\'S
48
ESSENTIALS Of BUSINESS. RESEARCH
a general research idea. The majority of business and management students are
e"-"Pected to generate their ov.-'TI ideas and subsequent research questions. In this
respect, it is probably the fust time vou have not bee.n given a pre--set range of ques
tions. A useful e.xercise is to ask yourself certain questions to help you clarity the
nature of your research:
What do you want to find out?
wtw do you want to research this topic?
., Why does this research neecl to be carried out? (Js there a gap in the literature. or does it
cootribute to existing theory and/or management practice?)
What data/information already exists in other similar studies?
(Adapted from Wlll<in-son, 2000: 16)
First, try to defme m no more than 12 \'\>'Ords exactly what it is you wish to find out.
Ln other words, sum up the nature of your research in no more than one Sentence.
Tlus is a useful e.xercise as it helps you to clarify in your own mind ,vhat you intend
to achieve from your research_
Second, try to provide reasons for choosing your particular topic. As mentioned
earlier, for many students these include a topic that is of personal mterest and
related to your future career aspirations. In general, being able to explain why you
wJ.Sh to research your chosen topic area helps to justify your research while at the
same time should also help motivate you to undertake and finall)' complete your
research.
A t.hird key issue is to establish why it is important for your chosen research
topic to be carried out. From your background reading you may have 1dentifiecl a
gap that exists in the current literarure on the subJect area that requires Further
investigation. \Vhatei;er the reason, it is important that you understand the signifi
cance underlying your research.
V1lith respect to what informatlon currently exists elsewhere, students are often
faced '.\'1th either a wealth or dearth of mformation A wealth of rnfonnation is in
some respects more difficult for a student. This is for two reasons: the literature
fe\>iew can be more time-consuming, and it can be challenging when it comes to
identifying the most relevant literature. Someumes, if a student is faced with a huge
amount of literature to re"ie\'>', this can eat into valuable time required to carry out
other stages of the research. Identifying the most relevant hterature can be made
easier by counting the number of atations: the more frequentl;r a particular author
ls referred to by others often indicates the level of importance of that particular
author's work.
A dearth of information can also be time-consuming, as some sources may prove
difficult to access. For example, your university or college may not have access to some
American journal articles essential to your study. These may need to be ordered, which
obviously "takes tnne.
In summary, the key questions highlighted abo\e are a constructive exercise in
helping to clarify your research. lt provides a useful platform to help develop your
research questions.
DEVElllPING A RESEARCH TOPIC:
49
Why :uo rsearch quec:tnn"' important?

Similar to your chosen topic, generally, your research question(s) shouJd satisfy the
following requirements: they must be achievable, specific, releYant, satisfy your
instituuons guidelines and, Finally, perhaps above all, be of interest to vou!
Arguably, research questions are the most tmportant aspect to a p;oject for the
foUowmg reasons:
They help to set llouridaries when conducting your literature review and help to identify the
key Literature
They help propose a su1table methodology.
They help produce a refined set or results.
They auow easier analysis .
They help to draw together a reasonable set of conclusions arid make reference to previous
research.
Just as your topic needs to be specific, so do your research questions. In short, your
resean.h questions are the tools that help you to identify and narrow your literature
to something that is manageable, and can be reviewed within your time constraints.
Ho,,:e, er, to be able to do this, tt is v1taJ that you formulate a researchable set ot
research questions. The next sect:Jon looks at how this can he achieved.
Hnw n formulate a rFJc;o::,,rrh .., e research "..!"c-t1c1

\Vhen formulanng a research question it ts perhaps worth considering the possible
,veaknesses. A number of weaknesses can be identified in relatton to research ques
tions. Common weaknesses that [ tend to come acros.s mclude: being too seostti\'e,
not specific enough, being more appropriate to a longitudinal study, and simpl)' not
being measurable. Let us examine these pornts more closely.
First, certain subjects are taboo and others are sensitive. [f Your research
include!> questions on sensitive or embarrassing topics. there js ev 11 possibdity
that this will seriously lmpact your response rate For example, questions con
cerning politics, demographics and education should be fom1Ulated with caution
[n addition, if your research mvolves cross-cultural research, there is a greater
likelihood that you will encounter problems over the formulanon of questmns.
From my own expenence of conducting cross-cultural research involving \'Vestem
and Chinese participants, the best thing to do 10 an attempt to avoid such dif
ficulties is to conduct Joint research In other words, researchers from different
cultural backgrounds work together on a pro1ect, such as a US and a Chmese
researcher working on a comparative study of brand loyalty in the US and
Chinese automobile markets. Then again, as a student researcher, having a fellow
researcher is not something that you are privileged to. For that reason, if the
nature of your research ts cross-cuhural issues, the best way to proceed is to con
sult your supervisor, friends and family, and relevant literature on culture in order
to avoid potential pitfalls when compiling your questions.
50
Second the specific nature of research questions has alread; been addre.5:ied.
Third, a [ongi.tudinal study is a piece of research conducted oYer an extended period
of time. In some cases, your research questions may be better suited to this type of
research. An example might be a study of the changes in consumer behaviour in the
UK automobile market. Unuke the technology sector, major changes in the automo
bile market tend to occur over a reasonable period of time. Hence the need for a
longitudinal study that ,dentifles and measures the changes over urne
Last!}, you may have difficulty measuring your findmgs tf your research ques
tion does not allo... for access to informauon, or is too ambitious or poorly worded.
Ideally when formulating your research questions, the following issues need to be
considered:
your que stions must not be too easy;
they should allow for suitable analysis;
they should provide a future perspective;
they should allow the generation of new insights; and
they should avold common areas of research.
Of these, 'provide for a future pspect1ve 1s an area that is often overlooked by
students. For e.xample: '\.Yhat impact is the mtroduction of a minimum wage likely
to ha\'e on the icmploymeot market over the short to medium term?' Notice that
'short to medium term provides the future perspective. lncorporating a question of
this nature allows for detailed analysis.
oc:!cogni7inP limitations o' ... " rtir11lar research question

It is important to recogruze certain limitations when formulating your research
questions. Most institutions reqwre students to work to a strict timetable in terms
of project submission. ObVlously, tJus then rules out research questions centred on
a longitudinal study. Common limitations linked to research questions include; a
lack of tocus, being too lengthy, being too optimistic and not being relevant.
One approach to formulating your research questions is to consider what I refer
to as the broken vase method When attempting to put the p1eces of a broken vase
back together, you will find that some pieces are too big, too small, too fragmented,
too sh arp ; too many pieces look ahke; and finally there are the pieces that fit just right.
Table 2.2 shO\\S how chis anaJogy can be applied to research questions.
Table 2.2 shows the last question to be the most suitable. By now, you should be
in a position to understand why this question tS suitable, as opposed to the other
examples in the table. In general, Table 2.2 prO\ides a useful guide when you come
to develop your own research questions. However, research questions are only one
aspect when it comes to eJs.-plaining the direction of your research. Having a dear
set of aims and objectives is just as important as your research ques'tlons.
How do I know 1F my research questions are Just right and what are the aiteria
of judgement? On the first point, hopefully Table 2.2 is a helpful reference; you can
DEVEL0PtN6 A RESEARCH lOPlC
51
TABLE 2.2
esea
I'! es 1ans a
I to t
broken ase me Oil
Research question
Broken vase method
How rkJeS the in!l1n.lction Gf a supermancet loyalty

ca,d generate loyalty and CllStomef" satistaclie>1 among
UK sl'lOppers?
Wha is susta nab!e managemen:?
Too lli'j This quesoon consists or too manv words

alld would be aiffic:Ult tu achieve.
What marketing communicatioo toas do companies

emplcrf in the oos,ness- :o-busi!'fss sector. now
effecfa-e are these wt,y are ttiev emoloyea?
What are tne le','E!lS of bribery afla c.orruption within
central gu.,emrnent?
Hal, do Ch nese cu.tural ,atues impact oo rr.anagemenl
alld leadersllin sty,e?
How oo Olltural 'li.Ues influence 01nese management?
:1D'H successful 15 BramptCJ1 plc in tne Indonesian
market?
ix> small. Also havi a single 'Wha.. question is !Jtav

to produce an excessiYety oescriptive piece or work.
Alttllui,i yoo can a that ntS is essentially too
big, the ma"n problem is '.hat 1t lS roo fragmented.
t ac:tuauv comprises ttiree research Ql,eStions
1bo sharp or sensirr,e.
l.001( a!il(e, roo similar.
Just right.
also consuJt your project superv1sor for his or her views. ln terms of criteria of
judgement, to a certain e._xtent deciding whether a research quesuon 1s 1ust right is
a subjective one. Using other researchers questions as a bem.hmark is a good start
mg point. One way to establish if their research questions are suitable 1s to read later
stages of their research, such as the literature re\iew and methodology. If their
research questions are too big then this will be reflected in the literature review.
Quite simply, they will not ha, e been able to cover all of the key literature, as their
research questions lack focus.
Also, 1t is important to stress that your research questions are likely to result
from reviewing the literature. The reasons for this are twofold First, reading the
research questions of expenenced scholars provides a useful insight when it comes
to developing your own set of research questions. Second, you will be able to iden
tify the contribuuon thal your study can make to the literature, thus your research
questions will reflect this. Do nol be too concerned with literature review at this
stage, as 1 cover t at great length J1 Chapter 3
How to Develoo Aims and Obiectives

Sometimes the words 'aims' and 'objectives' are used interchangeabl Yet there
i5 a distinct difference. An aim can be described as a general statement of what
the research sets out to achieve, while an objecti11e is a more specific statement
relating to the defined aim of your research. Quite simpl }, the aim is what you
want to achieve, and the objective describes how you are going to achieve that
aim. Both auns and objectives are equally unportant Lookmg ahead to the conclusion
51
to what extent you have achieved your set

of yC1ur project, you will need to ass
ai.ms and objecli\'es.
o\lthough aims tend to be more general than obJectives, the two should be ven
has the same inteno as
f1lUch interrelated. An objective is denved from an aim,
_
Limited
aun but is more specific. Your number of research objectives :.hould be
: a 1:-nvenient quantity. The more objectives you have, the less likely you will
be able to achieve each one fully.
Consider the following examples, showing the 'link' between research questions
and obj ectives. Examples of research questions:
1 How important are the various fact ors for evaluating staff performance?
2 How have sports celebrities contributed to the Gillette brand?
3 What attitudes do consumers have towards fair trade products?
Examples of research objectives.
1. Identity the reasons behind the company's expansion into the Dutch market.
Ta determine the best way our company can increase staff retention over the next financial
year
To establish the best way of introducing a sales training scheme.
[n essence, an obJective is a statement that sets out to defme a particular
problem, while a research question tends to be more specific about what it is vou
are trying to achieve Finall), research questions also sometimes mdude a clear
wel1-wntten set of hypotheses 'A hypothesis is an unproven proposition or
possible solution to a problem. Hypothetical statements assert probable answers
m research questions. A hypothesis is also a statement about the nature of the
world, and in its sunplest form it is a guess' (Zikmund, 2003 99). For example,
a marketing manager may hyp othesize that an increase 10 advertising spend will
lead to an increase in sales.
Basically, a hypothesis ts concerned with the relationship between two variables.
The hypothesis will predict the relationship between variables, and, through
testing, may or may not support the theory. There are two types of \'ariables
associated with hypotheses - independent and dependent variables. independent
variables are those seen as a 'cause , while a dependent variable is seen as the
'effect' (outcome). This ,s often referred to as a cause-and-effect relationship.
Using the example 'In Sino-UK JOinL ventures what is the effect oF trust and
commitment on joint venture performance?', the mdependent variable would
be 'trust and commitment', and the dependent variable (or outcome) woulJ be
joint venture performance.
A hypothesis can also be stated as a null hypothesis. This states that there is no
relationship benveen the indep endent and dependent variables, and is mainly used
in research involving statistical analysis (see Chapter 9).
DEVELOPING A. RESEARCH TOPIC
53
,r "lre 'Jbjrctives impor+"lnt?
Problem. Loss of trade'
We have established that objectives set out how you are going to achieve your aims.
The important point, however, is that objectives allow you to set 'boundaries prior
to conducting your research. Similar to research questions, objecttves provide a focus
for your research. As mentioned, unlike research questions, objectives tend to be
statements; they do not ask an outright question. The mam thing that research ques
tions and objectives ha,e in common is that both seek to generate answers. Because
of this, somtimes these words are used interchangeably to mean one and the same.
Alms
Increase trade'
Objective: 'To increase UK sales

12 months'
by 10% -nlhin the neJC'I
Ho , to forrr:. 1 ate '"l:lserchabl2 rbjilrfves

Al
An easy way to formulate re.search objectives is to consider applying the widely used
acronym 'SNIART. It stands for 'Specin.c, Measurable, Acrue\,able, Relevant and Tuned'.
Aesea1ch question: 'How do we
increase UK sales by 10% wrth,n

the next 12 months?'
Specific.
Are the objectives stated clearly? Are they focused and indicate What is to be
achieved?
Measurable. Can the stated objectives measure what is daimed?
Achievable. Are your objectives achievable and attainable?
Relevam. Objectives should also add value to your choseo topic and, above all, be appLical:lle
to your subject.
Timed. Is there a time perioo withfn whrch the objectives wiU be accomplished?
Although S:VlART is a good starting point when formulating your objectiYes, it is
also worth taking into account the factors that may contribute to a poor set of
obJectives. First, make sure that you do not fall into the trap of just repeating the
same objectives, but tn slightly different terms. In essence, there should be a clear
distinction betv,:een each objective. Second, make sure that your objectives are
structured in the correct way. Ideally this should be in bullet-point format, rather
than as a Lst of 'issues related to your chosen topic. Third, remember that your
objectives need to be more specific than your aims. Therefore, spend time making
sure that they are not too \'ague, overly ambitious or lack focus. Fourth, ensure that
the objectives 'fit' V1ithin your chosen topic area and do not fall within another
discipline. And finally, do not contradict yourself within your obJectives, e.g. say that
you intend doing one thing, while in another objective state the complete opposite.
In summarv we have now looked at four areas of research that are clearly inter
linked - probl. aims, objectives and research questions. By now, you should have
an understanding of what is meant by each term. along with how, collectively, they
form an important part of your research project. However, to make things clearer,
Figure 2.4 shows each of these areas and the relationship benveen each one.
The example in Figure 2.4 is clearly linked to a business scenario. But, as a sru
dent researcher, you also need to be aware of how to arri\"e at a set of research
questions that form the basis of your research project. Failure to do so is likely to
lead co problems already cited in this chapter.
54
FIGURE 2.4
ea on
be
ler. 1rns, obj hres ,net Que.'i n
Ttieorv Desearch Ouesti nc; a rt O j tivec:

lt is important to understand theory wben formulating your research questions and
objecth'es. Theory is a word that many people recognize as having several meanings.
As a student, I'm sure that you have come across the word on many occasions. For
e.xample, your lecturer may make reference to a 'lack of theoretical application' in one
of your assignments. Freel N. Kerlinger ( 198 6: 9) defined theory as 'a set of ioterre lated
constructs (concepts), definitions, and propositions that present a systematic \iew of
phenomena specifying relations among variables, \.\11th the purpose of e.'!:pla.ining and
predicting the phenomena'.
In short, theory is a set of principles devised to explain phenomena. In order to
be able to explain phenomena, a theory needs to be applied (application); once
applied, tbJS will produce an outcome (result). For example, many business students
are familiar with Jvlichael Porter's Five Forces theory. In es.se.nce, the theory proposes
that industries are influenced by fi-ve forces. The outcome of applying Porter's the
ory ls dependent on a number of factors, e.g. time, industry and setting (national,
mtemational, globaJ).
\'\/hen formulating your research_ questions and objectives you need to consider
how theory will feature in your research. For example, if you opt for a decluctive
approach, normally you would conduct a literature review in order to identify an
appropriate theory and construct a hypothesis.. On the other hand. if you decide on
the inductive approach, your principles are likely to be based on the development
of theory following your data coUection.
DEVELOPING A RESEARCl-l TDPlC
55
Given tile Importance cf choosing your topic, developing cbjectivt!s and formulating research
Questions, the next section indudes a student case that brings together much of what I haYe
covered in this chapter. Remembe< that it ls not so much the topic that ls important, but the
rormulation cf the objectives and research questions.
Alexamier, a BA (Hons) Business Management student, decided to forus his research proj
ect on the 'Internationalization of small and medium size:! enterprises (SMEs) baserl in the West
of England'. The main objective of his proposed research was;
to better understand the internationalization process and market entry methods of SMEs
base<J in the West of England. The aim is not onlv tD evaluate rntemationalization process
and market entry methods, but at.so to analyze what typ.es of strategy SMEs ne:e<J to take
in order to compete sucx:es'Sfully in emefiing international markets.
The objectives of t,is study were as fallows:
To understand what motivates SMEs to internationalize.
To examine the intemationaliz.ation strategies adopted by SMEs.
To determine the market entry methods chosen by SMEs.
To examine the strategies SMEs need to adapt in order ta successfully compete in emng
intematia,ial markets.
The main research questfoos to be addressed were:
Why do SMEs decide to internatiooal1z,e?
What lntemationalizatioo strategies do SMEs adopt?
How do SMEs enter emefBing lntemational marleets?
What strategies do SMEs nee<! to adapt Tn order to successfully compete in emerging inter
natiooal markets?
The rationale of undertaking his research was as follows:
Although the internationalization of firms has been welt documented, there is a lack of
research into the internationalization process of SMEs. partjcularty those based in the
West of England. The leading emerging markets of India and IChina have also received
limited attention. In short. this is an area or research that remalns unm!r-explorefi. The
majority of the literature has ttmded to torus on the mtemationalizatioo oi large multi
national companies and market enuv into developed markets such as the us and Europe.
UK government Enftiatrves to encourage UK SMEs to Internationalize, espe'Cially in emerg
ing markets such as India and Ouna, mean that research in thls area is tJOth important
and timely.
Notice hew the objectives and research questions are very much related to one another.
Also, the title is short anti to the pofnt. Finally, through readlng the key literature on the subject,
Alexander was able to identify a deaJ rationale ror his study
55
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS RESEARDf
Are you happy?

At a cost of 2 million, the government's 'happi11ess swvey will be sent to 200,000 househdds per
year umil 2015. David Cameron. the British Prime Minister, chose to. introduce a new 'happrness
irldeX as a way of measuring well-being by means other than wealth and sperw:ti11g. The first results.
published m July 2012, show that the average adult was rated 7.4 out of 10 for Life satisfaction.
i>emaps unsurprisingly, results also snow that those Who have more monev are a Let happier with
their liveS. It foond that the J)Ollrest are the least happy While those m the higher tax bracket are the
most satisfied. Although most people are happy, traditional married famiLies are happiest of all
The 'happiness index' has its critics. Len McCluskey, the newty elected general secretary of
me grant Unite union. said it was an attempt by the Coalition to ' pull the wool over people's eyes
and disguise the impact of spending cuts. White an article in The Independent newspaper (2011)
suggested that we could all become happier. and that 'One way to achie11e that, for most of us.
wotJld be by persuading the Government to stop wasting our ever-onerous taxes on entirely
i->fnrtess surveys. Some of the crltldsm centred on the research questions. For example, one
question asked whether 'the things you do in vour lire are worthWhile'. However, for au rts critics,
tt,e happiness survey is with us until 2015. The big question 1s: Will people be happier next year?
Although the above xample cannot be described as 'business research', the rea
sons I have chosen the UK gmernmeot s happiness survey are threefold. FiTSt, ,t
illustrates the difficulty in measuring a broad, multifaceted topic like well-being.
Second. 1t shows that formulating research questions to measure something as sub
jective as happiness is no easy task. Third, this case also demonstrates the importance
of defming any terms used in research. The same appLes to your own study. For
example, let's say that you have the following research question: 'Hm.v successful are
UK companies in the luxury brands market?' One of the key terms in this question
is 'successful' Success can be defined and measured in many different ways. Exam
ples include profit, tumo,er, customer satisfaction and market share, to name but a
few. It is lDlportant to make it dear '"'hich definition you vti.U be using in your stud}
This is often explained in the literature re,.1iew and may also be e},,,--plained to respond
ents when collecting pnma.ry data (see Chapters 3 and 6 respectively). In a positivist
study, it is essential to define key terms, as this will promote greater consistency and
validity in you.r research. 1f you are undertaking an interpretivist stud)' then you are
likely to be engaging m research of an exploratory nature. Thus, defirung key terms
might be more difficult as they are likely to be an outcome of the research.
Summarv and Conclusion

This chapter has been about developing a s:mtable research topic, objectives and
research questions. In it, we have looked at the characterist1cs of a good research
topic, and how to formulate objectiyes and research questions. Here are the kev
pornts from this chapter:
DEVELOPIN.G A RESEARGI IDPIC
57
A topk can l}e broken down into 'broad topic' and 'specific top[c'.
The characteristics of a good research topic are that it must Ile achievable, specific. relevant
satisfy project guidelines and be of interest to you.
Topic ideas c.an come from a number of sources. including brainstorming sessfons, discussion
with your supervisor, reading existing titeratllre and family and business networks.
Ask yourself certarn issues that help to clarify the nature of your rearch, e.g. define what
vou want to find out.
Research questions are important because they help to set boundaries when conducting your
Literature review.
When formulating vour research Questions, they must not be too easy.
An aim can be described as a general statement of what the research sets out to achieve,
whereas an obfective is a more specific statement relating to the defined aim of your research.
A hypothesis is an unproven proposition or possible solution to a problem. Hypothetical state
ments assert protJable answers to research questions.
Theory is a set of principles devised to explain phenomena In order to be able to explain phenom
ena, a theory needs to be applied (application); onre applied, this will product! an outcome (result).
Turning a Research Topic into Aims,

OhjPctivi:is and Re earrti nuoc:tfons
5andra was thrilled to have been chosen as a \ltllunteer for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
She was very much looking forward to the experience and considered it to be a strong selling
point when applying ror graduate jobs. Due to commenc.e the final year or a BA (Hons) Business
Management cfree in September 2CIU, Sandra also dee-med the London Olympics as a pos
sible toprc for her undergraduate research Protect. She had already oone some background
readihg on the London Olympics and had fm:Jncl a large amount or published materfal on all
aspects of the games. This included research studies published in aca"demlc foomals on every
thing from tile tourtsm implications of the games to rnrporate sponrshfp. rn terms of the
latter, Samira was particularty Interested Tn how the London Organising Committee of the
Olympic and Paralympic Games (I..OCOG) protected their sponsurs' interests. More specifically,
she wanted to know the preventative measures tfle commlttee took against the marketing
strategy of associating a brand with the Olympics, when a brand has not paid. tar the right to
b"e an official sponsor - otherwise known as 'ambush marketing'.
Sandra was pleased with her choseh area o1 research, but was unst1re how to narrow down
her seLectei1 topic into a set of aims. research o!Jjectives and researcn que:stions.
Case study question

Can yoo help Sandra by suggesting a possible set of aims, olliectives and researdl questionsj
-====- VQU'DE THE SIIPER'IISOR
You ha\'e received a number of research proposals from finat-vear Business Management stu
dents. Each proposal snould set out the nature of the research topic, research aims, objectives
and research questions. In addition. there should be a brief overview of the k_ey literature,
methodology and research timetable. One would expect to see a proposal amtain a reasonably
focused research topic. The nature of tt,e topic should be specific. relevant and achievable. Four
SB
E.SS6NTIALS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
or !fle proposals you have received have raised concerns over ttie chOlce of research topic.
Discuss the problems associated with each research topic.
ResParch to1J cs
Promoting equal opiiortunities in the workplace.

Sources of fmance for small businesses.
Measuring the future success of lUXtJ ry brands.
Making sense of UK crime statistics.
1i%itl)tlUlii1lijtfMlltt1Y;fj:-------------1. At what point shoolt1 I choose my research topic?
Answer. Your institution 1s Li,:ely to have a deao1ine at which point you should have chosen
your research tc1p1c Typ catty the choce of research top c 1s submitted as part of a research
proposal usua!l; up to 12 months before the pro ect deadline. Hov,'eve.r tflis does not mean
that you should wai unt l you are requ ed to produce a research proposal before thinking
about possible areas of research. From my own exi:ier ence of supervising countless research
proects. I tend to find that those students who deqde on a topic before tneir final vear are
tess t"kety to have d1tt1cultv in starting their research If you do not g ve your choice of top c
much thought eartv on, then vou may find you panic mto choosing someth1og. Ostens'bly,
this will lead to a greater like 1hood that you will change your mind. Th s is prima ily beca s
you ha not devoted surfic ent time to thinking about the 1mpllcat ans of choos g a
particular research topic
2. What factors should I consider when choosing my research topic?
Answer: As noted e arl"er in the chapter, you slloulcl choose a topic that rs spec1f1r relevant
sat"sfies pro1ect gu de[J es and s af interest to yotl Furthermo e. consider ho our cho ce of
top c m1gh' be of benefit n relation to your chosen career
References
Fumham, A. (2000) 'The brainstorming myth', Business Strategy Review 11:

21-28
Jankowicz, A.O. (2005) Business Research Projects (4th edn). London:Thomson
Leaming.
Keriinger, F.N. (1986) For..mdt.uwns of Behavioural Research (3rd edn). Ne"v York:
Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
'Mind Maps chart the way to business efficiency' (1998), Education+ Training.
40 (4): 173-174.
Riley, M., Wood, R.C., Clark, M.A., Wilkie, E. and Szi\'as, E. (2000) Researching
and l.Vriting Dissertations in Business and Management. London: Thomson
Learning.
59
Tlie Jndepe,ulem (2011) 'Happiness is

the end of pointless surYeys like UJJs'
http:/J\.,.,,nv.independent.co.u.k/voices/editoriaJs/leading-article-happiness-is-the
end-of-pointless-surveys-like-tltis-6270648.html, accessed 2 August 2013
Wilkinson, D. (2000) The Researcher's Tooll..>it: The Complete Guide to Practitioner
Research. New York: Routledge.
Zikrnund, W G. (2003) Busi1U!ss Research Methods (7th edn). London: Thomson
Learning.
Conducting a Literature
review
Further Reading
Andrewc;:, R. (2003) Research Questions. London: Continuum.
Bell. J. (2010) Doing Your Research Projea (5th edn). Maidenhead: Open
University Press.
Blumberg, B., Cooper D.R. and Schindler. PS. l2011) Business Research Methods
(3rd edn). Mo.1denhead: McGraw-Hill
Bryman. A. and Bell, E. (2012) Business Research Metliods (3rd edn). Ox.ford:
Oxford University Pre.s.
Punch, K. (2006) Det1elopmg Effecti11e Resenrch Proposals (2nd edn). London: Sage
Publications.
Qumlan, C. (2011) Business Research Methods.Andover: Cengage Leaming.
Robson, C. (2011) Real Horltl Research (3rd edn). Chichester- John Wiley & Sons.
White, P. (2008) Developing Research Questwns: A Guide for Social Scientists.
Basingstoke: Palgrave t-.facmillan.
understand tt,e nature of a literature review:

1>e able to explain the importance or conducting a literature review:
koow the stages in the literature review process;
plan a literature search and know various sourCl!s of llt:erarure;
explain the typical structure of a literature review:
know how to present a literature review; and
understand the difference between a good and a p00< literature review.
Introduction
This chapter is about how to conduct a literature review. When undertaking your
research project it 1s essential that you are aware of and acknowlt:dge existing
research in your chosen area. fost student researchers therefore spend a consider
able amount of t.Jme re,iewing the literature first, in order to identify possible gaps
or ideas that can help refine their own research and, second, to exam.me relevant
sources so as to become fully conversant v,,th the literature
Th!S chapter starts b; introducing the nature ol a literature review and briefly
stresses why it 1S an essential part to your research pro3ect. The next secuon aims to
answer a common question among student researchers, narndy, ''\Thy conduct a
literature re, ie,, .,. This is then followed by a discussion on the literature re\.1ew
process, in particular the stages that you are l.ikel) to go through when sean.hing the
literature and conducting your review. NC).;; planning your literature search empha
sizes the necessity of planning your re.'iew, ,,vhile the section on sources ofliterature
provides a relatively brief overview of the main places to look 10 order to determine
what has been written on your chosen topic. These sources include books, 1oumals,
60
ESSENTIALS OF BUSlNESS RESEARCH
Internet sites and abstracts. A key part of conducting a re\'iew is recognizmg where
to search . Therefore, this section sets out not only the process of searching the lit
erature, but also the range of sources that can be accessed .
The ability to carry out a critical review of the literature remains a challenge for
many students. The intention of the following section is to alleviate these concerns
by discussing how to adopt a critical approach. Another common cause of concern
for students 1s structunng and presenting the literature review. Therefore, an illus
tration of how to divide up the review section is provided, along with an example
of an introduction. Next, our attention rums to what constitutes a good or a poor
literature review. Although b)' no means exhaustive, I have included examples of
good practice, along with the most frequent problems students encounter Finally,
the last part of the chapter serves as a reminder of the importance attached to a
critical review of the literature. [n short, how to write a good literature review i.s
something that many students find particularly challenging. This chapter should
help you to deal with this challenge as it explains the common issues that students
typically face when undertaking this part of their research.
r-.a+ure of a Liter;atur:P Revie

In the context of your research , 'l1terature' means all sources of published material.
A literature review can be described as ' identifying, evaluating and critically assess
in g' what has been pub]jshed on your chosen topic. Reviewing the literature criti
cally will allow you to develop an understanding of pre\'ious research that is relevant
to your own study. In addition , it should allow you to understand how the literature
has developed. An important p art of conducting your literature review JS to estab
lish the current state of findings in you.r chosen area. For examp1e, an environmental
sc.tentist studying climate change is unlikely to conduct research v,.rithout first refer
ring to previous studies into climate change. Similarly, as a student researcher you
also need to be aware of ex"lSt.ing research Once you have chosen your topic, e.g.
mergers and acquisitions involving UK companies, you then need to find out what
has been written about it across a wide variety of medi a. This is likely to include
books, textbooks, academic jou rnals, government reports, trade magazmes, Internet
websites. newspaper artides and quite possibly unpublished dissertations.
Conducting a methodical revi.e,,,. is not an easy task. To be sure, it is not some
thing that you can do over the course of a weekend! In truth, your review is likely
to take several months. The length of time that you spend on your review is usually
dependent on three factors: (1) the amount of literature avrulable: (2) the accuracy
of data; and (3) access to data.
Jeffrey W. Knopf (2006: ] 27) suggested that a literature review has two key ele
ments. First,
it should concisely summarize the findings or claims that have emerged trom
pnor research effi)rts on a subiect . Second, a literature review should reach a
conduSJon about how accurate and complete that k.no\, ledge is; it shnulcl
62
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS IBEAR.CI-I
present your con1dered judgements about what\, right, what\ \ rnng what \
inconclusive, and what's missing m the existing literature.
Wtw do I have tn conri11rt a litP'".ltL r"' rpiew?

Students have asked me on many occasions, 'Why do T have to conduct a litera
ture review?' Understandably, for some students the process of conducting a lit
erature review is totally alien to them. Often, these a.re international students
who originate from countries with markedly different educationaJ systems from
that of the UK . However, m some instances UK students ma}' also experience
difficulty conducnn g the review. In short, conducting a thorough , critical litera
ture review 1s no easy task for the novice researcher. Yet it fon:ru an integral part
of your research. Through compiling a literature review you are demonstrating
an imp ort ant set of skills.
Undergradua te.) researching for their dissertation or thesis are expected to
shm, familiarity with their mpic. TJsuaUy, this ta.kes the form of a mmm ary
of the liter.iture, \vhich not only demonstrates the skill<. to sea rch and compile
accurate and cons15tent bibliographies, but also summanzes your key ideas,
showing a Ln tlcal awareness. They are required lo demonstrate, rm the one
h and, library and information skdb, and on the other, tht:. intellectual capabil
ity to J UsLify Je.:is10ns on the ....hoice of rek"ant ideas and the abil1t,: to asse.ss
the value of those ideas in context LHart, 1 998: 9)
Se,eral reason5 support the carrying out of a literaurre review. First, you should
review the literature on your chosen topic because it can prmride much-needed
rnspiration for research topic ideas. Second, although you may already ha\'e a sig
nificant level of knowledge on a particu1ar topic, a review of the literature is likely
to further this knowledge. Third , it can help to identify new and emerging research
areas. Fourth, it can ensure that you are actually cootributing to an area of research
by avoiding what has been done already. Fifth, previous researchers often make
explicit recommendations for further research. SLth, by reviewing previous litera
ture you are able to identify methods and approaches used by others m similar
research areas. as well as identify gaps in know]edge. Finally, the review is a way of
organizing your own thoughts. It is also a record of the evidence/matenaJ you have
gathered.
Conducting a literature review can have several benefits:
It can give you a general overview of a body of rearch with which you are not famillar.
ft can reYe.al what has already l:leen done well, so that you do not waste time 'refnventlng the
wheel'.
[t can give you new ideas that you can use in your own research.
It can help you to determine where there are problems or flaws in existi ng resea rch.
It can enable you to ptaCE your research in a larger context, so that you can show what new
condusions mfght result from your research.
(Knopf, 2006: 1 27)
CONDUCTING A UTERATIJR REV[EW
63
+ rature Review Process
The best way to think of the literature review is as a process. Each subsequent step
builds on the previous one, building a solid understanding of the literature.
l am aware that you may deade not to follo-w each step to the Jetter. For exam
ple, it tS likely that you ma} already have what you perceive as relevant Jjteratu.re.
Therefore, you do not need to go out and actively search for your sources. Still,
wherever possible, try to follow the process as closely as you can m order to ensure
that you adopt a thorough, efficient approach co your literature review. The litera
ture review process involves the following:
Research qLestions 3nd nbiectives

By now you should be familiar with how to fonnulate research questions and ob_iec
ti\res, as this is something that 1.vas covered in Chapter 2. Once you are confident
that you have a suitable range of objectives and research questions, you a.re then
ready to proceed to the ne:xt step of defirung your parameters. At this stage, it is
worth noting that your research questions and objectives will ultimatcly determine
the literature th.at you will read and refer to in your literature review For example,
lf one of your objectives is 'To determine the marketing metrics used by UK
nationa] newspapers', then one would expect to see reference to articles on different
types of marketing metrics, as well as the UK newspaper industry. In simple terms,
the marker of your proJect will be looking to see if there is a clear ']mk between
your research questions and }jterature review.
nefine parameters
EssentiaDy, the term 'parameters means you are setting bauruiaries to your study
that he.Ip you to narrow down what it is that you intend to search. One way of domg
this is establishing key words (see belo"'). The ability to be clear about what it is that
you are trying to study can help set your parameters. In some cases, parameters
Jinked to a given topic are reasonably clear, particularly in relation to certain theo
ries. On the other band, you may fmd it difficuJt to set parameters. This is where
reviewing existing articles can help, especially to determine parameters to similar
studies and hmv these relate to your o""TI work.
Key words
Both Internet search engines and search engines specific to applicable
databases re ly
on key words to find reJevant information lt is therefore essentiaJ
that you are able
to identify your topic, sub-topics, main variables, theories, ke}' concep
ts, etc., in the
form of key words. You 'Nill then be able to sea.rch for works by
both single and
combined key word searches (0 Leary, 2004: 70). An example of
how to do a key
64
pos. d search is illustrated later in the chapter. For now, it is worth considering
\or
.
cl
b
.
.
ldeallr,
you
o
not
want
to
e
m
a
pos1t.1on
w
ere
h
ords
for
your
srud
w
e)
y.
k
51'ble
ar
or
have
too
man"'
or
too
few
key
words,
as
this
is
likely
to
make
your
uncle
,.
.
.J
you ar...
literature sea.rch all the more difficult.
Condurt sear::,
Ak e) part to conducting your search JS identifying possibl soces of liraure.
The maj ority of your search will involve reading through arucles m academic Jour
na ls. After all, your project is of an academic nature. The main thmg to do at the
beginning of your search is to identify the leading journals in your di.scipHne. It is
.
usually in leading and/or specific journals relating to your chosen topic that you will
tnd the greatest wealth of information.
Jill Hussey and Roger Hussey (199:;-: 87) provide the following useful guide to
conducting a literature search:
It is very fmportant to start exploring: the literature as soon as !XJSSibLe. Ir, initially, your
research project is still tairty unfocused, your search will be in general terms only.
Decide the scope of your research and set yoor parameters accordingly (e.g. by perLOd of time.
geography or industry).
_
_
Determine the key words, rncluding alternative spellings, synonyms and differences rn usage.
Only collect artictes. books. papers, etc. Which are relevant to your research (e.g. fn terms of
subject matter, mhodol.ogy. research instrument theoretical discussion). Good research
artides shoultl review the literature. describe the research methodology used in the study,
discuss tile results and draw conclusions.
Use the references given in the literature you have collected to guide you to other artides you
should collect.
When you start to recognize the references cited in other works. vcu are nearing the end of
voor first search.
In order to keep up to date with the literature, it Ts im1X1rtant that you continue your literature
search throughout your study.
Today, student researchers are in the fortunate position of having access to a wide
range of electronic sources, in particular electronic databases that contain articles
from academic journals. As a student, your Jjbrary card is likclv to offer }'OU free
access to a large number of articles relevant to your research project. Perhaps one
of the more well-known clectromc databases rn the field of business and manage
ment is Emerald'. Jc IS somethmg that 1s cert.amly popular with my own students,
largeJy because it is easy to access and holds full articles on many different business
related topics.
Basically, Emerald is an online database covering 24,000+ articles and 104+
journal titles. It covers mamly management and business subjects, e.g. marketing,
human resources, finance, general management and strategy. Although tbere is no
substitute for actually using Emerald, Table 3.1 gives you an UlSight into how to
perform a key word search The first column shows the words entered into the 'quick
CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW
65
TABLE 3.2
Search Item (Advanced search)
Hits
commitment'
,rust'
'Business-to-busilles.s
7rust ancJ convnitrnenr
'Business-ro-business relationships'
'Trust and busness re<aricxistvps
S.93
796
1
12
a
a
What if I r..,n+- find any relevant sources?

'I can't find any literature on my research topic' tends to be an issue for those stu
dents who have not gone about their literature review in an appropriate, systematic
way. Often, literature is always avatlable. [n general, if you experience problems
finding Literature on your chosen topic it is probably due to the following causes:
search faality, while the right-hand colwnn shows the actual number of 'hits' or, in
other words. articles that contain the terms entered.
In Table 3. I, you can see that through expenmenting with key words, the stu
dent has managed to refine their search to a manageable number of sources. Ob"i
ously, simply searching for just 'trust' or 'commitment' is far too general, and Likely
to encompass a wide range of arudes. Table 3.2 shows the same search terms:
however, this time an Advanced search has been selected, followed bv, Content
item title' in the 'All fields' box.
Clearly, searching the literature takes time. However, undertaking searches
using the key words or themes set out in your research questions will LLlt1matelv
help you to identify the most relevant and leading studies in your selected area f
research.
TABLE 3.1
Search item
'[OfTlfl'litme1'1f
'Trust'
'Business-to-business
'Trus ano commitment'
'Business-to-busine-ss reiationships'
'Trust ano llu.siness relaoonships'
66
bu n_
you are Looking for tt,e wrong type of source;

you are looking in the wrong place:
you have problems with the parameters or key words for your research or
you really have found an uncharted research area.
How do I plan my literature search?

When it comes to the best way to plan the literature search, there 1s no one defini
tive answer. Fundamentally, ruo key factors need to be considered - orgar1izatio11
and time In terms of the former, I have alread) stressed the importance of keeping
an accurate record of your findings. lt is also a good idea to p]an when and where
you intend to conduct your lnerature search. In terms of the latter, make sure that
) ou allocate sufficient tune to searching the literature. Personally, I find that it is the
kind of task that very rarely can be undertaken in short tlffie periods. Preferably, you
should alJocate a m1mmum of half a day to conduct an efficient re,ie"" of key
sources.
Hits
43,607
35,169
671
657
5
3
('ht1ir iterature
Obviously, tn order to do a literature renew you need to obtain literature. Try to use
a wide range of sources. Some students have a tendency to mainly use web-basecl
sources when conducting their literature review. By only refernng to a very narrow
range of onllne literature, key studies in yoLLr chosen area are like]) to be ignored.
You will find that the maJority of1iterature 1s accessible in your college or umverstt)
library. By now, you should be familiar V1o-ith the sources made available by your
67
mstituon s librarY. The wi Jl alr.nost certainly include textbooks, journals, reports,

magazines, encyclopaedias and directories, to name but a few Of course, in some
cases these sources may only be available in hard copy or electronic format. Still
this should not detract iTom your ability to obtain the literature.
For part-time or mature students, a useful source of literature is often their
emloyer. J ha,e known several ca.ses where studenrs are actively encouraged by
their employer to make use of all available literature within their place of work. Yet
this support is usuaH3 hecause the employer bas sponsored the student to base therr
research on the company.
Evaluate
T,vo key reasons ex1 why researchers use a wide range of sources wh en revie, mg
_
the literarure F1Ist, different sources a.re open to varying degrees of bias For exam
ple, 1f you cite an article v.-ritten in the UK's Guardian ne\o\rspaper on government
educatio pohcy, you will most probably get a largely criticaJ vi'Point. In other
_
words, bemg a le-wmg ne\o\o'spaper, the journalist is more likely to write somethin
that tak; on a left-1,vi g political bias. Obviously, as a researcher, you need to b!
aware of bias, as t1us will affect your own evaluation and mterpretation of the find
- Secb ond, dJferent sources are aimed at different audiences. As a resuJt, they go
tnroug a variety of processes prior to pu.blication.
Recnrciine tl"IP 1fterature

At the beginning of your proJect, as soon as you are able to, get into the hab it of
orgauizm your hterature. Ultimately, hy the end of your project you\\ ill have gath
ered a wide range of sources. Each one that you refer to neecls to be included in the
bibliography section at the end of your project. Believe me, a situation where vou
are frantically sean:hing for yow sources at the Jast minute 1s best avoided! Tbre
fore, it is a good idea to make a note of each source &om the outset. Ideally, enter
the full reference (Hari.ra:rd system) and comments in Word. This is for the simple
reason that you can do a 'cut and paste' when it comes to finalizing your references.
In addition, orgamzmg artides electronically is far less cumbersome than storing
hard copies. Hussey and Hussey (1997: 102) recommended the following reasons
for mai:ntaming a database:
You n to be able to identify the full and accurate reference in order to find or order the
material.
You can develop Links armng authors, toprcs. results and periods of time by re-sorting your
database.
It prevents duplication of effort.
You will nee to refer to yaur sources f information in your proposal and final research report.
.
Othrs reading your finished work Will be able to trace the original sources of information
easily.
6F.
Bv the time you start your research project, you should have some experience of
referencing. BasicaUy, referencing your work involves two things . First, if you are cit
ing a piece of work m the main te.xt of your research, then you need to acknowledge
within the text the source from which you have gathered the information. If you
are u sing the Harvard referencing .system, this involves citing within the main text (as
opposed to footnotes). Some institutions may insist on an alternative referencing
sJ-stem chat requires students to cite work \vithin footnotes. J\lways check with the
project guidelines published by your college or university to find out which refer
encing system you are reqwred to tallow.
Another aspect of referencing that tends to vary between institutions is use of
the term 'references' and 'bibliography'. In general, references is a comprehensi\e list
of sources that have been ated in the main te).."t of a research pro1ect, whereas bib
liograp}ry refers to those items that a student has read but not necessarily cited in
the te.xt. There appears to be no consensus between institutions as to the preferred
n,ethod. For example, you may find that all references, both those consulted and
cited, are requtred to be listed underneath the one headmg of 'bibliography . On the
other hand, your project guidelines may require you to distinguish between bibli
ography and references. In short, it is best to consult your project guJde or ask your
project supenisor to determine what i.s required.
Using research management software to organize your

l
lterr1ture search
There a number of research management programs available. These are designed to
make it easter to orgaru.z.e- and store literature in a searchable library. One Lhat J have
personally used and is ideal for students doing a research project is ReadCube which
is a free academic software and reference manager for researchers. Thts can be
do,1/Illoaded at www.readcube.com. Alternatively, you could simply organize your
journal articles on a thematic basis by creating a folder for each theme For instat1ce,
if we use the earlier marketing metrics and UK nationa] newspaper example, in the
broadest terms, you could have one folder for 'Marketing metrics' and another
folder for UK newspaper industry'. 1t is important to take an organized approach
from the outset, othernoise you will find it difficult when it comes to locating lit
erature and ,vritiog your re\iew.
St.:1rt drafting review

lf you are fully conversant with the literature and you have organized it into
something that is manageable and easily accessible, then you are ready to begin
drafting your literature review. Notice that I use the word draft'. This is because
in all likeliliood you will end up writing your literature re...iew several times. Not
only because you discover new literature chat you wish to incorporate, but also
CONDUC11NG A LITERATURE REVIEW
69
because you.r supervisor may require you to rei.vrite it On the other hand, you
may simply '\\ish to rewnte 1t several times until you hit upon a finaJ version t hat
you are comfortable with Still, the main reason that you will write severa] drafts
is because you should continue conducting your literature seaich up to a few
weeks p rior to submission.
Sources of Literatt re
Incorporating an eclectic nux of sources into your research project is likely to be
deemed good practice by your supervisor and/or you.r marker. It illustrates that you
have gone to great lengths when conducting your literature review.
Different sources of literature have different advantages and disadvantages.
The important thing is that you are fuJly aware of these srrengths and weak
nesses, and that you refer to each one when conducting your review. This section
examines the main sources that you are likely to draw on when rev1ewing the
llterature.
t;i:ineral r"oor+-C'.
T hese may include government reports, country data reports such as those produced
by the Economjst Intelligence Unit (EIU), and market research reports such as those
produced by t\o'lintel. ln some cases, these reports are difficult to access and can only
be accessed by paying a subscription fee, although the majority of university and
college libraries subscribe to the leading reports. Their usefulness should not be
ignored, particularly if you are conducting research into a topic that may make use
of macroeconomic data. You may find that market research reports produced, and
commissioned, by different companies may contain conflicting data. Th.is can make
an interesting i.nclusmn to your research.
Those'"
These include major projects such as those associated with .lvrPhil and PhD degrees.
You may be able to access these in your ov,rn institution. Alternatively, the British
Library keeps a large nwn ber of theses. The advantage of referring to research of this
nature is that it may prmide you with ideas for your own study. Generally, the
structure 15 likely to be very similar to your own research project. For example, you
will certainJy see reference to some kind of introduction, methodology, data analysis,
etc. But be wary of the fact that a thesis submitted for the award of an MPhil or
PhD is usually in the region of 60,000-80,000 words. It will certainly be more in
depth and probably more theoretical than your o,,vn submission. Also, a PhD thesis
needs to 'make a contribution to knowledge'. Th.is is not the case for undergraduate
studies.
70
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS RESEAROt
!:on'ererce repnrts
The majo rity of conferences have a theme that ts quite specific. For e:.xample, the
and Purchasing (IMP) conference examines topics relating
Industnal Marketing
relationships
and networks in business-to-business markets, while
ions,
act
ter
to in
ssociation
of
Chartered
Certified Accountants (ACCA) conference
A
ual
n
the an
eas
of
accounting
and
finance.
An academic conference usualI}' invites
ar
explores aU
rite
and
present
a
paper
based
on a particular theme associated
academics to w
with the conference. In essence, .it is largely an opportunity for academics to get
together to discuss each other's research mterests. How does thIS apply to student
re-searchers 1 "\.Vell, in many cases, the entire body of papers presented at the con
ference are put on to the conference organizer's webstte. S ome of these are available
for pubhc access free of charge. The DvlP is such an example. More than 1,600
arttdes can be v1ewed free of charge at vvww.impgroup.org.
Npv,,soa-ie'"c:,
Vl-'ben collSlde.nng newspapers as a possible source, make sure to review ,. hat 1s
commonly referred to as the b1t.Siness press. For instance, the Financial Times is a
great source for leading articles on company performance. mergers and acqwsitions,
the financial markets, and information on sectors ranging from construction to IT.
Yet, although newspapers can be a U5eful source. remember that they are only likely
to provide a practicaJ insight into companies and markets. As you are conducting a
research project that also requires reference to theory and possible theoretical appli
c:ation, you must not confine your sources JUst to newspapers. The majority of your
theoreticaJ content wiU come from academic journals.
Ar"'dPmi,:
journals
An academic jaumaf can be defined as a peer-reviewed periodical containing schol

arl; articles in a particular field of study' Unlike newspaper arit cles, articles in
acadellllc Journals a.re different both in terms of content and the process of publka
tion. Table 3.3 summarizes the key differences between a newspaper article and an
article featured in an academic 1oumal. Academic journals a.re rated on their quality
and standing within the academic community. In general, the leading research tends
to be published in top journals that are rated four or five stars. Still. this should not
dissuade you from reviewing the other iournak Even those rated as one star are of
a sufficient standard for you to refer to them in your research proJect.
Of course. there are a large number of academic journaJs in the discipline of
busmess and management. Table 3.4 provides examples of some of the academic
journals you may consider referring to when undertaking your research_ This has
been divided on the ha.sis of Marketing, Human Resources (HR), Strategy and
Finance. I ba\'e purposely chosen these journals to Illustrate the plethora of differ
ent areas of research within each discipline. For example, some Journals focus on a
CONDUCTINfi A LITERATURE REVIEW
71
TABLE 3.3
mpa ,son
es
Academic article
Newspaper article
Authas: USl.JaUv academirs who are experts in tneir

fieu:L Most ere atfiliatea to an acaclemlc institution.
Bibliograit11: A de!alled list of re'erences using ttle
1-larvard referencing svsiem at the eno of the a,1icle.
Conteflttstructure: Specialist coorent, research
oased. Typical structure incluoos an a11strac,,
nrnx1uc1ion. li1eratl!fe review, r,erhodology. ana vsis
ano results, conclusion and b1Duog'apll',i.
lef11: lmger articles (IVl)!Call\' 5.000-8.000
1\ltxns) oased on an analytical approact,.
Peer review: Often oeer-reviewed bv eJCperts n me
f,elcJ. Reviewers mav aa:ep a'l article outrigh;, oc
accept it subject to roodlfications. or decline it
outright
Autl'VTh. Journalists. UsuaIV cne irumaust will w,;:e

an articte Tneir aedfflials are of'.en no suppUec1
Bibliphy: Often nol reatureci within the article.
Content/structure: Based 1)1 c.urrent affairs and
tooirs of genera interest Often 111 lir,e with me view
of trc!! target readership. ard generaav in narrative
fomiat
Ler.,gtn: Short artides.

Peer review P.eieweci by the editor or editorial
board of the newspaper
TABLE 3 4
SubjKt
Joomals
Marketing
., }Durnai. of Markering
Asia-Paolic foomal of 'vfarketing and Logistics
European !oomaI of Mark.el.mg
toumai of Marketing Management
Human Resources
Journal of Human Resources

Humar Resources for Health
Asia-Paofic /(Juma! at Human Rescurces
Aa\lances in {]eve/oping Human Resoorces
Business Strategv and me Emironment
Stra:ego,
/OUfTlili or Bllsiness Strategy

}oumal of Economics & Managemen: Strategy
Strategy & Leader.ship
.,
JOOTTlol of Property Finonce

'vfanageriaJ. Finance
Pacifte AcaJunting R.."View
Acrourrting Review
particular geographical region, such as the Asia-Pacific Jaunud of J'v1arketing and

Logistics, while others may focus on one specific area of research ,-.ithin a broader
discipline, such as the Journal of Property Finance.
Table 3 .4 is b} no means exhaustive and does not include journal rankings. t,,fy
.
mtention here is not to list the most prestigious journals in each subject area, but to
72
with an insight into some of the key journals that are likely to be rel
.
pro\1de you
research.
.,t to vo
ur own
C,'3u
Textbooks
Textbooks need no introduction, as I know that you are likely to ha,e read many
different titles dunng the coune of your study! As a ootential source for your
research proJect, they can prov"' in\'aluable Yet you should 5till be careful ,-1,hen
earching through the various tides cmenng your chosen topic. ln short, make sure
that you choose a good book ]t!noifer Rmvley and Frances Slack (2004: 33) propose
that a good book should fulfil the following criteria:
tt snoutd be relevant to the research topic.
hical details given in the book
It should bl! written by an authoritative author; the bibliograp
field.
the
in
ces
will summarize the author's experien
It should be up to date, as signalled by the publication date.
It should be published by a reputable publisher in the discipline.
It sho..1ld include extensive reference to other associated literature.
It should be clearly structured, well presented and easy to read.
Certainly, textbooks can be a great source of information. By the time you begin
working on your research prnject you should be very familiar with the layout, coment
and stvle of ,,Titing associated with textbooks. Of course, some texi:books tend to be
more comprehensive than others. Typically, the larger texts that tend to focus on a
brood discipline, such as Finance, t-.farketing or Human Resource Management, can
be as long as nearly 1,000 pages. Although these may seem too general for your cho
sen topic, an interesting feature included in many of the leading textbooks is a glossary
and company mdex The former is helpful when generating key words associated with
your study, while the latter can aid your research 1f you ha\'e decided to adopt a case
study approaclr, i.e you have chosen to research a particular company or companies..
Despite the obvious strengths oaated with textbooks, the mam downside is
that they are unhkely to feature the latest innovative research. l\.foremer, textbooks
do not alwavs explore issues \Vithin a panicuJar disaplme in any great depth. ln
short, they are intendea to cater tor students engaged m a module over the course
of one or two semesters, not 35 an aid to student researchers. Finally, remember that
in some d.isciphnes, especially those refemng to the technology sector. marenaJ can
soon become dated. Be wary of reviewing literature that may be deemed to be out
of date as this may impact on the credibility of your literature re,iew.
Internet websites
In recent years, I ha"e noticed an increasing number of students making reference to
lnterner websites within their research projt:et. Given the growth m the Internet this
is to be expected. Although Internet websites can provide ease of access to a ,,ide
73
range of soun.c::;. you still need to take a cautious approach when searching through
variouH1ehSJtes In considering whether or not to use a particular web-based source,
vou should determine the reliabifity of the sourc.e and its perceived standing among
die aademic communit} First, reliability can be relatively easy to determine. For
in.stance. most student5 are familiar with Wikipedia. Al though Wikipedia clauns to be
the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopaedia on the Internet, there are ques
tions O\er its rel1abilitv. It is unable to guarantee the accuracy of the information
appeanng O!l its website. For th,s reason several colleges and unh'ersities prefer
students to rd'ram from quoting from Wikipedia. Similarly. some external examiners
prefer JKt to see \l\li.kipedia featured among references. [fin doubt whether or not
vou .ire able to use \\Tikiped1a, check with your college or university
Tn bnef. the web is likely to be your main tool for locating relevant literature. The
rnaJOTJt)' of researchers use a technique known as 'snowballing' to help build a data
base of relevant literature that can be used as part of their Literature re\"iew. Snowball
JJ1g means reading through rcievant article references in order to locate other sources,
then rding through those sources' references, and so on. Eventually, you know you
are mking progress when authors names become familiar to you or the same refer
enc .;pp ear on a regular basis. Although the lnternet holds a wealth of information,
how you access, record and recognize data is \'itall}' tmportant. _Martin Brett Davies
(2007: .!O) makes the following valid points when sea.rchrng , ia the web:
Whefl you are canying out a net search - which will lead you in all manner of directions - be
5lJf ID make notes or the interesting and useful items and sit es that you come across. You
c.an use a Word file to do so. but while you're actively net searching. you may find it more
effcienl to make hand-written notes and referens.
l Whl\ll you come across quotable items that you might want to include in your report, copy and
paste them to a file straight away.
save any good websites that voo come across to your Favourites.
Rmber that there is a tat or rubbish on the net. When you are using a search engine, make
ure that What comes up f's useM true and reliable. Be discriminating and selective in your
(flOices.
If you are stuck, your academic brary will have information specialists who are there to guide
you II rour net searches.. Make sure you can tell them just what it is that you are seeking,
aod be prepared to listen to their adVice.
(jQof.< Scholar is another useful search tool for students. Released in November
zoo. rt is a freely available sernce that includes the content of scholarly documen
tation from a wide varie of sources. Google Scholar covers journals, books. con
ference proceedings, dissertations, technical reports, preprints and postprints, and
ocher scholarly documents (Neuhaus and Hans-Dieter. 2008: 200).
Abstrarts
An abstract is a summary of an article. The abstract is designed to give the reader
3 snapshot' of the article content. The majonty of arucles m academic journals
7
Ulclude an abstract. Essentially, it is a short overv1e,.., ( usually no more than 350

words) of the enur e research. It 1s used as a helpful guide to researchers so that
i.hey can determine to what extent the article 'fits' with thetr own research. In
short, ic can be defined as a time-sav111g device: because it summari zes the study,
the reader does not have to read the entire article. A search using key words within
an abstract is a useful way of narrowing your search. If an 'abstract contains your
leer word, 1t .s highly like!, that the article is relevant to your research.
(::ibf(lCIIOC
A catalogue contains a comprehensive hst of sources heJd by a library. lncreasrngly,

Jibraf) catalogues tend to be e1ectronic database systems. I have found that a usefuJ
source is copac.ac.uk (Copac, 2008). Copac is a freely available Library catalogue,
giving access to the merged onlioe catalogues of manv major UK and lnsb academic
and national libranes, as well as an increasing number of specialist libraries.
oc+; .. n1fiec
A dictionary is a 'reference book containing words and other information'. Obvi
ously, a dicuonary, together with a thesaurus, is a vef) useful tool for any ,,...riter. A
definitton from a dictionary can be used if you intend defining a word or term for
the benefit of your readers. As a general rule the Oxford Engli.sh Dictionary is the
definitive dictionary. For examplt., tf your mtent1on was to critically review the body
of literature on cultural theory, you may start by including a definition of culture
from the Oxford English Dictionary. A range of deflnitions from established research
ers m th(; field may then follow. There is no ham1 in consulting a range of dictionar
ies in order to get an eclectic mi'\: of definitions.
Bibl 1 'lgraphies
A bibliography 1s a comprehensive list of books, articles, Internet websites, magazines
and other sources used m a particular study. A bibliography is often found towards
the end of a book or journal. Its purpose is n.vofold: first, to acknowledge those
authors whose work has been used when conducnng the study, and second, to help
other researchers engaged in a similar area of research. By including a bibliography,
other researchers can save a great deal of time when conducting research.
Encyclopaedias
Quite simply, an encyclopaedia can be a book or more commonly a set of books that
contains information on a w1de range of topic s. In this digital age. e1ectroruc Yersions
rend to be more popular.o\s already mentioned, perhaps the most famous electronic
75
encvdopaedia 1s,Vikipedia. It remams a popular source of information for students,

but, once again. reliability remains a concern. Although an encyclopaedia may pro
\1de relaunly detailed information on your chosen toph., 1t is unlikely that this will
go into any great depth. Moreo\'er, material published on your chosen topic is Ukely
to be the work of one particular author Therefore, 1t mar be subrect to bias and 1s
probably based on a limited range of sources.. Quite simply, the purpose of an ency
clopaedia is to p rovide material of a practical natt.tre, so you will find few references
to speciafu-t studies.
section of your
nd criuca1Jy reviewing a range of literature within the review
the literature
of
nature
critical
the
that
found
have
I
Personally,
ect.
proj
:esearch
Unfortu
grasp.
to
difficult
particularly
st
find
some
dents
that
ething
review is som
than
rather
result
a
As
descriptive.
overly
being
of
natdy, some fall into the trap
ending up with a critical review, the final versmn of the re\'iew section ends up
being an almost \'erbatim account of e:\."tracts from several d.ifferent articles. 11us
ultimately leads to a lower mark being awarded, as 1t falls some way short of actually
critical)y reviewing the literature.
Citation indices
Structure of a Literature Review
Thes provide an indication of the quality and e:\.l)ert nature of a piece of research,
by showing how many times the work has been cited In brief, it can help you to
identify the leading authors in your subject area bv indil.atmg how many umes their
work has been referred to. Scopus (2008) (available online only, wv,w.info.scopus.
com) is the largest abstract and citation database ot research literature and quality
web sources for the socta1 sciences. Once again, your library should allow you to
access this particular tacrlity.
In sum, this section has examined a range of possible sources you can c.onsult
when doing your literature re\'ie,, The ne>...'t step is to consider what to actu.illv do
with the literature. In essence, this invokes conducting a critical rev1ew.
Critica R v e
A key skill in doing a literature revie" 1s to be able to read and reviw literature
critically. By improving your knowledge of your topic through readin a \\ 1de range
of sources you are more like!) to familiarize yourself with the major ISSUes sur
rounding your research Some ker questions that you may ask to hdp you to criti
cally review an article include:
1
2.
3
4
5
6
What is the main topfc under review?

What are the results?
What methodology has the author(s) used? Is rt appropriate?
What are the main issues raised t,y the author?
To what extent do the findrngs echo existing studies?
What questions are raised?
Is the article fair/biased?
How does the article relate to your own views?
Does the article display a contemporary view or are the findings/sources dated?
10 What are your own conclusions about the literature?
Certainly, the above questions should provide you with a useful guide when
attempting to cntically review an arttcle. They can also be put to good use ,vhen
you are actually writing your own literature review and are comparing, contrasting
76
Al.though adopting a critical approach is important, it is also essential that you

structure your literature re, iew in an appropriate way. Rowley and Sl.lLk (20 38)
provide the following useful example of hO\v to structure a literature review:
Include basic definit:Jons. e.g. What 1s business process re-engineering (BPR)? What is e
govemment?
2 Discuss whv the subject is of interest. e.g. What impact can BPR have on business success?
Wtry are e-govemment appLications important and what is their scope?
Discuss what research has already Ileen undertak.en on the topic, and whether there is any
research on aspects of ttie topic that need to be investigated, e.g. the application of BPR to
wpport the delivery of e-govemment applications.
Provide a clear summary of the research opportunities and objectives that emerge from the
Literature review.
A poorl; structured literature revie,v can be both initating and confusing for the
reader. ln short, the structure of your literature review should mdude an introduc
tion, the mam body and a conclusion.
Jt can be argued that no one part of the revie'. 1s more important than any other.
Howe\er, I personally believe that it is important to start your literature review well
by deilning your topic, providing a clear rationale for selecting the topic, making
dear your intentions, providing adequate background, and making reference to key
authors.
ExamplP nf
,:i., introdurtion
t('
a literature review
What follo"'-s is an example of an introductton to a literature re\"iew. Do not be too

concerned about the nature of the topic. I have intentionaJly included an example
that gives you an insight into content, thematic structure and referencing.
Thi,; chapter discusses the development of research into relationship.s, inter
action and netwnrks. There i a huge body of literature on this subject, and
many theories ha\e been U5ed to descnb" relationships Understanding rela
tionships and their importance is of great siinuficance in Chmee culture, and
77
ha:.. rel>-ulted m a growing Western litrature on the subject C' anhanacker,

1997; Strange, 199 : Child, 20UtJ; Stuttard, 2000). First, a brief O\erv1ew of
the JIP Group's key empincal findings illustrates Lhe work of IMP and how
it links ta th1, study. Second, rdauonships ,,ill be discus.,ed. There are many
delmitions of relationship. It must be emphasized that this study focuses on
mterorganizational rather than interpersonal relationships. Th1r<l, interaction
and oet\'\'Orks will b(' examined, in panicular work rnn<luo.eeJ by the lf\I.P
Group. Finally, FDI relationships and tht ey comtrun-; of commitment,
trust anI cooperation will be considered.
TABLE 3.5
AuthOl'(S)
Definltion
Type of relationship
1,nderson ana Weitt
'CK!e party's tielief ll'la, its needs will

be tulfnleo in the Mure by actions
undertaken t7y the other party'
'Jegree or confidence the indrtiduaL
partners have on ttie retiatiility and
integrity of earn ether'
'The level of exnectation or oegree of
certaint>, n r.ne reliaoilitv arnl truth I
honesty or a person or r,,g
'Perc:eivt!d credibarty ano benevoleflce
of a rarget or trust"
'Tru.St IS trie vdlingness to retv on an
exchange partner in wt-om orie has
r.onrldenr.e
'Trust exists wheo one party has
conrldenc.e in an exchange partner's
reliability and ntegrit',"
'An expectation held by an agent that
i!S traa,ng partner wiU behave n a
mu,uauv acceptable manner'
Sal.eS agencies ano mar:iuf'acturetS m

the electronic c1YTiponents sec.or
(1989)
Atjal<h et al (1996)
()i)Y(
ard Hcieen
(1997)
,.,,;r hort nt thP rpview

This is where you discuss the range of sources that you consider particularly rele
vant to your study. It is important that you adopt a critical approach to your review
and organize 1t so that it follows a logical structure for the reader. 1n general. there
are th.ree options governing the structure of your review. First, you may decide to
follow a thematic approach. In other words, your revie,\I ta.lces particular themes in
the literature and discusses eacb one in tum. Nex"t, a methodological approach to
your structure may analyze qualitative studies first, followed by quantitative studies.
lf some studies have adopted a nu.xed methods approach, this may be your final
section. Or you may choose co structure your .revie,, chronologically. This imol"'es
reviewing changes in the literature over time. For instance, a timeline could be
incorporated to show how a series of economic events have changed people s per
ception of government vVhichever option you choose, remember that your litera
ture re, ie,, needs to have a 'natural flow'.
aonev and Cannon

t1997)
GcileSOCl (1994)
Morgan and 1-l!nl

(1994)
Saf(D ancl
(1998)
Heq>er
111:erorganaatiooa. reiationShrps
Bwer-seUer n me c:ircuil tmaro
mdus!Jy
Buyer-seuer n maootact:.Jring
Retail buyers ano venoors from
crepamnent store chains
11.elationstiips between automobie tyre
retailers and their suppliers
Supplier-manufacturer relationships in
the auto inclustr','
the type of table that can be incorporated into a literature review As you can see,
it includes all of the rele\ant information the reader would be interested in seeing,
in this case. author(s}, definitions and type of relationship.
Canel .. ;,.. ... +n +ne revie

Your conclusion should summarize the lea<lmg articles in your chosen topic, evalu
ate the existing position within the area of your research, and identify gaps in and
possible future areas of research. Above all, you should make the link betvveen e..xm
ing research studies and your own. For example, are you incorporating any aspects
of eXt.Sting research, e.g. tn terms of methodology, and if so, why?
u,.. to nrPc;er.. n - + '"1ture rev-n

The above section should provide a useful guide Ln terms of structure, yet students
are also frequently unsure of how to present their literature review. The simple
answer is that there a.re no hard-and-fast rules on presentation. Personally, I like to
see a bit of variation when it comes to presenting the revie,. Tables are a great v,1ay
of summanzing existing key sllldies in you.r chosen area. They provide not only an
interesting 'snapshot' for the reader, but also make 1t easier for other researchers
wishing to review research of a similar nature. Table 3.5 is an excellent example of
7E
ESSENTlALS OF BUSINESS RESf.ARCH
Ref0rer,.ria under the Harvard c;vstorri

I b.tve already briefly mentioned the Harvard referencing system. In terms of refer
encing method, it remains the favoured choice for the majority of acaderruc institu
tions. Following your own institution's guidelines on referenang IS important as in
some cases they may expect an alternative referencmg system to be applied, or
indeed. a slight variation on the Harva.r<l system. Therefore, there is no excuse for
not gening it right! Yet, perhaps surprisingly, poor referencing still appears to be a
relatively common feature in student research projects. The next section should
help you to overcome this problem by i1lustrating how to reference different
sources within your references or bibliography.
Citing work using th0 l-!=11vard system
How you cite you.r work in your references or bibliography is dependent on the
source that you are referring to. However, no matter what the source, e.g. journal
CONDUCTING A UTERATURf REVIEW
79
article, book, magazine or newspaper, all your references need to be Jaid out
alphabetically, v,,itb the first named author's surname determining where each
reference goes.
Examples of how to reference using the Harvard system:
For authored books: Author's surname. inrtials (year of publication fn tirack.ets), title or tire
book in italks, place of publication, publisher.
For ample: Jones, K. (2007). Business Research. London: Sage.

For ;oumal articles: Author's surname, initials (year of publication in brackets), 'title of the
artide in inverted commas', titte of the ioumal in italics, volume number in bold. (issue
number in brackets), page numbers.
For example: Henderson, T. (1995). International marketing: Cross-cultural

is.sues. Journal of lv'larketing, 24 (4). 212-224.
For papers publishe.J in edited books: Author's surname. initials (year of publication in brack
ets), 'title of the paper fn inverted commas', editor's surname, followed by the editor's initials,
title of the book ;n italics, place ct publication, publisher. page numbers where the paper can
be found.
For example Cole, A (1996). 'Benchmarking in the UK retail sector, in Smith,
L. (ed.) Intematiorial Business. London: J\kGraw-Hill, pp. 12-19.
For newspaper articles: Author, injtials, (year). Title of artide. Full Title of Newspaper, clay and
month of pubiicatmn, page numbers and column lfne.
For example: Slapper, G., 2005. Corporate manslaughter: new issues for la-wyers.
The Times, 3 Sep. p. 4b.
Online newspaper articles:. Author and initials or corporate author, (year). rrtle of document
or page. Name of newspaper, [type of medium] additional date information. Available at
lnclude website address/URL (uniform resource locator) and additional details of access, such
as the routing from the home page of the source [Accessed date].
For example Chittenden, M., Rogers, L. and Smith, D., (2003). Focus: Targets
Fail NHS. Times Online, [internet] l June. Available at: http://v.rwwtimesonline.
co.uk/printFnendly/0 .. 11-1506-669.btml [Accessed J7 March 2005).
NB. the URL should be underlined.

It is good practice to keep a copy of the front pa1;e of any website you use.
Author's name cited in the text When making referenCE to an author's work in your text. their
name is rotlowetl by the year of publiration of their work, in brackets (parentheses), and
forms part of the sentence:
SC
for example Cor mack (1994, pp. 32-33) states that 'when writing for a profes
writers invariably make reference to already published works'
sional readership,
Mo.re man two authors tor a worlc Where there are several authors (more than two), onLv the
first auttior sl'lould be used, foll.owed by 'et al.' meaning 'and othe_rs:
For example: Green et al. (1995) found that the majority ...
Or mdirectlr: Recent research has found that the majority of ... (Green et al., 1995).
Mme than one author dted in the text Where reference is made to more than one author in
a sentence. and they are referred to directly, they are both cited;
For example: Jones (194 6) and Srruth
(1948) have both shown ...
What ...,,ke ... a goocl titeraturr.r revie1.,v?

By now you should be famihar with the nature, approach and structure of a litera
Lure review. But what actually constitutes a good literature review? Zina O'Leary
(2004: 81-S2) cites a number of valid points that are worth considering when writ
ing a good literature review. These are as follows:
Read a few good, relevant reviews. There is no substitute for reading reviews produced in lead
ing academic journals. By simply typmg 'literature review' rn the title search box ot your search
engine. you will probably find hundreds of articles that review literature within a particular topic.
l+tite critical annotations as you go. If you begin sorting and organizing your annotations by
themes, issues of concern, common shortcomings. etc., vou may find that patterns begin to
emerge. This can go a long way ln helping you develop your own arguments.
Develop a structure. We explored structure in the earlier section. Remember that your struc
ture may alter as you discover new literature and your thinking: evolves.
Write purposefully. The Literature re11iew is driven by the researcher and needs to have and
make a point You can review literature without an agenda, but you cannot write a formal
'literature review' without one. Your audience should be able to readily identify the 'point' of
each sectlon ct your review. Ir your audience does not know why you are telling them what
are telling lllem. you need to reconsider your approach.
Vse the Uterature to back up your arguments. It is important that when you make a statement
or cL'3im, you use sup.porting literature. For example, if you were to quote 'China is set to be
the world's largest economy by the year 2020', then you must provide the source of the
ciuote. e.g. 'China is set to be the worttl's largest economy by 2020' (Smith. 2.005: 23).
Make doing the lfterature review an ongoing process. As we have explored earlier. ltie litera
ture review is a cyclical process. In reality, you should be conducting your review right up to
a few weeks prior to your submission date.
Get plenty of feedback. Writing a literature rev[ew is not an easy task. and your supervisor's
expectations can vary widely. Don't wait until the last minute to begin the writing process or
to get feedback. Be sure to pass a draft to your supervisor (although in some institutions this
is not permitted). or anyone else witllng to read it early on.
Be prepared ta redra It would be nice ir first drafts and last drafts were the same draft.
However, this is unlikely to be the case.
voo
CONDUCTING A UTERATURE REV[EW
81
Wl"'".,t nal, 0s a poflr Pterattre revie
You might trunk that what makes a poor literatwe revie,v is essentially the oppo
site of what is listed above. That is certainly true to a point. Still, the following list
of points are what J personally consider to he the more common mistakes made
by students. Hopefully you will find these useful - not to copy, but to avoid at all
casts!
No evidence of a Uterature review. Thankfully this ls somewhat of a rarity. aearty, if you fail
to include a literature review withm your research prorect, it is tikely to signal to your reader
that you have failed to acknowledge woJk carried out by Sl)ecial.ists in your chos.en subject
area. In addition, grven that the literature review is a major part of your project. failure to
inctude it will almost cerat inly mean a significant deduction in marks.
Poor length. Your work is also likely to suffer if your review is of insufficient length. A ques
tion that I am often asked is 'How long should I make my literature review?' In general. this
largely depends on your research approach - whether it is inductive or deductive. However,
a useful guide is that your review is likely to he in the region of 25-30% of your overall word
count.
Denser referencing required. Although a review may be or sufficient length, sometimes a
drawback is that a student has failed to include adequate reterenc:e to previous work fn the
main text. This suggests that the student has tailed to examine th.e wide range of sources
availatlle to them. It also indicates that tfle student perhaps has not given enough time to
t eir literature review.
canying out h
The literature review is largely a verbatim reproduction of the original texts. Unfortunately,
sometimes students 'fall into the trap' of purely citing extracts from previous work In their
subject area. As a result. the review becomes a very llst-like style of writing. or course. what
they should be doing is adopting a critical approach to their review.
Poor structure. A muddled, poorly structured review makes it dlfficult for the reader to fuUy
grasp the nature of the research.
Literature does not correspond to research obiecffves. ldentifying and reviewrng literature that
is not relevant to a set of objectives shows poor understanding of the topic. In principle, if you
fully understand your objectives. parameters and key words, then it should be easy to avoid
citing work. that is not relevant to your own study.
Conducting a wstPrnatic literature review

The article below 1s tak:E!fl from tile Journal or Knowledge Management 'Knowlerlge Management in
SMEs: A literature review. Durst. 5. and Erlvardsson. I.R. (2012)
In this article. the authors undertake a systematic Uterature review of 36 refereed empirical
articles on knowledge management and small and medium sized enterprises. The aim of the
paper is to examcne the current status of research in knowledge management (KM) in SMEs. The
research questions are as follows:
Whith knowledge management topics are well researched and which are not?
Which were the main rindings of the studies?
B
ESSENllAl.S OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
wr,ich rnetllods were used?

: How does tt,e research handle the particular chaUenges small firms are facing regarding
l(nowtedge management?
The methodology of tfle literature review is explicitly set out within the paper. The methodology
begms llV explam1ng what rs meant by a systemati review and the prinples adpted wh11 car
iying ou t the review. rn this.case, the authors explam the pess. as beg,nmng with appmg the
f ield through a scoping reVtew, rollowedt by a comprehensrve Literature search, quality assess
ment, data extraction, synthesis and wriing up.
First. the authors set out a research plan comprising the research questions, keywords. and
details of inclusion and exctusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were: pubUcations in the period
of 2001-2011. empirical research papers, peer-reviewed, English language. SME focus on
1cnowledge maMgement and knowledge management processes. and ProQuest database.
cooversely, any pubLications outside this timel'rame papers and reports that did not meet these
criteria, and other databases were excluded from the re11iew. The authors used an Excel data
sheet to record the 'key elements' of each article. This consisted of the name of the author(s).
year of publication, research aim/objectives, theoretical perspective/framework, method, main
fifldings and name of the journal.
Second the comprehensive literature search began with both authors accessing the ProQuest
database to Look for suitable artides. This process involveCI undertaking a key word searcn usmg
knowlerlge management' and 'SMEs'. However. ttle researthers found that the search produced
only a small number of publications. Refining the search to using 'KM' in combination with 'SMEs'
resultell in 398 hits. This illustrates the importance of e.xperfmenting with a number of different
1<ey word searches when rloing your own research. Durst and Edvardsson (2012) also inctuded
the highest ranked 1ournals in their thosen area of research to make sure that the work by key
authors was included m the review. In addition. three international journals in the field of small
business were reviewed, thus resulting in an additional 697 hits.
Third. quaLity assessment entalled both autflors reading through the abstracts and, if relevant.
any other sections of the artictes to make sure that they covered the pre-defined scope. This
process yielded a final selection of 36 arUctes which fulfiUed the criteria s.et and aUowed for the
analysis stage to be carried out.
Fourth, data extraction of the 36 papers was undertaken by dividing the papers among the two
authors. Thus, each autl1or read 18 papers. Both researchers then entered the relevant data
regarding the research aim tn the spreadsheet and jointly went through eath data enb\' and
discussed ttie cootent. tf any of the authors had any reservations about one particular paper. then
both authors went through the paper in questioo. The rationale behind this is to ensure consistency
in terms of analysis and conclusions drawn.
fifth. at the synthesis stage, the final Excel sheet was jointly discussed. This diS01SS1on enabled tru!
authors to categorize the findings undt'f KM themes, 1/1/hich. in tum, helped to darify what is known
a.bout knowledge management in SMEs and to v.'hich KM areas the boc!y of knowledge is limited
Sixth. the finat stage ot the review process was devote<! to writing up the findings.
The above article demonstrates one approach to conducting a literature review,
and dearly shm-vs the different steps that the authors went through when reviewing
the literature. You will Snd many examples of literature-review-based articles on
clectronic databases such as Emerald and Business Source Premier. irrespective of the
CONDUCTING A Ll!E!MTURE REVIEW
6l
topic, reading these types of articles will give you a good insight into how to conduct
your mm literature renew, particular]y in terms of structure and \o,Titing style.
A final r0minder!
Remember that searching and criticaUy reviewing the literature is likely to be a
major pan of your research project. After all, it is essential to acknowledge what has
already been wntten. A thorough review will ensure that you have understood and
identified the key authors who have published in your area.
Fundamentally, searching and revie,,,rirlg the literature is a process that you should
continue to undertake right up to a few weeks prior to submission. Moreover, make
sure that you irlclude a range of contemporary references. On occasion, I have read
projects where the reference hst contains little in the way of references post-2000. This
illustrates a failure on the part of the student to actively seek the latest publications on
their chosen topic.
Summar, arid Conclusion

In this chapter we have looked at various issues relating to conducting a literature
review. The literature review is likely to be a major part of your research project. In
essence, a literature review not only alimvs you to better understand your topic, but
also allows you to identify 'gaps' and provides evidence of research. Here are the
key points from this chapter:
In the context of your research. 'literature' means all sources of published material.
A literature review r.an be described as identifying, evaluating and critically assessing what
has been published on your chosen topic.
You are required to demonstrate Ubrary and information skills, the inteilectual capability to
justify decisions on the choice of relevant ideas, and the ability to assess the value of those
ideas in context (Hart, 1998: 9).
Think or the literature review as a process. Before you begin conducting your review of the
lrterature you need to be dear about your objectives and research questions.
When conducting your literature review, ft fs likely that you will use a wide source or literature.
Readi journal articles is a great way to understand how to conduct a literature review.
A key skill to doing a literature review is to be able to read and review literature critically.
Searching the literature should be carried out until a few weeks prior to your submission date.
Writing a Successful Literature Review-------.

DTrk has recently completed a workshop on how to write a literature review. Following the
worl<shap. he felt a lot more confident in terms of how to approach the literature revlew for his
own research project. He now realizes that key success factors inctucfe: reading relevant
8
ESSEN11ALS OF BUSINESS RE.SEAAOI
sources. developing a coherent strudlJre, re'lliewing the literature as an ongoing process, and
being prepared to redraft However, he is unable to recall other important factors that the
lecturer highlignted during the workshop, in partirular, how to approach presentation, structure
and writil'lg style,
case study question

What other factors does DlTk need to conslder if he is going to write a succ.essful literature
review?
-------- YOU'RE THE SUPERVISOP -------Sarah has emafled you a draft of her literature review. The final parag;ra ph of her review reads
as follows:
Hendersoo (2011) provides the most interesting study into leadership across cultures
as it includes respondents from a range of different cultural backgrounds. His
findings argue that cultural factors play a significant part fn influencing leadership. I
may make reference to this seminal piece of work tater on in my own research.
supervi'-or
n 1Pstion
What are the problems associated with finishing a literature review in this way ancl how
woold you advise Sarah to cooclude her review?
-11,111tiitl'iiii)t;1:1,t1:;tn1;i1
1. I-low Long should my literature review be?
Answer: Th s varies, and the word lrni"t and views of your supeMs.or must be considered. For
example, if you are working on the basis of a 10,000 word lim"l. then clearly one would expect
to se a shoner literature re\'1ew than 1f you were workmg towards completing a 15,000 word
pro1ect Your supervisor is likely to have his or her D'Wn op1nrons as to the appropnate length o
yoc1r rev1ev,. Also, noting the weighting of marks towards the literature review s a useful
mdicato . For instance, agam, lf you are working towards a 10,000 word project and 25tya or
the mal1:s are allocated far literature review. then you can am at writing in the reg"on of
2,000-3,000 words. Finally, the amount of relevant literature ano ava1labil1ty of sources are
also factors. f you find 1hat ttlere JS very little wntten on your sub1ect. then perhaps your toriic
is too narrow. Conversely, 1f your top .. s too broad this will have a detrimental efrect on your
review he cause you w ll be unable to ro, er all relevant ttiemes.
2. How do I write a literature review?
Answer: One of the most commonly asked questions by my project students is 'How do I wri e
a literature review?' As noted earlier, the Literature review 1s a orocess ano shoulrl contain key
CONDUCTING A LITERATURE RfVIEW
85
cuss why the sub ect is or nterest d sc11ss

s of key terms
features such as defln
resea ch a rea undertaken and proVJde a ctea summary o' th0 research opportun ties a e1
objectrves that em rge from the lrteratu rev ew. Alttiough vou may know thE' structure anti
key features of a literature re ew you may st, l feel app e ens ve about actually wntmg your
review. Although the nellnood 1s that you ha e been aught how to write a reVJew as part of a
wo shop or research methods module. there 1s no suJ)stitute for reading literature revews
featured 1n Leadng academic 10umals. Literature revew based art cles gi you an excellent
insgnt into structu ng your literature review. adoptmg a crrtical approacn. referencing your
work and s umma z ng and ma ing a ll k to vour own work. As a he pfu gud!! in the f rtr
read ng secfon at the e d of the thapte r have ru:luded deta of three tr erature review
articles. These ha e been purposely chosen as they are all on b s ness-related top1 s and
htch you can earn h II to form and develop your own review Do not be
pro de a bas s
too concerned t the top c does not fat! fnto vour chose area of research. The important thrng
1s to get a fee for t e wnt ng style and how to produce a good lltef'c!ture re iew
3. How many chapters shall I devote to my literature review?
ever. I suggest that you seek ad ce on
Answer: Th I ofte a matte of p rsonal cho re
th s rom yo project supervise n most cases. the maranty o my stude ts te d to devote
one chapte to the lileraru e re w. Tn 1s gern?raUy fo two reaso s First the 10 ooo word
l m t eans that devoting more han one ch apte to the revfew may mean that other sections
ect do not rece1vs adequate atten,on Sero d the t ematic na re or the ctioseo
of the
Somermes a l erature rev cw m v be based n
top c can eas1 v e covered w1thrn one chap
two chapters T rs m ht be because one chapter focuses on a more practical e ement. e g. a
co d chapter re ws relevant theoretieal conten Aga :1 t ,n doubt
case stud while th
h v r p 01ect supervisor
d cuss
4. What type and how many soulll!s do I need to include in my literature review?
Answer: As you are condr tltng an academ c p ece of work there must be a certain nurnbe ot
ect and th s rnclu es material from academ c ,ournals
acadermc sources With n voor research
s ng othe sources sueh as n wspaJ1ErS, magaz nes and webs es 1s ru,e. as ong as you also
mctude ataderrnc sources such as academ c journals and textbooks n terms of webs,tes, tIY to
av d obsarre websit s as the infDmla IOfl they pro ae 1s ike y to be un e able Morecmr, try to
a c1 over- ellance on \'oeb-based sources. In short, t is best to use a range of sources wne
wrtt g your lrterarure review though one woo d expect the ma nty of these sources to be
academ1t based In terms of number of sources lhrs tS d ficult to answe as t depends on
several factors or example amount of l1terat re chosen topic, ersity regulations etc Your
referen ng shou If be relattvely dense and not re y too heavi1y o a small number or sources
oferenr 0
Anderson , E and \Veitz, B. ( 1 989) 'Determinants of continuity m conventional
mdustrial channel dyads' . .Warketing Science, 8 (Fall). 3 1 0-323 .
Aulakh P, Kotabe, M. and S ahay, A. ( 1 996) 'Trust and performance in cross
border marketing parmerships: A behavioural approach , Journal of Intematicm.al
Bu.sine.ss Studies, 27 (5): 1 005- 1 032.
86
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS RESEARot
'Management and organisations in China. Key trt?nds and tSsues

Child J. (2000)
l!I J.T. Li, A. Tsui and E. \Veldon (eds). Management and Organisations m rlie
Chinese Co,itext. Basmgstoke: M:.1em.illan, 33-62.
Chow, S. and Holden, R. ( 1 997) 'Toward an understanding of loyal The
mod erating role of trust Journal of J\-Ianagerial Issues j 9 (3) 2 7 5-298.
Capac (200 8) Capac academic and library catalogue'. online source: copac.ac.uk/.
accessed 1 0 September 2008.
D avies, lvl.B. (2007) Doing , Successful Research Pro.feet: Using Qualitari1:e or
Qua11ritatit,e Methods. Basingstoke: Pal gra\'e tviacmilla .
Doney, P. M. and Cannon, J. P. (1 997) -\n examination ot the nature of trust in
buver-seller relationships , Journal of .Marketing, 6 1 (April) 35-5 1 .
Durst, S. and Edvardsson LR. (20 1 2) 'Knowledge Management m Sl'vffis: A
literature review Joumal of Knowledge Management 1 6 (6) 879-903 .
Ganeson, S. (1 994) 'Determinants of long-term onentatton m buyer-seller
relationships', Journal of Marketing, 5 8 (2) : 1 - 1 9.
Hart , C ( 1 998) Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research
fmaginario11. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.
Hussey, J. and Hus:.ey, R. ( 1 997) Business Research A Practical Guide for
Undergradu.a.te and Postgraduate Students. Basmgstoke: Maanillan
Knopf, J.W. (2006) 'Doing a literature rev1e,\ ' 1 Political Science & Politics, 39 ( I ) :
1 27-1 32.
Morgan, R l\1 . and Hunt, S.D ( 1 994) 'The commitment-truSt theory of
relationship marketing , lo1mud of Marken ng, 58 (3), July 24-38.
'leuhaus, C and Hans-Dieter, D. (2008) ' Data sources for performing citation
analysis: An overview ' . Joumal of Documentari.011, 64 (2) 1 93-2 1 0.
O 'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to Dai11g Re.sea rch. London. Sage
Raimondo, M. (2000) Tue measurement of truSt m marketing studies : A re,iew
of models and methodologies', Proceedings of the 1 6tli Annual IMP lntemaiional
Conference, Bath September.
Rowley, J. and Slack, F. (2004) 'Conducting a literature re,1ew'. Management
Research News r (6) 3 1 -3 9
Sako, M. an d Helper, S. ( 1 998) Determinants of trust in supplier relations:
Evidence from the automotive industry in Japan and the United States' 101.mial
oj Economic Behar,iour and Orga11izatw11, 3 4 : 3 8 7-4 1 7.
Scopus pOOS) online source: wwv,.info.scopus.com accessed 1 5 September 2008.
Strange, R. (1 998) 1Vfa 11agement in Cl1ina: The Experience of Foreign Businesses
London : Frank Cass.
Stuttard, J. B. (2000) The New Silk Road. London John Wiley & Sons.
Vanhonacker, W. ( 1 997) 'Entenng China: An unconventional approach', Han 1ard
Business Review, March-April: 1 30- 1 -40.
Further Readin_
Bruce, C. (1 994) ' Research students' early e.xperiences of the d.tssercation
literature reYie\V , Studies in Higher Education, 1 9 (2): 2 1 7-229.
Cooper H . M . ( 1 998) Synthesizing Research: A Guide for Literature Ret-ieuis.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
OONDUCTfNG A LITERATURE REVIEW
87
Fink, A. l2009) Conducting Research Literature Re111er.ts: From the lnterner to Paper
(3rd edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Ismail. A.R., Melewar, TC., Lim, L and Woodside, A. {20] 1) Customer
e_xperiences with brands: Litera ture reYie>.v and research directions', The
Marketing Revieu., 11 (3): 205-225.
Nab,. G., Holden, R. and ,,valmsley, A. (2006) Graduate career-making and
busmess start-up: A lie
t rature review', Educntion + Training, 48 (5): 373-385.
Oliver, P. (2012) Succeeding with yaur Literature Rei.new. Maidenhead: Open
Uruversitv Press.
Ridley, D. (.2008) The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Srudents.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Soltani, E., Gennard, J and van der eer, R.B. (2004} 'HR performance evaluation
in the context of TQM: A rev1ew of the literature, Intenmtional Journal of
Qualil)' & Reltabiiiry Management, 21 {4): 377-396
Addressing ethical issues

understand the nature of business ethics:
appreciate the importance of ethics in business:
know how to address ethical issues;
recognize haw ethics can be interpreted across cultures:
realize why your re.search needs ethical approval;
be aware of rhe role of the university or collee research ethics committee;
be aware of the consequences of not following ethfcal guidelines: and
be familiar with how to negotiate access when conducting your researcti.
In r'lductio11
This chapter discusses the importance of ethical issues facing the student researcher.
As a researcher, you have a moral responsibility to carry out your research m an
accurate and honest way. Adhering to ethical concerns is something that you should
adopt ngbt at the beginning of your research. For instance, if you decide to study
the influence of net:\vorking on company performance, it is likely that you would
Hnd the collection of data, analystS and interpretation of results relatively straight
for1Nard. Yet, what would you do if some of your respondentS commented that a
vital part of maintaming their personal networks in1.olved corruption? You then
need to decide if it is morally appropriate for you to continue carrying out the
rese.1rch.
Many colleges and universities now require that students who undertake a
research project concerning human subjects must obtain ethical approval for their
work. This usually involves thecompletion of an ethical approvaJ form. Subsequent
approval is then required from a departmental or institutional ethics committee
before the student is able o
t proceed V.t1th their research. It was once the case that
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SAGE Publications Ltd

@Jonathan Wilson 2014

Library or Congress Control Number: 20139399n

SAGE Pub1rcaoons Asia-Pacific Pte Ud

Editor; Ja1 Seaman

2 De doping a rcsearc.h topil

Re.search in Action Are you happy:

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Research in Action: The internationalization and brand

6 J' 1 1 lata collection

The disadvantages of second

I , , 1 11 tit ttiv(> data

Sumrnarv and concfo.sion

You 're rhe supenrisor

Cammati questions and answers

10 Anahz. .. t I tati\l' data

. ' i. ' nd pre cuti ig ,; ur r-.ear h

1.1 The Honeycomb of Research Methodology

1.3 Possible steps taken by a market research agency

1.6 Research process, mduding the role of the research supervisor

2.1 Narrowing down your research topic

1 4 The pnnciples of the l\.1RS 'code of conduct'

23 An example of a mind map

24 Relationship ben,,,.een problem, aims, objectives and questions

4.2 Ethics application form

5.1 The Honeycomb of Research tvlethodology

Participant consent fonn

6.1 The Ho11eycomb of Research Methodology

6.5 Example of a completed semantic differential question

7.1 Classification of secondary data

8.1 Stages in the sampling process

82 Relationship benveen population. sampling frame and sample

8.5 An e.xample of stratified sampling

9.1 The Honeycomb of Research

1.1 Examples of business research

5.1 The relat.ionship benveen purpose of research, research design

Differences between questionnaire and interviev.

Useful electronic daG1 sources

8 I Strengths and weaknesses of sampling techniques

Time allocation to writing your research project

UST !lf TABLES

A.bout the Book

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Preface to the second edition

This book is dedicated to my students at Anglia Ruskin l:niversitv v,,;ho remind me