Questions and Answers of Research Methods Business

When evaluating the ‘position’ of authors, you are exploring:a Who the lead author is in a multipleauthored publication.b How the work is similar to and different from other researchers.c The
Which of the following journals is a‘peer-reviewed’ journal?a HR Grapevine b Human Resource Development International c The Economist d Personnel Review
Which of the following is an academic database?a People Management b European Journal of Training and Development c Ingenta Connect d www.acas.org.uk
Which of the following describes a chronological structure?a The review is ordered by the impact factor of the journals you have used.b The review is ordered by identifying groups of themes.c The
(1), 47–61.
(1), 47–61.d Pereira, V., Fontinha, R., Pawan, B.and Arora, B. (2018) Human resource management and performance at the Indian railway. Journal of Organizational Change Management,
(1), 47–61.b Pereira, V., Fontinha, R., Pawan, B.and Arora, B. (2018) Human resource management and performance at the Indian railway. Journal of Organizational Change Management, pp. 47–61.c
Which of the following references is presented in the correct format (in line with the approach shown in this book) for your bibliography?a Pereira, V., Fontinha, R., Pawan, B.and Arora, B. (2018)
years ago.d Only using studies which feature empirical data.
A systematic literature search involves:a Identifying, reviewing and analysing sources using specific criteria.b Identifying the systems that are most important to your research topic.c Eliminating
The ALT principles of being critical stands for:a Argument, literature, theory.b Assert, list, trustworthiness.c Analysis, logic, timeliness.d Argument, logic, trustworthiness.
For the purpose of your literature review, which of the following would be classed as an official document?a An organisation’s CSR policy.b A journal article sponsored by a professional body.c A
How might you be able to link your practitioner research with your professional development? To what extent will your position within your professional area or within your organisation affect the
How might your position in the organisation affect, and be affected by, the research project you plan to conduct? What are the implications of your role for the research strategy that you are
What will be the main challenges for you with regard to access to organisation(s), people and documents? What skills and behaviours will you need to develop to overcome those challenges? What
How clear are you about the aims of your potential project? What are the key concepts that you will need to explore? Who are the key authors in this field? Who might you discuss your research ideas
Write a summary (no more than three sentences for each) of the four research strategies (cross-sectional research;case study; action research; comparative research). Which strategy is most attractive
If you have not yet determined your project, identify three possible research ideas. For each of them write down three advantages/disadvantages. Make sure you take account of the perspective of
How much time is left until your project must be completed and submitted? What are likely to be the main stages of your project?How long will you have to complete each of them? How will you measure
Which of the chapters do you think will be the biggest challenge for your own project? What can you do to overcome these challenges?
To what extent has the author considered ethical implications of the study?
How did the author analyse data? How would you rate the depth of the analysis?
How did the author get access to the case study organisation(s)? Could you use this approach within your own study?
What research strategy has the author used? Does this seem logical for the issue investigated?
To what extent has the author discussed methodological decisions and what are the implications of this for what will be expected of you?
Has the author used a research question or objectives? How clearly have they been articulated? Does there seem to be a preference for a hypothesis, a research aim or a principal research question in
What was the chosen topic? Did the author articulate how and why he or she made this choice?
Where a research project is seeking to obtain an accurate picture of something that occurred in a specific organisation, this approach is identified as:a Explanatory.b Exploratory.c Descriptive.d
Which of the following is a research strategy?a PESTLE analysis.b Semi-structured interview.c Positivism.d Action research.
Cross-cultural studies make use of:a A case study research strategy.b A comparative research strategy.c An appreciative inquiry approach.d A longitudinal research strategy.
A challenge of case study based research is:a Findings cannot be generalised.b Individuals do not get their own voice.c It is suitable only for very large organisations.d It requires both qualitative
Researchers with an interpretivist perspective seek to…a Establish correlations between different variables.b Make sense of individual experiences.c Extrapolate findings across cross-cultural
Positivist researchers believe…a Research should be value-free, utilise a scientific method, and based on empirical observations.b Unexpected events and contextual differences prevent researchers
Exploring research philosophy involves:a Choosing between qualitative and quantitative methods.b Considering how we make sense of the world and the implications this has on research.c Analysing your
Describe how you will feel when you have completed your project. Hold on to that feeling!
What opportunities can you identify to ‘sell’your project ideas to:a) your manager and colleagues;b) others in the organisation?
What are the timescales for your project that are required by:a) your study centre;b) your organisation? What are the implications of this for the process of doing your project?
What are the status or ‘political’ issues within your organisation that may affect the process of undertaking your project? How might you be able to manage these effectively?
What skills and competences have you already developed that you can utilise in the process of undertaking your project?
What options might you consider to obtain primary data? What are the skill implications of the data generation options that you are considering?
How aware are you of sources of secondary data that would be relevant to your project?What skills will you need to obtain and analyse the secondary data you have in mind?(Chapter 7 is particularly
is particularly relevant to these issues.)
How confident are you about the process of undertaking a literature search to enable you to critically evaluate what is already known about your topic? What are the skills you will need to search and
What resources or expertise and advice are available to you from your project supervisor?How can you make best use of these resources?
is particularly relevant to these questions.)
How clear are you about a topic for your project? Who do you need to discuss your ideas with to decide about the feasibility of the project? (Chapter
What access issues might there be in your chosen organisation? What are the likely timescales for obtaining permission?
How feasible is it for you to undertake research in one organisation? For how long do you expect to be a part of the organisation in which your research may be based? What other options may be open
What influence might your professional, organisational or personal background have on the way you approach your research? Do you see your role as a researcher as being like a detective, a doctor or
Demonstrating reflective practice. If you are a member of a professional body like CIPD then you will need to undertake continuing professional development (CPD). There are many benefits to a process
Project planning. Answering these questions should help you to identify actions and priorities that will be important in undertaking your project. The answers you make to these questions may
Are there any time-sensitive elements to your project? For example, in being able to obtain data produced on an annual basis.
What personal commitments do you have during the year? How can you build this into your timeline?
What are your busiest times at work and how do they coincide with deadlines for your project? How will you manage this process?
What support is available to students when undertaking their project and how can that support be accessed?
Are implementable recommendations a requirement for the project?
Does the research have to be based in an organisation?
How important is it to gather primary data?
What level of engagement with theories, concepts, frameworks of best practice etc is expected?
Over what timescale should the project be undertaken?
What is the indicative word limit?
What is the submission deadline for the final report?
Which of the following describes ‘researcher as doctor’?a The researcher has a clear idea about the research problem.b The researcher likes to enter unknown territory.c The researcher likes to
What type of publication is CIPD (2019) Rotten Apples, Bad Barrels and Sticky Situations:An evidence review of unethical workplace behaviour?a Professional journal.b Practitioner report.c Green
The role of a supervisor is to…a Tell you exactly how to get a distinction or first-class mark.b Read drafts of every chapter.c Organise your time between now and the submission date.d Provide
When should ethical issues be considered?a When you develop your conclusions.b Before you start your project.c At the same time as you collect your data.d When you analyse your primary data.
What is the first stage of the research process?a Designing a questionnaire.b Identifying a suitable topic.c Completing the literature review.d Evaluating secondary data.
For each group of people that you identify, try to work out how they might find out about relevant research that has been undertaken.
Use Figure 1.4 as a prompt and write down a list of different groups of people who may be interested in the implications of research into HR issues in your organisation (or one you are familiar with).
To what extent (and why) is it possible to decide which approach is ‘superior’?Jake was a part-time student working for an NHS Trust in its HR Department. The organisation was concerned that it
What world view underpinned the approaches to their research adopted by Jake and Ying?Jake was a part-time student working for an NHS Trust in its HR Department. The organisation was concerned that
In what sense are dreams real?Reality TV (as distinct from documentaries or other non-fictional TV programmes like sports coverage and news) is a form of television programming that has become
To what extent is heartbreak real?Reality TV (as distinct from documentaries or other non-fictional TV programmes like sports coverage and news) is a form of television programming that has become
In what ways is reality TV ‘real’ and in what ways is reality TV ‘not real’?Reality TV (as distinct from documentaries or other non-fictional TV programmes like sports coverage and news) is a
How real is reality TV?Reality TV (as distinct from documentaries or other non-fictional TV programmes like sports coverage and news) is a form of television programming that has become prevalent in
revise, redraft and proofread your work to maximise its credibility and accuracy.
draft a research report or dissertation;
clarify what is required by different audiences with whom you will communicate about your research;
communicate your research to non-academic audiences in an impactful and credible way.
take courage and ‘go public’ with your work in order to share your learning;
plan how to achieve impact in practice from your research;
consider how to ‘bridge the gap’ between research and evidence-based HR practice;
describe and present a summary of data you have collected.
collect, organise and store quantitative data in an effective way;
administer a survey to an appropriate sample of respondents;
design and evaluate an effective survey instrument;
discuss different sources of numerical data;
consider how quantitative data can contribute to your research;
draw appropriate conclusions based on your data.
identify appropriate statistical tests to interpret your data and to either confirm or refute your hypotheses;
discuss the reliability of the data you have gathered;
undertake an initial analysis of your data;
make sense of basic terminology used in quantitative data analysis;
determine an appropriate sample of respondents to provide trustworthy data.
consider the use of electronically obtained qualitative data;
discuss the use of focus group and other group interview techniques in HR research;
highlight how to collect and record interview and diary based data;
assess how participation or observation might provide some data for your project;
consider how qualitative data can add value to your research;
write about your research methods.

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