Questions and Answers of Research Methods For Business Students

Rewrite the following passage as part of a critical literature review using the Harvard system of referencing:Social Media is a new form of media that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations 1
Agree with a friend to each review the same article from a refereed academic journal which contains a clear literature review section. Evaluate independently the literature review in your chosen
a. Why is it important to apply inclusion and exclusion criteria when deciding which publications to include in a Systematic Review?b. What other quality criteria might you use?
What are the advantages and disadvantages in using an expert panel of stakeholders to assist in determining a review question?
Emily has decided to collect her primary data by interviewing human resource managers in the finance sector. How can she use the findings of her Systematic Review to inform her subsequent data
There are numerous problems with the content and structure of this extract. Some of the more obvious include:• The content consists of predominantly trade magazines, in particular Post Magazine ,
This is a difficult one without knowing her research question! However, you could still advise her on the general principles. Your advice will probably include:• Define the parameters of the
There are no incorrect answers with brainstorming! However, you might like to check your search terms for suitability prior to using them to search an appropriate database.We suggest that you follow
There is a variety of possible reasons, including:• One or more of the parameters of your search are defined too narrowly.•The keywords you have chosen do not appear in the controlled index
There are two parts to this answer: rewriting the text and using the Harvard system of referencing.Your text will inevitably differ from the answer given below owing to your personal writing style.
define the key terms ontology, epistemology and axiology and explain their relevance to business research;
explain the relevance for business research of philosophical perspectives such as positivism, realism, pragmatism and interpretivism;
understand the main research paradigms which are significant for business research;
distinguish between deductive, inductive and abductive research approaches;
state your own epistemological, ontological and axiological positions.
understand the importance of your decisions when designing research and the need to achieve methodological coherence throughout your own research design;
explain the differences between quantitative, qualitative and multiple methods research designs and choose between these to design your own research;
explain the differences between exploratory, descriptive and explanatory research to understand the nature of your own research;
identify the main research strategies and choose from amongst these to achieve coherence throughout your research design;
consider the implications of the time frames required for different research designs when designing your own research;
consider some of the main ethical issues implied by your research design;
identify some of the issues that affect the quality of research and consider these when designing your own research;
consider the constraint of your role as researcher when designing your own research.
Why are the radical paradigms relevant in business and management research given that most managers would say that the purpose of organisational investigation is to develop recommendations for action
Visit an online database or your university library and obtain a copy of a research-based refereed journal article that you think will be of use to an assignment you are currently working on. Read
to help you develop a clear justification for your answer.
Think about the last assignment you undertook for your course. In undertaking this assignment, were you predominantly inductive or deductive? Discuss your thoughts with a friend who also undertook
Agree with a friend to watch the same television documentary.a To what extent is the documentary inductive, deductive or abductive in its use of data?b Have the documentary makers adopted a
Why is it important for Zoe to be aware of her values and beliefs as an individual researcher?
Why should Zoe have been concerned about her previous relationship with the Theatre she was researching?
How might Zoe’s interpretivist philosophy and approach impact on how she frames her research question?
Probably the most realistic hypothesis here would be ‘consumers of “Snackers” chocolate bars did not notice the difference between the current bar and its reduced weight successor’.Doubtless
Although you can see and touch a manager, you are only seeing and touching another human being. The point is that the role of the manager is a socially constructed concept.What a manager is will
The researcher working in the radical humanist or structuralist paradigms may argue that it is predictable that managers would say that the purpose of organisational investigation is to develop
The question implies an either/or choice. But as you work through this chapter and, in particular, the next on deciding your research design, you will see that life is rarely so clear-cut! Perhaps
You wish to study the reasons why car owners join manufacturer-sponsored owners’clubs. You choose to use a qualitative methodology and narrative inquiry research strategy involving unstructured
You have started conducting interviews in a university with the hourly paid staff (such as porters, gardeners and caterers). The research objective is to establish the extent to which those employees
You are about to embark on a year-long study of customer service training for sales assistants in two supermarket companies. The purpose of the research is to compare the way in which the training
Agree with a friend to watch the same television documentary.a Does the documentary use a quantitative, qualitative or multiple methods research methodology?b To what extent is the nature of the
Use the search facilities of an online database to search for scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles which have used firstly a case study, secondly action research and thirdly experiment research
Visit the online gateway to the European Union website ( http://europa.eu/ ) and click on the link in your own language. Discuss with a friend how you might you use the data available via links from
What are the possible research strategies from which Sangita might chose to address her research question?
What are the likely advantages and drawbacks of using each possible strategy?
Which research strategy would you use to conduct this research project and why?
Look at Jessica’s research question; is the research ‘purpose’ exploratory, descriptive or explanatory?
Is Jessica’s research design (based only on semi-structured interviews in one case study organisation) likely to be sufficient to answer the research question?
What are the possible issues associated with Jessica interviewing her university friends?
Additional case studies relating to material covered in this chapter are available via the book’s companion website: www.pearsoned.co.uk/saunders .They are:• The effectiveness of computer-based
You would need to stress here that your principal interest would be in getting a deep understanding of why car owners join manufacturer-sponsored owners’ clubs. You would discover why the owners
The questionnaire will undoubtedly perform a valuable function in obtaining a comprehensive amount of data that can be compared easily, say, by district or age and gender.However, you would add to
There is no easy answer to this question! You have to remember that access to organisations to research is an act of goodwill on the part of managers, and they do like to retain a certain amount of
This would be a longitudinal study. Therefore, the potential of some of the threats to internal validity explained in Section
is greater simply because they have longer to develop.You would need to make sure that most of these threats were controlled as much as possible.For example, you would need to:• account for the
Get ahead using resources on the companion website at: www.pearsoned.co.uk/saunders• Improve your IBM SPSS for Windows and NVivo research analysis with practice tutorials.• Save time researching
aware of issues associated with gaining traditional and Internetmediated access;
able to evaluate a range of strategies to help you to gain access to organisations and to individual participants;
aware of the importance of research ethics and the need to act ethically;
able to anticipate ethical issues at each stage of your research and in relation to particular techniques, and be aware of approaches to help you deal with these;
aware of the principles of data protection and data management.
Which strategies to help to gain access are likely to apply to the following scenarios:a an ‘external’ researcher seeking direct access to managers who will be the research participants;b an
In relation to your proposed research project, evaluate your scope to use: (a) a traditional approach to gain access; (b) an Internet- or intranet-mediated approach to gain access;(c) a hybrid access
With a friend, discuss the outcomes of the evaluation you carried out for Question 6.6.From this, discuss how you intend to gain access to the data you need for your research project. In your
Agree with a friend to each obtain a copy of your university’s or your own professional association’s ethical code. Make notes regarding those aspects of the ethical code you have obtained that
Visit the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website at www.suzylamplugh.org and browse their guidance leaflets/web pages. Make a list of the actions you should take to help ensure your own personal safety when
List the problems researchers can encounter when conducting research on children.
What did Helen do to help her gain access to the head teachers?
What impact did the decision to change to healthy snack foods have on the research’s success?
Outline the ethical issues Helen had to consider and how she addressed them.
The types of access that we have referred to in this chapter are: physical entry or initial access to an organisational setting; continuing access, which recognises that researchers often need to
Gaining access can be problematic for researchers for a number of reasons. The concept of feasibility recognises this and suggests that in order to be able to conduct your research it will be
We may consider the three particular scenarios outlined in the question in Table 6.5.
The principal ethical issues you will need to consider irrespective of which research method you use are:•maintaining your integrity and objectivity during the data collection, analysis and
A number of ethical problems might emerge. These are considered in turn. You may wish to explore a point made by one of your participants but to do so might lead to harmful consequences for this
Get ahead using resources on the companion website at:www.pearsoned.co.uk/saunders••Improve your IBM SPSS Statistics and NVivo research analysis with practice tutorials.•Save time researching
understand the need for sampling in business and management research;
be aware of a range of probability and non-probability sampling techniques and the possible need to combine techniques within a research project;
be able to select appropriate sampling techniques for a variety of research scenarios and be able to justify their selection;
be able to use a range of sampling techniques;
be able to assess the representativeness of the sample selected;
be able to assess the extent to which it is reasonable to generalise from a sample;
be able to apply the knowledge, skills and understanding gained to your own research project.
You have been asked to select a 10 per cent sample of firms from the sampling frame used for self-check question 7.3.a Select a 10 per cent systematic random sample and mark those fi rms selected for
You need to undertake a face-to-face interview survey of managing directors of small to medium-sized organisations. From the data you collect you need to be able to generalise about the attitude of
You have been asked to undertake a survey of residents’ opinions regarding the siting of a new supermarket in an inner city suburb (estimated catchment population 111,376 atthe last census). The
For each of the following research questions it has not been possible for you to obtain a sampling frame. Suggest the most suitable non-probability sampling technique to obtain the necessary data,
With a friend or colleague choose one of the following research questions (or one of your own) in which you are interested.• What attributes attract people to jobs?• How are financial
Obtain a copy of a quality daily newspaper and, within the newspaper, find an article which discusses a ‘survey’ or ‘poll’. Share the article with a friend. Make notes of the process used to
Outline the problems Daniel is likely to face by using his Marketing assignment as his pilot study.
Discuss how the distribution of a link to the Internet questionnaire using Facebook via email might jeopardise the statistical representativeness of Daniel’s findings.
Identify a sampling technique that could enable Daniel to collect reliable data from which he could make statistical inferences. Give reasons for your choice and explain the steps you would take to
a A complete list of all directors of large manufacturing firms could be purchased from an organisation that specialised in selling such lists to use as the sampling frame. Alternatively, a list that
Your draft of Lisa’s tutor’s reply is unlikely to be worded the same way as the one below.However, it should contain the same key points:From: “tutor’s name” To: Sent: today’s date 7:06
a Your answer will depend on the random numbers you selected. However, the process you follow to select the samples is likely to be similar to that outlined. Starting at randomly selected points, two
a Your answer will depend on the random number you select as the starting point for your systematic sample. However, the process you followed to select your sample is likely to be similar to that
a If you assume that there are at least 100,000 managing directors of small to mediumsized organisations from which to select your sample, you will need to interview approximately 380 to make
a Prior to deciding on your quota you will need to consider the possible inclusion of residents who are aged under 16 in your quota. Often in such research projects residents aged under 5 (and those
a Either snowball sampling as it would be difficult to identify members of the desired population or, possibly, convenience sampling because of initial difficulties in finding members of the desired
identify the full variety of secondary data that are available;
appreciate ways in which secondary data can be utilised to help to answer your research question(s) and to meet your objectives;
understand the advantages and disadvantages of using secondary data in research projects;

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