Questions and Answers of Research Methods For Business Students

Visit your university library or use the Internet to view a copy of a report for a recent national government survey in which you are interested. If you are using the Internet, the national
Margaret is completing her master’s degree part time at her University’s Business School while working for a large multinational consumer goods corporation.She has chosen to undertake her
For over a quarter of a century, there has been exten- sive debate about whether human resource (HR) prac- tices, most commonly referred to as high-performance work practices (HPWPS), are associated,
Melinda is a postgraduate student conduct- ing a study exploring the qualities of a good project tutor. Noting the limited literature on her topic, she has decided to conduct a qualitative study with
It was the start of the new year and Chloe had taken a leap of faith, leaving her full- time job to complete a master's degree. Now, with her research project, she was addressing her long-standing
Michael is in his last year of undergraduate studies in human services and economics and is conducting original research for his final research project. As part of his project, he is required to keep
Keza is studying online for a master’s degree in Management and wishes to undertake her research project in her home country, Rwanda, where she works as a civil servant. Due to her high pressure
Haydn is a postgraduate MSc Management and Entrepreneurship student and as part of his studies he needs to complete a research project. Haydn has set his sights on studying a concept called 'entre-
You have decided to undertake a project and have defined the main research question as ‘What are the opinions of consumers on a 10 per cent reduction in weight, with the price remaining the same,
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
Use the search facilities of an online database to search for scholarly (peer-reviewed)articles that have used first a case study, second Action Research and third experiment research strategy in an
Born the son of Yemeni immigrant port workers, Mohammed moved away from home initially to undertake his undergraduate studies. As the first in his family to go to university, he aspires to be a role
What are the characteristics of access and why is it important to differentiate between them?
Visit the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website at http://www.suzylamplugh.org and the Social Research Association at https://the-sra.org.uk/common/Uploaded%20files/SRA-safetycode-of-practice.pdf. Browse the
Visit the Research Ethics Guidebook at www.ethicsguidebook.ac.uk and browse through the sections of this guide. In relation to the context of your proposed research project, make a note of points
Lila is studying for an MSc in Human Resource Management. Throughout her undergraduate and postgraduate studies, she has worked for a variety of different organisations to finance her education. In
Visit the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website at http://www.suzylamplugh.org and the Social Research Association at http://the-sra.org.uk/sra_resources/safety-code/ . Browse the guidance leaflets/web pages
Visit the Research Ethics Guidebook at www.ethicsguidebook.ac.uk and browse through the sections of this guide. In relation to the context of your proposed research project, make a note of points
Carla, a master’s student in her last year, just came back from her semester abroad in China. She was very impressed by the Chinese culture. Furthermore Carla felt that China would become more and
Andrew, a final year part-time MBA student employed by a large Maltese market research company, read in a local newspaper that Malta (a small island state situated in the centre of the Mediterranean
Maria had a problem. The research proposal for her master’s research project was due. But she had no idea what to research. Sustainable tourism had been her favourite module on the programme and
You are a project manager responsible for the overall management of a large project to introduce your company’s technology into the development of a new hospital. Most of the members of your team
You have been asked to give a presentation to a group of managers at the accountancy firm in which you are hoping to negotiate access for research. You wish to pursue the research question: ‘What
Leah had recently changed employment and was now working in a further education college close to her home. Her main reasons for choosing the college were her assumptions that the job was likely to be
The following questions have been taken from a questionnaire about flexibility of labour.For each question identify:a the type of data variable for which data are being collected;b the type of
What issues will you need to consider when translating your questionnaire?
A colleague has collected data from a sample of 74 students. He presents you with the following output from the statistical analysis software:Explain what this tells you about students’ opinions
Visit one of the CAQDAS websites listed in Table 13.3. Find and download a demonstration version of the CAQDAS package and explore its features. How useful do you think this will be for analysing
Caitlin is studying for a master’s degree in Finance and Banking. Before starting her course, Caitlin worked as a trainee accountant and also had an internship with a large merchant bank. During
Elena had carried out a successful research project. Following an in-depth review of the available literature she had utilised a diary method to investigate the causes and consequences of stress in
Ella is a third year undergraduate student who is undertaking her final-year research project. She wants to understand more about why organisations make certain supplier selection decisions. She
From an early age Emmanuel had a keen interest in current affairs, keeping up to date with significant stories in the news. During the first semester of his MSc in Management, he became particularly
You have decided to undertake a project and have defined the main research question as‘What are the opinions of consumers on a 10 per cent reduction in weight, with the price remaining the same, of
It was a Saturday night and Francisca was sitting at her desk. The house was quiet, and all her housemates were out. Francisca decided to stay in, as she told herself that she really needed to get
Ying was struck when one of the lecturers on her postgraduate module talked about how managers often struggle when companies undergo changes such as mergers, and how they often fail to address their
As part of research into the impact of television advertising on donations by credit card to a major disaster appeal, data have been collected on the number of viewers reached and the number of
Visit an online database or your university library and obtain a copy of an article that you think will be of use to an assignment you are both currently working on. Use the checklist in Box 3.13 to
You have started conducting interviews in a university with the non-academic employees (such as administrative and other support staff). The research objective is to establish the extent to which
Examine Figure 1.2. What does this suggest about the need to plan and to reflect on and revise your ideas?Data from in Figure 1.2 JUTA Sampling (Chapter 7) Begin to think about research Choose a
Revisit Table 1.2 and look at the differences in management researcher and practitioner orientations for foci of interest, methodological imperatives, key outcomes and how each views the other. For
Caitlin is studying for a Master’s degree in Organisational Psychology at her local Business School. Her project tutor is conducting research about diversity and organisational change with a major
Outline the features that can make business and management research distinctive from research in other disciplines.
What are the key differences between basic and applied research (and consultancy)?
Agree with a friend to each read a different quality newspaper. Make a note of at least 10 articles in your newspaper that mention the word ‘research’. Now examine the articles one at a time. As
Together with a few colleagues discuss the extent to which a number of research ideas would each constitute a ‘good research topic’ using the checklist in Box 2.1 . The set of ideas you use may
You have decided to search the literature to ‘try to come up with some research ideas in the area of operations management’. How will you go about this?
Kristina is studying for a master’s degree in international business, Although she has chosen to study overseas, she wishes to undertake her research project in her home country. She is interested
A colleague of yours wishes to generate a research idea in the area of accounting. He has examined his own strengths and interests on the basis of his assignments and has read some review articles,
You are interested in doing some research on the interface between business organisations and schools. Write three research questions that may be appropriate.
For the workplace project for her professional course, Karen had decided to undertake a study of the effectiveness of the joint negotiating and consultative committee in her NHS Trust. Her title was
How may the formulation of an initial substantive theory help in the development of a research proposal?
How would you demonstrate the influence of relevant theory in your research proposal?
Look through several of the academic journals that relate to your subject area. Choose an article which is based upon primary research. Assuming that the research question and objectives are not made
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
Watch the news on television or access a news website. Look for a news item based on research which has been carried out to report a current issue related to business. Spend some time investigating
The following extract and associated references are taken from the first draft of a critical literature review. The research project was concerned with the impact of changes to UK legal aid
Outline the advice you would give a colleague on:a. how to plan her search;b. which literature to search first.
After working for a decade in industry, returning to university to study for a Masters degree was not as easy as Janet had anticipated. Whilst she was being awarded good marks on the assignments for
Brainstorm at least one of the following research questions, either on your own or with a colleague, and list the search terms that you have generated.a. How effective are share options as a
You are having considerable problems with finding relevant material for your research when searching databases. Suggest possible reasons why this might be so.
Rewrite the following passage as part of a critical literature review using the Harvard system of referencing:Past research indicates important gender differences in the use of networks, and suggests
Go to the website of the general search engine Google (www.google.com). Use the specialised search services such as ‘Google Scholar’ and ‘Google Finance’ to search for articles on a topic
Why may it be argued that the concept of ‘the manager’ is socially constructed rather than ‘real’?
Why are the radical research paradigms relevant in business and management research, given that most managers would say that the purpose of organisational investigation is to develop recommendations
You have chosen to undertake your research project following a deductive approach. What factors may cause you to work inductively, although working deductively is your preferred choice?
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
Think about the last assignment you undertook for your course. In undertaking this assignment, were you predominantly inductive, deductive or abductive? Discuss your thoughts with a friend who also
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. Is the documentary based on positivist,
Josef is entering the final year of a four-year sandwich programme, reading for a BSc in Banking and Finance. He spent his third year in an internship, gaining work experience in a small credit union
You are working in an organisation that has branches throughout the country. The managing director is mindful of the fact that managers of the branches need to talk over common problems on a regular
You are about to embark on a year-long study of customer service training for sales assistants in two national supermarket companies. The purpose of the research is to compare the way in which the
Agree with a friend to watch the same television documentary.a. Does the documentary use quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods?b. To what extent is the nature of the documentary exploratory,
Visit the Internet 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 use the data available via links from this
How can you differentiate between types of access and why is it important to do this?
Jean-Pierre (known to everyone as JP) is a Master’s student studying for an MSc in International Management. He has previously worked for two different management consulting firms, which has led to
What do you understand by the use of the terms ‘feasibility’ and ‘sufficiency’ when applied to the question of access?
Lisa has emailed her tutor with the following query regarding sampling and dealing with non-response. Imagine you are Lisa’s tutor. Draft a reply to answer her query. Hi, I hope you are
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
What are the principal ethical issues you will need to consider irrespective of the particular research methods that you use?
You have been asked to select a sample of manufacturing firms using the sampling frame below. This also lists the value of their annual output in tens of thousands of pounds over the past year. To
What problems might you encounter in attempting to protect the interests of participating organisations and individuals despite the assurances that you provide?
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 firms selected for
In relation to your proposed research project, evaluate your scope to use:a. A traditional approach;b. An Internet- or intranet-mediated approach;c. A hybrid access strategy to gain access to those
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. Each of you should make a set of notes regarding those aspects in the ethical
Nabila, a Master’s student, wanted to investigate the motivations of social entrepreneurs for her research project. In reviewing relevant academic and practitioner literature, she had found there
Identify a suitable sampling frame for each of the following research questions.a. How do company directors of manufacturing firms of over 500 employees think a specified piece of legislation will
You need to undertake a series of face-to-face interviews with managing directors of small- to medium-sized organisations. From the data you collect you need to be able to generalise about the
You have been asked to use face-to-face questionnaires to collect data from local residents about their opinions regarding the siting of a new supermarket in an inner city suburb (estimated catchment
You are a bank branch manager. You feel your staff are too reluctant to generate interest from customers in relation to new accounts that the bank offers. You would like to understand the reasons for
You are undertaking a research project as part of your course. Your initial research question is ‘How has the UK’s import and export trade with other countries altered in the past 30 years?’
Give three examples of different situations where you might use secondary data as part of your research.
Choose an appropriate information gateway from Table 8.2 to search the Internet for secondary data on a topic which you are currently studying as part of your course.a ‘Add to favourites’
Alice is an undergraduate student studying business at a UK university. Approaching final year, and her research project, Alice was unsure as to which topic she would investigate. Deciding to play to
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 revisit Figure 8.1 , types of secondary data, and re-read the accompanying text in Section 8.2 . Agree to find and, where possible, make copies (either electronic or photocopy) of at
Agree with a friend to each evaluate the same secondary data set obtained via the Internet. This could be one of the data sets you found when undertaking Question 8.6. Evaluate independently your
Agree with a colleague to watch a particular documentary or consumer rights programme on the television. If possible, choose a documentary with a business or management focus. During the documentary,
Obtain or access online a copy of a quality daily newspaper and, within the newspaper, find an article that discusses a ‘survey’ or ‘poll’. Share the article with a friend. Make notes of the
Video-record a current affairs (or similar) discussion on TV. Initially watch the programme to identify the main categories of behaviour that occur. It may be appropriate to use some of the

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