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Contents
[ ,,1 of fobil',
Cnmpunion \\cbsik
ISBN 978-1-4462-5732-6
ISBN 978+4462-5733-3 fpbk)
\'.I
xiii
X
Pr face
AcknowledgemC'nt,
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
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
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
57
57
58
58
59
59
60
GI
61
62
64
""'O
76
Ti
82
84
84
85
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lIO
1U
11 l
l12
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l] 5
116
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138
142
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]44
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]45
145
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147
149
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151
J 52
152
153
163
167
174
] 76
176
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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
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
...........__________
vi.
OONTENTs
196
'99
200
20)
202
20 3
203
204
205
205
206
207
207
_(JIJ
209
10
210
212
212
220
224
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225
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227
227
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231
232
234
237
244
254
26-
267
268
270
27]
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273
:2.74
274
275
276
276
276
Z-9
27
280
282
282
284
288
288
292
293
294
294
295
296
298
298
299
300
301
301
302
307
315
317
323
323
324
325
325
326
326
327
327
(,lo<.sar)
Index
329
339
CONTENTS
IX
List of Figures
13
20
22
29
29
41
44
Re.search stakeholders
46
55
91
107
108
l 17
4.3
121
123
133
150
152
1S5
161
171
192
211
213
215
217
217
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
14
19
23
42
52
66
67
72
72
79
143
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
153
165
165
169
169
170
171
179
7.]
7.2
7.3
7.-l
7.5
193
198
198
200
202
xlv
Companion Website
221
223
238
($)SAGE
238
239
241
242
Book Home
243
245
248
249
249
2-19
250
25]
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252
255
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262
263
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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
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:
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
TABLE 1.3
cbve
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
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,
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.
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
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
19
,\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
'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
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)
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.
adJvrt1es
FIGUKE .4
Ihe pn
I les O
Mio
'""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
WOfX.
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
AN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS RESEARCH
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
Datei'time
16 Sept 2008
Comments
Srgnature
"'AM Tayro,
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.
Moo! supervisor
Discuss ideas
Liferarure review
Discuss literature
Al::ldress ethics
Discuss atti,cs
Aesearnh design
Discuss design
Collect data
Analyze data
Dlscvss analysis
Write U1>
Discuss writing up
cud rig I
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 --
--.
- .._
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)
l r-u 3r.w c 5
loO
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.
--------- 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
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}
AN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS RESEARCH
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
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
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
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
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.
Marketing
Busmess marketing
B4slness marketing between
ng
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.
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.
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
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
45
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).
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.
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.
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?
., 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
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.
51
TABLE 2.2
esea
I'! es 1ans a
I to t
Research question
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
53
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'
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'.
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
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
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).
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.
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
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
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
59
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.
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
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.
present your con1dered judgements about what\, right, what\ \ rnng what \
inconclusive, and what's missing m the existing literature.
63
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:
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
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_
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
CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW
67
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.
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.
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
!: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
71
TABLE 3.3
mpa ,son
es
Academic article
Newspaper article
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
Stra:ego,
.,
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
CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW
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
(::ibf(lCIIOC
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
CONDUCTING A LITERATURE REVIEW
75
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
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
ExamplP nf
,:i., introdurtion
t('
a literature review
77
TABLE 3.5
AuthOl'(S)
Definltion
Type of relationship
(1989)
Atjal<h et al (1996)
()i)Y(
ard Hcieen
(1997)
(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.
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 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).
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
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
81
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.
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.
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,
-------- 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
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
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
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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