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                                                                Research	methods	for	business	students	pdf	2016
  Research	Methods	for	Business	Students	has	been	fully	revised	for	this	seventh	edition	and	continues	to	be	the	market-leading	textbook	in	its	field,	guiding	hundreds	of	thousands	of	student	researchers	to	success	in	their	research	methods	modules,	research	proposals,	projects	and	dissertations.	So,	if	you're	thinking	.	.	.	'How	do	I	choose	my	topic?'
  'I'm	confused	by	all	these	different	philosophies'	'I	need	to	collect	my	data;	what	do	I	do	first?'	'When	and	what	do	I	need	to	write?	.	.	.	then,	open	this	book	to	discover:	Regular	checklists	and	'Progressing	your	research	project'	sections	to	give	you	step-by-step	practical	guidance	on	the	process	A	glossary	of	clear	definitions	for	600	research	terms
  Cases	and	examples	of	students'	and	academics'	research	and	topical	news	articles	illustrating	research	in	practice	Detailed	chapters	on	choosing	your	topic,	reviewing	the	literature,	understanding	philosophies,	research	design,	access	and	ethics,	secondary	data,	data	collection	and	analysis,	and	writing	about	and	presenting	your	research	Don't
  forget	to	visit	www.pearsoned.co.uk/saunders	where	you	can	use	online	tutorials	on	research	software,	such	as	IBM	SPSS	Statistics	and	NVivo,	test	yourself	with	hundreds	of	multiple	choice	questions,	analyse	over	60	further	case	studies,	and	learn	how	to	search	the	Internet	more	efficiently	and	effectively	with	our	Smarter	Online	Searching	guide!
  Start	your	project	with	confidence	and	complete	it	with	success!	Mark	Saunders	is	Professor	of	Business	Research	Methods	at	The	Surrey	Business	School,	University	of	Surrey.	Philip	Lewis	was	a	Principal	Lecturer	and	Adrian	Thornhill	was	a	Head	of	Department,	both	at	the	University	of	Gloucestershire.	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students	has
  been	fully	revised	for	this	7th	Edition	and	continues	to	be	the	market-leading	textbook	in	its	field,	guiding	hundreds	of	thousands	of	student	researchers	to	success	in	their	research	methods	modules,	research	proposals,	projects	and	dissertations.	Chapter	1	Business	and	management	research,	reflective	diaries	and	the	purpose	of	this	book	Chapter	2
  Formulating	and	clarifying	the	research	topic	Chapter	3	Critically	reviewing	the	literature	Chapter	4	Understanding	research	philosophy	and	approaches	to	theory	development	Chapter	5	Formulating	the	research	design	Chapter	6	Negotiating	access	and	research	ethics	Chapter	7	Selecting	samples	Chapter	8	Using	secondary	data	Chapter	9
  Collecting	primary	data	through	observation	Chapter	10	Collecting	primary	data	using	semi-	structured,	in-depth	and	group	interviews	Chapter	11	Collecting	primary	data	using	questionnaires	Chapter	12	Analysing	quantitative	data	Chapter	13	Analysing	qualitative	data	Chapter	14	Writing	and	presenting	your	project	report	Bibliography	Appendices
  Glossary	Pearson	Education	Limited	1.	Slide	2.1	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Chapter	2	Formulating	and	clarifying	the	research	topic	2.	Slide	2.2	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©
  Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Learning	outcomes	•	By	the	end	of	this	chapter	you	should	be	able	to:	•	Generate	ideas	that	will	help	in	the	choice	of	a	suitable	research	topic;	•	Identify	the	attributes	of	a	good	research	topic;	•	Turn	research	ideas	into	a	research	project	that	has	clear	research	question	(s)	and	objectives;	•
  Draft	a	research	proposal	3.	Slide	2.3	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Formulating	and	clarifying	your	research	topic	The	important	steps	•	Identifying	the	attributes	of	a	good	research	topic	•	Generating	ideas	that	help	you	select	a
  suitable	topic	•	Turning	ideas	into	clear	research	questions	and	objectives	•	Writing	your	research	proposal	4.	Slide	2.4	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Attributes	of	a	good	research	topic	(1)	Capability:	is	it	feasible?	•	Are	you	fascinated
  by	the	topic?	•	Do	you	have	the	necessary	research	skills?	•	Can	you	complete	the	project	in	the	time	available?	•	Will	the	research	still	be	current	when	you	finish?	•	Do	you	have	sufficient	financial	and	other	resources?	•	Will	you	be	able	to	gain	access	to	data?	5.	Slide	2.5	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th
  Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Attributes	of	a	good	research	topic	(2)	Appropriateness:	is	it	worthwhile?	•	Will	the	examining	institute's	standards	be	met?	•	Does	the	the	topic	contain	issues	with	clear	links	to	theory?	•	Are	the	research	questions	and	objectives	clearly	stated?	•	Will	the	proposed	research	provide
  fresh	insights	into	the	topic?	•	Are	the	findings	likely	to	be	symmetrical?	•	Does	the	research	topic	match	your	career	goals?	6.	Slide	2.6	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Attributes	of	a	good	research	topic	(3)	And	-	(if	relevant)	Does	the
  topic	relate	clearly	to	an	idea	you	were	given	-	possibly	by	your	organisation	?	7.	Slide	2.7	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Generating	research	ideas	Useful	Techniques	Rational	thinking	Creative	thinking	Searching	the	literature	Scanning
  the	media	Brainstorming	Relevance	Trees	Exploring	past	projects	Discussion	Keeping	an	ideas	notebook	8.	Slide	2.8	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Rational	thinking	•	Examining	your	own	strengths	and	interests	•	Looking	at	past	project
  titles	•	Discussion	•	Searching	the	literature	•	Scanning	the	media	9.	Slide	2.9	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Creative	thinking	•	Keeping	a	notebook	of	ideas	•	Exploring	personal	preferences	using	past	projects	•	Relevance	trees	•
  Brainstorming	10.	Slide	2.10	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Rational	thinking	and	creative	thinking	•	These	techniques	will	generate	possible	project	one	of	two	outcomes:	•	One	or	more	possible	project	ideas	that	you	might	undertake;	•
  Absolute	panic	because	nothing	in	which	you	are	interested	or	which	seems	suitable	has	come	to	mind.	11.	Slide	2.11	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Examining	own	strengths	and	interests	•	Having	some	academic	knowledge	•	Look	at
  those	assignments	for	which	you	have	received	good	grade.	•	You	may,	as	part	of	your	reading,	be	able	to	focus	more	precisely	on	the	sort	of	ideas	about	which	you	wish	to	conduct	your	research	•	There	is	a	need	to	think	about	your	future	12.	Slide	2.12	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark
  Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Looking	at	past	project	title	•	Dissertations;	•	Theses.	Scan	your	university’s	list	of	past	project	titles	for	anything	that	captures	your	imagination	•	Scanning	actual	research	projects.	You	need	to	beware.	The	fact	that	a	project	is	in	your	library	is	no	guarantee	of	the	quality	of	the	arguments	and
  observations	it	contains.	13.	Slide	2.13	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Discussion	•	Colleagues,	friends,	university	tutors,	practitioner	and	professional	groups	14.	Slide	2.14	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business
  Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Searching	the	literature	•	As	part	of	your	discussions,	relevant	literature	may	also	be	suggested.	Sharp	et	al,	(2002)	discuss	types	of	literature	that	are	of	particular	use	for	generating	research	ideas.	These	include:	•	Article	in	academic	and	professional	journals;	•
  Reports;	•	Books.	15.	Slide	2.15	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Scanning	the	media	•	Keeping	up	to	date	with	items	in	the	news	can	be	a	very	rich	source	of	ideas	16.	Slide	2.16	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for
  Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Keeping	a	notebook	of	ideas	•	One	of	the	more	creative	techniques	that	we	all	use	is	to	keep	a	notebook	of	ideas.	All	this	involves	is	simply	noting	down	any	interesting	research	ideas	as	you	think	of	them	and,	of	equal	importance,	what	sparked	off	your	thought.
  You	can	then	pursue	the	idea	using	more	rational	thinking	technique	later.	17.	Slide	2.17	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Exploring	personal	preferences	using	past	project	1.	Select	six	projects	that	you	like	2.	For	each	of	these	six	projects,
  note	down	your	first	thoughts	in	response	to	three	questions(if	responses	for	different	projects	are	the	same	this	does	not	matter);	What	appeals	to	you	about	the	project?	What	is	good	about	the	project?	Why	is	the	project	good?	18.	Slide	2.18	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,
  Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Exploring	personal	preferences	using	past	project	3.	Select	three	projects	you	do	not	like.	4.	For	each	of	these	three	projects	that	you	do	not	like.	What	do	you	dislike	about	the	project?	What	is	bad	about	the	project?	Why	is	the	project	bad?	19.	Slide	2.19	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for
  Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Relevance	tree	•	You	start	with	a	broad	concept	from	which	you	generate	further	(usually	more	specific)	topics.	Each	of	these	topics	forms	a	separate	branch	from	which	you	can	generate	further,	more	detailed	sub	branches.	As	you	proceed	down	the	sub
  branches	more	ideas	are	generated	and	recorded.	These	can	then	be	examined	and	a	number	selected	and	combined	to	provide	a	research	idea	20.	Slide	2.20	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Brainstorming	•	Define	your	problem	–	that	is,
  the	sorts	of	ideas	you	are	interested	in	–	as	precisely	as	possible.	•	Ask	for	suggestions,	relating	to	the	problem	•	Record	all	suggestions,	observing	the	following	rules:	No	suggestion	should	be	criticized	or	evaluated	in	any	way	before	all	ideas	have	been	considered;	All	suggestions,	however	wild,	should	be	recorded	and	considered	As	many
  suggestions	as	possible	should	be	recorded.	•	Review	all	the	suggestions	and	explore	what	is	meant	by	each.	•	Analyze	the	list	of	suggestions	and	decide	which	appeal	to	to	you	most	as	research	ideas	why.	21.	Slide	2.21	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian
  Thornhill	2009	Refining	research	ideas	•	Using	the	Delphi	Technique	•	Conducting	a	preliminary	study	•	Continually	testing	out	your	ideas	•	Integrating	ideas	•	Refining	topics	given	to	you	by	your	organisation	22.	Slide	2.22	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and
  Adrian	Thornhill	2009	The	Delphi	technique	•	This	involves	using	a	group	of	people	who	are	either	involved	or	interested	in	the	research	idea	to	generate	and	choose	a	more	specific	research	idea.	To	use	this	technique	you	need:	1.	To	brief	the	members	of	the	group	about	the	research	idea;	2.	At	the	end	of	the	briefing	to	encourage	group	members	to
  seek	clarification	and	more	information	as	appropriate;	3.	To	ask	each	member	of	the	group	including	the	originator	of	the	research	ideas	based	on	the	idea	that	has	been	described	(justification)	23.	Slide	2.23	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill
  2009	The	Delphi	technique	1.	To	collect	the	research	ideas	in	unedited	and	non-	attributable	form	and	to	distribute	them	to	all	members	of	the	group;	2.	A	second	cycle	of	the	process	(steps	2	to	4)in	which	comment	on	the	research	ideas	and	revise	their	own	contributions	in	the	light	of	what	others	have	said;	3.	Subsequence	cycles	of	the	process	until
  a	consensus	is	reached	.	These	either	follow	a	similar	pattern	(steps	2	to	4)in	or	use	discussion.	Voting	or	some	other	method.	24.	Slide	2.24	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Writing	research	questions	Write	research	questions	that	are	•
  Consistent	with	expected	standards	•	Able	to	produce	clear	conclusions	•	At	the	right	level	(	not	too	difficult	)	•	Not	too	descriptive	•	Use	the	‘Goldilocks	Test’	Clough	and	Nutbrown	(2002)	25.	Slide	2.25	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009
  Goldilocks	test	•	Clough	and	Nutbrown	use	what	they	call	the	Goldilocks	test	to	decide	if	research	questions	are	either	too	big	two	small	too	hot	or	just	right/	•	Too	big	need	significant	funding	•	Too	small	are	likely	to	be	insufficient	substance	•	Too	hot	maybe	so	because	sensitivities	that	may	be	aroused	as	a	result	of	doing	the	research	.	This	may	be
  because	of	the	timing	of	the	research	or	the	many	other	reasons	that	may	be	upset	key	people	who	have	a	role	to	play.	•	Just	right	are	those	just	right	for	investigation	at	this	time	by	this	research	in	this	setting	26.	Slide	2.26	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and
  Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Turning	ideas	into	research	projects	(1)	Examples	of	research	ideas	and	their	derived	focus	questions	Table	2.2	Examples	of	research	ideas	and	their	derived	focus	research	questions	27.	Slide	2.27	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian
  Thornhill	2009	Turning	ideas	into	research	projects	(2)	Useful	techniques	•	Start	with	a	general	focus	question	•	Discuss	areas	of	interest	with	your	tutor	28.	Slide	2.28	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Turning	ideas	into	research	projects
  (3)	Writing	clear	research	objectives	•	Check	your	examining	body’s	preferences	for	stated	objectives	•	Use	a	general	focus	question	to	achieve	precise	objectives	Saunders	et	al.	(2009)	29.	Slide	2.29	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009
  Turning	ideas	into	research	projects	(4)	Include	SMART	Personal	objectives	Specific:	What	precisely	do	you	hope	to	achieve	from	undertaking	the	research?	Measurable:	What	measures	will	you	use	to	determine	whether	you	have	achieved	your	objectives?(Secured	a	career-level	first	job	in	software	design)	Achievable:	Are	the	targets	you	have	set	for
  yourself	achievable	given	all	the	possible	constraints?	Realistic:	Given	all	other	demands	upon	your	time,	will	you	have	the	time	and	energy	to	complete	the	research	on	time?	Timely:	Will	you	have	time	to	accomplish	all	your	objectives?	30.	Slide	2.30	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark
  Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	The	importance	of	theory	•	Asking	for	opinions	and	gathering	facts	–	'what'	questions	(descriptive	research)	•	Using	questions	that	go	beyond	description	and	require	analysis	–	'why'	questions	Phillips	and	Pugh	(2005)	In	order	to:	Explain	phenomena	Analyse	relationships	Predict	outcomes	Compare
  and	generalise	31.	Slide	2.31	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Theory	•	“	A	formulation	regarding	the	cause	and	effect	relationship	between	two	or	more	variables,	which	may	or	may	not	have	been	tested”	32.	Slide	2.32	Saunders,	Lewis	and
  Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Threefold	typology	of	theories	Grand,	middle	range	and	substantive	theories	Creswell	(2002)	Figure	2.1	Grand,	middle-range	and	substantive	theories	33.	Slide	2.33	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business
  Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Threefold	typology	of	theories	•	Grand	theories:	Usually	thought	to	be	province	of	natural	scientists	.	(that	will	lead	to	a	whole	new	way	of	thinking	about	management)	•	Middle	range	theories:	which	lack	the	capacity	to	change	the	way	in	which	we	think	about	the	world
  but	are	nonetheless	of	significance	.	(some	of	the	theories	of	human	motivation	well	known	to	manager	would	be	in	this	category.	•	Substantive	theories	:	that	are	restricted	to	a	particular	time,	research	setting,	group	or	population	or	problem	•	34.	Slide	2.34	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©
  Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Deductive	approach	and	inductive	approach	•	This	discussion	of	theory	dose	assume	that	a	clear	theoretical	position	is	developed	prior	to	the	collection	of	data	(the	deductive	approach).	•	This	will	not	always	be	the	case.	It	may	be	that	your	study	is	based	on	the	principle	of	developing	theory
  after	data	have	been	collected	(the	inductive	approach)	35.	Slide	2.35	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Writing	your	research	proposal	Purposes	of	the	research	proposal	•	To	organise	your	ideas	•	To	convince	your	audience	•	To	contract
  with	your	client	(your	tutor)	•	To	meet	ethical	requirements	36.	Slide	2.36	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Content	of	your	research	proposal	(1)	•	Title	-	likely	to	change	during	the	process	•	Background	-	context	within	the	literature	•
  Research	questions	and	objectives	-	what	you	seek	to	achieve	37.	Slide	2.37	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Content	of	your	research	proposal	(2)	•	Method	-	can	be	in	two	parts:	research	design	and	data	collection	•	Timescale	and
  Resources	-	(finance,	data	access,	equipment)	•	References	-	include	some	key	literature	sources	38.	Slide	2.38	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Evaluating	research	proposals	•	How	the	components	of	the	proposal	fit	together	•	Viability	of
  the	proposal	•	Absence	of	preconceived	ideas	39.	Slide	2.39	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Summary:	Chapter	2	The	best	research	topics	•	Formulate	and	clarify	the	topic	•	Meet	the	requirements	of	the	examining	body	•	Use	a	variety	of
  techniques	when	generating	research	ideas	•	Are	focused	on	clear	questions	based	on	relevant	literature	40.	Slide	2.40	Saunders,	Lewis	and	Thornhill,	Research	Methods	for	Business	Students,	5th	Edition,	©	Mark	Saunders,	Philip	Lewis	and	Adrian	Thornhill	2009	Summary:	Chapter	2	The	best	research	topics	•	Are	theory	dependent	•	Have	a
  proposal	containing	organised	ideas	Tell	the	reader:	•	What	will	be	done	and	why	•	How	it	will	be	achieved	
  research	methods	for	business	students	2016	pdf.	saunders	research	methods	for	business	students	2016.	saunders	et	al	(2016)	research	methods	for	business	students	7th	edition.	research	methods	for	business	students	(7th	edition	2016)