Business research

methods
Chapter 5: Research Process &
Proposal
Lecturer: DINH Thi Le Trinh
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
n Number of words: maximum 5000 words
n Structure:
n Research project title
n Abstract (maximum 300 words)
n Introduction/ Backgrounds of the research
n Rationales and Problems statement (What are the problems?
Why do you want to choose that problem/ issue?)
n Significance and Implications (What is benefit of your study)
n Research objective and/or research questions
Research proposal requirements
n Literature Review: Theoretical background &
related studies
n Definition of the key concept(s).
n Parent theories, theoretical background related to the
research topic.
n Analysis of previous studies: Discuss the gap(s).
n Hypothesis development and research model
(quantitative research)
n Framework or list of expected factors generated from
literature (qualitative research).
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
n Methodology:
n Research design
n Research process
n Sampling selection
n Data collection method
n Measurement scale
 RESEARCH PROPOSAL
n Assessment criteria: (100%)
n Structure as required, length, format: 20%
n Justifications of the research problems, objective and
significance of research: 20%
n Literature review: 20%
n Research design: 20%
n Citation and reference list (APA or Harvard): 20%
 Business research
methods
Chapter 5: Clarifying the
research question through
secondary data and exploration

Lecturer: DINH Thi Le Trinh

 Exploratory research
n Why do researchers do an exploratory
research?
n lack a clear idea of the problems->
n develop concepts more clearly
n establish priorities
n develop operational definitions,
n improve the final research design.
n save time and money
 Exploratory research
n Why do researchers do an exploratory
research?
n The area of investigation may be so new or so vague->
n To learn something about the dilemma facing the manager.
n The important variables which may not be known or
thoroughly defined
n Hypotheses for the research may be needed-
n Make sure it is practical to do a formal study in the area
n The exploratory phase search strategy :
usually comprises one or more of the
following
n Discovery and analysis of secondary sources.
n Published studies (usually focused on the results of surveys or
on case studies featuring one or a few incidents).
n Document analysis.
n Retrieval of information from organization’s database(s).
 n The exploratory phase search strategy comprises
one or more of the following:
Discovery and • Published studies
analysis of • Document analysis.
secondary sources. • Retrieval of information from organization’s database(s).

Expert interviews:
• Interviews with those knowledgeable about the
problem or its possible solutions.

Individual depth • Interviews with individuals involved with

interviews (IDIs): the problem.

Group discussions
• with individuals involved with the
problem or its possible solutions
n The objectives of exploratory research phase:
n look for ways others have addressed and/or solved
problems similar to your management dilemma or
management question.
n Gather background information on your topic to refine
the research question.
n Identify information that should be gathered to
formulate investigative questions.
 n Identify sources for and actual questions that might be
used as measurement questions.
n Identify sources for and actual sample frames (lists of
potential participants) that might be used in sample design.
n => start with a literature search: a review
n What: books, articles in journals, professional literature
related to the management dilemma.
n Where: high-quality Web-published materials, the library’s
online catalog, bibliographic databases, indexes, handbook,
specialized encyclopedia.
 n 5 steps of the literature search:
• Define the management dilemma/ management question.
1.
• Consult encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and textbooks to
identify key terms, people, or events relevant to your management
2. dilemma or management question.
• Apply these key terms, names of people, or events in searching
indexes, bibliographies, and the Web to identify specific secondary
3. sources.

• Locate and review specific secondary sources for relevance to your

4. management dilemma.

• Evaluate the value of each source and its content.

5.
n The result of the literature search
n Is a solution to the management dilemma-> no further
research
n Remains the management question unresolved->
proceed a research proposal
n The proposal covers:
n at minimum a statement of the research question
n a brief description of the proposed research
methodology.
n The proposal summarizes:
n the findings of the exploratory phase of the research, usually
with a bibliography of secondary sources -> the decision to
propose a formal research study.
Levels of information

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Tertiary sources
 Levels of information
n Primary sources:
n Being original works of research or raw data without
interpretation or pronouncements that represent an
official opinion or position.
n Types: memos; letters; complete interviews or speeches
(in audio, video, or written transcript formats); laws;
regulations; court decisions or standards; and most
government data, including census, economic, and labor
data.
 Levels of information
n Primary sources:
n Characteristics: being always the most authoritative
because the information has not been filtered or
interpreted by a second party.
n Internal sources of primary data: inventory records,
personnel records, purchasing requisition forms,
statistical process control charts, and similar data.
 Levels of information
n Secondary sources:
n being interpretations of primary data.
n Types:
n External: Encyclopedias, textbooks, handbooks, magazine and
newspaper articles, and most newscasts
n Internal: sales analysis summaries and investor annual reports
n Tertiary sources:
n may be interpretations of a secondary source but
generally are represented by indexes,
bibliographies, and other finding aids (e.g.,
Internet search engines).
 Levels of information
n => all information is not of equal value.
n => primary sources > secondary sources > tertiary
sources.
n Ex:
n transcripts: a primary source
n articles: secondary sources.
n summary of the transcript and letters: secondary source.
n
 Types of information sources
n Indexes (chỉ mục) and Bibliographies (thư mục)
n Dictionaries
n Encyclopedia
n Handbook
n Directories
 Evaluating information sources
n Purpose
n Scope
n Authority
n Audience
n Format
 Mining internal sources
n Data minning
n Is the process of discovering knowledge from
databases stored in data marts or data warehouses.
n Purpose: identify valid, novel, useful, and ultimately
understandable patterns in data.
n an approach that combines exploration and discovery
with confirmatory analysis.
Mining internal sources
n Census: the quantitative research method, in
which all the members of the population are
enumerated.
n Sampling is the widely used method, in
statistical testing, wherein a data set is
selected from the large population, which
represents the entire group.
 How ambiguous questions become
actionable research
n Management questions:
n are the restatement of the management dilemma in
question form.
n The management question does not specify what kind
of business research is to be done.
n The question is broad.
n Managers refine its management question into these
more specific subquestions:
n This separation may not have occurred without a
discussion between the researcher and the manager.
>Exhibit 5-6 Management–Research Question Hierarchy

Management
Decision 6 What is the recommended course of
action, given the research findings?

Measurement
Questions 5 What should be asked or observed to obtain the
information the manager needs?

Investigative
Questions 4 What does the manager need to know to choose the
best alternative from the available courses of action?

What plausible courses of action are available to

Research
Question(s) 3 management to correct the problem or take advantage
of the opportunity, and which should be considered?

Management
Question 2 How can management eliminate the negative symptoms?
How can management fully capitalize on an opportunity?

Management
Dilemma 1 What symptoms cause management concern? What
environmental stimuli raise management interest?
>Exhibit 5-8 Formulating the Research Question

1
Discover
Management
Dilemma

This may be either a problem or an 1a Exploration

opportunity. At this stage you may even
At this stage you review published sources and
have identified symptoms rather than
interview information gatekeepers to understand the true
problems or opportunities.
management dilemma, not just its symptoms.

2
Define
Management
Question

Using collected exploratory information, 2a Exploration

you word the dilemma or the correction
of the symptom in question form, usually The purpose of this stage is to clarify the possible
starting with “How can the organization . . .?” management actions that might be taken to solve the
management dilemma. This stage usually involves interviews
with information gatekeepers, brainstorming with experts,
and other qualitative research techniques.

3
Define
Research
Question(s)

Several research questions may be

formulated at this stage. Each question is
an alternative action that management
might take to solve the management
dilemma. Usually the most plausible
action, or the one that offers the greatest
gain using the fewest resources, is
researched first.
 Research question
n best states the objective of the business research
study.
n a more specific management question that must be
answered-> provides the manager with the
information necessary to make the decision he or
she is facing
n more than one question or just one.
 Investigative questions
n representing the information that the decision
maker needs to know;
n must answer to satisfactorily arrive at a
conclusion about the research question.
n Each question has several subquestions.
 Measurement questions
n are the actual questions that researchers use
to collect data in a study.
n could become questions on a survey or
elements on an observation checklist.
n should be outlined by the completion of the
project planning activities but usually await
pilot testing for refinement.
 Measurement questions (2
types)
n Predesigned, pretested measurement
questions: are questions that have been
formulated and tested previously by other
researchers, are recorded in the literature, and may
be applied literally or be adapted for the project at
hand.
n Custom-designed measurement question:
questions formulated specifically for the project at
hand. Later, during the pilot testing phase of the
research process, these custom-designed questions
will be refined.
Research proposal
n Read page 114 -117
Business research
methods
Chapter 6
Research Design: An
Overview
>Exhibit 6-1 Design in the Research Process

Proposal
Approved

Research Design
Strategy
(type, purpose, time frame, scope, environment)

Data Collection Sampling

Design Design

Instrument Development

Data Collection & Preparation

Research design
n An activity- and time-based plan.
n A plan based on the research question.
n A guide for selecting sources and types of
information.
n A framework for specifying the relationships among
the study’s variables.
n A procedural outline for every research activity.
 Research design
n Critical path method (CPM):
n a project management tool,
n can be used to depict sequential and simultaneous
steps and estimate scheduling and timetables for each
activity or phase of the research.
n Critical path:
n The pathway from start to end that takes the longest
time to complete.
n Any delay in an activity along this path will delay the
end of the entire project.
>Exhibit 6-2 CPM Schedule of Research Design.

Final check of background records

Conduct
Client exploratory
interviews 1
interviews
Complete Field Code data
Write Meet
6 10 questionnaire interviewing and analyze
report client
Start 3 4 7 8 9 End
5 3 3 8 8 4 1

Literature Develop
2 Complete executive
review proposal 3 questionnaire 2 Interview
executives
3
5 6
Arrange executive
appointments

Milestones: Critical Path:

S–1–3–4–7–8–9–E
3 Proposal approval
7 Interviews completed Time to Completion:
9 Final report completed 40 working days
> Exhibit 6-3 Descriptors of Research Design

Category Options

The degree to which the research question has been crystallized • Exploratory study
• Formal study

The method of data collection • Monitoring

• Communication study

The power of the researcher to produce effects in the variables • Experimental

under study
• Ex post facto

The purpose of the study • Reporting

• Descriptive
• Causal
• Explanatory
• Predictive

The time dimension • Cross-sectional

• Longitudinal

The topical scope—breadth and depth—of the study • Case

• Statistical study

The research environment • Field setting

• Laboratory research
• Simulation

The participants’ perceptions of research activity • Actual routine

• Modified routine
 Classification of designs
n Degree of research question crystallization
n Exploratory studies
n Degree of structure: loose

n Purpose: (discovering) develop hypotheses or questions

for further research

n Formal study
n Degree of structure: begins with a hypothesis or

research question and involves precise procedures and

data source specifications
n Purpose: test the hypotheses or answer the research

questions posed
 Classification of designs
n Method of data collection:
n Monitoring: inspects the activities of a subject or the
nature of some material without attempting to elicit
responses from anyone.
n communication study: questions the subjects and
collects their responses by personal or impersonal means.
n interview or telephone conversations.
n self-administered or self-reported instruments sent through the
mail, left in convenient locations, or transmitted electronically or
by other means
n instruments presented before and/or after a treatment or
stimulus condition in an experiment.
 Classification of designs
n Purpose of the study:
n Reporting study: a summation of data
n Descriptive study: finding out who, what, where,
when, or how much
n Sausal-explanatory study: explain relationships
among variables (predict an effect on one variable by
manipulating another variable while holding all other
variables constant)
 Classification of designs
n Time dimension:
n Cross-sectional studies: carry out once and represent
a snapshot of one point in time.
n Longitudinal studies: repeat over an extended period.
 Classification of designs
n Topical scope:
n Statistical studies:
n are designed for breadth rather than depth.
n capture a population’s characteristics by making inferences
from a sample’s characteristics.
n Hypotheses are tested quantitatively.
n Generalizations about findings are presented based on the
representativeness of the sample and the validity of the
design.
n
 Classification of designs
n Topical scope:
n Case studies:
n place more emphasis on a full contextual analysis of fewer
events or conditions and their interrelations.
n ->An emphasis on detail provides valuable insight for problem
solving, evaluation, and strategy.
Chapter 1: Overall of the
thesis
n identify the importance of the proposed
research
n state the research aims and/or research
objectives
n outline the order of information in the thesis
n outline the methodology

Source: New South Wales university

 Introduction
1. Who are your readers? ->identify
your readership
n People grade your work
n People ultimately responsible for you getting
your diploma.
n Not specialists in your field.
2. Hook the readers and grab their
attention
n The first sentence of the paper is crucial.

n Is it common to start with a question or

quotation? -> overused.
n A sentence that is broad and interesting and
seamlessly transitions into your argument.
n Make a list of what is interesting about
your topic.
n Start out broad and then narrow down
to your specific topic and thesis
statement.
 Research objectives
n Research objectives: General objective (and
specific objectives)
n describe what we expect to achieve.
n may be linked with a hypothesis or used as
a statement of purpose.
n EX:
n Objective: To describe what factors farmers

take into account in making such decisions as

whether to adopt a new technology or what
crops to grow.
n Objective: To develop a budget for reducing

pollution by a particular enterprise.

n Objective: To describe the habitat of the

giant panda in China.

 Research question
n Research question should be:
n Focused on a single problem or issue
n Researchable using primary and/or secondary data.
n Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical
constraints
n Specific enough to answer thoroughly
n EX:
n What effect does social media have on people’s
minds?
n => not specific
n What effect does daily use of Twitter have on
the attention span of under-16s?
n => its concepts is more clearly. It
is researchable
n Ex:
n Why is there a housing crisis in the
Netherlands?
=>not focused
n What impact have university

internationalisation policies had on the

availability and affordability of housing in
the Netherlands?
=> more specific
Chapter 2: Theoretical background/Literature
review and conceptual model

n 2.1 Theoretical background

2.1.1 Definitions, classifications, and
characteristics
2.1.2….
n 2.2 Literature review
n 2.3 Theory
n 2.4 Hypothesis development and theoretical
model
Literature review
n What is a literature review?
n An evaluation of previous research on your
topic
n What do you need to include?
n Minimum: well-established research in the
field; most recent relevant research.
 Literature review
n The purpose of a literature review
n to show gaps in the research
n to justify your own research
n to demonstrate understanding of your field
n to generate new research hypotheses
Literature review
n to place your own research in its context
n to summarise and evaluate past research
n to show similarities and differences (or
consistencies and inconsistencies) in previous
research
n to give an overview of controversies in past
research.
 Literature review
n A literature review is not:
n just a summary of sources,
n describe the contribution of each study in a list-
like chronological sequence, a grouping of
broad, unrelated sources
n a compilation of everything that has been
written on a particular topic
n literature criticism (think English) or a book
review
Literature review
n A literature review:
n is an integrated analysis of scholarly
writings that are related directly to your
research question.
n provides background information on your
topic
n shows a correspondence between previous
writings and your research question.
n How to write the literature review:
n need to identify, analyse and interpret key
themes in relevant previous studies and relate
them to your own research focus.
n plan with the best analytical framework to
present your analysis and synthesis of the
studies you’ve reviewed.
n need to show limitations or gaps in existing
research
n A literature review should be focused
and up to date; concise, yet
comprehensive; and your approach
should be critical and original.
 Example
n Body image issues have been widely associated with
social media usage, particularly in young women. The
relation between media depictions and body image
concerns is well-established; a meta-analysis by Grabe,
Ward and Hyde (2008) concluded that exposure to mass
media is linked to body image dissatisfaction among
women. However, in an era of rapidly changing digital
technologies, the mass media paradigm is no longer
adequate for understanding how people engage with
images, and the findings of older studies like this one may
not be generalizable to younger generations.
 Example (cont)
n In light of this changing landscape, researchers have
become increasingly interested in the specific effects of
social media. Perloff (2014) theorizes that the interactive
aspects of social media may influence its impact on body
image, and mentions that young women are among the
most active social media users. Several empirical studies
have focused on Facebook usage in adolescent girls
(Tiggermann & Slater, 2013; Meier & Gray, 2014) and in
young adult women (Smith, Hames, & Joiner, 2013; Fardouly
et al., 2015; Cohen, Newton-John & Slater, 2017 ), while a
systematic review by Holland and Timmerman (2016)
confirmed a relationship between social networking and
body image for both women and men.
Example (cont)
n Across these studies, there is consistent evidence
that body image issues are influenced not by social
media usage in general, but by engagement with the
visual and interactive aspects of these
platforms. Nonetheless, there is a lack of robust
research on more highly visual social media (HVSM)
such as Instagram and Snapchat that have gained
more recent popularity among younger generations.
 Theory
n Theory is a coherent explanation or
interpretation of one or more phenomena.
n You have to explain the reason why the
theory used in your thesis is the most
suitable theory for explaining your research
model.
 Hypothesis
n Hypotheses are often specific predictions
about what will happen in a particular
study.
n Hypotheses are developed by considering
existing evidence and using reasoning to
infer what will happen in the specific
context of interest.
 Chapter 3: Research Methods
n Describe the measurement methods of
constructs/variables
n Describe analysis methods, justify their use,
explain why such analysis methods are
employed.
The methods and the progress of the process
must be presented in such a detail
n 3.1 Data collection (and sample)
n 3.2 Variable measurement
n 3.3 Analysis methods
n 3.3.1 Descriptive statistics
n 3.3.2 Inferential statistics
n Regression Model
n SEM