The nature of qualitative research formulating research questio.docx

The nature of qualitative research: formulating research
questions and developing a literature review
Dr Jo Cartwright
Outline for today
Research aims and objectives
Literature reviews
Exercises
Analyse good and bad examples of aims and objectives
Handout – developing your own aims and objectives
Analyse good and bad examples of student literature reviews
Literature review analysis of 5-10 journal articles of your
choice
Thinking about your research area
Will be conducting a dissertation next year
Seems a long way off but it is worth giving yourself a good deal
of time to think about what you want to conduct your research
on
Also can use this module as a ‘testing ground’ to develop your
initial ideas and receive feedback
Importance of research questions
Guide your literature search
Guide your decisions about the kind of research design to
employ
Guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom

Guide your analysis of the data
Guide your writing up of the data
Stop you from going off on tangents
Possible sources of research questions
Opposing theoretical perspectives
Contrasting perspectives on women’s choice or structural
barriers explaining their lack of progression into SM jobs.
The existing literature
Gaps in the gender equality literature on barriers of SPL for
homosexual couples in the workplace
Different organisational structures
Barriers for SPL take-up in flexible vs traditional organisational
structures
New methods or theories in new settings
Barriers for SPL take up in the gig economy
New social and technical developments
The role of Brexit on recruitment and retention in xxx industry,
or organisational responses to the ageing workforce in xxx
industry.
Personal experience
Aesthetic labour in retail
SM = SENIOR MANAGEMENT; SPL = SHARED PARENTAL
LEAVE
6
Formulating research questions
Most students want to conduct research into areas that are of
personal interest to them
Start out with a general research area or objective
This should then be narrowed down to develop a tighter focus
out of which research questions can be developed
Very open ended research is risky and leads to too much data

and confusion when writing up
No or poor research questions = poor research
Framework for crafting research questions
Identifying a research question flow - chart
I don’t have a research question, where do I start? Narrow down
a research area of interest
1) Narrow down an area of interest (i.e. Growth theory,
monetary policy, fiscal policy etc.)
2) Within that area of interest try to answer a research question
that:
Has either not been addressed before;
Or has been addressed but that you could extend in a significant
way (i.e. new data-set, different econometric/theoretical
approach etc.);
Or pioneer a new research area of economics (not
recommended)
Note: before you identify a research question it is crucial that
you narrow down a research area of interest!
Literature review ( when I don’t have a research question )
Read as much as you can on the topic!
Remember recent publications/studies will contain a more
updated literature so try collect these first! Then read
backwards to the most dated studies.

Make sure you read all relevant papers (or at least the most
influential ones)
Ideas on the research topic often come from this exercise (i.e.
author X has not included factor Y in his study, so maybe I
could look into factor Y)
The more you read the easier will be to come up with a
research question.
Literature review (when I think I have a research question)
Reviewing the literature will enable you to understand whether
your research question has been already answered / is a
potentially valid one.
Also, by reading previous studies you might get ideas on how to
tweak your original research question into a brand new one.
Again, start by reading recent publications/studies first.
Bottom line, whether you have or do not have a research
question it is crucial that you review the literature in the area
FIRST!
Many students commit the mistake of leaving the literature
review as the last step, however this is very dangerous! As you
might find that the question has already been addressed or
discarded by the literature because not relevant/important/not
feasible.
Concept mapping: sketch out the areas you think are related
Gender stereotypes re family responsibilities
They choose to forfeit their career to spend time with their kids
Discrimination from their managers
Long hours culture means they can’t compete
Long hours culture is unsustainable
Why do so few women progress into senior manager roles in the
law firm that I work in?

Students literature maps will be more developed and will
indicate areas of literature/debate within the conceptual areas
e.g. Long hours culture so they can’t compete (Tomlinson and
Durbin, 2010) and there may be a ‘sub box’ acknowledging the
different roles organisational culture has on long hours between
managerial and low skilled jobs – Moore 2007.
13
Common mistakes when identifying new research questions
1. Non originality
2. Non feasibility:
Time constraint (don’t have enough time)
Resources (lack of data, codes)
Knowledge (Do I know how to apply model X ? Can I learn in
the limited amount of time?)
3. Too broadly defined research question
4. Not well justified
5. Lacking economic content
Criteria for evaluating research questions
Should be clear
Understandable to you and others
Should be researchable
They should be capable of development into a research design.
If too abstract then they are unsuitable.
Should connect with established theory and research
Should be a literature on which you can draw to illuminate how

your research questions should be approached
Should be linked with each other
Unrelated research questions are unlikely to be acceptable.
Should build from each other.
Should have a potential for making a new contribution to
knowledge
E.g. new research setting/context?
Should not be too broad or narrow
Needs to be feasible but also worthy of a contribution to
knowledge
Tips from supervisors in formulating your research questions
Choose a topic that interests you
Ask yourself whether you can answer the research question
Read a lot!
Identify your strengths and weaknesses, interests and personal
development opportunities and build this into the design of your
project
Don’t pre-commit to one idea, approach or research design at
the exclusion of other approaches
Use opportunities to talk to others about your research
Research something that might be interesting to others
Start writing early. Analysis always takes longer than you think.
Building in a cushion around the deadline can add value to your
research.
Remember this is not your life work or a bid for a Nobel Prize!
Listen to your supervisors advice but be free to make your own
choices
Handouts…

Two case study examples of good practice when formulating a
research question
Well articulated aims and objectives
HA = HOUSING ASSOCIATION
19
Poorly articulated aims and objectives
Exercise
What makes them good and bad?
Use the slide on ‘criteria for evaluating research questions’ to
help guide your answer?
What have you learnt from this exercise?
Exercise
See handout on producing research aims and objectives
Literature review
Knowledge doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and your work only has
value in relation to other people’s. Your work and your findings
will be significant only to the extent that they’re the same as, or
different from, other people’s work and findings.’ (Janowicz,
1995 quoted in Saunders et al, 2000, p. 42).

Why is it needed?
Crucial part of your dissertation - standalone chapter
Provides the basis of which to justify your research questions
and build your research design
Informs how you collect your data and enables you to analyse
your data in an informed way
Can feel very daunting – overwhelmed by the sheer amount of
literature out there!
Important to focus on developing a clearly defined boundary –
making judgments about what to include and what not to include
Why is it needed?
Important that you don’t just ‘reinvent the wheel’
Your work needs to demonstrate how your work builds on
others in the same field
Enables you to develop an argument about the significance of
your research and where it leads
Affirms your credibility as someone who is knowledgeable in
your subject area
Not simply reproducing theories or opinions of others
(descriptive) but to interpret what they have written in relation
to a particular viewpoint (analytical)
Purpose of the literature review
What is known about the area?
What concepts and theories are relevant to this area?
What research methods and strategies are used when studying
this area?
Are there any significant controversies/differing perspectives on
this area?
Are there any differences in findings in relation to this area?
Are there any unanswered questions in this area?

Stages of literature review
preliminary: overview of topic area
identify previous research, use to focus on a particular aspect,
and begin to define research questions
narrower and deeper search,
to explore in depth the key studies, issues and theories on which
you will draw (will form main basis for your literature review)
references specifically related to your choice of methods
(include in methods chapter)
follow up search:
link to emergent findings and ideas
The literature review process
Source: Saunders et al. (2003)
Figure 3.1 The literature review process
Using the literature to develop your research questions
Develop research questions from reviewing the literature
You may find that upon reading, there are things that come up
that you want answering

Can therefore help identify gaps in the research
E.g. why women are not progressing to be senior managers in
my organisation – are they choosing not to go that way or is
something holding them back?
Unlikely to be a precise textbook that matches your subject
focus
It is for you to identify specialised subject for review
Getting the most out of your reading
Take good notes
Make sure you write down the author and date (copy and paste
the weblink to the article too!)
Can be infuriating when you can’t find/remember the article you
have referenced.
Note page numbers when using direct quotes – wasted time
searching through.
Develop critical reading skills
Need to go beyond summarising/regurgitating what you have
just read
This is about asking questions about the significance of the
work – what are the strengths and weaknesses in terms of the
credibility or the conclusions drawn?
E.g. study on barriers for men taking up Shared Parental Leave
has focused on heterosexual men, and not the unique barriers
that may be faced by homosexual couples.
Use your review to show why your research questions are
important
If the argument is that a lot of research has been done on
heterosexual couples around SPL but not homosexual couples,
the literature review is the point where you justify this

assertation.
Or outline the nature of differences between two competing
positions within the review
The idea that women ‘choose’ not to progress into senior
management positions (Hakim) and the idea that women face
structural barriers which inhibits their progression (Tomlinson
and Durbin)
Lit review allows you to locate your own research within a
tradition of research in an area
31
Bear in mind you will be return to the literature in your
discussion/conclusion sections
So any literature you need to analyse your findings should be
covered
E.g. not enough to consider SHRM models only if you are
comparing across workforce groups (HR architecture model to
help theorise this).
Don’t try to get everything you read into the review
Important that you are analytical/using the literature to build up
to your research gap
This will undermine your ability to get your argument across
Typically will need to revise your literature review after data
collection in order to make sense of your data
E.g. issues implementing SHRM because of ineffective line
manager implementation then need to focus on this area of
research too (Purcell and Hutchinson 2007 on Selfridges).

SHRM= STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
32
Searching the existing literature
Usually start with a couple of references
Ask your supervisor for a few initial references
But do NOT expect them to provide you with an extensive
reading list – it is your job to become a specialist in your area
Search recommended readings in course materials, or from
textbooks
Look at the references at the end of relevant textbook chapters
or articles
Define the keywords that help define the boundaries for your
topic of research
Search electronic databases using key words – google scholar,
library website etc.
Using newspapers and internet sources for information
Should not regard these sources of information as substitutes for
academic research
However, they will have connections with theory and may help
illuminate/exemplify it
Up to date contextual information
e.g. the impact of Brexit on recruitment and retention issues in
the NHS, the extent of low pay and ZHC in retail etc.
ZHC = ZERO HOUR CONTRACT
34
Example internet sources
Policy organisations: Equality and Human Rights Commission,
Resolution Foundation, Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development, Work Foundation, Institute for Policy Research.
Government bodies: Department for Work and Pensions,

Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Office for
National Statistics, Eurofound, Women and Equalities
Committee (Parliament).
Charities: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Stonewall, Family and
Childcare Trust, Citizens Advice Bureau.
Trade unions, employer/worker associations: TUC, USDAW,
British Women’s Pilots Association, ACAS, Chambers of
Commerce
Newspapers: use reputable sources such as the BBC, The
Guardian etc – NOT the Daily Mail or Wikipedia!!
Online coursework essays are not a reputable or valuable source
of information either…
Keywords and defining search parameters
Work out keywords that will allow you to identify suitable
references in search engines
What terms are used to describe the subject
Performance management, employee appraisal, performance
measurement.
Think of a number of keywords that underpin your project –
don’t type out whole sentence
Women, barriers, human resource management and banking
Note the keywords used in the literature (often cited at the
beginning of an article)
Referencing your work
Emphasises you are aware of the historical development of your
subject
Harvard model of referencing for Business and Management
discipline:
http://student.londonmet.ac.uk/media/london-metropolitan-
university/london-met-documents/professional-service-
departments/library-

services/referencing/HarvardReferencingGuideFull2016-05.pdf
http://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-referencing
Key skill is to keep a record of what you have read – notes
including bibliography (author, date, page numbers, link to
article)
Do not leave this until the very end – wastes time trying to find
the specific article you read, not to mention page numbers!
Remember to include page numbers when paraphrasing or direct
quotes – key to avoid plagiarism
Easy way to cite articles..
Go to google scholar and search for the article you’d like the
full reference for
Click on the cite or button showing “
Copy and paste the Harvard reference from the list and insert in
your bibliography
Also works for books but you may need to edit in order to
include specific book chapters if referencing an edited book
Plagiarism
The practice of passing off someone else’s work as your own
You are doing this by not including references
Typical mistakes students make are:
Not including page numbers when paraphrasing or direct quotes
Adding a reference at the end of a paragraph instead of after
each point made in reference to someone else’s work
This may mean a reference after each sentence BUT you don’t
need a reference is when it is your own analysis i.e. making
sense of the contribution etc.
Using online essays (even if referenced!) is frowned upon–

avoid, or check their sources for ideas of literature to review.
Self plagiarism – do not pass off work you have previously
written as something new.
Structuring your literature review
Introduction – define scope and purpose of the literature review;
provide overview or ‘roadmap’
Start at general level, outline main contextual features of topic
Provide brief overview of key ideas, theories, approaches,
controversies relevant to topic
Critically summarise, compare, contrast contributions by key
writers
Link sections together – establish coherent narrative/story
Narrow down to highlight work most relevant to your area –
identify research gaps
Highlight areas where your research will provide fresh insights
summarise at the end of the chapter – explain how the literature
review has informed your research questions. (Anderson, 2009)
Common weaknesses of literature review chapters
too long and too descriptive:
should analyse competing views and theories, evaluate previous
related research studies, give your own (reasoned) opinion;
show clearly how your research uses these ideas and concepts.
poorly structured:
sections need to relate to, and build on each other
inadequately referenced:
make extensive use of references to show your familiarity with
key literature, the depth of your reading, to support your
assertions, and as evidence for your claims

Example of a bad literature review
Why is it bad?
It does not evaluate the summarized research, does not show
any relationship between theories.
Organized by listing authors, presented using chronological
order, instead of organized using the research (key concepts or
theories). A chronological order should be avoided
It is not critical It does not relate to the writer’s research
Example from a good literature review
HA = HOUSING ASSOCITION
45
Why is it good?
Grouped similar information
Shows the relations between different works
It guides the reader to understanding the contribution of the
work by pointing out the shortcomings/gaps of the state of the
art
It is organized around ideas and not researchers
Today’s task
Consider the key words or phrases that underpin a potential
research project of your choice
Next identify some initial key academic references (between 5
and 10)
Should be in relation to your topic
May include classic sources, some new/cutting edge, empirical

or conceptual etc.
Explain and justify your selection i.e. what is the paper about
and what is the contribution to your research project
This may mean briefly outlining your proposed research project
in a few sentences about.
You may wish to identify any links you see between the
selection of papers – e.g. contrasting perspectives or
methodologies
You may wish to outline any gaps in your selection of papers
i.e. further areas of research (conceptual debates,
methodologies, research contexts, specific authors/articles) you
wish
May wish to start constructing into a table format – identify
paper, what is it about? Methods? What is the contribution/how
does it relate to my proposed study?
Next week – assessing validity and reliability in qualitative
research
Read chapter 17 in Bryman and Bell 2015
Bring a qualitative research article of your choice to class – will
be critiquing it using the criteria discussed in class
Will be doing a pub quiz – prizes to be won!
References
Bryman and Bell 2011 chp 5
https://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/studyhub/literature.html
Week 8 required discussion prompts.
Discussion Prompt 1
Do you feel socializing with your colleagues is beneficial in
creating a better learning environment? Why or why not?
Discussion Prompt 2

What are some key elements in motivating clients to improve
health behaviors and outcomes? What role does the family play?
APA style and References
Wednesday 29,2020 3:00 pm
For those students who do not have a research topic in
mind, you may wish to focus on one of the two topics below :
· Work-Life Conflict and/or Work-Life Balance - either an
employee’s experience of this OR a manager’s experience of
implementing policies or practices in an organisation to
promote work-life balance.
· Working in the service sector – an employee’s experience of
working with customers and ‘performing’ for customers and the
stresses and rewards of this OR a manager’s experience of
managing and motivating employees in the service sector so
they are able to provide a good quality service for customers.
You may use the following book chapters to start your reading
off, and it is available as an e-book in the library:
· Tyler, M and Hancock, P. (2013) ‘Emotion at Work’ in T.
Redman, and A. Wilkinson (ed) A Contemporary Human
Resource Management: Text and Cases, Pearson
· Kirton, G (2013) ‘Work Life Balance: National Regimes,
Organisational Policies and Individual Choices’ in T. Redman,
and A. Wilkinson (ed) A Contemporary Human Resource
Management: Text and Cases, Pearson
Research philosophies
Dr Jo Cartwright
Outline for today
Theoretical approaches – deduction and induction
Epistemological considerations – positivism and interpretivism
Research strategy: quantitative or qualitative

Exercises
Diagnosing your research philosophy
Bryman 1984 – the link between research philosophy and choice
of qualitative and quantitative research methods
Poster presentation – how qualitative research methods reflect
an interpretivist epistemology
NEXT WEEK – 5 ARTICLES!
Introduction into the nature of business research
The methods of business research are closely tied with different
philosophical perspectives on how organisational reality should
be studied
Methods are not simply neutral tools - they are linked to how
social scientists envisage social reality and how it should be
examined
Deductive theory
Deductive theory is the most common view of the relationship
between theory and research
The researcher, on the basis of what is known about a domain,
deduces a hypothesis that must be subjected to empirical
scrutiny
They must skilfully deduce a hypothesis and then translate it
into operational terms
Theory and hypothesis come first, and drive the process of
gathering data
Inductive theory
In some research, no attempt is made to develop a hypothesis or
theory in the first instance

The research is primarily inductive because the theory is an
outcome of the research
Theory is developed from the process of observing the findings
The process does involve some deduction – once the data is
gathered they may wish to gather further data
This process is known as iterative as it involves going back and
forth between data and theory
Particularly useful for generating new theory
Epistemology
‘The theory of knowledge’ or ‘the best way to gather data’
Epistemological considerations
An epistemological issue concerns the question of what is (or
should be) regarded as acceptable knowledge in a discipline
A particularly important question is whether or not
organisations, employment and HRM can or should be studies
according the same principles as the natural sciences
A positivist would say ‘yes’ whereas an interpretivist would say
‘no’
Which approach
Depending on which approach you adapt, there will be an
impact on the research design and methods
Sometimes the methods you choose first and then ‘work
backwards’ to ascertain which epistemological ‘home’ your
methods belong to
Positivism
Known as the ‘scientific method’
The aim is to describe, test, explain and predict

Knowledge must be testable – focus is often on testing
relationships e.g. the correlation between retention and
management styles
Research must be deductive i.e. hypothesis driven
These should be developed from the literature
Positivism
Relies on the following principles:
Only phenomena and hence knowledge confirmed by the senses
can be genuinely warranted as knowledge
The purpose of theory is to generate hypotheses that can be
tested and that will allow explanations of laws to be assessed
Knowledge is arrived at by gathering facts that provide the
basis of laws
Science must and can be conducted in a way that is value free,
or objective
There is a clear distinction between scientific statements and
normative statements and the former are the true domain of the
scientist
Positivism
Associated with quantitative methods e.g. questionnaires to
gather large amounts of numerical data
Data is subjected to statistical types of data analysis e.g.
correlations and significance testing
This analysis ‘tests’ the hypothesis and confirms or rejects it
Claims to ‘generalisability’
Interpretivism
Interpretivism is a contrasting epistemology
It is based on the view that a strategy is required that respects
the differences between people and the objects of the natural

sciences
It therefore requires the social scientist to grasp the subjective
meaning of social action
It is concerned with the empathetic understanding of human
action and the meaning attached by those involved in social
action
Inductive theoretical approaches tend to be associated with an
interpretivist epistemology
Interpretivism
The world/ reality is not subjective rather than objective; reality
is socially constructed
The researcher is *part of* what is observed (research can never
be really value free)
They would argue that even positivist inspired research requires
that quantitative data is ultimately subject to some form of
human interpretation and analysis.
Human interests not only guide the way we think, they impact
on the structures of work and authority and condition the way
we inquire into and construct our knowledge of the world
Social constructivism
Based in the interpretive paradigm
Differs from the positivist paradigm which assumes objectivity
and uniformity of experience.
Instead reality (our notion of it) is constructed through the
meanings we attribute to experiences
‘Social realities and identities are created and maintained in
social interactions rather than in structures.... Language does
not describe the world, it is the world because it shapes how we
see, act and experience our world’ (Cunliffe 2009:60)

Social constructivism
Feminists (for example) start with the idea of gender as a
‘social construction’ rather than a natural characteristic of
human beings...
Race, hierarchy, class, cultural norms, religious dictates are all
examples of the ways in which the world has been and continues
to be constructed by people.
Impact on research
Research based in a phenomenological, interpretivist paradigm:
Focuses on meanings,
Prioritises the context & environment
Creates open ended research questions (rather than hypothesis
testing).
Develops theory and concepts from induction
Prefers qualitative methods.
Advantages and disadvantages
Good at understanding meanings
Good at adjusting to emerging ideas
Can create new insights
Data collection can be time consuming
Analysis not easy
Low credibility from some quarters
Can be seen as untidy /inconclusive
Two approaches to knowledge creation

Researcher: distant or involved?
Large samples or 'small' samples
Building knowledge through deduction or induction....
Violence at work & stress levels of staff (Saunders et al. 2009,
p.128)
Positivist study
Hypothesis - staff working with public more likely to
experience threat of violence & resultant stress
At risk population?
Survey large sample of staff to measure 2 variables & relation
between them
Interpretivist study
Develop research questions
Identify group who have experienced violence at work
Interview staff from this group
Learn about feelings, coping strategies & views about possible
causes.
Which approach to apply?
Layder (1993) lists four main considerations when selecting
research methods: the nature of the research problem or topic,
the methods traditionally thought to be appropriate, the
availability and accessibility of data, and the resources at the
researcher’s disposal.
It is the first of these that is most important – what kind of data
do you need to collect to address your research aims? What is
the form or nature of this data (objective, subjective,

quantifiable, not quantifiable....)
What about mixing methods?
Triangulation of method
Example: using a questionnaire to survey a large audience and
also conducting interviews with a small select sample
Philosophical position is known as :
Pragmatism (Saunders et al)
Relativism (Easterby Smith)
Conventionalism (Johnson & Duberley)
Pragmatism
An argument against mixing methods is that research methods
have ‘epistemological commitments’ and that using opposing
methods can cause problems at a theoretical level’ (Easterby-
Smith, 2003)
Pragmatism
However, Bryman and Bell (2003) argue that too much weight
is placed on epistemological connections to research methods
and that there is a ‘growing preparedness to think of research
methods as techniques of data collection or analysis that are not
encumbered by epistemological baggage as is supposed’
Pragmatism
Indeed, Saunders et al (2007) refer to their ‘research onion’
whereby epistemological concerns are in the outer layer which
is peeled away and forgotten as people are interested in the
inner detail of real-life data collection and data accumulation.

Quantitative and qualitative methods
Quantitative methods generate, analyse and interpret numerical
data
More likely to be used by researchers applying positivist
approach
Issues of reliability, consistency and replicability
Qualitative methods generate, analyse and interpret textual data
More likely to be used by researchers applying an interpretive
approach
Used to gain insights into meaning systems and sense-making
activities of social actors
Exercise
Read handout – diagnosing your research philosophy
Bryman 1984
What are the characteristics of positivism according to Bryman?
What examples does he give of these characteristics in terms of
the questionnaire instrument? P77
What are the philosophical characteristics of qualitative
research? p77-78
What ‘type’ of data does qualitative research produce in
contrast to quantitative? P79
Why are qualitative techniques said to be more ‘sensitive’ than
quantitative techniques? Consider a research project where this
might be useful P81-82
Why are qualitative techniques useful as a form of
‘preparation’? Consider an example of research where this
might be useful P 84
What is Bryman’s argument in relation to whether quantitative
research is ‘better’ than qualitative research? What does he
suggest is a better way of thinking about the contrasting
research strategies and their relative effectiveness? P79-80

What have you learnt from this piece of work?
Exercise
You have been asked to take a class on research methodology.
Create a poster presentation educating your fellow students how
a qualitative research strategy reflects the interpretivist
epistemological position.
Next week – literature reviews, aims/objectives
Read chapters 4 and 5 in Bryman and Bell 2015
Bring 5-10 key academic references (ideally journal articles) to
construct a literature review analysis….
Next week’s task
Consider the key words or phrases that underpin a potential
research project of your choice
Next identify some initial key academic references (between 5
and 10)
Should be in relation to your topic
May include classic sources, some new/cutting edge, empirical
or conceptual etc.
Explain and justify your selection i.e. what is the paper about
and what is the contribution to your research project
This may mean briefly outlining your proposed research project
in a few sentences about.
You may wish to identify any links you see between the
selection of papers – e.g. contrasting perspectives or
methodologies
You may wish to outline any gaps in your selection of papers
i.e. further areas of research (conceptual debates,
methodologies, research contexts, specific authors/articles) you
wish

May wish to start constructing into a table format – identify
paper, what is it about? Methods? What is the contribution/how
does it relate to my proposed study?
BA5004 Business Research Methods:
W1 introduction to module
Dr Jo Cartwright
Outline for today
Introduction to the module
Aims and learning outcomes
Assessments and deadlines
Content, lecturer and rooming
The research process
Choosing a research topic
Teaching staff
Module leader and quantitative research methods:
Dr Yaz Djebbour ([email protected] )
Qualitative research methods:
Dr Jo Cartwright ([email protected] )
Other lecturers
Riette Van Wijnen ([email protected])
Martin Topple ([email protected])
Introduction to module

This module introduces students to the essential methodologies,
approaches and tools for business research.
The module takes over from the skills picked up at level 4 in
particular, the quantitative and qualitative skills taught and
assessed in various modules.
It explores some of the philosophies and theoretical
perspectives underpinning the many different ways of
conducting research as well as providing practical examples and
guidance on how research should be planned and implemented.
This module also provides a grounding to the final year
dissertation for the Business and Management and related
courses.
Introduction to the module
The module enables students to gain lifelong and employability
skills such as planning, searching, reading, gathering and
analysing data, writing and referencing. It provides students
with technological tools to achieve the necessary results
efficiently.
The module helps students to reflect on how research has
enabled global organisations with their integrated and
interdependent challenges to adapt to the uncertain world.
The module introduces students to the key and current business
concepts and their operationalisation through a simple review of
the literature. In doing so, it enables students to deal with
conflicting issues of ethics and equality.
The key skills taught and assess on the module will include
advanced use of Excel and/or SPSS, data analysis (Statistical
and Thematic) and reporting.
Module aims
The module aims to provide the opportunity for students to

synthesise, integrate and develop their learning from related
modules through an in-depth exploration of a current issue in
business and management and the development of a
substantiated research proposal into that issue.
It develops students’ critical awareness of issues and
controversies in the field of business and management linked to
possible approaches of further academic research into that field.
It develops their skills of identifying, formulating and analysing
problems and issues, develops their familiarity with a range of
data and resources and provides an opportunity to engage with
the practical concerns of researching a chosen field.
Above all, its aim is to develop student skills in independent
study, and in formulating and presenting their own ideas and
conclusions in a coherent and persuasive style.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will be able
to:
Apply a qualitative methodology based on a published literature
[LO1]
Formulate research questions and use an appropriate qualitative
analysis [LO2]
Apply a quantitative methodology based on a published
literature [LO3]
Formulate research questions and use an appropriate
quantitative analysis [LO4]
Assessment detailsDescription of Assessment
% weightingWeek DueLearning Outcome/sCourseworkA
literature review of a current business concept20%6LO1
CourseworkA thematic analysis of a business
concept30%14LO2CourseworkA quantitative data analysis of a

current business concept.50%28LO3
Assessments for the qualitative research
Annotated literature map on a research topic of your choice
[LO1]
A qualitative interview which is transcribed and analysed using
one of the techniques taught on the course. [LO2]
Assessment 1
You are being asked to produce a (a) diagram or picture of the
literature based on a research problem you are interested in and
(b) an annotation/written analysis of what you produce.
For the map, you may choose a visual format and suggestions
may be a Venn diagram, mind-map or time chart. You might
take particular ideas or concepts as units of analysis and map
different aspects, or map the different authors or their
contributions around these.
There should then be some accompanying annotation/written
analysis which provides an explanation of the map in relation to
your chosen research topic/problem. This means that you will
need to explain your research topic/problem initially in order
for the reader to make sense of your diagram and analysis. You
should then identify what you will treat more fully in the
literature review chapter, and what you will treat more briefly.
– approx. 1,500 words.
Assessment 2
The assignment requires you to conduct a qualitative interview,
to analyse the data from this interview, and to write a report
based on this.
Stage 1 - you are required to conduct a brief qualitative

interview with an individual on a topic of interest related to
your course. The interview should last about twenty minutes and
should be audio recorded.
Stage 2 - you are required to produce a transcript of the
interview. This must be included in the appendix of the
assignment. It is expected that the record will be approximately
4 pages long
Stage 3 - you will conduct an analysis of your interview data
using any recognised form of qualitative data analysis
technique, e.g., template analysis or content analysis.
Assessment 2 – cont...
The assignment format
The assignment should be produced in a discursive (essay)
format and address the following questions:
Write an account of the data collection and analysis process.
This should be approximately 1,500 words long and should
include:
A short introduction that covers the topic of the interview and
an overview of the interview schedule. Here you should say
what influenced your choice of interview questions.
The rationale for your choice of interview (semi-
structured/structured etc) and your analytic strategy (e.g. the
reasons and justifications for why you chose thematic analysis
or content analysis).
How you conducted the data analysis. You need to make your
description of the analysis process as clear and as transparent as
possible, so if you are using template analysis you should
include information on, for example, how you constructed the
template, how you performed the coding process, the final
template and why this changed from the initial template.
The findings of your analysis.
Write a 500 word reflective account of your experience
conducting qualitative research (interviewing and analysis).

Qual. Assessment deadlines
Assessment one: Monday of week 6
Date: 5th November 2018 by 3pm
Assessment two: Monday of week 14
Date: 21st January 2018 by 3pm
Programme structure (Qualitative research)
Introduction to the module and the nature of research
Research philosophies - the interpretivist and other paradigms
Purpose and method of literature review in qualitative research
Research design and sampling
Validity and reliability in qualitative research.
Fast forward festival
Doing qualitative interviews
Ethical research practice
Qualitative data analysis techniques
NVivo workshop
Reporting and report structure
Drop in session (A2)
Programme structure
Most weeks will involve a formal lecture with some workshop
related content
Each week will build on the other and the aim is to give you an
insight into the research process, as well as practical
experience putting your new research skills into practice
through the assessments
IF YOU DO NOT PREPARE BEFORE THE WORKSHOP THEN
IT WILL NOT WORK!!

It will be necessary to identify a topic of interest in which to
conduct a literature review analysis, base a qualitative interview
on as well as analyse using the techniques taught in class.
It is therefore important you start considering a topic of interest
- this could change across the module but it might be easier to
stick with the same one (i.e. developing a set of interview
questions for A2 will be much simpler if you have already
conducted the literature analysis for it in A1).
Recommended texts: qualitative research
Bryman, A and Bell, E (2015) Business Research Methods,
Oxford: Oxford University (earlier editions are also good)
Cassell, C.M. and Symon, G. (2004) Essential guide to
qualitative methods in organizational research, London: Sage
Publications (available as e-book)
Symon, G. and Cassell, C. eds., 2012. Qualitative organizational
research: core methods and current challenges. Sage
Publications (available as e-book)
Saunders, M., Thornhill, A. and Lewis, P. (2015) Research
Methods for Business (available as e-book but earlier editions
also good)
Symon, G and Cassell, C (2012) Qualitative Organisational
Research, London: Sage.
See Reading list on WebLearn
Any questions?

What is business research?
Wilson, in his book “Essentials of Business Research (2014)”
defined business research as follows:
It is the systematic and objective process of collecting,
recording, analysing and interpreting data for aid in solving
managerial problems.
Robert and Richard Burns in their book “Business Research
Methods (2008)” defined business research as:
The objective and systematic process of obtaining, recording,
analysing and interpreting data to discover new information or
relationships or expend existing knowledge to remove
uncertainty for business decision making.
Most authors classify business research in two ways.
Basic research
Applied research
It is academic research on topics relating to questions relevant
to business and management
Basic research
This type of research aims to extend the frontiers of knowledge.
Business research includes studies that draws on the social
sciences and economics for conceptual and theoretical
inspiration.
It may be motivated by developments and changes in
organisations and societies – such as the concern for rising
levels of executive pay or issues of resourcing (in certain
sectors) in the context of Brexit.
Basic research may lack practical application in the short term.
Applied research

This type of research focuses on solving a particular business
problem. This could be as simple as “searching the reasons for
the drop in sales for the traditional pies” or “whether there is
any association between the in-store music and customers’
satisfaction”.
Most business research tends to fall into the applied category.
Applied research may lack generalisation or replicability.
Basic and applied research
Why do business research?
Academics conduct research because in the course of reading
the literature on a topic or reflecting on what is going on in
organisations, questions occur to them
They may notice a gap in the literature or an inconsistency
between a number of studies or an unresolved issue in the
literature
Another rationale is societal development that provides for the
development of another research question e.g. Brexit
There is no single reason why people do business research but
at its core it is done because there is an aspect which is believed
to be inadequately understood
The process of business research
Choosing the topic (we will come back to it later)
Literature review
Concepts and theories
Research questions
Sampling
Data collection
Data analysis
Writing up
Importance of the literature & context

Business research and the associated methods do not exist in a
vacuum. The following form part of the context in which
business research takes place:
The topics of business research are profoundly influenced by
the available theoretical positions
If a researcher was interested in how retail managers recruit
people on the basis of the way they look, they would need to
consider the literature on aesthetic labour (or Nepotism)
This means that someone planning to conduct research must be
familiar with the literature on the area of interest
You must be familiar about what is already known and build on
it
Business research operates within a wider environmental
context (social, political, economic and technological) which
must be reflected in the analysis
Literature review
Existing literature represents an important element in all
research. We must determine:
What is already known about the topic
What theories/concepts have been applied to it
What research methods have been applied in studying it
What controversies exist about the topic and how it is studied
What clashes of evidence there are
Who the key contributors are
Linking your research questions, findings, and discussion to
existing literature is a useful way of demonstrating credibility
of your research and contribution to knowledge
Must show how your research fits with current debates and its
significance in relation to this
Concepts and theories

Concepts are the way we make sense of the social world
They are the labels we give to aspects of the social world that
seem to have significant common features
Concepts such as Taylorism, McDonalisation, the employment
relationship, engagement, alienation are all part of the theory
that generations of social scientists have constructed
These help us organise and signal our research interests
One reason why familiarity with the research is so important is
to alert us to important concepts already in use
This allows us to analyse how useful or limited those concepts
are in relation to our research
What are research questions?
Seven broad types using the example of equality and diversity:
Predicting an outcome (e.g. is a more inclusive work
environment associated with investment in line manager
training)
Explaining causes and consequences of a phenomenon (e.g. is a
high incidence of discrimination affected by the lack of line
manager training or a consequence of a male dominated
corporate culture and long working hours?)
Evaluating a phenomenon (e.g. does investing in inclusivity
training exhibit the benefits that it is claimed to have)
Describing a phenomenon (e.g. what is an inclusive work
environment and what does this look like in practice)
Developing good practice (e.g. how can we improve inclusivity
in the workplace)
Empowerment (e.g. how can we enhance the lives of those we
research)
Comparison (e.g. do public and private sector organisations
differ in terms of inclusivity)
Research questions

Research questions are important in the research process
because they force you to consider the most basic of issues
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW?
Most people begin research with a general idea of what they are
interested in
Research questions require you to be much more specific about
what you want to find out
Having no research question or a loosely/poorly articulated one
will lead to poor research
A well designed survey or skilled interviewer cannot overcome
the limitations of a poorly articulated research question
Research questions
Well articulated research questions are crucial to guide:
Your literature search
The methods you employ
Decisions about what data to collect
How to analyse the data
How to write up the data
Stop you going on tangents
Provide your readers with a clear sense of what your research is
about
Sampling
The principle of sampling is based on the construction of a
sample that is representative (and can therefore act as a
microcosm of) a wider population
Representative of what population? Wider population? Of the
sector or organisation you are focusing on?
Sampling
In business research, we are rarely in a position that we can

interview, observe or survey all the individuals who are
appropriate for our sample
Time and cost constraints mean we cannot include all the
individuals we would like in our sample
So instead the aim is to sample a population that is as
representative of the wider population as possible
Data collection
Data collection is the key point of any research project
Some methods require a structured approach that the researcher
establishes in advance e.g. a questionnaire which asks
individuals specific research questions
Others require a more unstructured approach, using methods
that emphasise an open ended view to allow for new ideas to
emerge from the data
Data analysis
This might mean the statistical interpretation of data for
structured data collection methods (e.g. questionnaire results)
It may also be in the managing of raw data i.e. audio recording,
transcribing and coding interview data
This means writing up an interview and breaking down each
component and giving it labels related to the relevant
concepts/theories
This stage is fundamentally about data reduction i.e. reducing
the large amount of information in order to make sense of it
For qualitative data this is about grouping text material into
useful categories such as themes, or in the case of survey data
by producing averages and tables
Writing up
All research projects will include:

An introduction
Setting out the research and its significance; the research
questions may be outlined
Literature review
What is already known about the research is examined critically
Research methods
Sampling, methods of data collection and analysis are presented
and justified
Findings
The research findings are presented
Discussion
The findings are discussed in relation to the literature and
research questions
Conclusion
The significance of the research is reinforced
Exercise
Have you ever been asked to take part in someone else’s
research (e.g. market research or government survey or
employee satisfaction survey at work).
If you agreed to assist, why did you so?
If you refused to take part, why was this?
If you took part what satisfaction did you derive from this?
Did anything about the encounter annoy or dissatisfy you?
Were you informed about your rights and/or any ethical issues
before you took part?
What suggestions for improvement would you make to the
researcher?
Exercise
Handout - identifying your research topic
Choose a topic for your research
Modify, adapt or refine your topic until you are able to sum it
up in one sentence

Present your sentence to the rest of your group so that you can
receive peer and tutor feedback
You should also be prepared to offer feedback on the sentences
of your fellow students
Modify and refine your one sentence summary, if required, after
having received feedback
Next week – philosophy and RM
Read chapter 2 in Bryman and Bell 2015
Bring a copy of this article and read/make notes. Be prepared to
be asked questions on it: Bryman, A., 1984. The debate about
quantitative and qualitative research: a question of method or
epistemology?. British journal of Sociology, pp.75-92.
Student Handout – research topic
Choose a topic for your research. Once you have done this, try
to sum up your research in one sentence only. If you are unable
to do this your research topic may be too broad, ill-thought out,
too obscure or too complicated, so you will need to modify,
adapt or refine your topic until you are able to sum it up in one
sentence.
Once you have thought of a topic and summarized your
research, you will need to present your sentence to the rest of
your group so that you can receive peer and tutor feedback. You
should also be prepared to offer feedback on the sentences of
your fellow students. Modify and refine your one sentence
summary, if required, after having received feedback.
There are many interesting and creative methods that you can
use to stimulate thought and focus in on your research topic.
Here are some suggestions:
· Observing. Using this method, you observe phenomena or
behaviour that, in your opinion, needs further investigation to
explain patterns, behaviour or processes. Asking questions such

as ‘what’ and ‘why’ about your observations will help to
stimulate your thoughts.
· Reflecting on your experiences. This method enables you to
consider past and present experiences in relation to possible
research topics. For example, you might have experienced
phenomena or behaviour in the workplace or during a social
encounter that, in your opinion, requires further investigation.
Asking in-depth questions about, and reflecting on, these
experiences will help to stimulate your thoughts and further
develop your research topic.
· Questioning. This is a useful technique for all students
starting a research project. There are different types of question
that you can ask to stimulate your thoughts and help you to
choose and focus in on a suitable topic. This includes questions
that: stimulate reflection; introduce a problem; lead to deep and
critical thought; test existing assumptions and/or knowledge.
· Visualizing. You can create a picture to help you to think
about your research. Or you may decide to draw a graph,
diagram or mind map that helps you to clarify your thoughts and
pull together your research topic.
· Discussing. Take every opportunity to discuss your thoughts
with friends and family. This helps to stimulate thought, and
receiving feedback from interested, knowledgeable parties
enables you to test, modify and refine your ideas.
· Reading. If you have a general idea for a topic, read around
the subject. This will deepen your understanding of current
research in the field, help you to decide whether there is scope
to advance this research and, if so, help to stimulate ideas.
· Brainstorming. Think about an issue and write down any
thoughts that come to mind, without judgement, analysis or
reflection. This is a useful technique if you have a general idea
of a topic for your research, but need to focus in on important
issues.
· Lateral thinking. This involves approaching an issue through
an indirect route that does not follow logical ways of thought.
Examples of this type of thinking include choosing an idea

completely at random (opening a page in a dictionary, for
example) or going against the obvious (questioning something
that is taken for granted, for example). This method of thinking
is useful if you want to create new ideas, perhaps for a unique
research project on a topic that has not been covered before.
· Logical thinking. This way of thinking follows a logical,
sequential order in which you move from one related thought to
another. It involves taking important ideas and working through
them in a series of stages or steps. This method helps you to
organize your thoughts and focus in on your research topic.

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