Dissertation

TOPIC 01 COURSE INTRODUCTION

LECTURER: THANG NGUYEN @ FSB HANOI BASED ON: SAUNDERS ET AL (2012)

RESEARCH METHODS FOR BIZ STUDENTS

OUTLINE Business & management research Theory vs practicality Research process Textbook overview Reflective diary

BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

DEFINITION OF BIZ & MGMT RESEARCH

an undertaking to find out things about business and management in a systematic way, thereby increasing knowledge
TO FIND OUT THINGS

clear purposes of research Practical consequence: take some action

BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

SYSTEMATIC WAY

research based on logical relationships data collected with clear plans data analysed & interpreted with clear purposes

THEORY VS PRACTICALITY
Mgmt researcher Focus of interest Why?; basic understanding; general enlightenment; theoretical explanation; substantive theory building How to? usable knowledge; instrumental; practical solutions; local theory-in-use Practitioner

Requirements Rigorous theories & methodology Deadlines Output Academic publications Disdain of practitioner; desire to make a difference to practice Actionable results View of the other Deprecate or ignore; belief research can provide insights to managers problems

Source: Saunders et al. (2012) Research Methods, pp. 10

THEORY VS PRACTICALITY Basic research Purpose

- Expand knowledge - New universal principles - Findings of significance for society in general

Applied research Purpose

- Particular understanding - Narrow new knowledge - Practical relevance for managers & organizations

Context
- People in universities - Objectives by researcher - Flexible schedule

Context
- People in various settings - Objectives negotiated - Tight schedule

Source: Saunders et al. (2012) Research Methods, pp. 11

THEORY VS PRACTICALITY Taxonomy of research Higher theoretical rigor Lower theoretical rigor Higher practical relevance Pragmatic science Lower practical relevance Pedantic science

Popularist science

Puerile science

Source: developed from Hodgkinson et al. (2001)

RESEARCH PROCESS
RESEARCH PROCESS

Formulate & clarify a topic Review literature Design the research Collect data Analyse data Write up a structured report
VISION OF A RESEARCH PROCESS

Not straightforward Normally, iterative (progress graph)

RESEARCH PROCESS
HOW TO START A RESEARCH PROJECT?

Write down ideas Clarify research questions & objectives Revise all previous thoughts Get momentum and start rolling

TEXTBOOK OVERVIEW
RESEARCH PROCESS IN MORE DETAILS

Our textbook: an excellent outline

SAUNDERS ET AL (2012) RESEARCH

METHODS

C01 Biz & mgmt research C02 Clarifying topic C03 Reviewing literature C04 Philosophies & approaches C05 Research design C06 Access & research ethics

TEXTBOOK OVERVIEW
SAUNDERS ET AL (2012) RESEARCH

METHODS

C07 Sample selection C08 Secondary Data C09 Primary data via observation C10 Primary data via interviews C11 Primary data via questionnaires C12 Quantitative analysis C13 Qualitative analysis C14 Writing and presenting

REFLECTIVE DIARY
REFLECTIVE DIARY/RESEARCH NOTEBOOK

Chronological order Both good and bad lessons Read articles with summaries Discussions with supervisor Helpful conversations with peers Sudden emergent thoughts

REFLECTIVE DIARY
WHY A REFLECTIVE DIARY?

Secret of the learning process

LEARNING CYCLE (KOLB, HONEY, MUMFORD)

Concrete experience Observation and reflection Abstract concepts and generalisations Testing concepts and new generalisations