Business Research 2

Exercise 1

1) Pick a case and select one of the theories provided for each case.

2) Set up the formal structure of chapter 1 of your report. Make sure you start with a cover
and title page including your name, your student number, your class, the name of your
lecturer (see AMSIB reporting guidelines for more details). All elements must be included
(page numbers, word headings, etc.).

3) Now you will begin to write your first chapter, featuring the problem statement and the
main research question. Below you will find more detailed information about what you
need to include.

Guidelines for writing the introduction chapter (chapter 1)

THIS IS A GUIDELINE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A STRUCTURE. DO NOT COPY THE TEXT LITERALLY.

1. Introduction

1.1 Background
- Explain the context in which this report is written and why it is written.
- Explain the initial set-up of the research.
- Mention the name of the company and the topic of your research.

1.2 Description of the company

- Here you need to provide the reader with relevant background information about the
company. If applicable, introduce the reader to the specific department/branch for which
you are writing your report.

1.3 Problem/opportunity analysis (description of the problem/opportunity)

- What is the current, undesired situation of the company?
- What is the future, desired situation of the company?
- What is the problem and what are the consequences of the problem? Or what is the
opportunity and what are the consequences if the company fails to seize this
opportunity? Why is research necessary and what needs to be researched?
- What is the objective of the research? Formulate the purpose of the research.

1.4 Research question

 - State the main question of the research.

1.5 Organization of the report

- Describe how the report is organized in terms of chapters (starting with chapter two).

4) Find information on the selected company and the problem the company is
experiencing. To find information on the company itself, go to bib.hva.nl --> Databases -->
Business Source Ultimate --> More (at the top left) --> company profile --> search. Here
you will find pdf files with company reports. Furthermore, do a search online for
additional information on the company and the problem the company is experiencing.

5) Write the problem statement (see also chapters 3 and 4 of the Research Methods Book,
8th edition). Make sure you reference (in APA) the article about the case you have
selected and any other information you have used. Try to frame the problem according
to the theory you selected. Use the following structure for the problem statement:
- The current, undesired situation
- The future, desired situation
- The problem, opportunity or gap
- Research objective

6) Look at the research objective you have written. Develop a main question that helps you
to reach your objective (i.e. what information do you need?). Remember a good research
question should be neutral, open, based on a variable, and descriptive (remember BR1?)!
In addition, it needs to be a question that can be answered by using a theoretical (as
opposed to practical) approach.
*Remember that the problem analysis and the main research question are the backbone of
your report; if this section is not adequate, the rest of your paper will also not be so.

7) Save your Word document as: BR2_class_Last name (e.g. class=IB1A1, Name=Jones).