Business Research Methods: Conducting The Literature Review and Developing Research Hypotheses

1
Business Research Methods
Chapter 3
Conducting the Literature
Review and Developing
Research Hypotheses
Copyright © 2018, 2012, 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Learning Objectives
4.1 Describe the literature review and its main purposes in the research process.
4.2 Examine potential sources of information and try to include only trustworthy
information in the literature review.
4.3 Scrutinize less trustworthy sources of information for inclusion in the literature
review when appropriate.
4.4 Use database internet searches to locate and evaluate professional journal
articles.
4.5 Develop focused research questions based on the research problem and
information gathered through the literature review.
4.6 Formulate research hypotheses if the information from the literature review
suggests possible answers to the research questions.
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What is a Review of the Literature?

 A review of the literature is the activity of reviewing relevant literature on a
research problem.
 A review of the literature is a product – the research writes a report describing
the existing knowledge considered relevant to the current study.
 Literature includes sources of knowledge that include the printed word, Internet
websites, personal interviews, and sometimes even movies and television
programs.
 When little is known on a topic of interest, the researcher can look at related
topics to find information.
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Purposes of the Literature Review for the

Researcher
 It constitutes a reservoir of knowledge for understanding previous research
and planning for future research.
 Provides a tool for conceptualizing and operationalizing variables for the study.
 Helps the research avoid potential problems and errors in the research
process.
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Purposes of the Literature Review for the

Reader
 Helps to establish the credibility of the researcher.
 Helps reader understand the findings of previous research in order to evaluate

the current study.
 A source for additional information if the reader wants to know more about the
problem area.
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Potential Sources for the Literature Review

 Professional journal articles
 Internet websites
 Books
 Personal interviews with authorities
 Research reports and monographs
 Research presentations at conferences
 Standard references materials
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Questionable Sources for the Literature

Review
 Content of workshops
 Newspaper articles
 Radio and television broadcasts
 Magazines and periodicals
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Using Internet Searches to Locate

Information Sources
 Internet search engines have made the task of finding relevant literature much
easier than in the past.
 Some databases include PsychINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Psychology and
Behavioral Sciences Collection.
 Enter a phrase to search your topic; most search engines will automatically
search for the phrase or phrases entered anywhere in the title, abstract, body,
or reference list of the publications included in the database.
 You can narrow the search with additional information if the information
retrieved is too broad.
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Developing Focused Research Questions

 Focused research questions help to reduce the research problem to a
manageable size.
 The literature review helps produce focused questions that would have been
impossible to formulate prior to finding out:
• what was already known about the problem,
• what related questions had been studied, and
• what answers had been found.
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Research Hypotheses
 A research hypothesis is a tentative answer to the research question.
 It is a prediction of what the researcher will find.
 It is based on existing knowledge from the literature as well as practice

experience.
 Generally takes the form of a statement of the relationship between variables.
 In predominantly qualitative studies, researchers usually do not formulate

research hypotheses prior to data collection.
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Important Related Terms

 Variable
 Constant
 Demographic variable
 Value label or value
 Frequency
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Types of Variables
 Independent and Dependent variables
 Outcome and Predicator variables
 Confounding or Extraneous variables

– Intervening variables
– Antecedent variables
– Obscuring variables
 Control variables
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Independent and Dependent Variables

 The dependent variable is the variable whose variation the researcher is most
interested in understanding and explaining.
 The degree of treatment success among clients is a common dependent
variable.
 The independent variable is the variable that the researcher believes may
produce at least some of the variation that exists within the dependent
variable.
 Possible independent variables include method of treatment, hours of
treatment, and degree of family involvement in treatment.
.
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Predictor and Outcome Variables

 The term predictor variable is used in place of independent variable when the
researcher has no control over or is unable to manipulate the independent
variable.
 In this case, the term outcome variable is used in place of dependent variable
and generally refers to the variable of primary interest to the researcher.
 For example,
– Does gender predict grades in a Statistics course?
– Does education level predict job satisfaction?
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Confounding or Extraneous Variables

 Confounding or extraneous variables are any variables that can mislead the
researcher about the true relationship between the dependent and
independent variables.
 Examples are:
– Intervening variables
– Antecedent variables
– Obscuring variables
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Types of Relationships Between Variables

 Association – certain values of one variable are found with certain values of
another variable.
 Correlation –values of one variable co-vary with the values of another variable.
 Causation – certain values of the independent variable cause or produce

certain values of the dependent variable.
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Research Hypotheses and Null Hypotheses

 Three types of research hypotheses:
– Directional or one-tailed hypothesis – predicts a relationship between
variables and a direction of the relationship.
– Nondirectional or two-tailed hypothesis – predicts a relationship between
variables without a direction.
– No relationship – predicts that variables are unrelated.
 The null hypothesis is a theoretical construct that is supported when there is

not enough statistical evidence to support the research hypothesis.
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Wording of Research Hypotheses

 Consistency of conceptualization
 Relevance to the problem
 Completeness
 Specificity
 Potential for testing

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Business Research Methods

What is a Review of the Literature?

Purposes of the Literature Review for the

Purposes of the Literature Review for the

 Helps reader understand the findings of previous research in order to evaluate

Potential Sources for the Literature Review

 Personal interviews with authorities

 Research reports and monographs

 Research presentations at conferences

 Standard references materials

Questionable Sources for the Literature

 Radio and television broadcasts

 Magazines and periodicals

Using Internet Searches to Locate

Developing Focused Research Questions

 It is a prediction of what the researcher will find.

 It is based on existing knowledge from the literature as well as practice

 In predominantly qualitative studies, researchers usually do not formulate

Important Related Terms

 Value label or value

 Outcome and Predicator variables

 Confounding or Extraneous variables

Independent and Dependent Variables

Predictor and Outcome Variables

Confounding or Extraneous Variables

Types of Relationships Between Variables

 Causation – certain values of the independent variable cause or produce

Research Hypotheses and Null Hypotheses

 The null hypothesis is a theoretical construct that is supported when there is

Wording of Research Hypotheses

 Relevance to the problem

 Potential for testing

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