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Business Research: A practical

guide for undergraduate and


postgraduate student
Chapter 1:

Understanding Research
Jill Husey and Roger Husey

Outline

Definition and purpose of research


Qualities of good researcher
Type of research
The research process
Characteristics of a good research project

Definition
Process of enquiry and investigation (thorough
and rigorous) -> organized
Systematical and methodical (coherent and
logical route) -> using appropriate method to
collect data and analyze
Increase knowledge -> address specific problem
= research problem

Purpose
To review and synthesize existing knowledge
To investigate some existing situation or problem
To provide solutions to a problem
To explore and analyses more general issues
To construct or create a new procedure or system
To explain a new phenomenon
To generate new knowledge
A combination of any or above

Qualities of a good researcher

Perseverance

1. Communication Skills
Ability to communicate (written and verbally)
your understanding of the research area
Example: discussing your project with your
supervisor, negotiating access to sources of data,
conducting interviews, designing a
questionnaires, leading a focus group, writing
and presenting report

2. Intellectual Skills
Knowledge: ability to recall facts, nomenclature, practical techniques,
laws, theories, computation

Comprehension: ability to translate from one form to another; to


interpret or deduce the significant of data, to solve simple problems
relying on those abilities

Application: ability to apply knowledge, experience, and skill to a


new situation presented in a novel manner

Analysis: ability to break down information into its various parts


Synthesis: ability to build up information from other information
Evaluation: ability to make quantitative or qualitative judgment; to
set out a reasoned argument through a series of steps, usually of gradually
increasing difficulty; to criticize constructively

3. Information technology skills


Access to computer
Ability of basic IT skills (word processing, excel,
statistical packages, database management,
access to internet for references, End Note)

4. Organizational skills
Time management -> time tables of research

5. Motivation
Maintaining and increasing interest in your
research

6. Independence
Empowered
Self motivated
Highly independent

Personal strengths and weaknesses


Awareness of own strengths, weakness and
values
Clarity of thought
Sensitivity of events and feelings
Emotional resilience
Flexibility
Creativity

Individual Assessment on
Qualities of Good researcher

Types of Research
Purpose = reason why
Process = way in which you collect and analyze
data
Logic = general to specific or vice versa
Outcome = solve particular problem or make
contribution to knowledge

Purpose of research
1. Exploratory:
Conduct a research problem or issue where there are
very few or no earlier studies.
Aim to look for pattern, ideas or hypotheses (not
confirming or testing) -> through cases studies,
observation or experience
Hypotheses: idea or proposition which can be tested
for causality or association by deducing logical
consequences which can be tested against empirical
evidence (data)

2. Descriptive
Describe phenomena as they exist to identify or
obtain information on the characteristics of a
particular issue or problem.
Using quantitative or qualitative statistical
techniques
Goes further in examining a problem than
exploratory research as to ascertain and describe
significant issue

3. Analytical/explanatory
To analyzing and explaining (variables) why or how it
is happening
To understand phenomena by discovering and
measuring causal relations among them
4. Predictive
Aim to generalize from the analysis by predicting
certain phenomena on the basis of hypothesized
general relationships
Provides how, why, and where answers to current
events and also similar events in the future

Process of research
Quantitative
Objective in nature
Concentrates on measuring phenomena
(collecting, analyzing numerical data and
applying statistical tests)
Qualitative
Subjective in nature
Examining, reflecting on perception to gain and
understanding of social and human activities

Logic of research
Deductive
a study which a conceptual and theoretical
structure is developed and then tested by
empirical observation -> particular instances are
deduced from general inferences (general to
particular)
Inductive
a study in which theory is developed from the
observation of empirical reality -> general
inferences are induced from particular instances
(specific to general)

Outcome of research
Basic
Fundamental/pure research
Research problem is less specific nature
Conducted to improve our understanding of
general issues without emphasis on its
immediate application
Applied
Design to apply its findings to solving a specific,
existing problem

The Research Process

Identify research
topic
Define research
problem
Determine how to
conduct research

Collect research data

Analyse and interpret


research data
Write
dissertation/thesis

Characteristics of a good research project

Good literature review


Sound primary research
Logical structure
Analytical
Theory integrated
Underpinned by conceptual framework
Integration between methodology, literature,
analysis, conclusions, etc

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