1. The nature of business and management research

2. Assessment for this course: Assessment Title Weight towards final grade LengthDue Date Portfolio of tasks and assignments 40%Minimum 1,500 words See Course Guide Research proposal 60%Maximum 3,000 words See Course Guide

3. the University of Greenwich Research proposal  Work individually to write a 3000 word proposal  Outline the topic you propose to research in the Independent Business Research Project course. In your proposal, demonstrate that you:  Have a clear and specific research question/ aim/ hypothesis  Have contextualised your research within the academic literature;  Understand the philosophical and methodological bases for your research;  Have a sound method  Use Harvard style in-text citation and referencing  NOTE: You must achieve a pass mark in order to proceed to the research project (dissertation) stage  Due: See Course Guide and VLE Assignment Area

4. the University of Greenwich What we expect of you (1) :  Even harder work than a bachelor’s degree  Better organisation and self discipline  Think outside the box  Be ‘original’, innovative, multidisciplinary.  Develop advanced knowledge and understanding  Make your contribution leading edge  Contribute in group and individual working  accept responsibility, fulfil your obligations

5. the University of Greenwich What we expect of you (2)  independent action  accepting responsibilities  formulating ideas proactively  planning and developing strategies  implementing and executing agreed plans  evaluating achievement against specification and plan  decision making  Be able to defend your opinions and be ready to amend or change them if you can't answer challenges to them.

6. Learning Objectives What is research and what different types are available? The difference between poor and sound research Research philosophies How to formulate solid hypotheses

7. What is Business Research? A systematic inquiry, the objective of which is to provide information to solve managerial problems.

8. Why Study Research? Research provides you with the knowledge and skills needed for the fast-paced decision-making environment

9. Class Discussion

10. To gather more information before selecting a course of action To conduct a high-level research study To understand research design To assess the quality of research studies To establish a career as a research specialist The Value of Acquiring Research Skills

11. Reporting Descriptive Explanatory Predictive Most business / management studies are descriptive or explanatory. Types Of Studies Used To Do Research

12. Applied Research Pure Research / Basic Research Different Styles of Research

13. Following the standards of the scientific method: Purpose clearly defined Research process detailed Research design thoroughly planned Limitations frankly revealed High ethical standards applied What is Good Research?

14. Following the standards of the scientific method (cont.): Adequate analysis for decision- maker’s needs Findings presented unambiguously Conclusions justified Researcher’s experience reflected What is Good Research? (cont.)

15. Positivism Interpretivism Realism Research Philosophies

16. PositivismInterpretivism Basic Principles View on the world The world is external and objective. The world is socially constructed and subjective. Involvement of researcher Researcher is independent.Researcher is part of what is observed and sometimes even actively collaborates Researcher’s Influence Research is value free.Research is driven by human interests. Basic Assumptions What is observed? Objective, often quantitative facts Subjective interpretations of meanings How knowledge is developed? Reducing phenomena to simple elements representing general laws. Taking a broad and total view on phenomena to detect explanations beyond the current knowledge. Positivism and Interpretivism Compared

17. Deduction is a form of inference that purports to be conclusive - premises (reasons) must reflect real world (true) - conclusion must follow from premises (valid) Induction draws conclusions from one or more particular facts - draw an inference from observed facts Important Arguments in Research

18. Deduction Premise 1 Premise 2 Conclusion Larger firms are able to realize economies of scale Economies of scale allow higher profits. The larger a firm, the more profitable it is Deduction allows the derivation of hypotheses, the two parts (blue and green) in the hypothesis are connected through the explaining mechanism (red part).

19. the University of Greenwich Stages in the Process of Deduction CONFIRMATION THEORY HYPOTHESIS OBSERVATION Source: Trochim (2000) Single Loop learning

20. Induction The process of induction starts with observations (business practice) and is a process of hypotheses generation. For example, we observe small firms that introduce innovative products. … … Therefore, we generate the hypothesis: Smaller firms are more likely to introduce innovative products Whether the hypothesis holds needs to be tested.

21. the University of Greenwich Stages in the Process of Induction OBSERVATION THEORY TENTATIVE HYPOTHESIS PROBLEM Source: Trochim (2000) Single Loop learning

22. Concepts Constructs Definitions Variables Propositions and Hypotheses Theories Models The Building Blocks of Theory

23. A concept is a bundle of meanings or characteristics associated with certain events, objects, conditions, situations and behaviours Concepts have been developed over time through shared usage Understanding Concepts

24. A construct is an image or idea specifically invented for a given research and/or theory-building purpose. What is a Construct?

25. IndependentDependent Resumed reasonPresumed effect StimulusResponse Predicted fromPredicted to AntecedentConsequence ManipulatedMeasured outcome PredictorCriterion Dependent and Independent Variable

26. Independent (IV) - describes direct influencing factors Dependent (DV) - describes what is investigated, explained Moderating - affects the relationship between IV and DV Intervening - variables that are measured and supposed to be etween the IV and DV Types of Variables

27. Types of Variables Pictured Dependent Variable DV Independent Variable IV Moderating Variable MV Intervening Variable IIV

28. Guides the direction of the study Identifies facts that are relevant Suggests which form of research design is appropriate Provides a framework for organizing the conclusions that result The Role of the Hypothesis

29. A good hypothesis should fulfill three conditions: Must be adequate for its purpose Must be testable Must be better than its rivals What is a Good Hypothesis?

30. Narrows the range of facts we need to study Suggests which research approaches will yield the greatest meaning Suggests a data classification system Summarizes what is known about an object of study Predicts further facts that should be found The Value of a Theory