Business Research Methods - A

Managerial Approach
by A. J. Veal

Second Edition
Published by Pearson Education, Sydney, 2005,
ISBN 174103 2539, 361 pages.

Support materials available at:

www.pearsoned.com.au/veal

OUTLINE CONTENTS

PART I Preparation
1. Introduction: the research process
2. Approaches to research
3. Planning and designing research projects
4. Using the literature
5. Secondary data sources

PART II Approaches to Data Collection

6. Observation
7. Qualitative methods
8. Questionnaire surveys
9. The Case-study method
10. Experimental methods
11. Sampling and its implications

PART III Analysis

12. Analysing Secondary data
13. Survey analysis
14. Statistical analysis
15. Qualitative Analysis

PART IV Reporting
16. Reporting Research Results

Appendices
1. Print and electronic resources for management and business research
2. Increasing response rates in mail surveys
3. Suggested appendix on sample size and confidence intervals
4. Details of SPSS data file used in Chapter 14
5. Cluster analysis data

References
Author index
Subject index
DETAILED CHAPTER CONTENTS

PART I PREPARATION

1. Introduction: the research process

Introduction
W hat is management? W hat is research?
Management
Research
W ho does research?
Academics
Students
Government and business organisations
Consultants
Managers
W hy research?
Research in the management process
Relevance of published research to business
The history of management thinking and research
Pre-industrial
The classical school
Behavioural approaches
Human relations approaches
Modern approaches
Management trends and ‘fads’
The diversity of contemporary business research
Summary
Exercises
Further reading

2. Approaches to research
Introduction
Paradigmatic issues
- Positivist and critical/interpretive research
- Qualitative and quantitative research
- Induction and deduction
- Experimental and non-experimental research
Data issues
- Primary and secondary data
- Self-reported and observed data
The range of research methods
- Scholarship
- ‘Just thinking’
- Using the existing literature
- Using secondary data
- Observation
- Qualitative methods
- Questionnaire-based surveys
- The case-study method
- Experimental methods
- Cross-cutting/subsidiary methods
- Textual analysis
- Longitudinal studies
- Panel surveys
- Projective techniques
- Media surveys
- Delphi technique
Multiple Methods - Triangulation
Choosing a method
- The research question or hypothesis
 - Previous research
- Data availability/access
- Resources
- Time
- Validity, reliability and generalisability
- Ethics
- Uses/users of the findings
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

3. Planning and designing research projects

Introduction
Stages in the research process
1. Selecting the topic
- Personal interest
- The literature
- Policy or management
- Social concern
- Popular issues
2. Reviewing the literature
3. Devising a conceptual framework
4. Deciding on research questions
- From concept map to research questions
- Scale and scope
- Answerability
- Primary and subsidiary questions
- Research questions vs objectives
- Research questions vs hypotheses
5. Listing information needs
6. Developing a research strategy
- Information-gathering methods
- Data analysis methods
- Budget and timetable
7. Conducting the research
8. Reporting findings
Research proposals
- Self-generated proposals
- Responsive proposals
Research ethics
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further reading

4. Using the literature

Introduction
The literature search: preparing a bibliography
Literature sources
- Library catalogues
- Published indexes
- Electronic databases
- The internet
- General management books
- Reference lists
- Published bibliographies
- Library browsing
- Asking (librarians and academics)
Obtaining copies of material
Compiling and maintaining a bibliography
Reviewing the literature
- Inclusive
- Inclusive/evaluative/meta-analysis
- Exploratory
 - Instrumental
- Content analysis/hermeneutics
Reading critically and creatively
Summarising the literature review
Recording references to the literature
References and referencing systems
- Author/date system
- Footnote/endnote system
- The best of both worlds
Other referencing issues
- Internet/electronic references
- 'Secondhand' references
- Excessive referencing
- Latin abbreviations
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

5. Secondary data sources

Introduction
Company information
- Internal sources
- external sources
Government agencies
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- AusInfo
- Austrade
- Australian Government Index of Publications
Educational institutions and specialist centres
- Universities
- Specialist centres
- Contacting academic researchers
Professional organisations
Management-related fields
Archival materials
Internet-based resources
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

PART II DATA COLLECTION

6. Observation
Introduction
Contexts for observational research
- Spatial use of sites
- W orkplace behaviour
- Consumer testing
- Complementary research
- Social behaviour
Elements in observational research
1 Choose site
2 Choose observation point(s)
3 Choose study time period(s)
4 Decide on continuous observation or sampling
5 Decide on number and length of sampling periods
6 Decide what to observe
7 Divide into zones
8 Design a recording sheet
9 Conduct study
10 Analyse data
Technical aids
- Aerial photography
 - Still photography
- Video
- Time-lapse photography
- Counters
'Just looking'
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

7. Qualitative methods
Introduction
The nature of qualitative methods
- Some advantages of qualitative methods
The qualitative research process
The range of qualitative methods
In-depth interviews
- Nature
- Purposes
- Checklist
- Interviewing
- Recording
- Example
Focus groups
- Nature
- Purposes
- Methods
Participant observation
- Nature
- Purposes
- Methods
Analysis of texts
Ethnography
Biographical methods
- Biography/Autobiography
- Oral history
- Memory work
- Personal domain histories
Grounded theory and qualitative research
Management contexts for the use of qualitative methods
- Corporate culture
- Consumer decision-making
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

8. Questionnaire surveys
Introduction
The nature of questionnaire surveys
Merits of the questionnaire survey method
Interviewer-completion versus respondent-completion
Types of questionnaire survey
- The household questionnaire survey
- Street/quota intercept surveys
- Telephone surveys
- Mail surveys
- E-surveys
- Customer/visitor on-site intercept surveys
- Captive group surveys
- Organisation surveys
Questionnaire design
- Research problems and information requirements
- Open-ended and pre-coded questions
- W ording of questions
 - Measuring attitudes and opinions
- Ordering of questions
- Layout
- Filters
- Introductory remarks
Conducting a pilot survey
Validity of questionnaire surveys
Questionnaire-based interviewing
Coding
- Pre-coded questions
- Open-ended questions
- Recording coded information
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

9. The Case-study method

Introduction - defining the case-study method
Purposes
- Testing a single existing theory
- Evaluating existing alternative/competing theories
- Develop theory where none exists
Merits of the case-study approach
Types of case-study
Design of case-studies
- Defining the unit of analysis
- Selecting the case(s)
- Data gathering
Analysis
Case-studies in Practice
- Secondary data/textual/qualitative
- Secondary data/quantitative
- Multiple case-studies/biographical
- The Historical Narrative
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

10. Experimental methods

Introduction
Principles of experimental research
Variables, treatment and control
Experimental design
Experimental validity
- Internal validity
- External validity
- Field experiments vs. laboratory experiments
Quasi-experimental designs
- One-shot design
- One group pre-test–post-test design
- The static group design
Experimental research decisions
Summary
Test questions/Exercises/Further Reading

11. Sampling and its implications

Introduction: the idea of sampling
Samples and populations
Random sampling
- Introduction
- Random sampling in household surveys
- Random sampling in site/visitor/intercept surveys
- Random sampling and mail surveys
 Sample size
- Introduction
- Confidence intervals
- Level of detail of analysis
- Budget
- Small populations
W eighting
Sampling for qualitative research
Summary
Test questions/Exercises/Further Reading

PART III ANALYSIS

12. Analysing Secondary data

Introduction
Internal data
- Trend analysis
- Catchment area analysis
- Employee data
- Data mining
External data
- Catchment area analysis
- Demographic projection
- Company advertising and press coverage
The literature - Meta-analysis
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

13. Survey analysis

Introduction
Introduction to SPSS
- General
- Starting up
- Example data
- Saving your work
Defining variables - 'Variable View'
- Name
- Type
- W idth
- Decimals
- Labels
- Values
- Missing
- Columns
- Align
- Measure
Data entry
Survey analysis
- Types of research and approaches to analysis
- Starting up
- Frequencies for a single variable
- Frequencies for multiple variables
- Missing values
- Checking for errors
- Multiple response
- Recoding
- Means
- Attitude/Likert scales
- Presenting results
- Crosstabulation
 - W eighting
- Graphics
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

14. Statistical analysis

Introduction
The statistics approach
- Measures of central tendency and dispersion
- The idea of probabilistic statements
- The normal distribution
- Probabilistic statement formats
- Significance
- The null hypothesis
- Dependent and independent variables
W hat tests?
Chi-square test
- Introduction
- Null hypothesis
- The value of chi-square
- Degrees of freedom
- Expected frequencies rule
- Presentation of results
Comparing two means: the t-test
- Introduction
- Paired samples test
- Independent samples test
Comparing more than two means: one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)
- Introduction
Analysis of variance
- Introduction
- Null hypothesis
- Variance
- SPSS procedures and output
Comparing groups of means: factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA)
- Introduction
- Null hypothesis
- Factorial analysis of variance
Correlation
- Introduction
- Correlation coefficient ®)
- Significance of r
- SPSS and correlation
Regression
- Introduction
- Linear regression model
- SPSS and regression
- Nonlinear regression
- Multiple regression
Factor and cluster analysis
- Factor analysis
- Cluster analysis
In conclusion
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

15. Qualitative Analysis

Introduction
Data storage and confidentiality
Manual methods
- Introduction
 - Reading
- Emergent themes
- Mechanics
- Analysis
Qualitative analysis using computer software - introduction
NVivo
- Introduction
- Running NVivo software
- Starting up
- Creating a Project
- Creating documents
- Document attributes
- Coding documents
- Analysis
Summary
Questions, Exercises and Further Reading

PART IV REPORTING

16. Reporting Research Results

Introduction
The importance of the report
Actually getting started
Beginnings and Endings
- Cover and title page
- Contents page
- Executive summary/synopsis/abstract
- Preface/foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Appendices
Main body of the report – technical aspects
- Section numbering
- Heading hierarchy
- Paragraph numbering
- Page numbering
- Typing layout/spacing
-Tables, graphics and text
- Tables, graphics and text
Main body of the report – content
- Structure
- Functions of a report
- Audiences and style
- The narrative structure
- The report as ‘record’
Other media
In conclusion
Summary
Further Reading

Appendices
1. Print and electronic resources for management and business research
2. Increasing response rates in mail surveys
3. Suggested appendix on sample size and confidence intervals
4. Details of SPSS data file used in Chapter 14
5. Cluster analysis data