The Nature of Business and Management Research

Slide 1.
Chapter 1
The nature of business and management

research
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 1.2
Introduction to the research process
Things to consider
• Realities and pitfalls of research
• Approaches, strategies and methods
• Techniques and procedures for data collection and

analysis
• Appropriate use of information technology
Slide 1.3
Terminology
Methods -
The techniques and procedures used to obtain data
Methodology -
The theory of how research should be undertaken
Slide 1.4
The nature of research

Definition:
‘Something that people undertake in order to find things out

in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge’
Saunders et al. (2015)
Characteristics:
• Data are collected systematically
• Data are interpreted systematically
• There is a clear purpose to find things out

Slide 1.5
Features of business and management

research
• Managers draw on knowledge from other disciplines
• Managers are more likely to allow access if they see

commercial or personal advantage
• Managers now tend to be as educated as the researchers
• Managers require research to have some practical

consequence
Slide 1.6

research
• Knowledge production –
• ‘Evidence based’ management
• Basic and applied research
Slide 1.7

research
Basic and applied research
al. (1993)
Slide 1.8
Types of Business Research.

1.Applied Research
• Is to solve a current problem faced by the manager in
the work settings, demanding a timely solution.
2.Basic Research (Fundamental/Pure)

• Is to generate a body of knowledge by trying to
comprehend how certain problems that occur in
organizations can be solved.
• The findings of such research contribute to the
building of knowledge in the various functional areas
of business.
Slide 1.9
Managers in organizations constantly engage themselves

in studying and analyzing issues and hence are involved in
some form of research activity as they make decisions at
the workplace.
•Sometimes managers make good decisions and the

problem gets solved.
• Sometimes managers make poor decisions and the

problem persists.
• The difference between making good decisions and poor

decisions, lies in how managers go about the
decision-making process.
Slide 1.10
Good decision making fetches a “ yes ” answer to

the following questions:
1.Do managers identify where exactly the

problem lies?
2. Do they correctly recognize the relevant

factors in the situation needing investigation?
3. Do they know what types of information are to

be gathered and how?
Slide 1.11
Research and the Manager
• Problems in Accounting:
- Budget control systems
- Inventory costing methods
- Depreciation
- Time-series behavior of quarterly earnings
- Transfer pricing
- - Taxation methods
Slide 1.12
Problems in Finance:
- The operations of financial institutions

- Optimum financial ratios
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Leveraged buyouts
- Inter-corporate financing
- Yields on mortgages
- The behavior of the stock exchange
Slide 1.13
Problems in Management:
-Employee attitudes and behaviors

-Human resources management
-The impact of changing demographics on
management practices
- Production operations management
- Strategy formulation
Slide 1.14
Problems in Marketing:
-Product image
- Advertising
- Sales promotion
-Product distribution
- Product packaging
- Product pricing
-After-sales service
- Consumer preferences
- New product development
Slide 1.15
The research process

Stages of the research process
• Formulating and clarifying a topic
• Reviewing the literature
• Designing the research
• Collecting data
• Analysing data
• Writing up
Slide 1.16
Main Contents of Business Research Report
Abstract - Brief summary of the contents of the article

Introduction - A explanation of the purpose of the study, a statemen
t of the research question(s) the study intends to address
Literature review - A critical assessment of the work done so far on
this topic, to show how the current study relates to what has already
been done
Methods - How the study was carried out (e.g. instruments or equip
ment, procedures, methods to gather and analyze data)
Results - What was found in the course of the study
Discussion - What do the results mean
Conclusion - State the conclusions and implications of the results,
and discuss how it relates to the work reviewed in the literature
review; also, point to directions for further work in the area
Slide 1.17
The research process (2)
Factors to consider
• The impact of your personal feelings and beliefs
• Access to data
• Time and other resources
• Validity and reliability of the data
• Ethical issues
Slide 1.18
Conclusion
Business and management research
• Is transdisciplinary
• Engages with both theory and practice
• Involves undertaking systematic research
• Should be undertaken with rigour
Slide 1.19
And finally……..
“there is no one best way for

undertaking all research”

The Nature of Business and Management Research

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Slide 1.

The nature of business and management

Introduction to the research process

• Realities and pitfalls of research

• Approaches, strategies and methods

• Techniques and procedures for data collection and

• Appropriate use of information technology

The techniques and procedures used to obtain data

The theory of how research should be undertaken

The nature of research

‘Something that people undertake in order to find things out

• Data are collected systematically

• Data are interpreted systematically

• There is a clear purpose to find things out

Features of business and management

• Managers draw on knowledge from other disciplines

• Managers are more likely to allow access if they see

• Managers now tend to be as educated as the researchers

• Managers require research to have some practical

Features of business and management

• ‘Evidence based’ management

• Basic and applied research

Features of business and management

Types of Business Research.

2.Basic Research (Fundamental/Pure)

Managers in organizations constantly engage themselves

•Sometimes managers make good decisions and the

• Sometimes managers make poor decisions and the

• The difference between making good decisions and poor

Good decision making fetches a “ yes ” answer to

1.Do managers identify where exactly the

2. Do they correctly recognize the relevant

3. Do they know what types of information are to

Research and the Manager

- The operations of financial institutions

-Employee attitudes and behaviors

The research process

• Formulating and clarifying a topic

• Reviewing the literature

• Designing the research

Main Contents of Business Research Report

Abstract - Brief summary of the contents of the article

The research process (2)

• The impact of your personal feelings and beliefs

• Time and other resources

• Validity and reliability of the data

Business and management research

• Engages with both theory and practice

• Involves undertaking systematic research

• Should be undertaken with rigour

“there is no one best way for

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