RESEARCH IN THE

BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
ASSESSMENT 2: GROUP PROJECT BASED ON UNITS 1-3
ALPHAS – MOEISHA WILLIAMS & LINDSAY ALI
DATE: 11TH FEBRUARY, 2022
 CHOSEN RESEARCH TOPIC

The impacts of corporate social responsibility on

organizations financial performance: evidence from
maldives public limited companies.
 ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

• Why is research important in the business environment?

• What is the purpose of (a) the research proposal (b) the research
report?
• What is a literature review, and how students should proceed to
compile this section of the research paper?
• What is a theoretical framework, what is its significance to the
research endeavour?
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN THE
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT .

Every business should conduct research, and it should not be an

unusual occurrence. To stay on top of industry developments and
maintain a competitive edge, successful organizations perform
research on a regular basis. Poor decision-making may stem from a
failure to base decisions on research. This can result in the loss of
clients, money, and eventually the failure of a business.
 IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN THE
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

For example, A business that spends money to launch a new

product without first performing research to discover which
customers would buy it and at what price they will buy it
may end up marketing the product to the wrong customers
and pricing it too high for the market. This could result in
low product sales and failure.
 IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH CON’T.

The research topic that was used in this assignment is The impacts of
corporate social responsibility on organizations financial
performance: evidence from maldives public limited companies.
The importance of the research is to find out the impacts of
corporate social responsibility on organizations financial
performance.
 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH
PROPOSAL
A research proposal is a documented plan for doing research to solve
a particular problem. It enables the researcher to think critically
about the study and express "what, why, how, where, and to whom
the research will be done" clearly and simply (Cooper & Schindler,
2014, p. 591). It enables management to assess if the study, as
prepared by the researcher, will fulfil its goal, provide valuable data,
and do so within the period and money allotted. The research
proposal should be written in future tense.
 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
CON’T.

The purpose of the research proposal in the research paper (The

impacts of corporate social responsibility on organizations financial
performance: evidence from maldives public limited companies) that
was selected is to find out the impacts of corporate social
responsibilies on organizations financial performance .
 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH
REPORT?

The purpose of the business research report is to tell management

about the study's findings. Because of how it will be utilized, it is
critical that the report have precise information in specified areas
and that it be presented professionally. You may note that the
components of the research report are similar to those in the research
proposal when you examine them. They are not, however, identical.
The research report should be written in past tense.
 PURPOSE OF THE RESEACH REPORT IN THE
CHOSEN REPORT PAPER.

The purpose of the research report in the paper (The impacts of corporate social responsibility on
organizations financial performance: evidence from maldives public limited companies) is to determine
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and the relationship between CSR and FP among Maldives
public enterprises. This study is a longitudinal study that used a mixed-methods approach. The findings
show that there is a significant negative relationship between CSR and ROA, environment and ROE,
diversity and EPS, and when the size of the firm is controlled, there is a significant negative relationship
between CSR and ROA; thus, it can be concluded that CSR and FP have a significant negative relationship.
 WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW ?

Literature reviews are intended to provide an overview of

the sources you used while researching a specific topic and
to show your readers how your research fits into a larger
field of study
 LITERATURE REVIEW CON’T

• Examines scholarly sources on a particular topic.

• This document provides an overview of current knowledge.
• Identifies gaps in existing research.
• It can be found as part of a dissertation or on its own.
 PURPOSE OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW
✓Demonstrate knowledge of the topic and scholarly context.
✓Create a theoretical framework as well as a methodology.
✓Compare your approach to that of other researchers.
✓Demonstrate how your research contributes to the larger
picture.
 PURPOSE CON’T

This report has significance for academics and businesses interested

in learning more about CSR and FP in underdeveloped nations like
the Maldives. One of the most significant outcomes of this research
is the CSR framework used, which is not a custom-tailored
instrument particular to the Maldives but rather was adapted from
another research paper.
  
COMPONENTS OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW

The following items should be included in the

literature review:
• • The goal of the literature review
• • An overview of the topic under consideration
COMPONENTS OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW

.• A clear categorization of selected sources into those that

support your position, those that oppose it, and those that
offer completely different arguments.
• A discussion of both the uniqueness of each source and its
similarities to others.
HOW TO PREPARE A LITERATURE REVIEW:

Step 1

• Search for relevant literature

 DEFINING YOUR RESEARCH PROBLEM
•Example: Impact of corporate social responsibility on
organization’s financial performance: evidence from
Maldives public limited companies

Sameer, I. Impact of corporate social responsibility on

organization’s financial performance: evidence from Maldives
public limited companies. Futur Bus J 7, 29 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-021-00075-8
 IDENTIFYING KEYWORDS

Examples from the Business Journal:

• Corporate social responsibility

• Financial performance
• Maldives
• Return on assets
• Return on equity and earning per share
 WHERE TO SEARCH

• UWILinc
• Google Scholar
• JSTOR
• EBSCO
In terms of the journal used for our example
https://www.springeropen.com/
 STEP 2
EVALUTE AND SELECT SOURCES

• Questions to ask about sources

✓ What question is addressed?

✓ What are the key concepts?

✓ What are the key theories and methods?

✓ What are the results and conclusions?

✓ How does it relate to other studies?

✓ What are the key insights and arguments?

✓ What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

 STEP 3
IDENTIFY THEMES, DEBATES AND GAPS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Trends in the literature over time

• Key themes
• Debates and disagreements
• Pivotal publications
• Research gaps
 EXAMPLES OF GAPS

According to Wang et al, there are numerous researches on CSR discipline in respect of FP in
foreign countries, especially in developed nations, indicating a dearth of studies in the Maldives
context. As per the researcher's knowledge so far, there is only one study done in the local
context on CSR. In that research, the author investigates the CSR context in the Maldives and
has not explored the CSR and FP relation. Hence, this provides a gap for further studies in
finding the relationship between CSR and FP in public listed companies in the Maldives.
Therefore, this study of CSR and FP in public listed companies in the Maldives tries to attempt
to fill this gap in the literature.
 STEP 4
OUTLINE YOUR STRUCTURE

• A literature review follows the basic structure of

most academic writing: It has an introduction, a
body, and a conclusion
 FORMAT OF A LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Introduction establishing purpose

2. Body analyzing the literature

3.Conclusion summarizing key findings
 COMMON STRUCTURES

• Chronological:
• Thematic:
• Methodological:
• Theoretical:
For example in the research paper chosen a theoretical approach has
been applied, to determine the relationship between Corporate Social
Responsibility and Financial Performance
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
• The theoretical framework is one of the most important
aspects in the research process,

• The theoretical framework serves as a "blueprint" for the

entire dissertation investigation. It serves as a foundation
for your research, as well as a framework for defining
how you will approach the dissertation philosophically,
epistemologically, methodologically, and analytically.
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK EXAMPLE

•Empirical evidence regarding the relationship between CSR and FP

•In the academic literature, the theoretical linkage between CSR and FP of the
organization found inconsistency results. Hence, the body of knowledge in
this regards can be categorized into three spectra that is some argue that CSR
can enhance FP of the organization, other researchers argue that CSR rather
reduced firms’ performance, and finally, other schools of thought argue that
there exists no relation between CSR and organization performance
HOW TO CREATE A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

• Step 1: Identify your key concepts

The concepts of “Corporate Social Responsibility ” and
“Financial Performance ” are clearly central to this
Research Journal
• Step 2: Analyze and explain pertinent theories

• As you write the theoretical framework, try to

compare and critically evaluate the approaches
proposed by different authors.
Step 3: Show how your research fits in
• Aside from discussing other people's theories, the
theoretical framework should demonstrate how
your own project will apply these concepts.
 THE STRUCTURE OF THE THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK

• The theoretical framework is sometimes integrated into

a literature review chapter in a thesis or dissertation, but
it can also be included as its own chapter or section. It's
a good idea to include a separate theoretical framework
chapter if your research involves dealing with a lot of
complex theories.
 EXAMPLE:

• In the Business research journal: Impact of corporate social

responsibility on organization’s financial performance:
evidence from Maldives public limited companies.
• The Theoretical framework was the Section that discussed
Empirical evidence regarding the relationship between CSR
and FP
 Importance of a Theoretical
Framework
•.
• The theoretical framework serves as the foundation upon which all
knowledge (metaphorically and literally) for a research study is built.
• It provides structure and support for the study's rationale, problem
statement, purpose, significance, and research questions.
• The theoretical framework serves as a foundation or anchor for the
literature review, as well as the methods and analysis.
 REFERENCES

How to write a literature review · Help & how-to · Concordia University Library.
Library.concordia.ca. (2020). Retrieved 4 February 2022, from
https://library.concordia.ca/help/writing/literature-review.php#:~:text=The%20literature%20
review%20is%20a,and%20evaluation%20of%20each%20source
.

Literature Reviews – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The
Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2012). Retrieved 4 February
2022, from https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/.

Mc Combes, S. (2021). How to write a literature review. Scribbr. Retrieved 4 February 2022,

from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/.
 REFERANCES CON’T

Sameer, I. Impact of corporate social responsibility on organization’s financial

performance: evidence from Maldives public limited companies. Futur Bus
J 7, 29 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-021-00075-8

Vinz, S. (2020). Developing your theoretical framework. Scribbr. Retrieved 5

February 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/theoretical-
framework
 REFERENCES CON’T
Sameer, I. (2021, August 16). Impact of corporate social responsibility on organization's
financial performance: Evidence from Maldives Public Limited Companies - Future
Business Journal. SpringerOpen. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from
https://fbj.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43093-021-00075-8#Sec1
Importance of research in Business Management. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from
https://universalteacher.com/1/importance-of-research-in-business-management/
2020.tle.courses.open.uwi.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from
https://2020.tle.courses.open.uwi.edu/pluginfile.php/41918/mod_resource/content/2/
SOWK1001%20Unit%20FINAL%208.pdf
 REFERENCES CON’T

Courses.open.uwi.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from

http://courses.open.uwi.edu/pluginfile.php/1722/mod_resource/content/2/EDTK
%202030%20Unit%201.pdf
2021.tle.courses.open.uwi.edu. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from
https://2021.tle.courses.open.uwi.edu/pluginfile.php/16568/mod_resource/
content/2/MGMT2063_Unit%202.pdf
UWI open campus secure login - university of the west indies. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 2, 2022, from https://myopen.uwi.edu/group/mycampus/home