Research is not a linear process, and it is done through a recursive and reiterative way. However, researchers frequently find it useful to have a research programme or structured plan of the research process that they can, at least theoretically, think about as a plan of action deviating from as need arises. In some universities and business schools a structured research plan is considered so essential that it is an integral part of the research proposal.
The Field of study and the Research Problem
Establishing a field of study is usually straightforward and most researchers will decide to study a problem either in their original discipline or in the area in which they are or have recently been working. Clearly the more competence the researcher has in the proposed field of study the easier it will be to identify a suitable research problem or question.
The research problem should remain open at least until the literature review has been completed because this will reveal interesting research questions and problems that the researcher needs to consider. The wide end of the funnel is where the general field of study is selected and as the researcher travels further into the funnel so different issues are consider. Some are rejected in the process, and on arriving at the point at the end of the funnel the research question has become obvious.
Eight Phases of the Research Process in an Area Selected
It is useful to think of the research process as consisting of eight specific phases.
These are:
Reviewing the literature;
Formalising a research question;
Establishing the methodology;
Collecting evidence;
Analysing the evidence;
Developing conclusions;
Understanding the limitations of the research
Producing management guidelines or recommendations.
The Literature Review
The literature review is a material part of the research process, taking a significant amount of the time and the energy to be expended on the research degree. Furthermore the literature review is never completed, as the researcher has to remain abreast of the latest literature right up to the final publication of the dissertation.
As already mentioned, in the first instance the researcher should have some idea of the field of study, or the area of his or her interest in which the research is to be carried out. This will perhaps be related to earlier undergraduate academic interests, or to current working experience, or both. Defining the field of study in such broad terms would be specific enough at the early stage of the research project.
The next step is to review the literature in this general area in some detail. This means reading as much of the published material on the subject area as possible. Initially the researcher needs to review all possible references available, including textbooks, academic papers, professional magazines and newspapers. In addition television broadcasts and video recordings are also acceptable sources during this stage of the literature review. Emphasis should be placed on the most recent material.
However, as the researchers’ interests begin to focus on a possible research topic, the literature emphasis should be increasingly placed on papers published in academically reviewed journals. The popular press and even textbooks should be given relatively low emphasis at this stage. Of course, it is sometimes the case that the topic is so new or novel that the popular press or videos have be used as a primary source of reference material. In such cases it is important that support for views expressed in these media be sought from experts in the field.
The literature review should indicate a suitable problem to research as well as give the researcher some idea of the research methods or approaches that have been traditionally used in this field. In reviewing the literature it is useful to look for contradictions or paradoxes. These usually suggest that there is an interesting research question which could be addressed for a masters or doctoral degree.
It is important to note that in the dissertation the literature should be critically evaluated and not just accepted on face value. It is this critical evaluation of the thoughts of other academics which usually leads to the formulation of suitable research question.
Traditionally researchers used paper reference indexes available in the university or business school library as the way of initiating a literature search. These references lead researchers to seminal papers in the field of interest and these papers in turn contained references to other important papers. However, increasingly this type of paper-based literature search is being replaced by electronic searchers.
Many libraries now supply their students with access to electronic databases, either over telecommunications networks or on CD-ROM. In addition, there are extensive literature search facilities on the Internet, which is currently available to researchers at a low cost.
By the end of the literature review the researcher should have a vision of what he or she wishes to achieve in his or her research.
Choosing the Methodology
In the first place the literature review should reveal not only a suitable problem to be researched but also a suitable methodology which has been applied to this type of research question in previous research projects. This implies that the researcher is familiar with the range of methodologies, research strategies and tactics available, and knows something about their individual strengths and weakness.
As a general rule, precedent should be followed, although this may be abandoned if a suitable case can be made for a new methodological approach.
For example case studies may be used to establish a grounded theory (Glaser and strauss,1967), a survey may be used to confirm a theoretical conjecture and a longitudinal study may be employed to see if the effect of some action research is sustained.
Formalising a Research Question
Research questions usually mature and develop throughout the early part of the research project. They are artefacts that help direct and focus the researcher’s thinking in the creation of new knowledge.
Although working experience is a good starting point for establishing the research question, it is the literature review that should reveal problems or areas of incomplete knowledge in the field of interest. Establishing a research question without appropriate evidence from the literature is a risky approach and should not be undertaken lightly.
This usually means developing a theoretical conjecture and deriving from this statement a set of hypotheses or empirical generalisations.
It is important that there should only be a small number of research questions in any one study, in the order of three to five.
Evidence Collection
The essence of the research process is to answer the research questions, by producing suitable evidence supported by appropriate arguments. Thus a suitable tactic for the collection of evidence is required and the researcher may choose from those listed in Chapter 3.
In general, business and management researchers at the masters and doctoral level ask questions related to how and why. To answer these types of questions it is necessary to use evidence collection techniques that focus on these sorts of questions. These tend to be phenomenological approaches that are generally of more value in the academic environment than those concerned with questions of how much or when.
On the other hand, some research questions such as those involving the financial and international currency markets, do actually lend themselves to qualitative evidence as opposed to the more quantitative evidence.
Analysis of Evidence
Iterpretative analysis which is employed by the phenomenologist relies on an entirely different skill set which is at least as demanding as the mathematical skills required for quantitative analysis. This skill set consists of the ability to conceptualise on the basis of the evidence available and the patterns emerging from it. This type of analysis may be referred to as hermeneutics.
Conclusions of the Research
Drawing conclusions from the evidence and presenting it is a convincing argument can be the most creative part of a research project. The conclusions should convince the reader that something of value has been added to the body of knowledge. As Collins(1994) points out, the conclusions deduced from the research need to be carefully argued in such a way that they will convince the research community, which in the case masters or doctoral research will be the supervisor, the external examiners and perhaps the research sponsor.
The conclusions in business and management research should offer advice to practicing managers as to how to conduct their business and management practices more efficiently and more effectively. Good research results are those that are put to use and which remain in use for some time. Bad or poor research results are either not used at all or are only used for a short period. The conclusions section of a dissertation will usually suggest ideas for further research.
It is important to understand that the conclusion of a masters or doctorate degree may be to reject the theoretical conjecture from which the research questions have been derived. This is sometimes seen as a problem by the researcher, but in fact it is not. The refutation of a conjecture is generally regarded as just as important a contribution to the body of knowledge as the confirmation of conjecture. Of course in such a case the reasons why the original conjecture are rejected will have to be carefully argued.
Understanding the Limitations of the Research
As the research proceeds the researcher develops a greater understanding of the research question, the research process and the research findings. This means that the final dissertation will be a piece of work that could be improved upon if the researcher were to start the research project again.
An understanding of the limitations of the dissertation is a key part of the development of the researcher and this self-discovery needs to be demonstrated in the final chapter of the dissertation. This is sometimes referred to as reflectivity because it represents the main opportunity the researcher has to reflect on his or her work and to be self-critical of the approach taken as well as of the findings produced. This is a critical part of a research degree, especially at the doctoral level.
Producing Management Guidelines or Recommendations
As a business and management research is essentially a field of applied studies it is appropriate that a masters or doctoral degree should conclude by converting its findings into a series of practical management guidelines. These management guidelines will simply offer advice to managers on how they may improve the performance of the operation either in terms of increased efficiency or enhanced effectiveness.
This is a useful way to conclude the research for a masters or doctoral degree especially if the researcher is able to offer these guidelines or suggestions to managers and see if they agree with the proposals.
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