WEEK 1 – RESEARCH PROPOSAL RESEARCH PROJECT WEEK 1 – RESEARCH PROPOSAL

STARTING POINT Where do I start? This is the point most learners find difficult, it is recommended, but not in all cases that the starting point should be the library. Look through texts Find areas of interest Analysing other research that has taken place Journals Mintel reports Issues that have arisen in the workplace Newspaper articles

THINKING OF A RESEARCH TOPIC Blaxter (1996), suggests ten ways to think of a research topic; Ask your supervisor, manager, friends, colleagues, customers, clients or family Look at previous research Develop some of your previous research, or your practice at work Relate it to your other interests Think of a title Start from a quote that engages you Follow your hunches Draw yourself a picture or a diagram Just start anywhere Be prepared to change direction

ACTIVITY 1 Working in small groups, using post-it notes identify 10 possible topics that would make a good business research project. Discuss each of the proposals you identify Then, starting with what the group feels would make the best project first, stick the post-its on a wall in order of priority and present your ideas to the rest of the group

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES CASE STUDY ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK SURVEYS EXPERIMENTS LONGITUDINAL STUDIES NARRATIVE ENQUIRY TRIANGULATION ACTION RESEARCH

THE CASE STUDY Needham (2001), states, “while the literature is replete to references to case studies and with examples of case study reports, there seems to be little agreement about what a case study is”. However, since this statement there has been a slight consensus over the usage and meaning; Yin (1994), indicated, “a case study is an empirical enquiry which ‘allows investigation into a contemporary phenomenon within its real life context, especially when the boundaries between the phenomenon and context are not too clearly evident”. Stake (1995), describes doing case study research as,’coming to understand the activity (of a single case) within important circumstances’

THE CASE STUDY CONT’D A range of research methods Not just about description or event Evidence has to be systematically gathered and the interaction of the variables needs to be analysed SEE EXAMPLE – www.tt100.org.uk

ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK Depends on observation skills and integration into the situation being examined In being a participant observer, this form of research allows the researcher to share the same experiences as the subjects, and by doing so, the researcher is better able to appreciate some of the issues and so develop a better understanding of why individuals behave in a particular way. I.e. researching homeless people in London

SURVEYS Surveys obtain information so that it can be analysed. There are generally two forms of surveys; The census The sample

The census Asking the same questions to all respondents Target audience

The sample Sample a representative section of the population Findings are then representative of the whole population Need to make sure they are accurate to the target group Careful piloting is required for wording questions to avoid ambiguity Bell (1999), states, “Surveys can provide answers to the questions What? Where? When? And How?, but it is not so easy to find out Why?

EXPERIMENTS (intervention and non-intervention) Research deliberately controls and manipulates the conditions which determines the events they are analysing

LONGITUDINAL STUDIES Study over a period of time Focuses on a group of subjects or a range of variables Researches the dynamics of a problem or issue Needs repeated observations Can be time consuming E.g. T.V. programme 49up, impact of new working environment on staff at Stephenson College

NARRATIVE ENQUIRY Uses a story Discuss examples of situations that may occur Used for future planning of events in order to develop an understanding of how to make key decisions E.g. emergency situations, atomic bomb, environmental issues

TRIANGULATION Researches can use more than one method Can overcome some of the problems and issues arising from a single method of research Helps produce more reliable results Denzin (1`970), describes triangulation as, “the combination of methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon”.

ACTION RESEARCH Researcher tries to identify their own solution to a problem or issue whilst working as a practitioner or employee I.e. working as an action researcher you might go into a situation where there is a particular problem. Having diagnosed the problem, you would then come up with a solution which you would then implement and reflect upon. For example: ‘How do I get on better with my customers and will this help to generate more sales?’ So, the researcher might then use a range of techniques to build better relationships. Reflecting upon these, they might see what works and what does not work, and again make changes accordingly.

CONCLUSION You need to think about these methodologies and when you have narrowed down a topic or idea think about which method is most suitable for your work You research methodology must be identified and justified within your proposal Next week we will be looking at research questions and hypotheses