3 rd and 4 th

Learning Outcomes Students should be able to identify, describe and summarize the steps in the research process

Outlines Broad problem area Steps in business research process The connection between steps in business research with thesis writing for students The connection between business research with managerial decision Preliminary data gathering Searching and finding ideas for research Observation for browsing themes

Broad Problem Area Applied Research: Problems currently existing that need to be solved. Areas that is believed to be improved. Basic Research: Conceptual or theoretical issue that needs to be tightened up to understand certain phenomena. Some Research questions that wants to be answered empirically.

Preliminary Data Collection The Nature of Information needed: Contextual factors: background information of the organization. Structural aspects: managerial philosophy and company policies. Value system and culture: perceptions, attitudes and behavioral responses.

Background information on the organization The origin and history of the company Size in terms of employees, assets or both Charter – purpose and ideology Location – regional, national or other Resources – human and others Interdependent relationships with other institutions and the external environment Financial position during the previous 5 to 10 yeas, and relevant data

Management Philosophy Roles and positions in the organization and number of employees at each job level Extent of specialization Communication channels Coordination and span of control Reward system Workflow system and the like

Perceptions, Attitudes and Behavioral Responses Nature of the work Workflow interdependencies Superiors in the organization Participation in decision making Client system Co-workers Rewards provided by the organization, e.g. pay raises and fringe benefit Opportunities for advancement Organization’s attitudes toward employees’ family responsibility

Literature Survey Is the documentation of a comprehensive review of the published and unpublished work from secondary sources of data in the specific area of interest.

Literature Survey Reasons for a literature survey Tracking the previous understanding of the research area. Have not missed anything important to understand. Determine the important variables Integrate information from literature into the research design Develop theoretical framework Determine originality of study.

Good Literature Survey thus ensures: Important Variables that are likely to influence the problem situation are not left out of the study. A clearer idea emerges as to what variables would be most important to consider (parsimony). (5 W). The problem statement can be made with precision and clarity. Testability and replicability of the findings of the current research are enhanced. Does not run the risk of rediscovering something that is already known. The problem investigated is perceived by the scientist community as relevant and significant.

Conducting the Literature Survey: Identifying the relevant sources: Bibliographic databases Abstract databases Full text databases. Extracting the relevant information. Writing up the literature review.

Writing up the Literature Review The write up needs to: Convince the reader that the researcher is knowledgeable about the problem area and has done the background work. The theoretical framework will be built on work already done and will add to the solid foundation of the existing knowledge.

Writing a literature review cont... Get as many relevant articles as possible. Read all and highlight points of interest or importance. Note down key issues that are arising across the articles. Plan the writing up of the literature review around these key points. Begin writing by drawing on the points you found and discussing each authors’ work

Writing a literature review cont... Keep a record of all citations and quotations - keep a running reference section. It is easy to forget where you read something. Keep reading while you are writing to add to the literature review. Take note of key references / citations made by authors you are reading. Check these out. References must be current unless it is a seminal piece. Eg Doll (1988) on user satisfaction factors.

Supporting your case To provide evidence either use quotations from a reliable source or follow statement with citation eg ‘Most organisations use SQL’ (Smith 1998, Lo 1992) When citing a book as evidence, include the page number even if you are not quoting from the book. See pg 52 Sekaran Eg The failure of information systems is often caused by poor communication. (Bresko 1993, 41)

Reference Style You are expected to use the Harvard style for referencing. See Little Black Book - available from the book shop. (see also page 80 Sekaran.) Example Norman, D. A. (1990). The Design of Everyday Things. New York, Currency Doubleday. Pieratti, D. D. (1995). “How the Process and Organization Can Help or Hinder Adding Value.” Journal of the Society for Technical Communication 42(1):