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Question 1

What is business research?

Answer 1

A series of well-thought out activities and carefully executed data analyses that help a manager to avoid, solve or minimise a problem

Question 2

Why should future managers know about research?

Answer 2

To be able to perform, steer and evaluate business research

Question 3

Hallmarks of “good” (business) research

Answer 3

Purposiveness, Rigor, Objectivity, Parsimony, Replicability and Generalizability

Question 4

Hallmark #1: Purposiveness

Answer 4

Knowing “the why” of your research

Question 5

Hallmark #2: Rigor

Answer 5

Ensuring a sound theoretical and a sound methodological design

(representative? unbiased questions?)

Question 6

Hallmark #3: Objectivity

Answer 6

Drawing conclusions based on facts (rather than on subjective ideas)

Question 7

Hallmark #4: Parsimony

Answer 7

“Shaving away” unnecessary details

explaining a lot with a little

Question 8

Hallmark #5: Replicability

Answer 8

Finding the same results if the research is repeated in similar circumstances

(describe your study design in detail)

Question 9

Hallmark #6: Generalizability

Answer 9

Being able to apply the research findings in a wide variety of different settings

(this should hold for fundamental research, but much less so for applied research)

Question 10

Applied research

Answer 10

• To solve a current problem faced by a manager
• Applied to a specific company
• Within firms or research agencies

Question 11

Fundamental research

Answer 11

• Also called basic or pure research
• To generate new knowledge about how problems that occur in several firms can be solved
• Applies to several organisational settings
• Mainly within universities (and knowledge institutes)

(Ideally the goal of fundamental research is that at a later stage it can be applied by organisations in smaller settings to solve their own problems)

Question 12

INDUCTIVE RESEARCH

Answer 12

• Data -> Theory
• Building theory
• “from the bottom up”

Question 13

DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH

Answer 13

• Theory->Data
• Testing theory
• “from the top down”

Question 14

7 steps in inductive research

Answer 14

1 define the business problem
2 formulate the problem statement
3 provide a conceptual background
4 choose a research design
5 collect data
6 analyse data
7 develop theory

Question 15

7 steps in deductive research

Answer 15

1 define the business problem
2 formulate the problem statement
3 develop a theoretical framework (incl. hypotheses)
4 choose a research design
5 collect data
6 analyse data
7 write-up

Question 16

Advantages of internal consultants

Answer 16

1 Better chance of being readily accepted by the employees
2 Team requires less time to understand the structure, philosophy and climate, and the functioning and work systems of the organisation
3 Available to implement their recommendations after the research findings have been completed
4 Might cost less than external consultants

Question 17

Disadvantages of internal consultants

Answer 17

1 May fall into stereotyped way of looking at the organization and its problems
2 Powerful coalitions to influence the internal team
3 Research team not perceived as experts
4 Bias: findings less objective

Question 18

Advantages of external consultants

Answer 18

1 External team can draw on a wealth of experience from having worked with different types of organisations have had the same or similar types of problems
2 More knowledge of current sophisticated problem-solving models and latest innovations through their periodic training programs, which the teams within the organisation may not have access to

Question 19

Disadvantages of external consultants

Answer 19

1 Costs of hiring is usually high
2 External team seldom get a warm welcome, nor are readily accepted by employees (more difficult to enlist their cooperation)
3 Additional fees for assistance in implementation and evaluation phases