Lecture 1

Question 1

What is academic versus non-academic research?

Answer 1

Academic research is a process that people undertake in a systematic way (data collection and interpretation) in order to find out things, thereby increasing their knowledge.

To find things out: clear purpose; describing, explaining, understanding, criticizing or analysis with a clear purpose

Question 2

What are the 6 principles of academic research?

Answer 2

• Principle 1: Pose significant questions that can be investigated empirically.
• Principle 2: Link research to relevant theory.
• Principle 3: Use methodology that permits direct investigation of the question.
• Principle 4: Provide a coherent, explicit, and evidence-based chain of reasoning.
• Principle 5: Replicate and generalize across studies.
• Principle 6: Disclose research to encourage professional scrutiny, critique and peer review.

Question 3

What is the purpose of basic research?

Answer 3

• Expand knowledge of processes of business and management
• Results in universal principles relating to the process and its relationship to outcomes
• Findings of significance and value to society in general

Question 4

What is the purpose of applied research

Answer 4

• Improve understanding of particular business or management problem
• Results in solutions to problem
• New knowledge limited to problem
Findings of practical relevance and value to manager(s) in organisation(s)

Question 5

What is the context of basic research?

Answer 5

• Undertaken by people based in universities
• Choice of topic and objectives determined by the researcher
Flexible time scales

Question 6

What is the context of applied research?

Answer 6

• Undertaken by people based in a variety of settings including organisations and universities.
• Objectives negotiated with originator
Tight time scales

Question 7

Approach of deductive research?

Answer 7

General to specific

Question 8

Approach of inductive research?

Answer 8

Specific to general

Question 9

Logic of deductive research?

Answer 9

When the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true

Question 10

Logic of inductive research?

Answer 10

Known premises are used to generate untested conclusions

Question 11

Deductive use of data

Answer 11

Data collection used to evaluate hypotheses related to an existing theory

Question 12

Inductive use of data

Answer 12

Data collection is used to explore a phenomenon, identify themes and patterns and create a conceptual framework

Question 13

Type of theory deductive?

Answer 13

Theory falsification or verification

Question 14

Type of theory inductive?

Answer 14

Theory generation and building

Question 15

Purpose of quantitative study?

Answer 15

To describe concepts numerically to answer specific research question using hypotheses

Question 16

Purpose of qualitative research?

Answer 16

To provide rich narrative description of phenomena that enhance understanding

Question 17

Research question with quantitative study

Answer 17

Specific, ‘To what extent?’, Static, Outcome oriented

Question 18

Research question with qualitative study

Answer 18

General, ‘How?’, ‘Why?’, Evolving, Process oriented

Question 19

Characteristics of quantitative study

Answer 19

Conceptual model, Concepts, variables, operationalization, hypotheses

Question 20

Characteristics of quantitative study

Answer 20

Framing, Phenomena, No hypotheses

Question 21

Research design quantitative study

Answer 21

Surveys, experiments

Question 22

Research design qualitative research

Answer 22

Ethnopraphies, grounded theory, case study, narrative research

Question 23

Data analysis quantitative study

Answer 23

Regressions (SPSS), Path models

Question 24

Data analysis qualitative study

Answer 24

Tamplate analysis, matrix method

Question 25

Steps the researcher takes in qualitative research

Answer 25

empirical patterns to theory
1. Gather information (e.g. interviews, observations)
2. Ask open-ended questions of participants or records field notes
3. Analyze data to form themes or categories
4. Looks for broad patterns, generalizations, or theories from themes or categories
Poses generalizations or theories

Question 26

Steps the researcher takes in quantitative research

Answer 26

theory to empirical patterns

1. Test or verifies a theory
2. Tests hypotheses deducted from the theory
3. Defines and operationalizes variables derived from the theory
4. Measures or observes variables using an instrument to obtain scores (surveys)

Question 27

Inductive research is

Answer 27

theory building, qualitative research, Richness of data

Question 28

Deductive research is

Answer 28

theory testing, quantitative research, frequency of the data

Question 29

What is theory?

Answer 29

“Theory is about the connections among phenomena, a story about why acts, events, structure, and thoughts occur. Theory emphasizes the nature of causal relationships, identifying what comes first as well as the timing of such events. Strong theory, in our view, delves into underlying processes so as to understand the systematic reasons for a particular occurrence or non-occurrence.”

Question 30

Why is theory important?

Answer 30

1. Organizing principle
2. Enhances our understanding of various phenomena
3. Enhances our understanding of relations between those phenomena
4. Allows us to predict phenomena

Question 31

What is a concept?

Answer 31

Concept is a general idea in our heads about a variable/notion included in our research.
E.g., employees’ satisfaction with their job.

Question 32

What is a construct?

Answer 32

Construct answers the questions “what is this concept of satisfaction with one’s job”? When the researcher defines what the concept means, (s)he constructs its meaning within the framework of the theory at hand. The concept is no longer a vague idea, but it is now more formally defined.
E.g., job satisfaction: the extent to which an employee is happy with his job, including autonomy and supervision.

Question 33

What is a phenomenon?

Answer 33

In scientific usage, a phenomenon is any event that is observable.
E.g., increased employees’ satisfaction with their job after (large) financial bonus is payed out; longevity of family businesses; new venture creation during the financial crisis.

Question 34

What is a causality

Answer 34

Causality is the relationship between cause and effect. The casual relationship between two or more constructs: one construct (cause) is influencing other construct (effect).
E.g., the size of bonus (cause) influences employees’ job satisfaction (effect).

Question 35

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 35

Hypothesis is a conjectural (i.e. speculative) statement of the researcher’s expectations about how the concepts in the study are related. A hypothesis is the investigator’s prediction or expectation what the results will show. Hypothesis is thus testable proposition about the relationship between two or more events or concepts.
E.g., “Bonus size positively influences employees’ job satisfaction”.

Question 36

What is logical reasoning?

Answer 36

Logical reasoning is process used in theory development to explain why relationships may exist based on what is already known.
E.g., explanation why positive relationship between bonus size and employee job satisfaction exists, based on theoretical arguments and empirical evidence.