Overview of the Research Process for Business Students

‘Research is a diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject I order to discover or revise facts, theories and applications etc.: recent research in medicine’ (www.dictionary.com).

WHAT IS RESEARCH? It is a planned process whereby information is collected for a specific purpose, analysed and reported.

Secondary data using existing data, as related to new data that is being gathered or have been recently gathered. Information already exist on the topics that are being studied. In quantitative approaches, it is this knowledge that assists one with finding the hypothesis to be examined in the new research. It opens the door for the researcher to further explore and generate new questions for the study. This also allows the researcher to find gaps in the research process. Secondary data sources can be acquired via the

According to Depoy and Gittin, research is a way individuals think about problems in systematic way. Research is generally described as description, exploration, analysis, prediction and problem solving. There are different types of research and these researches are called the experiments, quasi-experiments and non-experiments. The purpose of research is to provide the insight to practice, it also enhance individuals understanding as well as developing new approaches with different topics, get to test your research for effectiveness. Understanding research is important because it helps to build individuals knowledge bases and informs decision making in practice. Research also enable us to make sure that our practice are up to date with relevant information.

Cottrell (2015) as well as many other researchers agree that the choice of the appropriate research philosophy depends on the field of study and the chosen question. In my area of research, the positivist approach appears to be more appropriate choice than interpretivist.

In research, there is no right or wrong process; although there are many heuristics that can be passed on. Appropriate use of information requires that we see knowledge acquirement as fluid and varying. (Jones, 1996)

Secondary information is data which is derived from primary information and can be found via books, newspapers, internet etc. Secondary information is less reliable than Primary information because you cannot be certain as to how precise it is.

In defining quantitative research the term can be dichotomized. Firstly, research refers to creative, systematic work with the intention to increase the knowledge of man and thereby devise new applications (OECD, 2002). In addition Gray (1997) stated that research should improve performance and that the results should be

Research methodology and methodological approaches that is, the structured process of conducting research and the overall concepts and theories which underpin research respectively (Bryman, 2008), occupy a central position in the research process as they are both shaped by and translate the researcher’s epistemological position. Epistemology then refers to a researcher’s philosophical stance about the nature, derivation and scope of knowledge (Gilbert, 2008). These positions are seldom ‘spelt out’ but rather understood in the matter of research methodology and approach (Sarantakos, 2005).

Throughout this course I have learned many things about research at an introductory level. Research is a critical part of all of our lives in many ways. God blesses each of us with a degree of common sense and we all learn from observing others even as babies, we learned behaviors and skills by observing our parents. Walking through experiences throughout life teach us a lot we need to know as well but sometimes we have to take a better approach when we need to learn about certain things. Many of us know that what works in some situations or with certain individuals doesn’t always work or is the safest option for another situation. Controlled and precisely organized study allows scientists to compare and examine contrasting methods and concepts, also helps them to discover various approaches and be able to learn from individual’s behaviors and experiences. I will act as the case study throughout this paper in order to observe what I have learned about.

What I have learned about research at an introductory level is that research is finding out about things we do not

Research paradigms are ‘the entire constellation of beliefs, values, techniques, and so on shared by members of a given community’ (Kuhn, 1970, p.175). The three most common paradigms are positivism, constructivism or interpretivism and pragmatism. Each of these can be categorised further by examining their: ontology, epistemology and methodology. Fundamentally, ontology is the nature of reality, epistemology describes the relationship the investigator has with their version of reality, and methodology is the various techniques and tools used to analysis their research.

The purpose of traditional research has always been finding out the ‘truth’ and ‘objective’ knowledge of the world. It has then been critiqued that there are difference between objective reality/fact and

What I have learned about research is that it is a process, a scientific process that psychologist and scientist develop that includes many different approaches and that is carefully peer reviewed and evaluated. There is what is called the Scientific Approach where scientist have an idea or theory and based on their observation will either support the theory or the theory can be falsified by their peers. Data also goes through a review period before it is published in a scientific journal by scientist who have the knowledge and expertise to evaluate it.

There is a philosophical position in relation to the purpose and place of research in general. On the basis of positivism researchers take a scientific perspective when observing social behavior, with an objective analysis possible (Travers, 2001). It is important to note that