Detailed and extensive summary of the complete book 'Research methods in business studies' 5th edition. Includes tables, graphs and pictures for further explanation of the topics that are discussed in the summary. Written for course Research Skills, master Strategic Management - Tilburg University
Research Skills – Tilburg University, Strategic Management
Book summary
Research methods in business studies (Ghauri, Gronhaug, Strange)
Chapter 2 – Research in business studies
Advantage of systematic thinking and analytical capability is that it contributes to accuracy and a
more orderly approach and is reliable in handling research as well as business problems
Knowledge is acquired at individual level, in school, at home, at work and it is valuable.
Theory of knowledge = epistemology, it is the source and the limit and nature of knowledge. When
you develop knowledge, it is useful to question the nature of assumptions in addition to ontology (=
nature of reality)
- Epistemology and otology together form research philosophies and have fundamental
methodological implications
When you choose research methodologies, you draw upon different ontological and epistemological
assumptions -> these assumptions underpin the choice of methods
Knowledge based on sense = a priori knowledge
Knowledge based on experience = posteriori knowledge
Purpose of research in education = to teach students to work systematically and for them to learn to
analyse issues critically before believing in them or acting upon them
- Research is also essential to understand the basic everyday phenomena
- Research can be considered as a process of problem solving for a specific problem under
specific conditions
- Purpose is to improve social life. In business research the purpose is to understand how and
why things happen
Managerial decision making or problem solving – when conducted systematically – should lead to
better decisions and results than those decisions made based upon personal beliefs
Research process =
1) Actors in both management and research activities must need to decide what they want to
achieve
2) Collecting relevant information and facts that can help in obtaining first objective
3) Collected information needs to be analyzed and put into a structure that helps to achieve a
purpose or initiate different actions
4) Arriving at a conclusion or decision
-> useful way to build cumulative knowledge
Common sense and beliefs are influenced by society and culture which causes to provide a non-
conscious ideology and you belief things without being aware of the reality -> common sense is
influenced by your background, education and beliefs
Research allows for the correction of misbeliefs, generate new concepts and broaden the
perspective and perceptions -> conclusions drawn from research lead to new theories and beliefs
, The originality of a research focuses on studies that create new dimensions to already existing
knowledge. It implies that there is a novel twist, fresh perspective, new hypothesis or assumption or
new and innovative methods of handling existing knowledge that makes the study a distinctive
contribution
Scholars focus on 5 research orientations;
1. Positivism = involves scientific,
objective and measurable facts that
can predict the future
2. Critical realism = asserts that a variety
of data and methods are acceptable as
long as the researcher is as objective
and realistic as possible
3. Pragmatism = seeking how knowledge
through a variety of methods and their
combination in providing a solution to
a problem
4. Interpretivism = aims to present full
richness with diverse interpretational
stories along with contextual factors to
enhance understanding
5. Post-modernism = researcher is
radically reflexive and critically
sensitive in his or her own role
You can establish what is true or false and draw conclusions either via induction or deduction.
Induction = based on empirical evidence. You draw general conclusions from empirical
observations. Findings are incorporated back into existing knowledge to improve theories.
Theory is thus the outcome of the research = qualitative research
o Goes from assumptions to conclusions
Deduction = based on logic. Draw conclusions via logic reasoning. It does not has to be true
in reality, but it is logical. Researcher builds/ deduces hypotheses from the existing
knowledge (literature), which can be subject to empirical scrutiny (testing) and thus can be
accepted or rejected = quantitative research
Abduction is another way conclusions can be drawn. Abduction refers to the development of new
theories -> it is a continuous process that takes place in all phases of the research process where
observations are confronted with theoretical assumptions and generate a new view of the
phenomenon
There are different ways of knowing;
1. Method of tenacity = hold on to the truth, or the truth that is known to be true
2. Method of authority = where it has been established that this is the case
3. A priori method or method of intuition = where knowing is based on propositions that are
self-evident or ‘ agreeable to reason’
4. Method of science = where we find a way of knowing in which everybody’s final conclusion
is the same
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