BSHM131

BUSINESS RESEARCH (title to)

Research is a process of enquiry and investigation; it is systematic, methodical and
ethical and can help solve practical problems and increase knowledge.

Research Purpose
1. Review and synthesize existing knowledge
2. Investigate existing situations or problems
3. Provide solutions to problems
4. Explore and analyze more general issues
5. Construct and create new procedures or systems
6. Explain new phenomenon
7. Generate new knowledge

RESEARCH METHOD
Research methods refers to specific activities designed to generated data
(questionnaire, interview, focus group, observation).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is more about your attitude to and your understanding of
research and the strategy you choose to answer research questions.

WHAT IS A THESIS? (title to)

A thesis is a form of dissertation or scholastic work embodying results of original
research that substantiate a proposition or position or a specific view of a problem and its
solution.
It is an academic requirement for a bachelor’s, a master’s or a PhD degree in the
University.
When referring to the document, a thesis is the manuscript that provides a complete
and systematic account of a research study.

Who will conduct a thesis study?

A thesis is usually an individual undertaking but the University has allowed group
thesis made up of 2-3 students depending on the following:
difficulty of the problem;
1. coverage of the study or study area; and
1
 2. expenses that will be entailed in the conduct of the study.
Note: It is the department or college concerned who decides on the matter.

Why require a thesis?

The PURPOSE why the thesis is made as a final academic requirement is to ensure
that the students are able to:
1. Develop further specific and specialized knowledge;
2. Broaden their educational exposure beyond the prescribed coursework of the degree;
3. Enhance their research capabilities i.e. analytical skills, interpretative skills, and
creativity;
4. Improve their writing and presentation skills.

The thesis is intended to demonstrate the ability of the students to do independent research
work where they can demonstrate their ability to:
1. identify research problems,
2. present a proposition or solution,
3. search literatures to support his proposition,
4. devise a research approach or specific research design,
5. conduct the investigation,
6. apply their analytical skills,
7. make interpretations of the implications of their study, and
8. present valid conclusions.

Types of Thesis Conducted in CvSU

1. Experimental Researches
2. Descriptive Researches
3. Historical Researches
4. Design and Evaluation Researches
5. Correlation Researches

RESEARCH ETHICS (title)

The conduct of research use human participants on which the data is collected. It
could be through survey, observation, interview and the like. Respecting the participants
decision is a must in the conduct of research.
Elements of research Ethics
1. Social value
2
 2. Informed Consent
3. Vulnerability
4. Risk benefit/safety
5. Private confidentiality
6. Justice
7. Transparency

Reference
National Guidelines for health Ethics and research 2017

Social value
the study is relevant to social problem/ beneficial to the society

Informed consent
confirmation of willingness of participants to participate ( right to decide). It is
documented because it provides summary of the study to the participants. (document,
signed and witness.

Elements:
Disclosure - provide relevant information
Comprehension - participants understanding in ther conduct of research
Voluntariness - informed consent is valid only when no coercion.

Vulnerable group protection

special population needs clearance or ethical approval Ex. PWD, minor, senior
citizens

Justice
there should be no negative effect on group of participants that joined in the conduct
of the study.

Transparency
need to put in public domain ( disclose the affiliation)
TYPES OF RESEARCH (title)

3
 1. Exploratory - undertake when few or no previous study exist. The aim is to look for
pattern, ideas, hypotheses that can be tested and will form the basis for further
research.

E.g. Case Study, Observation & RRL

2. Descriptive Research - can be used to identify and classify the elements or

characteristics of the subject.

Quantitative Techniques are used to collect, analyze and summarize data.

3. Analytical Research - extend the descriptive approach to suggest or explain why or

how something is happening.

4. Predictive – speculate intelligently on future possibilities.

CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH
1. According to Purpose
a. Predictive – speculate intelligently on future possibilities
b. Directive - determine what should be done based on the findings. This is to
remedy unsatisfactory condition if there is any.
c. Illuminative Research - concerned with the interaction of the components of the
variable being investigated.
2. According to goal
a. Applied Research - the purpose is to solve an immediate, practical problem and
apply its finding to a particular situation.
b. Basic Research - adds to the existing body of knowledge; doesn’t really provide
results of immediate practical use.

3. According to levels of investigation

1. Exploratory- undertake when few or no previous study exist. The aim is to look
for pattern, ideas, hypotheses that can be tested and will form the basis for
further research. (Case Study, Observation & RRL)
2. Descriptive Research - can be used to identify and classify the elements or
characteristics of the subject.
Quantitative Techniques are used to collect, analyze and summarize data
4. According to the types of analysis

4
 a. Analytic approach - the researchers attempts to identify and isolate the
components of a research situation.
b. Holistic Approach - it begins with a total situation, focusing attention on the
system first and then on its internal relationship.

5. According to Scope
This is an action research. This type of research is done on a very limited scope
to solve a particular problem which is not so big.

6. According to choice of answers to problem

a. Evaluation research - all possible research of action are specified and identified
and the researcher tries to find the most advantageous.
b. In development research - the focus is on finding or developing the more
suitable instrument or process than has been available.

7. According to Statistical Content

a. Quantitative Research - emphasis is on collecting and analyzing numerical data.

It concentrates on measuring the scale, range, frequency etc. of the phenomena.

8. According to Time Element

a. Historical research - describe what was mostly non obtrusive
b. Descriptive Research - describe what is mostly non obtrusive
c. Experimental Research - describe what will be mostly obtrusive.

Hypothesis:
A belief or prediction of the eventual outcome of the research
A concrete, specific statement about the relationships between phenomena
Based on deductive reasoning

2 types of hypotheses:
a. Null hypothesis (HO) - All is equal; no differences exist
b. Alternative (research) hypothesis (HA) - Usually specific and opposite to the null

RESEARCH DESIGN (title)

5
 QUALITATIVE DATA
➢ Focus on the perspective of insider.
➢ Talking to and observing subjects.
➢ Concerned with the changing of dynamic nature.
➢ Attempt to gain holistic view of study. (case, interview, documents, records,
photos,etc)
➢ Flexible, exploratory, discovery oriented
➢ Focus on the subjective data that exist on the minds of individual.
➢ Concerned with context or natural occurrence
➢ Tends to concentrate on validity-(true picture)

TYPES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS

● Grounded theory is a systematic procedure of data analysis, typically associated with

qualitative research, that allows researchers to develop a theory that explains a
specific phenomenon.
● interview
● Ethnographic studies are qualitative procedures utilized to describe, analyze and
interpret a culture’s characteristics.
● Ethnography is used when a researcher wants to study a group of people to gain a
larger understanding of their lives or specific aspects of their lives. The primary data
collection method is through observation over an extended period of time and
interview.
● Phenomenology is used to identify phenomena and focus on subjective experiences
and understanding the structure of those lived experiences.
● Phenomenology is used to describe, in depth, the common characteristics of the
phenomena that has occurred. The primary data collection method is through in-
depth interviews.
● Case studies are to be used when (1) the researcher wants to focus on how and why, (2)
the behavior is to be observed, not manipulated, (3) to further understand a given
phenomenon, and (4) if the boundaries between the context and phenomena are not
clear. Multiple methods can be used to gather data, including interviews, observation,
and historical documentation.

6
QUANTITATIVE
➢ Arrives at facts-free from bias.
➢ Focus on accumulation of facts and causes of behavior
➢ Identify variables of study and employ measurement
➢ Focus on objectivity that exists.
➢ Reliable- data are consistent.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
Describes and interprets what is.
Concerned with condition and relationship that exist, opinions, process and effects.

KINDS OF DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH:

A. Assessment- describe the status of a phenomenon at a given time. It describes
without value judgment a prevailing situation.

Assessment Studies:
a. Survey - gathers data from relatively large number of cases at a particular time.
Concerned with statistics that result when data are abstracted . It is cross sectional.

7
 b. Characteristics of Survey:
1. Information is gathered from people in order to describe some aspects or
characteristics.
2. The means of collecting is through asking questions.
3. Information is collected through samples rather than from the entire population.

THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK (title)

FRAMEWORK
A framework provides an explicit explanation why the problem under study exists by
showing how the variables relate to each other
A THEORY
A theory comprises a generalization that systematically explains the relationship
between phenomena.
Its basic components are concepts
Thus the theory is a set of statements, each of which expresses a relationship among
the concepts

OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THEORIES AND FRAMEWORK

● To make scientific findings meaningful and generalizable
● To summarize existing knowledge into coherent systems and stimulate new research
by providing both direction and impetus
● All theories and frameworks are considered tentative

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CONCEPTUAL AND THE THEORETICAL

FRAMEWORK?
A conceptual framework is the researcher’s idea on how the research problem will
have to be explored. This is founded on the theoretical framework. The theoretical
framework dwells on time tested theories that embody the findings of numerous
investigations on how phenomena occur.

The theoretical framework provides a general representation of relationships between

things in a given phenomenon. The conceptual framework, on the other hand, embodies the
specific direction by which the research will have to be undertaken. Statistically speaking,
the conceptual framework describes the relationship between specific variables identified in

8
the study. It also outlines the input, process and output of the whole investigation. The
conceptual framework is also called the research paradigm.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
➢ Thought of as a map or travel plan
➢ Important to consider relevant theory underpinning the knowledge base of the
phenomena under study
➢ Kinds of questions that cross our minds (Sinclair, 2007)
● What do I know about the phenomenon that I want to study?
● What types of knowledge are available to me
● What theory will best guide my practice or research work?
● Is this theory proven through theory-linked research?
● What other theories are relevant to this practice?
● How can I apply these theories and findings in practice/research?
➢ Emanate from theories that influence a research or underpin a construct under study
➢ Theories could be from a singular influence (discipline) or from a multidisciplinary
vantage point

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK is like a process that involves mapping out or visualizing

these theoretical threads to form some diagrammatic representation of inter-relatedness

WHAT IS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORLK?

A written or visual presentation that:
1. “explains either graphically, or in narrative form, the main things to be studied – the
key factors, concepts or variables -
2. and the presumed relationship among them”.
(Miles and Huberman, 1994, P18)

WHERE DOES THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FIT?

➢ Preparing a conceptual framework can be likened to planning a holiday.
➢ The purpose of the pre-planning of the holiday is to:
1. Know how to get to, and return from, your holiday destination.
2. Know what to do when you are at the destination.
3. To be better prepared, and able to make the most of your holiday, because you can be
guided by your previous experiences and by any information provided by others.
WHERE DOES THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FIT IN - QUANTITATIVE?
9
Research problem: The issue of theoretical or practical interest.

Paradigm: The philosophical assumptions about the nature of the

world and how we understand it - positivism.

Aims and objectives: What we want to know and how the answer may be built
up.

Literature review: A critical and evaluative review of the thoughts and

experiences of others.

Conceptual framework: Provides the structure/content for the whole study based
on literature and personal experience

Research questions: Specific questions that require answers.

Data collection and analysis: Methodology, methods and analysis.

Interpretation of the results: Making sense of the results.

Evaluation of the research: Revisit conceptual framework.

DEVELOPING THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

What inputs go into developing a conceptual framework?
Experiential knowledge of student and supervisor:
1. Technical knowledge.
2. Research background.
3. Personal experience.

Literature review:
Prior ‘related’ theory – concepts and relationships that are used to represent the
world, what is happening and why.
Prior ‘related’ research – how people have tackled ‘similar’ problems and what they
have learned.
Other theory and research - approaches, lines of investigation and theory that are not
obviously relevant/previously used.
How might a conceptual framework be developed?

10
The pieces of the conceptual framework are borrowed but the researcher provides the
structure. To develop the structure you could:
➢ Identify the key words used in the subject area of your study.
➢ Draw out the key things within something you have already written about the subject
area – literature review.
➢ Take one key concept, idea or term at a time and brainstorm all the other things that
might be related and then go back and select those that seem most relevant.
Whichever is used it will take time and a number of iterations and the focus is both on the
content and the inter-relationships.

THE PRESENTATION OF THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

WHAT GENERAL FORMS MIGHT A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK TAKE?
Process frameworks
Set out the stages through which an action moves from initiation to conclusion. These
relate to the ‘how?’ question.

Content frameworks
Set out the variables, and possibly the relationship (with relative strengths) between
them, that together answer the ‘why?’ question.

WHAT SPECIFIC FORMS MIGHT A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK TAKE?

The possibilities include:
1. Flow charts.
2. Tree diagrams.
3. Shape based diagrams – triangles, concentric circles, overlapping circles.
4. Mind maps.
5. Soft systems.

WHY ARE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS USEFUL?

Conceptual frameworks provide researchers with:
11
 ➢ The ability to move beyond descriptions of ‘what’ to explanations of ‘why’ and ‘how’.
➢ A means of setting out an explanation set that might be used to define and make sense
of the data that flow from the research question.
➢ An filtering tool for selecting appropriate research questions and related data
collection methods.
➢ A reference point/structure for the discussion of the literature, methodology and
results.
➢ The boundaries of the work.

DEVELOPING YOUR CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The conceptual framework describes and explains the concepts to be used in the
study, their relationships with each other, and how they are to be measured.

Developing your conceptual framework requires five main steps:

1. Identifying the relevant concepts.
2. Defining those concepts.
3. Operationalising the concepts.
4. Identifying any moderating or intervening variables.
5. Identifying the relationship between variables.

CONCEPTUAL RESEARCH
Is also like theoretical framework and can include studying a concept or phenomena
in depth.

WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS OF A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK?

Conceptual frameworks, however, also have problems in that the framework:
➢ Is influenced by the experience and knowledge of the individual – initial bias.
➢ Once developed will influence the researcher’s thinking and may result in some things
being given prominence and others being ignored – ongoing bias.

The solution is to revisit the conceptual framework, particularly at the end when evaluating
your work.

12