Research Methods for Graduate Business and Social Science Students

1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-0-7619-3589-6
Verlag: SAGE Publications

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Format (B × H): 184 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 464 g

Research Methods for Graduate Business and Social Science Students is a fundamental and easy guide to studying research methods. In addition to the general concepts relating to research methods, broad research issues and theoretical concepts critical to research are discussed. The book is written in a highly reader-friendly manner and contains plenty of examples and helpful practical exercises at the end of each chapter to reinforce and enjoy learning. Divided into 16 chapters, the authors aim to clearly and concisely explain the basics of quantitative and qualitative analysis and research to students, including:

- Research ethics

- Formulation and process of research

- Literature analysis and critical reading

- How to plan and implement a research project

- Data collection, survey research and data management

- Practical research techniques

- Elementary and advanced statistical analyses

- Assessment, reliability and validity of research work

- Guidelines on research writing and structures of dissertation

Autoren/Hrsg.

Adams, John

Khan, Hafiz T A

Raeside, Robert

White, David I

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Management Forschung & Entwicklung (F&E), Innovation

Inhaltsverzeichnis

SECTION - I: GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: Introduction to Research
1.1 What is Research?
1.2 Why is Research Conducted?
1.3 Who Does Research?
1.4 How is Research Conducted?
1.5 Business and Social Research Methods
SECTION - II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Chapter 2: Research Methodology
2.1 Introduction

2.2 Research Method versus Research Methodology

2.3 Approaches to Business and Social Research
2.4 Justifying the Scientific Method

2.5 Research Ethics

2.6 Exercises

2.7 References

SECTION - III: FORMULATION
Chapter 3: The Research Cycle

3.1 Introduction

3.2 The Research Cycle

3.3 Problems with the Research Process

3.4 Exercises

3.5 References

Chapter 4: Literature Review and Critical Reading

4.1 Introduction

4.2. The Importance of a Literature Review

4.3 What Should the Literature Review Do?

4.4 Types of Literature Review

4.5 Some General Points in Literature Reviewing

4.6 Obtaining Literature Sources

4.7 Searching the Literature

4.8 Assessing the Quality of Literature

4.9 An Example of a Literature Review

4.10 Critical Evaluation

4.11 Critical Analysis

4.12 Critical Reading

4.13 Critical Thinking

4.14 Critical Questions

4.15 Critical Reviews

4.16 Exercises

4.17 References
SECTION - IV: RESEARCH DESIGN
Chapter 5: Sampling

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Classification of Research Designs

5.3 Sources of Data

5.4 Types of Data and Measurement

5.5 Methods of Data Collection

5.6 Sampling Techniques

5.7 Representative Sampling Plans

5.8 Sample Size Determination

5.9 Test of Significance for Population Mean

5.10 Test of Significance for Population Proportion

5.11 Key Statistical Concepts

5.12 Some Problems with Random Sample Surveys

5.13 The Normal Distribution

5.14 Exercises

5.15 References
SECTION - V: DATA COLLECTION
Chapter 6: Primary Data Collection

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Observation

6.3 Experimentation

6.4 Surveys

6.5 Interviews

6.6 Diary Methods

6.7 Case Studies

6.8 Data Storage

6.9 Triangulation

6.10 Exercises

6.11 References

Chapter 7: Secondary Data Collection

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Web Search Skills

7.3 Exercises

7.4 References

Chapter 8: Surveys

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Design

8.3 Questions

8.4 Administering the Survey

8.5 Ensuring a High Response Rate

8.6 Missing Information

8.7 Coding and Data Input

8.8 Guidelines

8.9 References

Chapter 9: Interviews

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Why do Interviews?

9.3 General Guidelines for Interviewing

9.4 Bias and Errors

9.5 Telephone Interviews

9.6 Group/Focus Group Interviews

9.7 References

SECTION - VI: ANALYSIS
Chapter 10: Qualitative Data Analysis

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Preparation

10.3 Content Analysis

10.4 Summarising

10.5 Grounded Theory

10.6 References

Chapter 11: Descriptive Quantitative Analysis

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Descriptive Statistics

11.3 Are There Significant Differences?

11.4 Comparing Two Groups

11.5 Comparing More Than Two Groups

11.6 The Association Between Categorical Variables

11.7 Summary of Test Procedures

11.8 Exercises

11.9 Appendix: Exploratory Data Analysis

11.10 References

Chapter 12: Correlation and Regression

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Correlation

12.3 Regression

12.4 Diagnostics

12.5 Multiple Regression

12.6 Exercises

12.7 References

Chapter 13: Advanced Statistical Analysis

SECTION - VII: QUALITY AND VERIFICATION - 1 Introduction 2 Factor Analysis 3 Logistic Regression 4 Exercises 5 References

Chapter 14: Test of Measurement and Quality

14.1 Introduction

14.1 Reliability

14.2 Validity

14.3 Generalisability

14.5 Exercises

14.6 References

SECTION - VIII: INVOLVEMENT DURING RESEARCH

Chapter 15: Conducting Your Research

15.1 Introduction

15.2 Selecting your Topic

15.3 Guidelines for Supervision

15.4 Undertaking your Research

15.5 References

Chapter 16: Writing and Presenting the Dissertation

16.1 Introduction

16.2 The Dissertation

16.3 Dissertation Objectives

16.4 What Should a Dissertation Look Like?

16.5 Presenting the Dissertation

16.6 References

Über Autor(innen)

Raeside, Robert
Robert Raeside is currently Professor of Applied Statistics and Director of the Employment Research Institute (ERI) at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. He is also a Chartered Statistician of the Royal Statistical Society (CStat), London, Member of the Operational Research Society, Birmingham, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), York. He received his BSc Hons from Napier College under the auspices of the Council for Academic Awards (CNAA), his MSc from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and PhD in demographic forecasting from the CNAA in collaboration with the University of Oxford. He serves on two British Standards Committees and is part of the editorial teams for the Journal of Applied Probability and Statistics and the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management. He was appointed a visiting Professor in Demography to the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2009. Professor Raeside’s research has been on the application of statistics to areas of demographic change, public health, employment and business improvement. He is particularly interested in the use of social network analysis to investigate complex processes. He has acted in an advisory capacity to business, local authorities and to the national government.

Adams, John
John Adams is the Head of Department of Economics at the British University in Egypt and was previously Director of the China-EU Research Centre based in Edinburgh. He has published widely in the field of economics in both national and international academic journals, is the co-author of several textbooks and has worked as external examiner at the Universities of Dundee, Sussex and Hong Kong. Professor Adams has also undertaken consultancy assignments for a wide range of public and private sector organisations in the United Kingdom and overseas. He is currently a visiting Professor at three universities in China. His research is mainly focused on economic development and on the process of development. Professor Adams also provides training to Investment Promotion Agencies in several countries on attracting, managing and evaluating FDI.

Khan, Hafiz T A
Hafiz T. A. Khan is Professor of Public Health at the University of West London. He is also an Associate Research Fellow in Demography at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, The University of Oxford, UK. Professor Khan trained as a statistician at the University of Chittagong and later as a statistical demographer at several institutions: Edinburgh Napier University in the UK, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, the National University of Singapore, the University of Oxford, Middlesex University London, and lastly at Birmingham City University in the UK. His principal research interests lie in the broader areas of population and development including population ageing and its consequences, poverty and vulnerability, micro-finance; development issues, reproductive health and family planning in developing countries. He has written extensively in population-related issues and has over 100 academic publications including books, book chapters and journals.