Management

& Leadership
Skills
MGMT 8250

Week One Research and

Writing Methods
Learning Outcomes
Evaluate and document sources of information

Assume responsibility for ethical citation

Integrate a variety of sources by quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing

Correctly use the appropriate form of citation/documentation

Compose a report, citing secondary sources according to the appropriate guidelines

 Business owners and managers

Research Process
often identify problems they
need help to solve.
Value of the

• Additional information is often needed

to make a decision or to solve a
problem.

One solution is a research study

based on a scientific research
process
 Sources of Information

• There is a growing emphasis on •Business research now plays a bigger

secondary data collection. role in strategy development.
• Secondary data is previously •The term information research reflects
collected for some other problem. the changes occurring.
• So much data is collected that • An information research process is
the concept of “big data” an approach to collecting, analyzing,
emerged. interpreting, and transforming data
• Primary data is collected specifically into decision-making information.
for a current problem
 Determining the Need for
Information Research• Can the problem be resolved
using existing information and
managerial judgement?
“Can the problem be resolved • Is information available in
using experience and internal record systems to
judgment?”
The decision-maker asks: • If “No,” consider research. address the problem?
• Is there time to conduct the
necessary research?
• Do the benefits outweigh the
costs?
There are situations when
research may not be Decision makers must ask the • Will the research provide useful
necessary. following questions to feedback for decision-making?
• Insufficient time frames. determine if research can be
• Inadequate resources.
• Costs outweigh the value.
used. • Will the research give
competitors too much
information about strategy?
 Transforming data into knowledge.
• The primary goal of the research process is to provide
decision-makers with the knowledge to resolve problems or
pursue opportunities.
The Research
• Data becomes knowledge when someone interprets the
data and attaches meaning.

The interrelatedness of the steps and the research

process.
Process

• These factors impact how many steps are taken and in what
order.
• The complexity of the problem.
• The urgency for solving the problem.
• The cost of alternative approaches.
• The clarification of information needs.
 “Clients” may request research proposals
from several companies with no intention of
hiring any of them.
Client/Research
Activities of the
• Instead using the information obtained to perform the
research themselves.

Another common behaviour is to promise a

research provider a long-term relationship or
Unethical

additional projects to obtain a low price.

• Then providing no further business to the research firm.
User

Clients may also be tempted to overstate the

results of a marketing research project.
 The primary unethical practice is to provide
Activities by the dishonest answers or fake behavior.

• Respondents frequently provide untrue answers to

Respondent
questions related to income or to their indulgence in
sensitive behaviors.
Unethical

If there is the prospect of earning money by

participating in research surveys and focus
groups – respondents lie to match the
characteristics the screeners are seeking.
• This undermines the validity of the research.
 A literature review is a comprehensive examination
of available secondary information related to the

Literature Review
research topic.
• Secondary research alone may sometimes provide the answers
Conducting a

Even if primary research is planned, a literature

reviews is helpful as it:
• Provides background and contextual information for the current
study.
• Clarifies thinking about the problem and questions of the study.
• Reveals whether information already exists addressing the issue.
• Helps to define important constructs of interest to the study.
• Helps researchers stay abreast of the latest thinking on the topic.
• Can suggest research hypotheses to investigate.
• Can identify scales to measure variables and research
methodologies successfully used for other studies.
 Researchers have • Credibility – always
developed criteria to question the credibility
evaluate secondary data. of secondary data.
• Purpose – carefully
evaluate data on how • Methodology – flaws
Evaluating it relates to the result in invalid,
current research unreliable, or not
Secondary objective. generalizable data
Data beyond the original
study.
Sources • Accuracy – is it from
the original source • Bias – consider
or out of date? whether the
organization reporting
• Consistency – seek the data is motivated
multiple sources of by a certain purpose.
the same data.
Integrate a variety of sources by
quoting, paraphrasing and
summarizing
• The Why, Where, and When of Citing
Quoting
• Quoting
Paraphrasing
• How to paraphrase
Conestoga APA
• Conestoga APA