Type: multiple response question
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 01
01) Which of the following are reasons to conduct business research? Please select all that apply.
Feedback: Academics conduct research because, in the course of reading the literature on a topic or reflecting on what is going on in organizations, questions occur to them. They may notice a gap in the literature or an inconsistency between a number of studies or an unresolved issue in the literature. Another stimulus is a societal development that provides a point of departure for the development of a research question.
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*a. There may be a gap or inconsistency in the literature
*b. A societal event may bring the issue to the fore
*c. When an aspect of business or management is inadequately understood
d. Because they have a good feeling about some aspect of business management
Type: true-false
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 02
02) The topics of business research are deeply influenced by the theoretical position adopted by the researcher:
*a. True
Feedback: The topics of business are deeply influenced by the theoretical position adopted.
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b. False
Feedback: The topics of business are deeply influenced by the theoretical position adopted.
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Type: multiple response question
Title: Chapter 01 – Question 03
03) Which of the following is a source of information that contributes to evidence-based management? Please select all that apply.
Feedback: There are four sources of information that contribute to evidence-based management:
1. practitioner expertise and judgement; 2. evidence from the local context; 3. critical evaluation of the best available research evidence; 4. perspectives of those who may be affected by a particular decision (Briner et al. 2009: 19).
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*a. Practitioner expertise and judgement
*b. Perspectives of those who may be affected by a particular decision
c. Discussions on social media
*d. Evidence from the local context
Type: multiple response question
Title: Chapter 01 – Question 04
04) Which of the following is a reason to conduct a literature review? Please select all that apply.
Feedback: Existing literature represents an important element in all research. When we have a topic or issue that interests us, we must read further to determine:
- what is already known about the topic;
- what concepts and theories have been applied to it;
- what research methods have been applied in studying it;
- what controversies exist about the topic and about how it is studied;
- what clashes of evidence (if any) exist;
- who the key contributors to research on the topic are.
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*a. To understand what is known about a topic
b. To solve a business problem
*c. To understand what methods have been applied to a topic
*d. To investigate clashes of evidence
Type: true-false
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 05
05) Concepts are labels we give to aspects of the social world that have common features:
*a. True
Feedback: Concepts are the way that we make sense of the social world. They are labels that we give to aspects of the social world that seem to have significant common features.
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b. False
Feedback: Concepts are the way that we make sense of the social world. They are labels that we give to aspects of the social world that seem to have significant common features.
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Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 01 – Question 06
06) Which of the following is not a feature of a research question?
a. It guides your literature search
Feedback: research questions are crucial because they will:
• guide your literature search;
• guide your decisions about the kind of research design to employ;
• guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom;
• guide your analysis of data;
• guide your writing-up of data;
• stop you going on in unnecessary directions; and
• provide your readers with a clear sense of what your research is about.
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*b. It will determine your research findings
Feedback: research questions are crucial because they will:
• guide your literature search;
• guide your decisions about the kind of research design to employ;
• guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom;
• guide your analysis of data;
• guide your writing-up of data;
• stop you going on in unnecessary directions; and
• provide your readers with a clear sense of what your research is about.
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c. It will guide decisions about which research design to employ
Feedback: research questions are crucial because they will:
• guide your literature search;
• guide your decisions about the kind of research design to employ;
• guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom;
• guide your analysis of data;
• guide your writing-up of data;
• stop you going on in unnecessary directions; and
• provide your readers with a clear sense of what your research is about.
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d. It will guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom
Feedback: research questions are crucial because they will:
• guide your literature search;
• guide your decisions about the kind of research design to employ;
• guide your decisions about what data to collect and from whom;
• guide your analysis of data;
• guide your writing-up of data;
• stop you going on in unnecessary directions; and
• provide your readers with a clear sense of what your research is about.
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Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 07
07) A representative sample is a sample that:
a. Represents the views of a specific group of people
Feedback: Many people associate sampling with surveys and the quest for representative samples. Such sampling is usually based on constructing a sample that can represent (and therefore act as a microcosm of) a wider population.
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*b. Represents a wider population
Feedback: Many people associate sampling with surveys and the quest for representative samples. Such sampling is usually based on constructing a sample that can represent (and therefore act as a microcosm of) a wider population.
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c. Tends to be smaller in nature
Feedback: Many people associate sampling with surveys and the quest for representative samples. Such sampling is usually based on constructing a sample that can represent (and therefore act as a microcosm of) a wider population.
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d. Is more democratic in its aims and objectives
Feedback: Many people associate sampling with surveys and the quest for representative samples. Such sampling is usually based on constructing a sample that can represent (and therefore act as a microcosm of) a wider population.
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Type: multiple choice question
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 08
08) Which of the following is not a feature of data analysis?
a. Transcription
Feedback: Transcription enables the researcher to upload the transcripts into a computer software program of the kind dis- cussed in Chapter 25. In the research by Clarke et al., once the transcripts had been uploaded into the software, the authors began by coding each transcript. This is a process whereby the data are broken down into component parts which are then given labels. The analyst searches for re-occurrences of sequences of coded text within and across cases and for links between different codes. Clarke et al. began by identifying a number of ‘descriptive order’ categories such as ‘emotion’ and ‘changes in the higher education system’ (2012: 8), which they later expanded or collapsed as the analysis progressed, refining them into more analytic categories such as ‘professionalism’, eventually arriving at core themes which they concentrated on. This approach is referred to as thematic analysis. There is a lot going on here: data are being made more manage- able than they would be if the researcher just kept listening and re-listening to the recordings; the researcher is making sense of data through coding; and data are being interpreted—that is, the researcher is linking the process of making sense of the data with the research question, as well as with the literature and theoretical concepts.
The data analysis stage is fundamentally about data reduction—that is, reducing the large corpus of information gathered in order to make sense of it. Unless the researcher reduces the data collected—for example, in the case of quantitative data by producing tables or aver- ages and in the case of qualitative data by grouping textual material into categories such as themes—it is more or less impossible to interpret the material.
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b. Coding
Feedback: Transcription enables the researcher to upload the transcripts into a computer software program of the kind dis- cussed in Chapter 25. In the research by Clarke et al., once the transcripts had been uploaded into the software, the authors began by coding each transcript. This is a process whereby the data are broken down into component parts which are then given labels. The analyst searches for re-occurrences of sequences of coded text within and across cases and for links between different codes. Clarke et al. began by identifying a number of ‘descriptive order’ categories such as ‘emotion’ and ‘changes in the higher education system’ (2012: 8), which they later expanded or collapsed as the analysis progressed, refining them into more analytic categories such as ‘professionalism’, eventually arriving at core themes which they concentrated on. This approach is referred to as thematic analysis. There is a lot going on here: data are being made more manage- able than they would be if the researcher just kept listening and re-listening to the recordings; the researcher is making sense of data through coding; and data are being interpreted—that is, the researcher is linking the process of making sense of the data with the research question, as well as with the literature and theoretical concepts.
The data analysis stage is fundamentally about data reduction—that is, reducing the large corpus of information gathered in order to make sense of it. Unless the researcher reduces the data collected—for example, in the case of quantitative data by producing tables or aver- ages and in the case of qualitative data by grouping textual material into categories such as themes—it is more or less impossible to interpret the material.
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c. Data reduction
Feedback: Transcription enables the researcher to upload the transcripts into a computer software program of the kind dis- cussed in Chapter 25. In the research by Clarke et al., once the transcripts had been uploaded into the software, the authors began by coding each transcript. This is a process whereby the data are broken down into component parts which are then given labels. The analyst searches for re-occurrences of sequences of coded text within and across cases and for links between different codes. Clarke et al. began by identifying a number of ‘descriptive order’ categories such as ‘emotion’ and ‘changes in the higher education system’ (2012: 8), which they later expanded or collapsed as the analysis progressed, refining them into more analytic categories such as ‘professionalism’, eventually arriving at core themes which they concentrated on. This approach is referred to as thematic analysis. There is a lot going on here: data are being made more manage- able than they would be if the researcher just kept listening and re-listening to the recordings; the researcher is making sense of data through coding; and data are being interpreted—that is, the researcher is linking the process of making sense of the data with the research question, as well as with the literature and theoretical concepts.
The data analysis stage is fundamentally about data reduction—that is, reducing the large corpus of information gathered in order to make sense of it. Unless the researcher reduces the data collected—for example, in the case of quantitative data by producing tables or aver- ages and in the case of qualitative data by grouping textual material into categories such as themes—it is more or less impossible to interpret the material.
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*d. Programming
Feedback: Transcription enables the researcher to upload the transcripts into a computer software program of the kind dis- cussed in Chapter 25. In the research by Clarke et al., once the transcripts had been uploaded into the software, the authors began by coding each transcript. This is a process whereby the data are broken down into component parts which are then given labels. The analyst searches for re-occurrences of sequences of coded text within and across cases and for links between different codes. Clarke et al. began by identifying a number of ‘descriptive order’ categories such as ‘emotion’ and ‘changes in the higher education system’ (2012: 8), which they later expanded or collapsed as the analysis progressed, refining them into more analytic categories such as ‘professionalism’, eventually arriving at core themes which they concentrated on. This approach is referred to as thematic analysis. There is a lot going on here: data are being made more manage- able than they would be if the researcher just kept listening and re-listening to the recordings; the researcher is making sense of data through coding; and data are being interpreted—that is, the researcher is linking the process of making sense of the data with the research question, as well as with the literature and theoretical concepts.
The data analysis stage is fundamentally about data reduction—that is, reducing the large corpus of information gathered in order to make sense of it. Unless the researcher reduces the data collected—for example, in the case of quantitative data by producing tables or aver- ages and in the case of qualitative data by grouping textual material into categories such as themes—it is more or less impossible to interpret the material.
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Type: true-false
Title: Chapter 1 - Question 09
09) Big data can only be collected via the internet.
a. True
Feedback: “Big data” refers to the vast quantities of digital information generated, stored and circulated, including via the internet. (However the internet is not the sole source).
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*b. False
Feedback: “Big data” refers to the vast quantities of digital information generated, stored and circulated, including via the internet. (However the internet is not the sole source).
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Type: multiple response question
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 10
10) Which of the following are features of writing up a research project? Please select all that apply:
Feedback: However, there are core ingredients that dissertations, theses, research articles, and books will include:
• Introduction. The research area and its significance are outlined. The research questions will also probably be introduced.
• Literature review. What is already known about the research area is examined critically. This section often relates to theoretical concepts that are the focus of the research, as shown in Table 1.1.
• Research methods. The research methods (sampling, methods of data collection, methods of data analysis) are presented and justified.
• Results. The findings are presented.
• Discussion. The findings are discussed in relation to the
literature and the research questions.
• Conclusion. The significance of the research is reinforced.
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*a. Literature review
*b. Research Method
c. Editorial
*d. Results
Type: true-false
Title: Chapter 01 - Question 11
11) Business research is a process where the findings can be predicted with reasonable certainly before data is collected.
a. True
Feedback: There is one final point we want to make before you read on. Business research is often a lot less smooth than accounts of the process you read in books such as this. Our purpose is to provide an overview of the research process and to give advice on how it should ideally be done. In reality, research is full of false starts, blind alleys, mistakes, and enforced changes.
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*b. False
Feedback: There is one final point we want to make before you read on. Business research is often a lot less smooth than accounts of the process you read in books such as this. Our purpose is to provide an overview of the research process and to give advice on how it should ideally be done. In reality, research is full of false starts, blind alleys, mistakes, and enforced changes.
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