Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
Answers to exercises in the book
Note to readers
This companion document provides model answers, illustrative guidance and instructor notes
for selected exercises from the textbook. The purpose is to support teaching and learning by
offering examples of the kinds of responses or discussions that might emerge in class, rather
than to prescribe a single correct answer.
Not all exercises lend themselves to written solutions. Many tasks in the book are
intentionally designed as reflective activities, project-based explorations or open classroom
discussions. For these, there can be no single „model‟ response, and the value lies in the
process of inquiry, dialogue and personal interpretation. Accordingly, only exercises where a
representative or instructive answer can reasonably be provided are included below.
Instructors are encouraged to adapt, expand or localise these examples to suit their own
teaching context and the specific projects undertaken by their students.
Chapter 1: Finding your feet in management and business
research
1.1 Thinking about management and business research
3. Write a paragraph on why it is important that business and management research is
conducted in different countries and settings. Discuss where we still encounter colonial
assumptions in our concepts and theories (such as e.g. in modernisation or leadership
theories), what this means, and what we can do to address this.
Conducting business and management research across diverse countries and settings
matters because concepts, measures and prescriptions are never context-free. Many
foundational ideas – such as modernisation, leadership „universals‟ or efficiency logics –
, Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
were developed in and for wealthy, Western, corporate contexts and then generalised
outward. This can smuggle in colonial assumptions: that development follows a single linear
path; that „professional‟ management looks like Anglo-American models; or that practices
from multinational headquarters are inherently superior to local know-how. The result is
theory that travels poorly, overlooks informal and hybrid practices, and can legitimate one-
way knowledge flows. Addressing this requires epistemic plurality (valuing local theories
and categories), context sensitivity (treating place, history and institutions as explanatory,
not background noise) and methodological openness (comparative, processual and
participatory designs; multilingual data; co-production with practitioners). It also calls for
humility about constructs (e.g. re-examining leadership and motivation scales), reflexivity
about researcher positionality and publishing practices that welcome situated contributions
rather than privileging „view from nowhere‟ generalisations. In short, studying management
in different settings is not just about inclusion – it improves explanation, prediction and
usefulness by aligning our theories with how organising actually works in the world.
1.2 Research with impact
3. Discuss research and impact in relation to the job of academics and different
practitioners (e.g. Head of Marketing, CEO, Data Analyst, …). What are the main
similarities, and what are the differences?
In most universities academics on research contracts are required to produce research as
part of their conditions of employment. In the 1960s, when management was seen as an
applied discipline, emphasis was placed on the applied end of the research continuum.
However, as a consequence of the rise of management and business departments within
traditional universities, the kind of research conducted by research-active staff became more
focused on achieving academic rather than empirical impact. The ability to conduct „rigorous
research‟ became increasingly seen as being synonymous with the publication of articles in
leading journals – the higher the impact factors the better. Evaluated in this way, research
appeared as both a means and an end in itself. More recently, the pendulum has begun to
swing back as the contribution research makes to management practice has become an
, Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
important criterion for the allocation of research funding. Academics conducting research are
asked to demonstrate how their research may help to address societal challenges, such as the
UK‟s relatively low productivity. Assessments of „research impact‟ require the researcher to
show how their research has led to change in policy areas or practice. Such change may
occur as a result of the dissemination of research outcomes but also from engagement with
practitioners. Some academic researchers manage to inspire both fellow academics (e.g. with
new theories) and practitioners (e.g. with new solutions). However, it can be difficult to
achieve both with the same research.
When compared to academic research, practitioner research often appears less theory-
driven and more problem-oriented. It tends to aim at improving business and professional
practice within a particular organisation rather than across a certain type of organisations or
entire industries. This is not to say that practitioner research is less useful or does not have to
be rigorous. Like academic research, the quality of practitioner research does not only
depend on asking the right questions but also on using the appropriate methods in a research
process that is both systematic and rigorous. With the rise of the so-called Big Data agenda,
the work of practitioner researchers in management and business research has changed in
insignificant ways. Today business analytics is seen as one of many bridges between
academic and practitioner research. Collaborative research between academics and
practitioners opens up new avenues for bringing into dialogue research conducted in both
realms. Therefore, the methods introduced in this volume can be of great use to both
academic and practitioner researchers.
1.2 Proposal writing
1. What are the functions of each of the elements of an academic research proposal?
(Why do we need an introduction? What is the literature review for? Why is it
important to highlight limitations? etc.)
It has been said that a good research proposal should contain all the information needed
for a similarly qualified individual to conduct the research themselves. The function of a
, Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
research proposal, therefore, is to spell out the focus, and the steps that need to be taken to
evaluate and deliver a given research project.
It is usual for a research proposal to begin with the title of the study. This should be
intelligible and if possible eye-catching so that an informed reader will want to know more.
What usually follows next is a brief overview of the study, indicating its focus and
perhaps briefly, the manner of exploration and importance. Sir George Bernard Shaw has
been quoted as once saying in a letter to his grandson, „I‟m sorry that this letter is so long – I
didn‟t have time to write a shorter one‟. The point here is that boiling an introduction down
to its essence is no easy task. Chief executives of large companies practice what has been
called „an elevator pitch‟. This is the message they want to convey about an aspect of their
company or what they are trying to achieve for their organisation quickly and concisely as if
to a complete stranger – in the time that it would take an elevator to ascend six or seven
floors. Clarity, then, is what the researcher is trying to achieve, for themselves and the reader.
What might then follow are four or five aims – certainly no more than this. The first aim
usually relates to the focus of the study. For example, „this study examines the effectiveness
of performance related pay‟. A second aim might involve an investigation of previous
research. A third aim might then relate to how this study would ideally be designed, the
methods that would be adopted and the analysis that would be conducted on data collected.
Another aim could relate to how the findings would be located within the existing literature
indicating what literatures the researcher hopes to add to or extend or what gaps in
knowledge might be filled. A final aim might speculate on how the knowledge produced
would be translated into practice and who the stakeholders for this knowledge would be.
There is no specific requirement to focus this aim on users – but management as we have
indicated is an applied discipline and the improvement of management practice ought to be
an outcome of management research.
Once the aims are established, proposals usually offer a literature review section on the
current state of knowledge in relation to one or more pertinent fields or disciplines that relate
to the focus of the research. References are usually provided within this overview. In
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
Answers to exercises in the book
Note to readers
This companion document provides model answers, illustrative guidance and instructor notes
for selected exercises from the textbook. The purpose is to support teaching and learning by
offering examples of the kinds of responses or discussions that might emerge in class, rather
than to prescribe a single correct answer.
Not all exercises lend themselves to written solutions. Many tasks in the book are
intentionally designed as reflective activities, project-based explorations or open classroom
discussions. For these, there can be no single „model‟ response, and the value lies in the
process of inquiry, dialogue and personal interpretation. Accordingly, only exercises where a
representative or instructive answer can reasonably be provided are included below.
Instructors are encouraged to adapt, expand or localise these examples to suit their own
teaching context and the specific projects undertaken by their students.
Chapter 1: Finding your feet in management and business
research
1.1 Thinking about management and business research
3. Write a paragraph on why it is important that business and management research is
conducted in different countries and settings. Discuss where we still encounter colonial
assumptions in our concepts and theories (such as e.g. in modernisation or leadership
theories), what this means, and what we can do to address this.
Conducting business and management research across diverse countries and settings
matters because concepts, measures and prescriptions are never context-free. Many
foundational ideas – such as modernisation, leadership „universals‟ or efficiency logics –
, Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
were developed in and for wealthy, Western, corporate contexts and then generalised
outward. This can smuggle in colonial assumptions: that development follows a single linear
path; that „professional‟ management looks like Anglo-American models; or that practices
from multinational headquarters are inherently superior to local know-how. The result is
theory that travels poorly, overlooks informal and hybrid practices, and can legitimate one-
way knowledge flows. Addressing this requires epistemic plurality (valuing local theories
and categories), context sensitivity (treating place, history and institutions as explanatory,
not background noise) and methodological openness (comparative, processual and
participatory designs; multilingual data; co-production with practitioners). It also calls for
humility about constructs (e.g. re-examining leadership and motivation scales), reflexivity
about researcher positionality and publishing practices that welcome situated contributions
rather than privileging „view from nowhere‟ generalisations. In short, studying management
in different settings is not just about inclusion – it improves explanation, prediction and
usefulness by aligning our theories with how organising actually works in the world.
1.2 Research with impact
3. Discuss research and impact in relation to the job of academics and different
practitioners (e.g. Head of Marketing, CEO, Data Analyst, …). What are the main
similarities, and what are the differences?
In most universities academics on research contracts are required to produce research as
part of their conditions of employment. In the 1960s, when management was seen as an
applied discipline, emphasis was placed on the applied end of the research continuum.
However, as a consequence of the rise of management and business departments within
traditional universities, the kind of research conducted by research-active staff became more
focused on achieving academic rather than empirical impact. The ability to conduct „rigorous
research‟ became increasingly seen as being synonymous with the publication of articles in
leading journals – the higher the impact factors the better. Evaluated in this way, research
appeared as both a means and an end in itself. More recently, the pendulum has begun to
swing back as the contribution research makes to management practice has become an
, Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
important criterion for the allocation of research funding. Academics conducting research are
asked to demonstrate how their research may help to address societal challenges, such as the
UK‟s relatively low productivity. Assessments of „research impact‟ require the researcher to
show how their research has led to change in policy areas or practice. Such change may
occur as a result of the dissemination of research outcomes but also from engagement with
practitioners. Some academic researchers manage to inspire both fellow academics (e.g. with
new theories) and practitioners (e.g. with new solutions). However, it can be difficult to
achieve both with the same research.
When compared to academic research, practitioner research often appears less theory-
driven and more problem-oriented. It tends to aim at improving business and professional
practice within a particular organisation rather than across a certain type of organisations or
entire industries. This is not to say that practitioner research is less useful or does not have to
be rigorous. Like academic research, the quality of practitioner research does not only
depend on asking the right questions but also on using the appropriate methods in a research
process that is both systematic and rigorous. With the rise of the so-called Big Data agenda,
the work of practitioner researchers in management and business research has changed in
insignificant ways. Today business analytics is seen as one of many bridges between
academic and practitioner research. Collaborative research between academics and
practitioners opens up new avenues for bringing into dialogue research conducted in both
realms. Therefore, the methods introduced in this volume can be of great use to both
academic and practitioner researchers.
1.2 Proposal writing
1. What are the functions of each of the elements of an academic research proposal?
(Why do we need an introduction? What is the literature review for? Why is it
important to highlight limitations? etc.)
It has been said that a good research proposal should contain all the information needed
for a similarly qualified individual to conduct the research themselves. The function of a
, Instructor Resources
Jaspersen et al., Management and Business Research, 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2026
research proposal, therefore, is to spell out the focus, and the steps that need to be taken to
evaluate and deliver a given research project.
It is usual for a research proposal to begin with the title of the study. This should be
intelligible and if possible eye-catching so that an informed reader will want to know more.
What usually follows next is a brief overview of the study, indicating its focus and
perhaps briefly, the manner of exploration and importance. Sir George Bernard Shaw has
been quoted as once saying in a letter to his grandson, „I‟m sorry that this letter is so long – I
didn‟t have time to write a shorter one‟. The point here is that boiling an introduction down
to its essence is no easy task. Chief executives of large companies practice what has been
called „an elevator pitch‟. This is the message they want to convey about an aspect of their
company or what they are trying to achieve for their organisation quickly and concisely as if
to a complete stranger – in the time that it would take an elevator to ascend six or seven
floors. Clarity, then, is what the researcher is trying to achieve, for themselves and the reader.
What might then follow are four or five aims – certainly no more than this. The first aim
usually relates to the focus of the study. For example, „this study examines the effectiveness
of performance related pay‟. A second aim might involve an investigation of previous
research. A third aim might then relate to how this study would ideally be designed, the
methods that would be adopted and the analysis that would be conducted on data collected.
Another aim could relate to how the findings would be located within the existing literature
indicating what literatures the researcher hopes to add to or extend or what gaps in
knowledge might be filled. A final aim might speculate on how the knowledge produced
would be translated into practice and who the stakeholders for this knowledge would be.
There is no specific requirement to focus this aim on users – but management as we have
indicated is an applied discipline and the improvement of management practice ought to be
an outcome of management research.
Once the aims are established, proposals usually offer a literature review section on the
current state of knowledge in relation to one or more pertinent fields or disciplines that relate
to the focus of the research. References are usually provided within this overview. In
