SOLUTION MANUAL
Research Methods For Business Students
8th Edition Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis
Chapters 1 - 14, Complete
3
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction 5
1 Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose
of this book 15
2 Choosing a research topic and developing your research proposal 19
3 Critically reviewing the literature 23
4 Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development27
5 Formulating the research design 32
6 Negotiating access and research ethics 36
7 Selecting samples 40
8 Utilising secondary data 44
9 Collecting data through observation 48
10 Collecting primary data using research interviews and research diaries 54
11 Collecting primary data using questionnaires 59
12 Analysing data quantitatively 63
13 Analysing data qualitatively 68
14 Writing and presenting your project report 72
Appendix 75
1 Research project assignment 75
2 Group poster research project assignment 80
3 Research proposal assignment 84
4 Additional cases on the companion website 89
INTRODUCTION
An overview of the instructors’ manual
This instructors’ manual provides commentary for the eighth edition of the textbook
Research Methods for Business Students. The commentary is on a chapter by chapter basis and
includes:
chapter learning outcomes;
summary of the content;
comments on likely student reactions and possible use of materials;
4
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, ideas ufor ustudents’ upreparatory uwork;
suggestions ufor udelivery uin uthe uclassroom;
ideas ufor ustudents’ ufollow-up uwork.
In uaddition, uwe uhave uincluded ua ucopy uof ua uresearch uproject uassignment, ua ugroup
uresearch uproject uposter uassignment uand ua ucopy uof ua udissertation uproposal uassignment
uas uappendices.
Research uMethods ufor uBusiness u– uan uoverview uof uthe ueighth uedition
Pedagogic u features
The uover-riding upurpose uof uResearch uMethods ufor uBusiness uStudents uis uto uhelp uundergraduate
uand upostgraduate ustudents uand ustudents uon uprofessional ucourses uto uundertake
uresearch. uEach uchapterudeals uwith ua upart uof uthe uresearch uprocess uand udiscusses uthe uideas,
utechniques uand umethods uusing uas ulittle ujargon uas uis upossible. uTables, uchecklists uand
udiagrams uare uused uto uaid uthis udiscussion. uWhere unew uterms uare uintroduced ufor uthe ufirst
utime, uthey uare ushown uin ubold, uand ua udefinition uor uexplanation ufollows ushortly
uafterwards. uThey uare ualso ulisted uwith ua ubrief udefinition uin uthe uglossary. uThe
uapplication uof uappropriate uinformation utechnology uis uconsidered, uin umost uinstances uas
uan uintegral upart uof uthe utext. uChapters uhave ubeen ucross-referenced uas uappropriate, uand
uan uindex uis uprovided utouhelp ustudents ufind utheir uway uaround uthe ubook.
Focus uon ustudent uresearch uboxes uare uincluded uwithin uthe utext uof ueach uchapter. uThese
uare ubased uon uactual uresearch uprojects, uundertaken uby ustudents, uin uwhich upoints umade
uin uthe utext uare uillustrated. uIn umany uinstances, uthese uworked uexamples uillustrate
upossible upitfalls ustudents umay ucome uacross uwhile uundertaking utheir uresearch. uWhere
ua upitfall uhas ubeen uillustrated, uit uwill, uit uis uhoped, uhelp uyour ustudents uavoid umaking
uthe usame umistake. uFurther uillustrations uare uprovided uby ufocus uon umanagement
uresearch uand uresearch uin uthe unews uboxes.
Focus uon umanagement uresearch uboxes udiscuss urecent uresearch uin ubusiness uand
umanagement. uThese uare unormally uderived ufrom urefereed uacademic ujournal uarticles, uand
ustudents uare ulikely uto ube uable uto udownload uthe uactual uarticles ufrom uonline udatabases uat
utheir uuniversity.
Focus uon uresearch uin uthe unews uboxes uprovide utopical unews uarticles uthat uillustrate
upertinent uresearch-related uissues. uAll uthese uwill uhelp ustudents uto uunderstand uthe
utechnique uor uidea uand uto uassess uits usuitability uor uappropriateness uto utheir uresearch.
uBoxed uchecklists uprovide ustudents uwith ufurther ufocussed uguidance ufor utheir uown
uresearch.
A usummary uof ukey upoints uat uthe uend uof ueach uchapter ucan ube uused uby ustudents ubefore
uand uafter ureading uthe uchapter uto uensure uthat uthey uhave udigested uthe umain upoints.
Self-check uquestions uenable ustudents uto ucheck uthey uhave uunderstood uthe uchapter. uThese
ucan uall ube uanswered uwithout urecourse uto uother u(external) uresources. uAnswers uare
uprovided uto uall uthe uself- ucheck uquestions uat uthe uend uof ueach uchapter.
Review uand udiscuss uquestions ufollow uthe uself-check uquestions. uThese usuggest ua uvariety
uof uactivities u students u can u undertake u to u help u them u further u develop u their u knowledge
u and u understanding uof uthe umaterial uin uthe uchapter, uoften uinvolving udiscussion uwith ua
ufriend.
5
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Saunders, Research Methods for Business Students, 8e, Instructor’s Manual
Self-test umultiple uchoice uquestions uand utrue/false uquestions ufor ueach uchapter uare uavailable
uon uthis ubook’s ucompanion uwebsite.
All uchapters uinclude ua usection utowards uthe uend utitled u“Progressing uyour uresearch uproject”
uthat ucan ube uundertaken uas upart uof uthe ustudent’s uresearch uproject. uThese uare upresented
uin usufficient udetail uto uenable uthem uto ufocus uon uthe utechniques uthat uare umost
uappropriate uto uhis uor uher uresearch. uBy ucompleting uall uthese usections, uthe ustudent uwill
uhave ualso ucompleted uhis uor uher uproject ureport.
Each uchapter uis ualso uaccompanied uby ureferences, ufurther ureading uand ua ucase ustudy.
Further ureading uis uincluded ufor utwo udistinct ureasons:
▪ to udirect ustudents uto uother uwork uon uthe uideas ucontained uwithin uthe uchapter;
▪ to u direct u students u to u further u examples u of u research u where u the u ideas u contained u in
u the u chapteruhave ubeen uused.
Case ustudies uat uthe uend uof ueach uchapter uare uall unew uto uthe ueighth uedition. uThey uhave ubeen
udrawn ufrom ua uvariety uof ubusiness uand umanagement uresearch uscenarios uand uhave ubeen
ubased uon uthe ucase ustudy’s uauthors’ ustudents’ uexperiences uwhen uundertaking ua uresearch
uproject. uThey uhave ubeen uwritten uto uhighlight ureal uissues uthat uoccur uwhen uundertaking
ubusiness uand umanagement uresearch. uTo uhelp ufocus ustudents’ uthoughts uor udiscussion uon
usome uof uthe upertinent uissues, ueach ucase uis ufollowed uby uevaluative uquestions, uanswers uto
uwhich uare uprovided uon uthe uInstructors’ uCompanion uWeb uSite. uA ucase ustudy ufollows
uevery uchapter. uA ufurther u75 ucase ustudies ufrom uearlier ueditions uof uthe ubook uare uavailable
uon uthe uStudents’ uCompanion uWeb uSite; uanswers uto uthese ucases uare uprovided uon uthe
uInstructors’ uCompanion uWeb uSite. uA ucomplete ulist uof uthese ucases uis uprovided uin
uAppendix u4.
Contents
Chapter u1 uoutlines uthe unature uof uresearch uand, umore uspecifically, uof ubusiness uand
umanagement uresearch. uThe ubasic uversus uapplied uresearch uand urelevance udebates uare
uconsidered uand uadvice uoffered u regarding u keeping u a u reflective u diary u or u notebook. u The
u chapter u concludes u with u an u overview uof uthe upurpose uand ustructure uof uthe ubook.
Chapter u2 uis uwritten uto uassist ustudents uin uthe ugeneration uof uideas, uwhich uwill uhelp
uthem uto uchoose ua usuitable uresearch utopic, uand uoffers uadvice uon uwhat umakes ua ugood
uresearch utopic. uIf uyour ustudents uhave ualready ubeen ugiven ua uresearch utopic, uperhaps uby
uan uorganisation uor ututor, uthey uwill uneed uto urefine uit uinto uone uthat uis ufeasible uand
ushould ustill utherefore uread uthis uchapter. uAfter utheir uidea uhas ubeen ugenerated uand
urefined, uthe uchapter udiscusses uhow uto uturn uthis uidea uinto uclear uresearch uquestion(s)
uand uobjectives. u(Research uquestions uand uobjectives uare ureferred uto uthroughout uthe
ubook.) uFinally, uthe uchapter uprovides uadvice uon uhow uto uwrite ua uresearch uproposal.
The uimportance uof uthe ucritical uliterature ureview uto ustudents’ uresearch uis udiscussed uin
uChapter u3. uThis uchapter uoutlines uwhat ua ucritical ureview uneeds uto uinclude uand uthe
urange uof usecondary uand uprimary uliterature usources uavailable. uThe uchapter uexplains uthe
upurpose uof ureviewing uthe uliterature, udiscusses ua urange uof usearch ustrategies uand ucontains
uadvice uon uhow uto uplan uand uundertake ua usearchuand uto uwrite uthe ureview. uThe uprocesses
uof uidentifying ukey uwords uand usearching uusing uonline udatabases uand uthe uInternet uare
uoutlined. uIt ualso uoffers uadvice uon uhow uto urecord uitems uand uto uevaluate utheir urelevance
uas uwell uas udiscussing uplagiarism.
6
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
Research Methods For Business Students
8th Edition Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis
Chapters 1 - 14, Complete
3
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction 5
1 Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose
of this book 15
2 Choosing a research topic and developing your research proposal 19
3 Critically reviewing the literature 23
4 Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development27
5 Formulating the research design 32
6 Negotiating access and research ethics 36
7 Selecting samples 40
8 Utilising secondary data 44
9 Collecting data through observation 48
10 Collecting primary data using research interviews and research diaries 54
11 Collecting primary data using questionnaires 59
12 Analysing data quantitatively 63
13 Analysing data qualitatively 68
14 Writing and presenting your project report 72
Appendix 75
1 Research project assignment 75
2 Group poster research project assignment 80
3 Research proposal assignment 84
4 Additional cases on the companion website 89
INTRODUCTION
An overview of the instructors’ manual
This instructors’ manual provides commentary for the eighth edition of the textbook
Research Methods for Business Students. The commentary is on a chapter by chapter basis and
includes:
chapter learning outcomes;
summary of the content;
comments on likely student reactions and possible use of materials;
4
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, ideas ufor ustudents’ upreparatory uwork;
suggestions ufor udelivery uin uthe uclassroom;
ideas ufor ustudents’ ufollow-up uwork.
In uaddition, uwe uhave uincluded ua ucopy uof ua uresearch uproject uassignment, ua ugroup
uresearch uproject uposter uassignment uand ua ucopy uof ua udissertation uproposal uassignment
uas uappendices.
Research uMethods ufor uBusiness u– uan uoverview uof uthe ueighth uedition
Pedagogic u features
The uover-riding upurpose uof uResearch uMethods ufor uBusiness uStudents uis uto uhelp uundergraduate
uand upostgraduate ustudents uand ustudents uon uprofessional ucourses uto uundertake
uresearch. uEach uchapterudeals uwith ua upart uof uthe uresearch uprocess uand udiscusses uthe uideas,
utechniques uand umethods uusing uas ulittle ujargon uas uis upossible. uTables, uchecklists uand
udiagrams uare uused uto uaid uthis udiscussion. uWhere unew uterms uare uintroduced ufor uthe ufirst
utime, uthey uare ushown uin ubold, uand ua udefinition uor uexplanation ufollows ushortly
uafterwards. uThey uare ualso ulisted uwith ua ubrief udefinition uin uthe uglossary. uThe
uapplication uof uappropriate uinformation utechnology uis uconsidered, uin umost uinstances uas
uan uintegral upart uof uthe utext. uChapters uhave ubeen ucross-referenced uas uappropriate, uand
uan uindex uis uprovided utouhelp ustudents ufind utheir uway uaround uthe ubook.
Focus uon ustudent uresearch uboxes uare uincluded uwithin uthe utext uof ueach uchapter. uThese
uare ubased uon uactual uresearch uprojects, uundertaken uby ustudents, uin uwhich upoints umade
uin uthe utext uare uillustrated. uIn umany uinstances, uthese uworked uexamples uillustrate
upossible upitfalls ustudents umay ucome uacross uwhile uundertaking utheir uresearch. uWhere
ua upitfall uhas ubeen uillustrated, uit uwill, uit uis uhoped, uhelp uyour ustudents uavoid umaking
uthe usame umistake. uFurther uillustrations uare uprovided uby ufocus uon umanagement
uresearch uand uresearch uin uthe unews uboxes.
Focus uon umanagement uresearch uboxes udiscuss urecent uresearch uin ubusiness uand
umanagement. uThese uare unormally uderived ufrom urefereed uacademic ujournal uarticles, uand
ustudents uare ulikely uto ube uable uto udownload uthe uactual uarticles ufrom uonline udatabases uat
utheir uuniversity.
Focus uon uresearch uin uthe unews uboxes uprovide utopical unews uarticles uthat uillustrate
upertinent uresearch-related uissues. uAll uthese uwill uhelp ustudents uto uunderstand uthe
utechnique uor uidea uand uto uassess uits usuitability uor uappropriateness uto utheir uresearch.
uBoxed uchecklists uprovide ustudents uwith ufurther ufocussed uguidance ufor utheir uown
uresearch.
A usummary uof ukey upoints uat uthe uend uof ueach uchapter ucan ube uused uby ustudents ubefore
uand uafter ureading uthe uchapter uto uensure uthat uthey uhave udigested uthe umain upoints.
Self-check uquestions uenable ustudents uto ucheck uthey uhave uunderstood uthe uchapter. uThese
ucan uall ube uanswered uwithout urecourse uto uother u(external) uresources. uAnswers uare
uprovided uto uall uthe uself- ucheck uquestions uat uthe uend uof ueach uchapter.
Review uand udiscuss uquestions ufollow uthe uself-check uquestions. uThese usuggest ua uvariety
uof uactivities u students u can u undertake u to u help u them u further u develop u their u knowledge
u and u understanding uof uthe umaterial uin uthe uchapter, uoften uinvolving udiscussion uwith ua
ufriend.
5
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Saunders, Research Methods for Business Students, 8e, Instructor’s Manual
Self-test umultiple uchoice uquestions uand utrue/false uquestions ufor ueach uchapter uare uavailable
uon uthis ubook’s ucompanion uwebsite.
All uchapters uinclude ua usection utowards uthe uend utitled u“Progressing uyour uresearch uproject”
uthat ucan ube uundertaken uas upart uof uthe ustudent’s uresearch uproject. uThese uare upresented
uin usufficient udetail uto uenable uthem uto ufocus uon uthe utechniques uthat uare umost
uappropriate uto uhis uor uher uresearch. uBy ucompleting uall uthese usections, uthe ustudent uwill
uhave ualso ucompleted uhis uor uher uproject ureport.
Each uchapter uis ualso uaccompanied uby ureferences, ufurther ureading uand ua ucase ustudy.
Further ureading uis uincluded ufor utwo udistinct ureasons:
▪ to udirect ustudents uto uother uwork uon uthe uideas ucontained uwithin uthe uchapter;
▪ to u direct u students u to u further u examples u of u research u where u the u ideas u contained u in
u the u chapteruhave ubeen uused.
Case ustudies uat uthe uend uof ueach uchapter uare uall unew uto uthe ueighth uedition. uThey uhave ubeen
udrawn ufrom ua uvariety uof ubusiness uand umanagement uresearch uscenarios uand uhave ubeen
ubased uon uthe ucase ustudy’s uauthors’ ustudents’ uexperiences uwhen uundertaking ua uresearch
uproject. uThey uhave ubeen uwritten uto uhighlight ureal uissues uthat uoccur uwhen uundertaking
ubusiness uand umanagement uresearch. uTo uhelp ufocus ustudents’ uthoughts uor udiscussion uon
usome uof uthe upertinent uissues, ueach ucase uis ufollowed uby uevaluative uquestions, uanswers uto
uwhich uare uprovided uon uthe uInstructors’ uCompanion uWeb uSite. uA ucase ustudy ufollows
uevery uchapter. uA ufurther u75 ucase ustudies ufrom uearlier ueditions uof uthe ubook uare uavailable
uon uthe uStudents’ uCompanion uWeb uSite; uanswers uto uthese ucases uare uprovided uon uthe
uInstructors’ uCompanion uWeb uSite. uA ucomplete ulist uof uthese ucases uis uprovided uin
uAppendix u4.
Contents
Chapter u1 uoutlines uthe unature uof uresearch uand, umore uspecifically, uof ubusiness uand
umanagement uresearch. uThe ubasic uversus uapplied uresearch uand urelevance udebates uare
uconsidered uand uadvice uoffered u regarding u keeping u a u reflective u diary u or u notebook. u The
u chapter u concludes u with u an u overview uof uthe upurpose uand ustructure uof uthe ubook.
Chapter u2 uis uwritten uto uassist ustudents uin uthe ugeneration uof uideas, uwhich uwill uhelp
uthem uto uchoose ua usuitable uresearch utopic, uand uoffers uadvice uon uwhat umakes ua ugood
uresearch utopic. uIf uyour ustudents uhave ualready ubeen ugiven ua uresearch utopic, uperhaps uby
uan uorganisation uor ututor, uthey uwill uneed uto urefine uit uinto uone uthat uis ufeasible uand
ushould ustill utherefore uread uthis uchapter. uAfter utheir uidea uhas ubeen ugenerated uand
urefined, uthe uchapter udiscusses uhow uto uturn uthis uidea uinto uclear uresearch uquestion(s)
uand uobjectives. u(Research uquestions uand uobjectives uare ureferred uto uthroughout uthe
ubook.) uFinally, uthe uchapter uprovides uadvice uon uhow uto uwrite ua uresearch uproposal.
The uimportance uof uthe ucritical uliterature ureview uto ustudents’ uresearch uis udiscussed uin
uChapter u3. uThis uchapter uoutlines uwhat ua ucritical ureview uneeds uto uinclude uand uthe
urange uof usecondary uand uprimary uliterature usources uavailable. uThe uchapter uexplains uthe
upurpose uof ureviewing uthe uliterature, udiscusses ua urange uof usearch ustrategies uand ucontains
uadvice uon uhow uto uplan uand uundertake ua usearchuand uto uwrite uthe ureview. uThe uprocesses
uof uidentifying ukey uwords uand usearching uusing uonline udatabases uand uthe uInternet uare
uoutlined. uIt ualso uoffers uadvice uon uhow uto urecord uitems uand uto uevaluate utheir urelevance
uas uwell uas udiscussing uplagiarism.
6
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
