Theory lectures 1 - 3
Lecture 1 - Introduction
Future managers should know about research because:
● the results of a good research tend to be more effective
● hunches, intuition, and past experiences are more likely to be wrong
○ Example → IKEA in the USA was not successful because Americans prefer ready made
products over self-manufacturing.
● Managers should be able to perform, steer and evaluate business research.
○ perform → undertake research yourselves to solve smaller problems you encounter
○ steer → interact effectively with researchers/research agencies
○ Evaluate → discriminate between good and bad proposals of research agencies and
published research studies.
Myths about business research (5)
1. ‘managers are from mars, researchers are from Venus myth’
a. myth → there is no need for a manager to study business research
b. reality → managers with knowledge about research have an advantage over those
without
2. ‘most research is not read myth’
a. myth → business research end up in the bottom drawer
b. reality → for knowledgeable managers, research need not be intimidating
3. ‘big bucks myth’
a. myth → business research is only for the wealthiest organizations
b. reality → business research is very diverse - it can be cheap, it can be expensive
4. ‘big decision myth’
a. myth → business research is only useful when you have a major decision to make
b. reality → for small decisions, the best managers carry out their own research
5. ‘universal truth myth’
a. myth → there is just one best way of researching a business problem
b. reality → there is no such thing as an absolute truth in business (but this does not
imply that any research is good)
Business research → a series of well-thought-out and carefully executed activities that enable the
manager to know how organizational problems can be solved, or minimized.
Hallmarks of business research (8)
● purposiveness - know ‘the why’ of your research
● rigor - ensure a sound theoretical base and methodological design
● testability - can I test logically developed ideas based on data
● replicability - finding the same results if the research is repeated in similar circumstances
● precision & confidence - drawing accurate conclusions with a high degree of confidence
1
, ● objectivity - drawing conclusions based on facts
● generalizability - apply research findings in a wide variety of different settings
○ applied research → to solve a current problem in a specific context
○ Fundamental research → to generate knowledge about how problems that occur in
several firms can be solved. Applied to several organizational settings.
● parsimony - shaving away unnecessary details, explaining a lot with a little
The research process
* Stage 2 includes a conceptual model, variables and their definitions, and the hypotheses.
A way to remember the steps is to compare them to any scientific article outline that you might have
read. It always starts with the problem statement, defining the theoretical framework and so on...
Research design - ‘a framework or plan for conducting a [...] research project. It details the
procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure or solve [...] research
problems’
Research design classifications
Exploratory research → aim of this approach is to
develop new theory since a phenomenon is new or
previously un-investigated
(Results → theory).
● qualitative (1) smaller data (2) one on one
interviews (3) in-depth analysis
● quantitative (1) larger data (2) one to many
interviews (3) broader analysis
Conclusive research → characterized by clearly
defined phenomena that can be easily measured by
means of quantitative data. (from theory → results)
2
Lecture 1 - Introduction
Future managers should know about research because:
● the results of a good research tend to be more effective
● hunches, intuition, and past experiences are more likely to be wrong
○ Example → IKEA in the USA was not successful because Americans prefer ready made
products over self-manufacturing.
● Managers should be able to perform, steer and evaluate business research.
○ perform → undertake research yourselves to solve smaller problems you encounter
○ steer → interact effectively with researchers/research agencies
○ Evaluate → discriminate between good and bad proposals of research agencies and
published research studies.
Myths about business research (5)
1. ‘managers are from mars, researchers are from Venus myth’
a. myth → there is no need for a manager to study business research
b. reality → managers with knowledge about research have an advantage over those
without
2. ‘most research is not read myth’
a. myth → business research end up in the bottom drawer
b. reality → for knowledgeable managers, research need not be intimidating
3. ‘big bucks myth’
a. myth → business research is only for the wealthiest organizations
b. reality → business research is very diverse - it can be cheap, it can be expensive
4. ‘big decision myth’
a. myth → business research is only useful when you have a major decision to make
b. reality → for small decisions, the best managers carry out their own research
5. ‘universal truth myth’
a. myth → there is just one best way of researching a business problem
b. reality → there is no such thing as an absolute truth in business (but this does not
imply that any research is good)
Business research → a series of well-thought-out and carefully executed activities that enable the
manager to know how organizational problems can be solved, or minimized.
Hallmarks of business research (8)
● purposiveness - know ‘the why’ of your research
● rigor - ensure a sound theoretical base and methodological design
● testability - can I test logically developed ideas based on data
● replicability - finding the same results if the research is repeated in similar circumstances
● precision & confidence - drawing accurate conclusions with a high degree of confidence
1
, ● objectivity - drawing conclusions based on facts
● generalizability - apply research findings in a wide variety of different settings
○ applied research → to solve a current problem in a specific context
○ Fundamental research → to generate knowledge about how problems that occur in
several firms can be solved. Applied to several organizational settings.
● parsimony - shaving away unnecessary details, explaining a lot with a little
The research process
* Stage 2 includes a conceptual model, variables and their definitions, and the hypotheses.
A way to remember the steps is to compare them to any scientific article outline that you might have
read. It always starts with the problem statement, defining the theoretical framework and so on...
Research design - ‘a framework or plan for conducting a [...] research project. It details the
procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure or solve [...] research
problems’
Research design classifications
Exploratory research → aim of this approach is to
develop new theory since a phenomenon is new or
previously un-investigated
(Results → theory).
● qualitative (1) smaller data (2) one on one
interviews (3) in-depth analysis
● quantitative (1) larger data (2) one to many
interviews (3) broader analysis
Conclusive research → characterized by clearly
defined phenomena that can be easily measured by
means of quantitative data. (from theory → results)
2
