Academic Business Research Methods: Strategy for Success

Name: Academic Business Research Methods: Strategy for Success
Rating: 4.5 (38 reviews)

A complete guide to strategizing and executing academic business research

Created byJanaka Low

Last updated 11/2020

English

What you'll learn

Planning and managing an academic business research.
Choosing a research topic
Conducting literature review
Deciding on research methods
Analysis and discussion
Managing research as a project

Course content

7 sections • 27 lectures • 49m total length

Introduction Video1:02
Hi, I am Janaka Low. Welcome to “Academic Business Research Methods: Strategy for Success”.
What I am going to share with you in this course is based on my (i) my experience as a panel member in many master and doctoral viva sessions, and (ii) my interactions with students.
This course is a result of my supervisory works with postgraduate students, both at master and doctoral levels, for more than 10 years.
This course is applicable to both master and doctoral business students.
In this course, you will learn about:
Choosing a research topic
Thesis structure
Writing introductory chapter
Conducting literature review and building theoretical framework
Designing Your Research Methodology
Reporting and discussing the results
Managing the research project
We have a lot to cover, so let's get started.
Choosing a Research Topic (Video)2:21
When you sign up for a postgraduate program, you may or may not be given a topic. If your supervisor has been working on a large research project, you maybe asked to work on part of the project.
On the other hand, some supervisors give you a total freedom in choosing your research area and topic. In this case, you will need to think carefully.
Generally, there are 3 considerations when comes to choosing a research topic.
(a) choose an area that you are familiar with; (b) you must be able to collect data; (c) you have passion in the chosen area.
Being familiar with a topic is very important especially when you are defending your proposal or findings. You will face both broad and in-depth questions during your defense session. Your examiners can quickly form a negative opinion about you if your answers are superficial.
Ability to collect data is crucial. Without data, you will not be able to proceed with your research beyond proposal. You must also consider time factor. Given the time you have, are you able to collect enough representative set of data from your field?
Your passion in the chosen research area is important because you need the drive and motivation to complete the often long and arduous research journey. In addition, the examiners will feel positive about you if you speak passionately about your research during your defense. Generally, examiners despise candidates who don’t take interest in his or her research topic.

Chapter Structure (Video)2:09
Most higher learning institutions require the students to structure their thesis/report into a 5-6 chapter write up. Typically, a 5-chapter structure will include (1) Introduction, (2) Literature review, (3) Methodology, (4) Analysis and results, (5) Discussion and Conclusion. 6-chapter structure usually has a dedicated chapter on the research theoretical framework after literature review, resulting in (1) Introduction, (2) Literature review, (3) Theoretical framework, (4) Methodology, (5) Analysis and Results, (6) Discussion and Conclusion. In Europe, it is common to see literature review and analysis expend to multiple chapters.
Do not start or end your chapter abruptly. Each chapter should start with an introductory paragraph. Usually it will mention what the chapter is about. Each chapter should end with a concluding paragraph. Usually it summarizes what you said in the chapter. Similarly do this for every major section in your thesis or report. For sections that are closely linked with the subsequent sections, write a leading sentence to prepare or lead your reader for the following sections.
The following sections will describe what you should (and should not) write in each chapter.
The First Chapter - Introduction Chapter (Video)5:24

Committing Your Time1:09
Commit substantial time for research by embracing iterative rounds and the unstructured nature, and immerse yourself to build buffer time.
Knowing the Expectations0:53
Getting Yourself Up to Speed Quickly2:00
Get up to speed quickly to understand field concepts, discuss literature with your supervisor, and avoid conceptual mistakes by defining terms precisely; use purposeful interviews, focus groups, and local publications.
Being Unambitious1:10
Setting Up Rhythm1:29
Talking It Over, Face-to-face1:26
Managing Your Supervisor(s)2:13
Establish a positive, professional relationship with your supervisor through commitment, regular meetings, and consistent progress. Pursue publications with your supervisor as co-author of papers you publish, balancing freedom with direction.
Justifying Everything2:11
Proactively justify every element of your research, from objective and theoretical framework to methodology and findings, by linking contributions to theory, practice, and prior methods; justify reliability with Cronbach alpha.
Learning Word-processing Skills2:19
Learning the Writing Skills3:23
General Considerations2:50
Develop essential research skills through hands-on practice: literature search, data organization, questionnaire design, academic writing, and statistical analysis, while managing your supervisor relationship; hairsplitting and jargon sharpen critical thinking.

Requirements

The students

Description

For many students, academic research is one of the most unstructured endeavors they undertake. Due to the nature of research, students are often faced with ambiguous situations along their journey, where they must make decisions on many fronts, including the exact scope, set of models to be used as their theoretical bases, qualitative or quantitative approach, data collection strategy, types of analysis to conduct, etc. At the forefront of knowledge, researchers often feel they are looking into a vast empty darkness. These are just some of the reasons a large proportion, 90 percent in some institutions, of the students drop out of their postgraduate research-based program.

Who this course is for:

New postgraduate, both master and doctoral level business students who are planning to conduct their research.

Academic Business Research Methods: Strategy for Success

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 3min

Starting the Thesis2 lectures • 8min

Literature Review and Theoretical Framework5 lectures • 8min

Designing Your Research Methodology2 lectures • 2min

Reporting and Discussing the Results4 lectures • 5min

Managing the Research Project11 lectures • 21min

What is Next?1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: