Business research

Business research is the process of acquiring and analysing important information about an organisation's business operations in order to maximise profit and shareholders' wealth. In particular, research is a systematic investigation and evaluation of materials and sources to establish facts and draw novel outcomes. There are specific approaches to collecting and analysing data are referred to as research methodologies. Developing a research methodology is an essential component of the research approach. A research plan begins with a research proposal and concludes with a dissertation or thesis. A research proposal is a query or declaration of an academic or intellectual argument or case that requires more inquiry in writing. On the other hand, a dissertation or thesis is the writing of a question or statement following more investigation and justification of that question or statement with proper proof and argument. In other words, a proposal is a plan and face of a dissertation or thesis.

Research Process

Choose your topic- The subject of a thesis or dissertation may begin with a broad scope. evaluate the general area of interest or field of interest—you may already have specific research interests based on previous education, or you may have had to consider the subject while applying to higher education or writing a statement of purpose.

Identify a problem- You need to define a research problem that describes your study's emphasis and purpose. A problem statement can help you put the situation into context and outline your objectives. It covers who will be impacted by the problem, why the study is necessary, and how your research project will help to its conclusion.

Formulate research questions- You have to formulate one or more research questions based on the problem statement. These are specific to what you wish to investigate. You may choose to describe, compare, evaluate, or explain the research problem.

Create a research design- This is an important part of the research strategy. The research design presents a structure for answering your research questions. It includes deciding on what kind of data you require, the techniques you will use for collecting and analysing it, as well as the location and timeframe of your research. There are frequently several approaches to answering your questions. You have to decide whether to employ primary or secondary data, as well as qualitative or quantitative methodologies. You also have to decide on the precise methods, techniques, and materials you will use to gather and analyse your data, as well as your selection criteria for participants or sources.

Write a research proposal- subsequently, once you have completed these steps, you are ready to write a research proposal. The proposal describes the background, significance, objective, and strategy of your planned research/study. The proposal should include a literature analysis that illustrates how your study will fit into existing work on the issue, in addition to addressing the background, problem statement, and research questions.

Research Proposal

Title page - the proposal will usually have a title page that includes, the proposed title of your project, the researcher's name, the supervisor’s name, and the name of the institution and department.
Abstract and contents - In research, an abstract is a brief overview of an extensive study that reports on the aim, method, findings, and conclusions of your project. It is intended to provide the readers with a concise and clear summary of your work. Also, a table of contents is important for the reader guides.
Introduction - The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. introduction includes Introduce of your topic, the necessary background and context around your topic, and outlining your problem statement and research questions. Also includes information regarding who could have an interest in the topic (e.g., scientists, policymakers), how much is already known about the topic, what is missing from this current knowledge (eg research gap), what new insights your research will contribute and why you believe this research is worth doing.
Literature review - A great literature review demonstrates to your reader that your proposal is grounded on current knowledge or theory. It also demonstrates that you are not merely replicating what others have done or stated, but rather utilising previous research as a starting point for your own. In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to the ongoing debate in the field by comparing and contrasting the main theories, methods, and debates, examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and explaining how will you build on, challenge, or synthesize prior scholarship.
Research design - A research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions. Does research design include (1) Research type such as Qualitative or quantitative? Original data collection or primary and secondary source analysis? Descriptive, correlational, or experimental research design? (2) Population and sample i.e. Who or what will you study? How will you select your subjects (e.g., probability sampling, non-probability sampling)? When and where will you collect your data? (3) Research methods for instance What data collection tools and procedures will you use (e.g., surveys, interviews, observational studies, experiments)? Why?
Implications and contributions - Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters. For example, your results might have implications such as for improving best practices, informing policymaking decisions, strengthening a theory or model, challenging popular or scientific beliefs and Creating a basis for future research.
Time frame- While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project and make a plan to ensure meet the deadlines.
Reference list- Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list.

Dissertation/thesis (Format)

Title page- The first page of your paper includes your dissertation title, name, department, institution, degree programme, and submission date.
Acknowledgements or preface- The acknowledgements section is usually optional and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation.
Abstract- The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation and may include State your main topic and the aims of your research, a brief description of methods & methodology, and a summary of the main findings and conclusions of the study.
Table of contents - The table of contents lists all of your chapters, along with corresponding subheadings and page numbers
List of figures and tables - While not usually mandatory, it’s nice to include a list of figures and tables to help guide your reader if you have used a lot of these in your dissertation.
List of abbreviations - Similarly, if you have used a lot of abbreviations (especially industry-specific ones) in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.
Glossary - In addition to the list of abbreviations, if you find yourself using a lot of highly specialized terms that you worry will not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary.
Introduction - The introduction serves to set up your dissertation’s topic, purpose, and relevance. It tells the reader what to expect in the rest of your dissertation. It may include (i) background information of the research topic to contextualize your work (ii) narrowing down the focus and defining the scope of your research (iii) a discussion of the state of existing research on the topic, showing your work’s relevance to a broader problem or debate (iv) clearly state your research questions and objectives and (v) outline the flow of the rest of your work
Literature review - A formative part of your research is your literature review. This helps you gain a thorough understanding of the academic work that already exists on your topic. Literature reviews include finding relevant sources (e.g., books and journal articles), assessing the credibility of your sources, Critically analyzing and evaluating each source, and Drawing connections between them (e.g., themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps) to strengthen your overall point.
Theoretical framework - Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.
Methodology -Your methodology chapter describes how you conducted your research, allowing your reader to critically assess its credibility. a methodology includes (i)The overall research approach (quantitative vs. qualitative) and research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study) (ii)Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment) (iii) Details of where, when, and with whom the research took place (iv) Any tools and materials you used (e.g., computer programs, lab equipment) (v) Your data analysis methods (e.g., statistical analysis, discourse analysis) and (vi) An evaluation or justification of your methods.
Findings - Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. Your results section should, Concisely state each relevant result together with relevant descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics, p values), Briefly state how the result relates to the question of whether the hypothesis was supported, Report all results that are relevant to your research questions, including any that did not meet your expectations.
Implications & limitations - Your discussion section is your opportunity to explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research question. Some guiding questions include: What do your results mean? Why do your results matter? What limitations do the results have?
Conclusion - Your dissertation’s conclusion should concisely answer your main research question, leaving your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed to the field.
Reference list - It is crucial to include a reference list or list of works cited with the full details of all the sources that you used, in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your dissertation.
Appendices -Your dissertation should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents such as interview transcripts or survey questions can be added as appendices, rather than adding them to the main body.

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Business research

Dissertation/thesis (Format)

Title page- The first page of your paper includes your dissertation title, name, department, institution, degree programme, and submission date.

Acknowledgements or preface- The acknowledgements section is usually optional and gives space for you to thank everyone who helped you in writing your dissertation.

Abstract- The abstract is a short summary of your dissertation and may include State your main topic and the aims of your research, a brief description of methods & methodology, and a summary of the main findings and conclusions of the study.

Table of contents - The table of contents lists all of your chapters, along with corresponding subheadings and page numbers

List of figures and tables - While not usually mandatory, it’s nice to include a list of figures and tables to help guide your reader if you have used a lot of these in your dissertation.

List of abbreviations - Similarly, if you have used a lot of abbreviations (especially industry-specific ones) in your dissertation, you can include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations so that the reader can easily look up their meanings.

Glossary - In addition to the list of abbreviations, if you find yourself using a lot of highly specialized terms that you worry will not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary.

Theoretical framework - Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework. Here, you define and analyze the key theories, concepts, and models that frame your research.

Implications & limitations - Your discussion section is your opportunity to explore the meaning and implications of your results in relation to your research question. Some guiding questions include: What do your results mean? Why do your results matter? What limitations do the results have?

Conclusion - Your dissertation’s conclusion should concisely answer your main research question, leaving your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and emphasizing what your research has contributed to the field.

Reference list - It is crucial to include a reference list or list of works cited with the full details of all the sources that you used, in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your dissertation.

Appendices -Your dissertation should contain only essential information that directly contributes to answering your research question. Documents such as interview transcripts or survey questions can be added as appendices, rather than adding them to the main body.