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• List of Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgements
• Glossary
• Preface
• Introduction
• Walkthrough of textbook features
• Walkthrough of the student and tutor support sites
• PART 1 FROM FIRST IDEAS TO POSSIBLE TOPICS
• Chapter 1 Practical business research: an overview
• Sheila Cameron
• What is practical business research?
• Different forms of business research
• What does theory mean in practical business research?
• The purposes theory can serve
• The importance of evidence
• Understanding the research process
• Distinguishing bad research from good
• The structure of this book, and its optimal use
• Chapter 2 The complexities of business research
• Sheila Cameron
• Complex issues, wickend problems, and messes
• The complexities of doing business research
• Representing complexity
• The complexities of knowing
• The complexities of personal learning and development
• Chapter 3 The investigative process
• Sheila Cameron
• Research, inquiry or investigation?
• Data, information or evidence?
• Research purposes
• Research perspectives and choices
• Deductive or inductive research?
• Fixed or flexible design?
• A meeting of logics
• Evaluation research
• Chapter 4 Stakeholder, power and ethics
• Deborah Price
• Identifying stakeholder interests
• Stakeholder tensions
• Stakeholder power
• Analysing stakeholders
• Stakeholders’ role, stake, risk and opportunity
• The stakeholder engagement plan
• Ethics
• Chapter 5 Considering possible topics
• Sheila Cameron
• Clarifying your objectives
• Exploring academic requirements
• Exploring opportunities
• Considerations of data and approach
• Assessing your options
• PART 2 TOWARDS A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
• Chapter 6 Exploring the literature
• Deborah Price
• Why is literature research important?
• Accessing literature and information
• The advantages and disadvantages of different forms of literature
• Getting started
• Choosing what to read
• Scanning and skimming techniques
• Note-taking
• Organising your notes
• Chapter 7 Writing a literature review
• Deborah Price
• The characteristics of a literature review
• Referencing in your literature review
• Structuring your literature review
• Sample extracts of literary reviews
• Chapter 8 Research questions and purposes
• Deborah Price
• What is a top-level research question or purpose?
• Developing your ideas
• Drafting your research purpose/question
• Research objectives
• What can go wrong?
• Writing hypotheses
• Chapter 9 Data, evidence and sampling
• Sheila Cameron
• Types of data
• Telling good data from bad
• Seeking, finding and discarding data, information and/or evidence
• Sampling
• Drawing conclusions from data
• Chapter 10 Choosing a research method
• Deborah Price
• Thinking about your research
• Common approaches to business research
• Data-gathering techniques
• Mixing research methods
• Chapter 11 Crafting a research proposal
• Sheila Cameron
• Preparing your arguments
• Crafting your proposal
• PART 3 DATA COLLECTION
• Chapter 12 Producing a research project from secondary data
• Deborah Price
• Types of secondary-data-based projects
• Finding a focus
• Considering research methods
• Using findings as evidence
• The strengths and weaknesses of using only secondary data
• Chapter 13 Case study research
• Deborah Price
• What is a case study approach?
• Choosing a case study approach
• Undertaking case study research
• The strengths and limitations of a case study approach to research
• Chapter 14 Action-oriented research and Action Research
• Sheila Cameron
• Action-oriented research
• The characteristics of Action Research
• The role of reflection in Action Research
• Evaluating an Action Research approach
• Lessons for action-oriented research
• Chapter 15 Questionnaires
• Deborah Price
• Questionnaires and their uses
• Producing questionnaires
• Types of question
• Closed questions
• Visual design elements
• Maximising response rates
• Electronic questionnaires
• Chapter 16 Interviews
• Sheila Cameron
• Interviews for different purposes
• The advantages and disadvantages of interviews
• Different interview structures
• Designing your interview
• Telephone or other ‘remote’ interviews
• Capturing data from interviews
• Interpersonal skills
• Ethical issues
• Practical concerns
• Chapter 17 Focus groups and workshops
• Sheila Cameron
• The relative advantages of focus groups
• Running effective focus groups
• Workshops as research method
• Assessing data from focus groups and workshops
• Ethical considerations
• PART 4 DATA ANALYSIS
• Chapter 18 Grounded Theory
• Deborah Price
• Understanding Grounded Theory
• Starting with your question
• The coding process
• The strengths and limitations of a Grounded Theory approach
• Chapter 19 Content analysis
• Deborah Price
• Understanding content analysis
• When to use content analysis
• The coding process
• The analytical process
• Drawing conclusions from content analysis
• The strengths and limitations of content analysis
• Chapter 20 Representing quantitative data
• Sheila Cameron
• Different forms of data
• Ways of summarising data numerically
• Graphical representations
• Chapter 21 Inferential statistical analysis
• Sheila Cameron
• Probability and statistical significance
• Distributions and their importance
• Statistics for estimating population values
• Choosing a statistical test
• Statistics for differences
• Statistics for associations
• Lines of best fit
• Chapter 22 Drawing valid conclusions
• Deborah Price
• Characterising conclusions
• Writing valid research conclusions
• Mistakes made in conclusions
• The characteristics of good conclusions
• PART 5 ESSENTIAL RESEARCH SKILLS
• Chapter 23 Managing the project
• Deborah Price
• Elements of project management
• Project definition
• Task and resource analysis
• Project planning
• Project control
• Chapter 24 Managing client relationships
• Sheila Cameron
• Client relationships: the importance and the challenge
• Relationships at different stages in a consultancy project
• Building a good relationship
• Chapter 25 Learning and reflection
• Sheila Cameron
• Action planning for learning
• The role of reflection in learning
• Effective reflection
• Capturing learning by reflection
• The reflections section of a dissertation
• Chapter 26 Writing about research
• Deborah Price
• The importance of on-going clear communication
• Key elements in successful communication
• Referencing
• Starting your writing
• Producing your report
• Alternative report structures
• The contents of your report
• The presentation of your report
• References/Bibliography
• Index