Today’s programme

• Teaching forms• From choice of topic to research question• The right research question• Developing the research question• Types of research designs • Which research design does the research question call for?• Conection between research question and thesis structure

Teaching forms

Lectures 5 %

Teaching others 80 %

Source: Rikke von Müllen

From topic choice to research design

Topic topic research question methodology research let’s get

Choice delimitation - draft choice design to work!

The essence of the process of learning

Crucial decisionsMany

Few

Little A lot of

Knowledge

The challange!

A research question is a logic impossibility!

From the Learning objectivescheck your own!

After having completed the Master’s thesis process, the student must be able to:• Handle an iterative process in which processing of knowledge and drafting the problem statement are interrelated. • Draft a problem statement that facilitates control and structure in the student’s work on the thesis and its content. • Argue the wording of the questions that are answered in order to solve the problem.• Explain and evaluate the methods used in answering questions and solving the problem.• Select and process the theory used in the drafting of the problem statement and questions, analysis and conclusion.• Argue the relevance of the theories used.• Select and process primary and secondary sources used to document analysis and problem solution.• Explain and evaluate the overall relation between: drafting the problem statement, choice and application of theories, collection and processing of empirics, and conclusion.• Explain the overall relation from a theoretical science perspective.

From topic to research question

3 typical situations:

1. There is published so much about my topic that I can’t find a new perspective.

Solution: Read the literature for what it doesn’t say:

• Which methods are not used?

• Which of the theories’ boundaries are not explored?

• Which types of cases are not researched into?

• What other theoretical areas have not been combined with the topic before?

From topic to research question

2. There are nothing published about my topic.

Solution: Combine theories from different academic areas that are related to the topic. Then write a literature review and apply the theories together and apart in different parts of the analysis, or develop your own model for analysis where the theories supplement each other.

Example: Topic: Something to do with marketing of non-material products via social media. Relevant academic fields: On-line marketing, creative business, social media.

From topic to research question

3) I have a concrete topic in a specific company

Solution: Identify issues at the principle level within the topic. Search for empirical studies done by social scientists. Ask which theories that could be relevant. Which theoretical fields could contribute with new perspectives. How can your case study add to your academic field?

Classic pitfalls

• Not to regard developing the research question as a piece of work

• Not to allocate energy for absorption• To make the research question to broad• Not to revise it often enough• To forget that one becomes ‘blind’• To believe that it is possible to find a research question by

reading only• To think that one should develop the perfect RQ in the initial

stage.

A good research question:

- IS OPEN

- IS BALANCED

- HAS AN ANALYTICAL FOCUS

- tension, delimitations, shows academic wondering

- theory vs. data

 

Formula:

Why does mangement in company X do Y (observation/topic) when theory A and B suggest Z?

This sentence contains a tension between a known theory and an observed practice.

’Problem formulation’ aka research questionWhat is a ’problem’?

A problem is an academic question, that we don’t know the answer to

An academic question is a question that is so complex that we need social sceince/business administration theories and methodologies to answer it

An academic question relates to a lack or gab of something in the teories and/or a complexed issue in reality

Exercise:The Good Research Question

Discuss with the student sitting next to you to what extent the research questions below follows the criteria for the good research question and how the research questions can be improved.

Research question no. 1:

What is the impact of information overload on decision making - from an expats perspective?

Research question no. 2:

How can hotels in remote Swiss alpine destinations increase their market strength through collaborations and networks allowing shared knowledge creation to lead towards innovations?

Discuss for 10 minutes. Then we have a plenary discussion

How do online platform businesses within the sharing economy (such as AirBnB, GoMore, etc.) obtain sustinability?

- attract suppliers

- attract customers

- maintain these bases

Alternatively, how do these contribute to more sustainable business?

OR

How do innovative business models lead to increased environmental awareness (may be too general and/or nonspecific).

How is The Faroe Islands constructed as ”A fishermen’s Society” by the country’s politicians and business community, and which consequences does this construction have on The Faroe Islands’ policy on skills?

Revised:

How is The Faroe Islands constructed as ”A fishermen’s Society” by the country’s politicians and business community, and why does this construction influence The Faroe Islands’ policies on business development?

Levels of research

• Exploratory• Descriptive• Explanatory• Normative

Classic error:To conclude at a level of knowledge different from the researched level of knowledge

A good research question:

 

   Article (e-campus/thesis):

Vibeke Ankersborg: Problemformuleringer – en nødvendig logisk umulighed

i Vibeke Ankersborg og Merete Watt Boolsen (red.)( 2007): Tænk selv! Videnskabsteori og undersøgelsesdesign i samfundsvidenskab, Forlaget Politiske Studier.

 

English version of model and user manual on e campus

Example: Research question

”How and why does communication have significance in a change process where are production company must be rationalized and integrated in a knowledge organisation and how can management

utilize communication in this process?”

Source: Vibeke Ankersborg: Kapitel 1: Problemformuleringer – en nødvendig logisk umulighed i Vibeke Ankersborg og Merete Watt Boolsen (red.)(sept. 2007): Tænk selv! Videnskabsteori og undersøgelsesdesign i samfundsvidenskab, Forlaget Politiske Studier.

Exercise:

Draw research question model on to the flipover paper.

Select a student’s topic and fill in the model together.

20 minutes

From research question to research designA skeleton for a structured consistency:  Structure

 

Research question Introduction

Material used Theories and methodologies

 

Sub question/ Which parts of Analysis chapter 1

Hypothesis literature and data?

 

Sub question/ Which parts of Analysis chapter 2

Hypothesis literature and data?

 

Sub question/ Which parts of Analysis chapter 3

Hypothesis literature and data?

Conclusion

Research design

a) The research question

b) Planning

c) Methods and data, including reasons for your choices.

d) Possible analyses and discussions, including reasons for your choices.

e) Possible conclusions

f) Resources

Source: Merete Watt Booelsen

Examples of research designs

Social science:

• Case study

• Survey

• Experiment

• Longitudinal

• Theory testing

• Data files study

• Observational study

• Grounded Theory

Examples of research designs

Humanities:• Ethnografic• Archive study/historical study• Interview study• Discurse analysis• Other types of text analyses/analysis of images

Comparative studies

Various mixs of the above.

Classic error: To use a research design for testing theories even though the objective of the thesis is not to test a theory

Exercise

Research question Research design

1. Tell the student next to you what you want to write about.

2. Help each other to identify relevant/possible research designs.

3. 7 minutes for each thesis.

Template for an outline for Master's Thesis:

https://e-campus.dk/studie-og-laering/kandidatafhandling

Research design - Exercise

Fill in the template for an outline based on what you have just discussed.

7 minutes

Continue work on the template for the comming weeks.

What does the research question calls for?

The formulation of the research question itself dictates the kind of knowledge your research can possible create, and therefore the type of research, methodologies

and data you can possible apply.

From the Learning objectives:

“Explain and evaluate the overall relation between: drafting the problem statement, choice and application of theories, collection and processing of empirics, and

conclusion.”

 

 

“What is the role of strategic management of technology and innovation in a generation of business model evolution?” 

It calls for a theoretical thesis discussing the topic at a principel level based on literature.

“How to employ new technologies for to manage customer service in various touchpoint in luxury retail?

or 

What is the purpose of new technologies for to manage customer service in various touchpoint in luxury retail?”

It calls for an empirical study, fx observations of customer service and interviews with staff and customers – but in luxury retail all over the world!

What does the research question calls for in terms of methodology? - example IntranetInitial research guestion:

Why do employees in organisation X not use the Intranet, and how can management incorporate the Intranet into the daily work of employees?

Calls for:

Qualitative analysis of the employees

Qualitative analysis of the Intranet’s present form and use

Qualitative analysis of the need of the organisation

Empiricals studies of others on digital media in organisations

Conclusion: Context dependent knowledge about this particular case.

What does the research question calls for in terms of methodology? - example Intranet

Initial research guestion:

How widespread is the use of intranet in Danish organisations and how is the connection between the use of intranet and employee satisfaction?

Calls for:

Quantitative analysis of the spread of use of intranet

Quantitative analysis of employee satisfaction

Empiricals studies of others on employee satisfaction

Empiricals studies of others on digital media in organisations

Statistical knowledge

Conclusion: Generalised, descriptive knowledge

What does the research question calls for in terms of methodology? - example Intranet

Initial research guestion:

How does the concept of Intranet and the use hereof appear in social science literature on digital media in organisations and how can Foucault’s concept of power contribute to our understanding of the use of Intranet?

Calls for:

A literature review on the literaure on digital media in organisations, particulary the use of Intranet

A discussion on Foucault’s work

A comparative analysis of the above.

Conclusion: A new theoretical view on the concept of Intranet.

A logical coherence

Research question research design report structure

The deductive structure – what ’everybody’ do

Intro- duction

Metho-dology

Theory Empirical analysis Con- clusion

Furtherresearch

Make it or break it

chap. 2 chap.3 chap. 4 chap. 5

The inductive strukture – a hidden alternative

Introduction with brief discussion on theory and metho-dology

Empirical

refle-xions

analysis

on theory

containing

and

ongoing

metho-dology

Con- clusion

Broader context

chap. 2 chap. 3 chap. 4 chap. 5

Make it or break it: Stay on the right track

The deductive structure – what ’everybody’ do

Intro- duction

Metho-dology

Theory Empirical analysis Con- clusion

Furtherresearch

Make it or break it

chap. 2 chap.3 chap. 4 chap. 5

The iterative process: Read, research, rewrite:

A theoretical thesis using illustrative cases

Intro- duction

Theore-tical

analysis

Illustra-tive

and

cases

discus-sion

Con- clusion

Furtherresearch

chap. 2 chap. 3 chap. 4 chap. 5

Example: Research question

How and why does communication have significance in a change process where are production company must be rationalized and integrated in a knowledge organisation and how can management utilize communication in this process?

Source: Vibeke Ankersborg: Kapitel 1: Problemformuleringer – en nødvendig logisk umulighed i Vibeke Ankersborg og Merete Watt Boolsen (red.)(sept. 2007): Tænk selv! Videnskabsteori og undersøgelsesdesign i samfundsvidenskab, Forlaget Politiske Studier.

Exampel: The structure of the thesis1. Introduction

Research area with motivationResearch question with sub questionsDelimitationThe structure of the thesis – guide your reader 1.

sectionDefinitions of key conceptsRelevanceWith and inductive approach also:A brief presentation of the literature/theoriesA brief presentation of methodology

2. Rationalization3. Integration 2. section4. A new strategy7. Conclusion8. Further research 3. section9. Bibliography10. Appendix

Example: Research design – a case study

A mix of theories:Organisational theoryTheory on change communicationTheory on change managementPhilosophy of science:HermeneuticsMethodology and data:Inductive approachSemi structured qualitative research interviews with blue-collar workersSemi structured qualitative research interviews with management at all levelsDocuments about and from the organisation’s internal communication Hermeneutic interpretationPerspective:The blue-collar workersPossible conclusion:Understanding and suggestions for change

When you get home:

• Continue work on the research question model

• Continue work on the template for an outline

• Consider report structure – pro’ s and con’s

Seminars and workshops in the spring semester

Coming up soon on e-campus

Merry Christmas