Chapter 2

To explore further the topic of formulating your research problem after reading Chapter 2, we suggest some further reading.

Although most general research methods text books discuss the topic in broad terms, Andrews (2003) and White (2009) look specifically at research question development. Alvesson and Sandberg (2011) look at generating research questions through what they call problematisation, Voss (2003) suggests ways of making research questions interesting and Bryman (2007) explores different aspects of the role of the research question. Van de Ven (2007) discusses how to formulate research problems in the context of applied research while Creswell (2009) discusses the relationship between research questions and research design, a topic we take further in Chapters 4 and 5 of the present book.

Over the years numerous contributors to the Academy of Management Review have discussed the role of theory in relation to research including Corley and Gioia (2011), Weick (1989, 1999) and Whetten (1989).

References

Alvesson, M. and Sandberg, J. (2011). 'Generating research questions through problematization', Academy of Management Review, 36(2), 247–271.

Andrews, R. (2003). Research questions. London: Continuum.

Bryman, A. (2007). 'The research question in social research: What is its role?', Social Research, 10(1), 5–20.

Corley, K. G. and Gioia, D. A. (2011). 'Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a theoretical

contribution?', Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 12–32.

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design. 3rd ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Van de Ven, A. H. (2007). Engaged scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Voss, G. B. (2003). 'Formulating interesting research questions', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(3), 356–359.

Weick, K. E. (1989). 'Theory construction as disciplined imagination', Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 516–531.

Weick, K. E. (1999). 'Theory construction as disciplined reflexivity: Tradeoffs in the 90s', Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 797–806.

Whetten, D. A. (1989). 'What constitutes a theoretical contribution?', Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 490–495.

White, P. (2009). Developing research questions: A guide for social scientists. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Chapter 3

To explore further the topic of reviewing the literature after reading Chapter 3, we suggest some further reading.

Hart (1998) and Wallace and Wray (2011) both provide book-length treatments of the literature review, primarily within an academic research context. Neville (2010) gives a thorough introduction to referencing but you should also check what is available through your own institution if you are a student: many universities, for example, offer excellent guides to referencing that are aligned to the particular requirements of the institution.

Blaikie (2000) offers a general discussion of the use of models in research. The distinction between variance and process models goes back to Mohr (1982) but a more recent treatment is given by Van de Ven (1989). We also discuss process thinking in more detail in Chapter 5 of the current book. An overview of systems approaches to management is given by Jackson (2000) whilst Arbnor and Bjerke (2009) discuss taking a systems perspective in research in more detail.

Systematic review is covered by Petticrew and Roberts (2006) and, in a different way, by Fink (2005). Tranfield et al. (2003) discuss the application of systematic review in business and management research.

References

Arbnor, I. and Bjerke, B. (2009). Methodology for creating business knowledge. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Blaikie, N. (2000). Designing social research. Cambridge: Polity.

Fink, A. (2005). Conducting research literature reviews. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review. London: Sage.

Jackson, M. C. (2000). Systems approaches to management. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic.

Mohr, L. B. (1982). Explaining organisational behaviour. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Neville, C. (2010). The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Petticrew, M. and Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences. Oxford: Blackwell.

Tranfield, D., Denyer, D. and Smart, P. (2003). 'Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review', British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222.

Van de Ven, A. H. (1989). 'Nothing is quite so practical as a good theory', Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 486–489.

Wallace, M. and Wray, A. (2011). Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. 2nd ed. London: Sage.

Chapter 4

To explore further the topic of designing your research after reading Chapter 4, we suggest some further reading.

Blaikie (2000) provides an interesting discussion of many aspects of research design, including a review of deductive, inductive and abductive/retroductive approaches, although his treatment differs somewhat to that taken here. Reichertz (2010) argues for the relevance of abduction in the context of grounded theory and Van de Ven (2007) takes a look at research designs for applied research. Creswell (2009) discusses research design through the lens of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Ruspini (2002) offers a book-length treatment of longitudinal research, primarily in terms of quantitative methods, whilst Saldaña (2003) does the same for qualitative research. Pettigrew's (1990) article discusses longitudinal research in the context of investigating change. Secondary data analysis is discussed in general terms by Seale (2011) for qualitative research and Smith (2006) for more quantitative approaches. Gorard (2006) provides a short but thought-provoking introduction to using secondary data in research.

There is a huge literature on the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research. An old, but still very readable, overview is provided by Bryman (1988), whilst a slightly different perspective is offered by Newman and Benz (1998) and more recently by Cooper et al. (2012). Mixed methods have also generated a very large body of writing. Tashakkori and Teddlie's various texts (for example, Tashakkori and Teddlie 1998, Tashakkori and Teddlie 2003) address many aspects of the subject from a supportive perspective. A positive view is also offered by Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004) whilst a more cautionary note is sounded by Symonds and Gorard (2010).

Quality criteria are discussed in most general research textbooks but Seale (1999) gives a very good overview of the debate in relation to qualitative research, whilst Johnson et al. (2006) discuss the idea of contingent quality criteria in qualitative research. Shadish et al. (2002) discuss validity in some detail in the context of experimental research.

References

Blaikie, N. (2000). Designing social research. Cambridge: Polity.

Bryman, A. (1988). Quantity and quality in social research. London: Routledge.

Cooper, B., Glaesser, J., Gomm, R. and Hammersley, M. (2012). Challenging the quantitative–qualitative divide. London: Continuum.

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design. 3rd ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Gorard, S. (2006). Using everyday numbers effectively in research. London: Continuum.

Johnson, P., Buehring, A., Cassell, C. and Symon, G. (2006). 'Evaluating qualitative management research: Towards a contingent criteriology', International Journal of Management Reviews, 8(3), 131–156.

Johnson, R. B. and Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). 'Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come', Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14–26.

Newman, I. and Benz, C. R. (1998). Qualitative–quantitative research methodology. Exploring the interactive continuum. Cabondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

Pettigrew, A. M. (1990). 'Longitudinal field research on change: Theory and practice', Organization Science, 1(3), 267–292.

Reichertz, J. (2010). 'Abduction: The logic of discovery of grounded theory'. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research [online], 11(1). Available from: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1001135

Ruspini, E. (2002). Introduction to longitudinal research. London: Routledge.

Saldaña, J. (2003). Longitudinal qualitative research: Analyzing change through time. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.

Seale, C. (1999). 'Quality in qualitative research', Qualitative Inquiry, 5(4), 465–478.

Seale, C. (2011). Secondary analysis of qualitative data. In: Silverman, D. (ed.) Qualitative research. 3rd ed. London: Sage.

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D. and Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Smith, E. (2006). Using secondary data in educational and social research. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Symonds, J. and Gorard, S. (2010). 'Death of mixed methods? Or the rebirth of research as a craft', Evaluation and Research in Education, 23(2), 121–136.

Tashakkori, A. and Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Tashakkori, A. and Teddlie, C., (eds.) (2003). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Van de Ven, A. H. (2007). Engaged scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chapter 5

To explore further the topic of linking research questions to research design after reading Chapter 5, we suggest some further reading.

Classification techniques in descriptive research are discussed by Bailey (1994) whilst Sandelowski (2000) makes the case for descriptive research in qualitative studies.

There is a huge literature on causality and causal research. Shadish et al. (2002) look at the problem from the perspective of experimental research whilst Cooper et al. (2012) discuss the application of qualitative research to the study of causality.

Mechanism-based views of explanation are presented from a realist point of view by Pawson (Pawson and Tilley 1997, Pawson 2006) and from a different perspective by Hedström and Swedberg (1998).

Process research has been championed by a number of writers including Langley (Langley 1999, Langley 2007), Pettigrew (Pettigrew 1992), Van de Ven (Van de Ven and Poole 2005, Van de Ven 2007) and Sminia (2009). Poole et al. (2000) provide a book-length discussion of quantitative approaches to process research. Gilbert and Troitzsch (2005) discuss simulation approaches.

Chapter 6 of the current work and the supporting materials on the book's companion website also provide more detail on the specific research designs discussed in Chapter 5.

References

Bailey, K. D. (1994). Typologies and taxonomies. An introduction to classification techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Cooper, B., Glaesser, J., Gomm, R. and Hammersley, M. (2012). Challenging the quantitative–qualitative divide. London: Continuum.

Gilbert, N. and Troitzsch, K. G. (2005). Simulation for the social scientist. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Hedström, P. and Swedberg, R. (1998). Social mechanisms: An analytical approach to social theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Langley, A. (1999). 'Strategies for theorizing from process data', Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 691–710.

Langley, A. (2007). 'Process thinking in strategic organization', Strategic Organization, 5(3), 271–282.

Pawson, R. (2006). Evidence-based policy. A realist perspective. London: Sage.

Pawson, R. and Tilley, N. (1997). Realistic evaluation. London: Sage.

Pettigrew, A. M. (1992). 'The character and significance of strategy process research', Strategic Management Journal, 13(S2), 5–16.

Poole, M. S., Van de Ven, A. H., Dooley, K. and Holmes, M. E. (2000). Organizational change and innovation processes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sandelowski, M. (2000). 'Focus on research methods: Whatever happened to qualitative description ?', Research in Nursing and Health, 23, 334–340.

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D. and Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Sminia, H. (2009). 'Process research in strategy formation: Theory, methodology and relevance', International Journal of Management Reviews, 11(1), 97–125.

Van de Ven, A. H. (2007). Engaged scholarship. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Van de Ven, A. H. and Poole, M. S. (2005). 'Alternative approaches for studying organizational change', Organization Studies, 26(9), 1377–1404.

Chapter 6

Later chapters in the current work provide further details on the techniques of sampling, data collection and data analysis for both quantitative and qualitative research designs. The supplementary material on the companion website provides further summaries for specific research designs discussed in this chapter. In addition, to explore further the topic of applying quantitative and qualitative research designs after reading Chapter 6, we suggest some further reading.

For quantitative research designs, Field and Hole (2003) provide a readable guide to experiments, whilst Shadish et al. (2002) take a more technical look at experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Dunning (2012) offers a book-length treatment of natural experiments. De Vaus (2002) and Buckingham and Saunders (2004) are two books amongst many that deal with survey research designs. Gilbert and Troitzsch (2005) offer a useful overview of simulation research and the Centre for Research in Social Simulation (http://cress.soc.surrey.ac.uk) website has some useful material on various aspects of simulation in social science. Krippendorff (2004) and Neuendorf (2002) address content analysis in detail.

Hammersley and Atkinson (2007) and Brewer (2000) both provide in-depth coverage of ethnography. Locke (2001) provides an account of grounded theory in management research whilst Charmaz (2006) offers a slightly different perspective on grounded theory in general and Corbin and Strauss (2008) give a further insight into the grounded theory tradition. For case study research, Yin (2009) is a useful reference as is Eisenhardt's (1989) classic article; Stake (1995) offers a view of case study research from a more interpretivist position. Coghlan and Brannick (2010) examine doing action research in your own organisation. King and Horrocks (2010) provide useful coverage of qualitative interviewing as do Kvale and Brinkmann (2009). Qualitative language analysis is a very broad topic but Wetherell et al. (2001) cover many of its different manifestations. Qualitative content analysis receives a book-length treatment from Schreier (2012). Critical discourse analysis is the focus of Fairclough (2010) whilst conversation analysis is covered in detail by ten Have (2007). Coverage of a wider range of qualitative methods used in business and management research than is possible here can be found in Cassell and Symon (2004) and Symon and Cassell (2012).

References

Brewer, J. D. (2000). Ethnography. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Buckingham, A. and Saunders, P. (2004). The survey methods workbook. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Cassell, C. and Symon, G., (eds.) (2004). Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. London: Sage.

Coghlan, D. and Brannick, T. (2010). Doing action research in your own organization. 3rd ed. London: Sage.

Corbin, J. and Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

de Vaus, D. (2002). Surveys in social research. 5th ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Dunning, T. (2012). Natural experiments in the social sciences. A design-based approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). 'Building theories from case study research', Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550.

Fairclough, N. (2010). Critical discourse analysis. 2nd ed. Harlow: Longman.

Field, A. and Hole, G. (2003). How to design and report experiments. London: Sage.

Gilbert, N. and Troitzsch, K. G. (2005). Simulation for the social scientist. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Hammersley, M. and Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography, principles in practice. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.

King, N. and Horrocks, C. (2010). Interviews in qualitative research. London: Sage.

Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Locke, K. D. (2001). Grounded theory in management research. London: Sage.

Neuendorf, K. A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Schreier, M. (2012). Qualitative content analysis in practice. London: Sage.

Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D. and Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Stake, R. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Symon, G. and Cassell, C., (eds.) (2012). Qualitative organisational research. London: Sage.

ten Have, P. (2007). Doing conversation analysis. 2nd ed. London: Sage.

Wetherell, M., Taylor, S. and Yates, S. J. (2001). Discourse theory and practice. London: Sage in association with the Open University.

Yin, R. K. (2009). Doing case study research. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Chapter 7

For a general read regarding the application of ethics to management practice see Melé (2012). This book provides you with background and insight into the general topic of the application of ethics to management practice today.

Another view of the field of research ethics is given by Bell and Bryman (2007) while the increased interest in the role of technology and the collection, storage and use of data is addressed in an article by Nunan and Di Domenico (2013) which explores the issues arising from the use of 'big data' by management researchers and the ethical considerations they face. We also recommend an earlier article by DeLorme et al. (2001) in which they discuss ethical issues in relation to qualitative research and the Internet.

Finally, for a critical look at the rise of regulation and procedures in relation to research ethics we suggest an article by Hammersley (2009).

References

Bell, E. and Bryman, A. (2007). 'The ethics of management research: An exploratory content analysis', British Journal of Management, 18(1), 63–77.

DeLorme, D. E., Zinkhan, G. M. and French, W. (2001). 'Ethics and the internet: Issues associated with qualitative research', Journal of Business Ethics, 33(4), 271–286.

Hammersley, M. (2009). 'Against the ethicists: On the evils of ethical regulation', International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12(3), 211–225.

Melé, D. (2012). Management ethics. Placing ethics at the core of good management. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Nunan, D. and Di Domenico, M. (2013). 'Market research and the ethics of big data', International Journal of Market Research, 55(4), 41–56.

Chapter 8

To explore further particular topics discussed in Chapter 8, we suggest some further reading.

Buchanan and Bryman (2007) discuss issues around the selection of research methods.

Punch (2006) takes a closer look at preparing a research proposal and ESRC (2012) gives some useful insights into writing proposals in the context of a research funding body.

Costley et al. (2010) look at some of the issues faced by the insider-researcher.

References

Buchanan, D. A. and Bryman, A. (2007). 'Contextualizing methods choice in organizational research', Organizational Research Methods, 10(3), 483–501.

Costley, C., Elliott, G. C. and Gibbs, P. (2010). Doing work based research: Approaches to enquiry for insider-researchers. London: Sage.

ESRC (2012). Writing a good proposal [online]. Economic and Social Research Council. Available from: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/applicants/how-to.aspx [Accessed 24 August 2012.]

Punch, K. F. (2006). Developing effective research proposals. 2nd ed. London: Sage.

Chapter 9

To explore further aspects of sampling, we suggest some further reading.

Churchill (1999, Chapter 10) provides a more detailed review of sampling techniques within the context of marketing research. Quantitative sampling via the use of Internet based panel research is explored by Brüggen et al. (2011). The article provides insights into the motivations behind respondent participation in online panels. Survey response rates are discussed in some detail by Baruch and Holtom (2008) and by Anseel et al. (2010).

Morse (2000) and Baker and Edwards (2012) explore the subject of sample size in qualitative research.

References

Anseel, F., Lievens, F., Schollaert, E. and Choragwicka, B. (2010). 'Response rates in organizational science, 1995–2008: A meta-analytic review and guidelines for survey researchers', Journal of Business & Psychology, 25(3), 335–349.

Baker, S. E. and Edwards, R. (2012). 'How many qualitative interviews is enough?' [online]. Available from: http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/2273/

Baruch, Y. and Holtom, B. C. (2008). 'Survey response rate levels and trends in organizational research', Human Relations, 61(8), 1139–1160.

Brüggen, E., Wetzels, M., de Ruyter, K. and Schillewaert, N. (2011). 'Individual differences in motivation to participate in online panels: The effect on response rate and response quality perceptions', International Journal of Market Research, 53(3), 369–390.

Churchill, G. A., Jr. (1999). Marketing research: Methodological foundations. 7th ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt.

Morse, J. M. (2000). 'Determining sample size', Qualitative Health Research, 10(1), 3–5.

Chapter 10

To explore further the topic of designing questionnaires after reading Chapter 6, we suggest some further reading.

There are a number of books that you can consult that give detailed guidance on the design and development of questionnaires. Many of these are in the field of market research such as Brace (2013). A particularly well-known author in the field is Oppenheim (1992).

If you are interested to know more about the design of online surveys there are two authors in our list below: Sue and Ritter (2012) and Couper (2008). These provide you with more technical information on how to develop questionnaires for online surveys and other aspects of online survey research.

Sources of published scales include Bearden (2011), Bruner and Hensel (1992) and Roth et al. (2008)

If you are unable to find scales from existing sources and have to develop them yourself, Rossiter (2002) provides a useful starting point.

References

Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G. and Hawks, K. (2011). Handbook of marketing scales: Multi-item measures for marketing and consumer behavior research. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Brace, I. (2013). Questionnaire design: How to plan, structure and write survey material for effective market research. London: Kogan Page.

Bruner, G. C. and Hensel, P. J. (1992). Marketing scales handbook: A compilation of multi-item measures Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association.

Couper, M. P. (2008). Designing effective web surveys. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Oppenheim, A. N. (1992). Questionnaire design, interviewing and attitude measurement. New York, NY: Continuum.

Rossiter, J. R. (2002). 'The c-oar-se procedure for scale development in marketing', International Journal of Research in Marketing, 19(4), 305–335.

Roth, A. V., Schroeder, R., Huang, X. and Kristal, M. (2008). Handbook of metrics for research in operations management : Multi-item measurement scales and objective items. London: Sage.

Sue, V. M. and Ritter, L. A. (2012). Conducting online surveys. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Chapter 11

To explore further the role of qualitative interviews in research, the process of conducting interviews, and collecting and storing interview data, we recommend some further reading.

Good coverage of interviewing can be found in King and Horrocks (2010) and Kvale and Brinkmann (2009).

A useful source dealing specifically with focus group interviews is Krueger and Casey (2000).

Two general books on qualitative research in organisations and management edited by Cassell and Symon (Cassell and Symon 2004, Symon and Cassell 2012) provide guidance on a range of different aspects of interviewing.

References

Cassell, C. and Symon, G., (eds.) (2004). Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage.

King, N. and Horrocks, C. (2010). Interviews in qualitative research. London: Sage.

Krueger, R. A. and Casey, M. (2000). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Symon, G. and Cassell, C., (eds.) (2012). Qualitative organisational research. London: Sage.

Chapter 12

To further explore how observation, documents, diaries and artefacts may be used to collect data for your research project we suggest some further reading.

Observations are often used to collect data in ethnographic studies, and you will find the resources mentioned in Chapter 6 useful to extend your knowledge of this data collection tool. For a detailed review of structured observation in behavioural research, see Yoder and Symons (2010). In turn, Emerson et al. (1995) provide a detailed discussion of how to take field notes.

The use of documents for data collection in qualitative research is reviewed by Lee (2012), whilst Smith (2006) provides a guide to the use of secondary data. Chapter 3 of this book also contains further guidance on searching online. See also Chapter 6 for more details on the use of documents in content analysis.

Useful guidance on using diaries in qualitative research is given by Symon (2004), and Chapter 6 of Hammersley and Atkinson (2007) contains a thoughtful discussion on the role of documents and artefacts in the context of ethnography.

References

Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I. and Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Chicago, Il: The University of Chicago Press.

Hammersley, M. and Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography, principles in practice. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.

Lee, B. (2012). Documents in organizational research. In: Symon, G. and Cassell, C. (eds.) Qualitative organizational research. London: Sage.

Smith, E. (2006). Using secondary data in educational and social research. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Symon, G. (2004). Qualitative research diaries. In: Cassell, C. and Symon, G. (eds.) Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage.

Yoder, P. J. and Symons, F. J. (2010). Observational measurement of behavior. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Chapter 13

There is a huge literature on quantitative data analysis, much of it quite specialised in terms of the topics covered. If you are new to the subject, look for reading that covers the type of analysis you are interested in, is at an appropriate level of technical complexity for your needs and, where appropriate, provides guidance on your chosen analysis software. In addition, we provide additional guidance in the materials in the companion website to this book.

To explore further the topic of applying quantitative and qualitative research designs after reading Chapter 13, we suggest some further reading.

Davis and Pecar (2013) provide a good introduction to both statistics and data analysis using Excel, covering many of the topics discussed in Chapter 13. Field (2013) and Pallant (2013) both offer good coverage of using SPSS, up to and including more advanced multivariate techniques. An alternative treatment with less emphasis on the underpinning theory is given by Hinton et al. (2014). De Vaus (2002a, 2002b) provides useful guidance on data preparation and analysis, whilst Marsh and Elliot (2008) present a range of techniques for exploring quantitative data, with reference to the use of SPSS to do so. Hair et al. (2010) offer an in-depth treatment of multivariate techniques for those wishing to go further in their analysis.

References

Davis, G. and Pecar, B. (2013). Business statistics using Excel. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

de Vaus, D. (2002a). Analyzing social science data. London: Sage.

de Vaus, D. (2002b). Surveys in social research. 5th ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS. 4th ed. London: Sage.

Hair, J. F. J., Black, W. C., Babin, B. and Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Hinton, P. R., McMurray, I. and Brownlow, C. (2014). SPSS explained. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

Marsh, C. and Elliott, J. (2008). Exploring data. Cambridge: Polity.

Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS survival manual. 5th ed. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.

Chapter 14

To explore further the subject of qualitative data analysis, we suggest some further reading.

A classic reference in structured qualitative data analysis is Miles and Huberman (1994). The style and examples of this book may be somewhat dated, but it is still a very good reference, with several worked examples, and relevant to many research designs.

Another useful reference, if you are analysing your data from a grounded theory perspective, is Charmaz (2006).

Saldaña (2013) covers different forms of coding in detail and King (2004) gives a description of template analysis, a variant on thematic coding.

Hahn (2008) offers practical guidance on using non-specialist software on your computer to save, organise and analyse data qualitatively. While the examples tend to focus on interview data, the book contains numerous screenshots and useful detailed guidance for the technically-oriented.

We include a brief introduction to using QSR's NVivo software on the companion website; Bazeley and Jackson (2013) offer a book-length treatment and there are useful resources on the QSR International website (http://www.qsrinternational.com).

References

Bazeley, P. and Jackson, K. (2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo. London: Sage.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. London: Sage.

Hahn, C. (2008). Doing qualitative research using your computer: A practical guide. London: Sage.

King, N. (2004). Using templates in the thematic analysis of text. In: Cassell, C. and Symon, G. (eds.) Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage.

Miles, M. B. and Huberman, M. A. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. 2nd ed. London: Sage.

Chapter 15

To explore further how to report your research to a variety of audiences, we suggest some further reading.

Books that concentrate on writing and reporting your research include Murray (2011) and Craswell (2005). Minto (2009) provides guidance on producing reports and presentations with particular relevance for practitioner audiences.

Wolcott's (2001) book on writing up qualitative research provides many interesting insights for this type of project.

References

Craswell, G. (2005). Writing for academic success. London: Sage.

Minto, B. (2009). The pyramid principle. 3rd ed. Harlow: Pearson.

Murray, R. (2011). How to write a thesis. 3rd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Wolcott, H. F. (2001). Writing up qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.