An Introduction to Business Research Methods

Business research typically draws on both qualitative and quantitative traditions, often within the same study. Case study research is well suited to questions about how or why a business phenomenon occurs, particularly when context matters as much as outcome. Surveys and archival data analysis suit questions about patterns across many firms or individuals, such as the relationship between a management practice and a performance outcome. Action research and design-based methods suit projects conducted in partnership with an organization where the research itself informs a practical intervention. Whichever approach you use, be explicit about your unit of analysis — individual, team, firm, or industry — since business research reviewers frequently flag mismatches between the level at which data were collected and the level at which conclusions are drawn.