Instructor’s Manual
Research Methods for
Business Students
Eighth edition
Mark NK Saunders
Philip Lewis
Adrian Thornhill
ISBN: 978-1-292-20882-4
Pearson Education Limited 2019
Lecturers adopting the main text are permitted to download and photocopy the manual as required.
,PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
KAO Two
KAO Park
Harlow CM17 9SR
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
Seventh edition published 2016
This edition published 2019
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
The rights of Mark NK Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill to be identified as authors
of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN 978-1-292-20882-4
All rights reserved. Permission is hereby given for the material in this publication to be
reproduced for student handouts, without express permission of the Publishers, for educational
purposes only. In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the
Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the
Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN. This
book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of
binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the
Publishers.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any
trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership rights in
such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorsement
of this text by such owners.
, Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction 5
1 Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose
of this book 15
2 Choosing a research topic and developing your research proposal 19
3 Critically reviewing the literature 23
4 Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development 27
5 Formulating the research design 32
6 Negotiating access and research ethics 36
7 Selecting samples 40
8 Utilising secondary data 44
9 Collecting data through observation 48
10 Collecting primary data using research interviews and research diaries 54
11 Collecting primary data using questionnaires 59
12 Analysing data quantitatively 63
13 Analysing data qualitatively 68
14 Writing and presenting your project report 72
Appendix 75
1 Research project assignment 75
2 Group poster research project assignment 80
3 Research proposal assignment 84
4 Additional cases on the companion website 89
3
, 4
Research Methods for
Business Students
Eighth edition
Mark NK Saunders
Philip Lewis
Adrian Thornhill
ISBN: 978-1-292-20882-4
Pearson Education Limited 2019
Lecturers adopting the main text are permitted to download and photocopy the manual as required.
,PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
KAO Two
KAO Park
Harlow CM17 9SR
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1279 623623
Web: www.pearson.com/uk
Seventh edition published 2016
This edition published 2019
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
The rights of Mark NK Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill to be identified as authors
of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN 978-1-292-20882-4
All rights reserved. Permission is hereby given for the material in this publication to be
reproduced for student handouts, without express permission of the Publishers, for educational
purposes only. In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the
Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the
Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN. This
book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of
binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the
Publishers.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any
trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership rights in
such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorsement
of this text by such owners.
, Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction 5
1 Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose
of this book 15
2 Choosing a research topic and developing your research proposal 19
3 Critically reviewing the literature 23
4 Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development 27
5 Formulating the research design 32
6 Negotiating access and research ethics 36
7 Selecting samples 40
8 Utilising secondary data 44
9 Collecting data through observation 48
10 Collecting primary data using research interviews and research diaries 54
11 Collecting primary data using questionnaires 59
12 Analysing data quantitatively 63
13 Analysing data qualitatively 68
14 Writing and presenting your project report 72
Appendix 75
1 Research project assignment 75
2 Group poster research project assignment 80
3 Research proposal assignment 84
4 Additional cases on the companion website 89
3
, 4
