Research Methods for Business and Social Science Students aims to present a clear discussion of the research methods employed in various disciplines related to our daily life problems. The theoretical basis of research methods is explained clearly and succinctly. Collecting data is a key part of the book and this includes both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
The book also describes in clear terms how students can analyse data, interpret results and link these to the literature review and hence their own contribution. It sets out a range of fundamental ideas in research methods, such as deductivism and inductivism, and explains why methodology is not the same as method.
In this second edition every chapter has been re-written to be more readable and also to include more examples. The authors have also added a real student research proposal and a multiple-choice test with answers for the readers to test their own understanding of the ideas in the book. The book has been designed to illustrate research tools in a clear and accessible manner through chapters on such topics as formulating research, research design, data analysis and writing up the research results.
John Adams is the Head of Department of Economics at the British University in Egypt and was previously Director of the China-EU Research Centre based in Edinburgh. He has published widely in the field of economics in both national and international academic journals, is the co-author of several textbooks and has worked as external examiner at the Universities of Dundee, Sussex and Hong Kong. Professor Adams has also undertaken consultancy assignments for a wide range of public and private sector organisations in the United Kingdom and overseas. He is currently a visiting Professor at three universities in China. His research is mainly focused on economic development and on the process of development. Professor Adams also provides training to Investment Promotion Agencies in several countries on attracting, managing and evaluating FDI.
Hafiz T. A. Khan is Professor of Public Health at the University of West London. He is also an Associate Research Fellow in Demography at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, The University of Oxford, UK. Professor Khan trained as a statistician at the University of Chittagong and later as a statistical demographer at several institutions: Edinburgh Napier University in the UK, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, the National University of Singapore, the University of Oxford, Middlesex University London, and lastly at Birmingham City University in the UK. His principal research interests lie in the broader areas of population and development including population ageing and its consequences, poverty and vulnerability, micro-finance; development issues, reproductive health and family planning in developing countries. He has written extensively in population-related issues and has over 100 academic publications including books, book chapters and journals.
Robert Raeside is currently Professor of Applied Statistics and Director of the Employment Research Institute (ERI) at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. He is also a Chartered Statistician of the Royal Statistical Society (CStat), London, Member of the Operational Research Society, Birmingham, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), York. He received his BSc Hons from Napier College under the auspices of the Council for Academic Awards (CNAA), his MSc from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and PhD in demographic forecasting from the CNAA in collaboration with the University of Oxford. He serves on two British Standards Committees and is part of the editorial teams for the Journal of Applied Probability and Statistics and the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management. He was appointed a visiting Professor in Demography to the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2009. Professor Raeside’s research has been on the application of statistics to areas of demographic change, public health, employment and business improvement. He is particularly interested in the use of social network analysis to investigate complex processes. He has acted in an advisory capacity to business, local authorities and to the national government.
