Research Methods for Business Students, 9th edition

Published by Pearson (July 1, 2024) © 2025

  • Mark N. K. Saunders Professor of Business Research Methods, University of Birmingham
  • Philip Lewis Formerly of University of Gloucestershire
  • Adrian Thornhill Formerly of University of Gloucestershire

Research Methods for Business Students

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In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More support. Get AI help with personalised summaries, instant explanations, and quick translations.
  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More interactive. Learn through audio, video, and practice.
  • More memorable. Study better with notes, highlights, and flashcards.
Products list
£29.99
Instant access

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More support. Get AI help with personalised summaries, instant explanations, and quick translations.
  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More interactive. Learn through audio, video, and practice.
  • More memorable. Study better with notes, highlights, and flashcards.

Title overview

Progress Your Research Projects with the Definitive Textbook

Enhance your research skills with Research Methods for Business Students, the go-to guide for Business, Marketing, and Management students undertaking research-led projects or dissertations.

Authored by experts, this textbook provides robust and practical guidance to support your research journey and build confidence at every stage.

Benefit from a range of features including video, interactive figures, and audio content showcasing student experiences, as well as contemporary news articles, and case studies. Self-study prompts enable you to apply learned material directly to your own research projects, ensuring you are well-prepared for academic success.

Table of contents

Brief Contents

  1. Research, reflective diaries and the purpose of this book
  2. Generating a research idea and developing your research proposal
  3. Critically reviewing the literature
  4. Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development
  5. Formulating the research design
  6. Negotiating access and research ethics
  7. Selecting samples
  8. Obtaining and evaluating secondary data
  9. Collecting primary data using observation
  10. Collecting primary data using interviews and diaries
  11. Collecting primary data using questionnaires
  12. Analysing data quantitatively
  13. Analysing data qualitatively
  14. Writing and presenting the project report
  • Appendix 1: Systems of referencing
  • Appendix 2: Calculating the minimum sample size
  • Appendix 3: Guidelines for non-discriminatory language

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