Reflective Journal on Business Research

This reflective journal discusses the process of conducting a business research project and reflects on the experience gained. It covers topics such as topic identification, problem definition, research questions, literature review, research methodology, findings, project report, and research experience. The journal also highlights the importance of teamwork in research.

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
0

Table of Contents
Topic Identification, problem definition, research question, writing of topic approval
submission..................................................................................................................................2
Literature review........................................................................................................................2
Research methodology...............................................................................................................3
Findings......................................................................................................................................4
Project report..............................................................................................................................4
Research experience, insights gained and teamwork.................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................6
1

Business research is an important part of the process of making business decisions. This
study will look into effectively analysing a business research project and seeks to reflect on
the process of research.
Topic Identification, problem definition, research question, writing of topic approval
submission
It can be understood that topic identification is one of the major aspects of defining a business
project as it helps in understanding the problem area which is to be solved (Trotta and
Garengo, 2018). In the case of this research we took up the topic of the difficulties which are
faced by overseas students in Australia. In the process of selecting the topic we had to
conduct a primary research into various different aspects of the education system and
eventually deduce the same in order to develop this topic.
Different literatures were primarily looked into in order to effectively define the problem
statement of the research. While developing the problem statement, we were forced to
brainstorm in order to define a statement which would effectively cover the entire spectrum
of the topic. Problem statements are important as they give a specific direction to the research
(Hundet al. 2015).
Research questions essentially help in breaking down the research into specific areas which
need to be looked into (Celli et al. 2015). Duringdeveloping the research questions we failed
initially because we couldn't make the research questions effectively so as to answer and
address the problem. After a few disapprovals of our drafts we finally came up with three
effective questions which addressed the research topic effectively. We designed the questions
in order to look into the laws regarding racism, financial crises of the students and the ways
to deal with language difficulties.Moreover, in the primary research section, we had also
included questions that would help in finding out the areas which could be improved to
enhance the overall experience of the students.
Literature review
In the process of writing the literature review we learned the process of effectively selecting
literature. As per the study of Gleiznyset al. (2015), it can be understood that the literature
review is a major method of conducting research in order to gain information and formulate
ideas in order to understand the research problems and questions better while framing the
literature review we faced some difficulty initially in understanding how to conduct it.After
2

that we divided the literature review into relevant themes in accordance with the topic and the
research articles we had read.We found out that overseas students studying in Australia face a
lot of barriers regarding the new language and the new cultural norms. Racism was also
found asa major problem which a lot of students faced during their stay in Australia.After
doing this we looked into further themes relating to the specific topic and this helped us in
order to effectively produce a structured literature review which encompassed the major areas
of the topic identified and also met the research questions. We divided the review effectively
into five themes pertaining to the challenges faced by the students due to transition issues,
language and also looked into work integrated learning as a solution to the financial
crisis.Moreover, it was also found after conducting the literature review is that some students
in the VET sector also feel homesick as they are out of their comfort zones. However, out of
allthese difficulties, the financial barrier was the most hardest to overcome by most Asian
students.The price of daily utilities and items are quite costly in Australia as compared to
Asian countries.A short introduction and summary were added in order to complete the
structured analysis and effectively relate the themes selected to the topic.
Research methodology
Research methodology is an important part of research as it helps in giving a proper structure
and logical method to the study (Mackey and Gass, 2015). In the case of this research we
were initially confused as to which research methods would be appropriate. However, we
decided that we wanted to conduct a study in order to derive specific conclusions from the
study. This helped us in narrowing down the methods to be selected. We took the philosophy
of positivism along with a deductive research approach. The research design was exploratory
in order to gain optimum information. In the research we selected a combination of
quantitative and qualitative research in order to effectively derive data which would provide
high accuracy for the results.A questionnaire was designed for the means of data collection
and the questions made were effectively made to ensure that the research topic, problem and
questions were being addressed.The questionnaire that was included in this topic was mainly
aimed at finding the various difficulties and challenges that overseas students face in
Australia. Moreover, the questionnaire also focussed on the different measures that would be
useful in providing a healthierenvironmentfor the students studying in Australia.
3

Findings
From the study of Wolgemuth (2015), it can be observed that, the findings of a research are
essential as they give a good look into the study questions and problems and help in defining
the specific areas of interest that need to be acted upon. The data was effectively processed in
the light of the research and the findings were enlisted. We found out from the study that
financial crisis can be effectively dealt with by educating people. The findings that were
enlisted by us were developed after analysing the data we had collected. From the analysis of
the data, it was quite clear that the overseas students studying in Australia face a substantial
amount of racism. Certaindifficulties regarding financial crisis was also highlighted through
the study.However, most of the respondents had also agreed upon the fact that incorporation
of advanced technologies in the teaching processeshas enhanced the Australian education
system.
Project report
In the case of writing the report the major problem that was faced by us was the art of making
a structured report. The structure is an essential element in the case of a research as it
essentially provides a proper framework of how what the research has been undertaken for
(Taguchi et al. 2015). It can be viewed in the light of the research we used effective
frameworks and broke down the structure in order to effectively link the problems to the
findings and to conduct structured analysis for the data that was derived in order to
effectively and efficiently ensure that appropriate solutions can be derived. We had a few
drafts rejected before the final submission as the theories were a bit difficult to link and we
understood how to link them properly after a few tries.
Research experience, insights gained and teamwork
Upon undertaking his research I could effectively learn the importance of creating a
structured research and how to analyse and set out different themes. It also helped me to
understand the various different ways as to how to develop a topic and how to develop the
problem statements. I also learned the effectiveness of team work as the questionnaire was
developed effectively by brainstorming and idea generation processes which helped us in
order to ensure that the questions that were made were specific and they pertain to the
problem of the research and answered the research questions. As per the study of Ghaferi and
4

Dimick (2016), teamwork is an essential factor as it aids in the process of research and
effectively helps in increasing productivity and reducing time.
Therefore, I have identified various important aspects that I can integrate in future research so
that the outcome is as desired. I have also the necessary factors required in a study through
which I can improve my self-efficient skills so that final submission can be done within
respective timespan.
5

References
Trotta, D. and Garengo, P., (2018), March. Industry 4.0 key research topics: A bibliometric
review. In 2018 7th International Conference on Industrial Technology and Management
(ICITM)9(3) pp. 113-117. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dennis_Trotta/publication/324381633_Industry_40_key
_research_topics_A_bibliometric_review/links/5c49807892851c22a38c30a1/Industry-40-
key-research-topics-A-bibliometric-review.pdf [Accessed on: 14 May, 2019]
Hund, M., Behrisch, M., Färber, I., Sedlmair, M., Schreck, T., Seidl, T. and Keim, D., (2015),
October. Subspace nearest neighbor search-problem statement, approaches, and discussion.
In International Conference on Similarity Search and Applications 7(3). pp. 307-313.
Springer, Cham. Available at:
https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/handle/123456789/32289/Hund_0-310030.pdf?
sequence=1 [Accessed on: 20 May, 2019]
Celli, B.R., Decramer, M., Wedzicha, J.A., Wilson, K.C., Agustí, A., Criner, G.J., MacNee,
W., Make, B.J., Rennard, S.I., Stockley, R.A. and Vogelmeier, C., (2015). An official
American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society statement: research questions in
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. American journal of respiratory and critical care
medicine, 191(7), pp.4-27. Available at:
https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1164/rccm.201501-0044ST [Accessed on: 22 May,
2019]
Gleiznys, A., Zdanavičienė, E. and Žilinskas, J., (2015).Candida albicans importance to
denture wearers.A literature review. Stomatologija, 17(2), pp.54-66. Available at:
http://sbdmj.lsmuni.lt/152/152-04.pdf [Accessed on: 23 May, 2019]
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design.
Ed.2 Abingdon: Routledge. pp.40-45 Available at:
http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume9/ej35/ej35r4/ [Accessed on: 26 May, 2019]
Wolgemuth, J.R., Erdil-Moody, Z., Opsal, T., Cross, J.E., Kaanta, T., Dickmann, E.M. and
Colomer, S., (2015). Participants’ experiences of the qualitative interview: Considering the
importance of research paradigms. Qualitative research, 15(3), pp.351-372. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jennifer_Wolgemuth/publication/
272090576_Participants
%27_experiences_of_the_qualitative_interview_considering_the_importance_of_research_pa
6

radigms/links/54da60630cf261ce15cd33b4/Participants-experiences-of-the-qualitative-
interview-considering-the-importance-of-research-paradigms.pdf [Accessed on: 29 May,
2019]
Taguchi, M., Sata, N., Kaneda, Y., Koizumi, M., Hyodo, M., Lefor, A.K., Kawata, H. and
Yasuda, Y., (2015). Preoperative segmental embolization of the proper hepatic artery prior to
pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy: A case report. International journal of surgery
case reports, 8(1), pp.62-67. Available at:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210261215000401 [Accessed on: 30
May, 2019]
Ghaferi, A.A. and Dimick, J.B., (2016). Importance of teamwork, communication and culture
on failure‐to‐rescue in the elderly. British Journal of Surgery, 103(2), pp.47-51. Available at:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bjs.10031 [Accessed on: 16 May, 2019]
7