Reflective Journal on Business Research

This reflective journal presents the author's learning experience throughout twelve lessons on business research. The author reflects on their initial perceptions, learning experience during the lessons, and the applications of their experiences in their career, personal, and academic life. The journal covers topics such as the nature, process, and strategy of business research, research designs and planning, literature reviews, ethics and legal considerations, qualitative and quantitative research techniques, and mixed research methods research. The author concludes that studying business research has equipped them with the right research skills and knowledge in academic and professional research.

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Reflective journal
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Introduction
Business research necessitates creativity, innovation and process improvement in
companies. In this assignment, I have presented my reflection on my learning experience
throughout the twelve lessons on business research. The assignment has been presented in a
structured way to include all the topics, my learning experience during the lessons, my initial
perceptions and the applications of my experiences in my career, personal and academic life. I
have also reviewed how the knowledge of business research related to the two assignments that I
previously did.
The first topic related to the nature, process, and strategy of business research. From this
topic, I learned that business research relates to some features of a business such as production,
marketplace trends, financial practices and production processes. Business research is essential
as it helps the management to predict trends in sales, identify opportunities and avoid some
problems (Palinkas et al., 2015, p. 533). Interestingly, this topic related to my first assessment. In
the first assessment, I analyzed open data, its importance in business research, significance and
limitations. Ideally, business research can be conducted using open data, which is freely
available on the internet.
The second topic related to research designs and research planning. Before, studying this
topic, I held a perception that a research design only provides an outline of research. However,
after studying the topic, I was able to understand that research design is the glue that holds a
research study together. It is a combination of methods and processes used in gathering and
analyzing measures of the variables highlighted in the research problem (Yilmaz, 2013, p. 312).
It identifies the study type. Therefore I was able to gain clear insights concerning study types like
descriptive, experimental, correlation and meta-analytic kinds of research. I used the knowledge

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from this topic in designing my research proposal in assessment two. In writing the proposed
project, I will use a descriptive research design as it can enhance a perfect analysis of different
types of models and concepts related to the research problem. The knowledge of this topic will
also enable me to accurately use different research designs to handle my future research projects.
Before doing any research, scholars should conduct literature reviews to identify different
contributions made by previous researchers on the same topic. This enables the researchers to
identify the research gap (Collis & Hussey, 2013, p. 5). In topic three, I was able to gain the right
skills and knowledge of conducting literature reviews. This was also part of the first assessment
whereby I was prompted to conduct a literature review about open data and business innovation.
This topic was pivotal in enabling me to accomplish the assessment. The knowledge from this
topic will be essential to me in future while doing my project as I will do a literature analysis
concerning the impacts of innovation on business growth. In future, I intend to use my literature
review skills to conduct different research studies.
The most important topic to me was ethics and legal considerations in business research.
Indeed, ethical and legal issues form a primary component of modern research, related to the
researcher and the subject. Some ethical considerations in business research include
confidentiality, informed consent, plagiarism and professional conduct (Wallace & Sheldon,
2015, p. 268). The research participants should participate willingly and with informed consent
regarding the effects of their participation. Furthermore, a researcher is not allowed to leak
confidential information about the participants to unauthorized parties. Also, while doing the
research, works of other scholars should be properly cited. Initially, I cited the literature review
to acknowledge the scholars who did specific works. However, I have realized from this topic
that citing sources is a crucial requirement in research to avoid plagiarism. The knowledge of this

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topic enabled me to cite the literature review part of assignment two accurately. It will also help
me in the project and other future projects to observe ethical considerations like informed
consent, confidentiality, and plagiarism.
The nature of qualitative research, participant observation, and sampling was the fifth
topic. Studying this topic enabled me to appreciate the nature and importance of qualitative
research. As explained by Lewis (2015, p. 474), qualitative research aims at attaining a deep
understanding of an event or organization rather than a superficial description of a large
population sample. Due to limited resources, researchers cannot use the whole population in
research. This calls for sampling. The most important part of this topic is participant observation.
By studying this topic, I have gathered skills in participant observation which may be covert or
overt. This will help me in collecting qualitative data concerning companies in my research
project. The knowledge of this topic will also enable me in my future career to do business
research for specific companies whereby I will be able to observe participants, make notes and
derive appropriate conclusions.
Another topic which we handled in week six involved interviewing, focus groups and
quantitative language research. My critical consideration of this topic was focus groups. Focus
groups are relevant especially in business research as they are diverse and their reactions are
important in market research (Merriam, 2015, p. 127). Focused groups can be interviewed in
open discussions about a new product, or innovation. The knowledge of this topic will enable me
to conduct focus group discussions to determine reactions of different customers and company
employees in my research project. Furthermore, in my future career life, the ability to engage in
an open focus group discussion will be critical especially when gathering opinions from the
customers about a specific company product.

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Besides, topic seven talked about quantitative data analysis. This is a collection of
procedures and approaches through which the collected quantitative data is transformed into a
specific form of understanding, explanation, and evaluation of the situation under investigation
(Graue, 2015, p. 6). This topic equipped me with practical quantitative data analysis skills. I also
had experience with SPSS method of data statistical data analysis. This knowledge will enable
me to analyze complex statistical data during my project. It will also enable me to analyze
different company data in my future career life.
Nature and sampling techniques in quantitative research were the eighth topic. My major
concern in this topic was the sampling techniques and sample size in quantitative research. I
learned that while sampling, a person needs to consider the sampling units (organizations,
people, data) to be included in the ample. Sampling may be probabilistic or non-probabilistic
(Palinkas et al., 2015. P. 534). No matter the technique adopted, a person should select the right
sample to avoid over or undersampling. The knowledge from this topic will aid me in sampling
during my research project. In the proposal, I have stated that the quantitative analysis will
involve a large sample size and a backup of enough funds to aid the survey.
There are many ways through which a researcher may gather information from the
respondents. One of these ways is by use of structured questionnaires. A questionnaire consists
of a series of questions which are asked of the participants to gather statistically useful
information about an issue (Levashina et al., 2014, p. 241). A discussion relating to questionnaire
design has been given in topic nine. This topic is especially useful to me in my project as I will
be able to design a structured questionnaire to obtain information from the participants. In future,
I will also be able to design different survey questionnaires for organizations which may seek to
determine customer satisfaction with a given product or even customer preference for an

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organization's product. The topic has also equipped me with the knowledge of the ways of
survey administration such as face-to-face interviews, phone calls and emails. In the proposal in
assessment three, I proposed to use face-to-face interviews in administering the project
questionnaire.
As discussed in topic ten, a structured observation entails a checklist of presence,
incidences or frequency of a prescheduled evidence to be observed in a particular situation which
may either refute or support a perception. This topic has particularly enhanced my skills in
structured observation. I am therefore able to observe scenarios and compare them with
preconceived theories to derive an appropriate conclusion. In my future career and general life, I
will be able to observe scenarios and situations, analyze them and compare them with the
existing perceptions to discover the truth. By studying topic eleven, I was able to receive
knowledge of the two approaches to secondary analysis- research question-driven and the data-
driven perspective. Secondary data analysis encompasses utilization of existing data collected in
a prior study. The analysis must evaluate the compatibility of such data with the current research
(Bryman, 2017, p. 58). I will use the knowledge from this topic to get and analyze existing data
for my project. It will also enable me to analyze different company data from open sources in an
attempt to evaluate competition, customer preference and product market in my future career.
Finally, topic eleven related to secondary and quantitative data analysis while topic
twelve pertained to mixed research methods research. This is “a form of research whereby the
researcher mixes both qualitative and statistical data, methodologies methods and paradigms in a
single research inquiry” (Bryman, 2017, p. 59). By studying this topic, I have gained knowledge
of different mixed research designs like convergent parallel, exploratory sequential,
transformative, embedded and multiphase among other designs. My major concern in this topic

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was the timing of mixed research. It is critical consider the timeline of the research study and
when the strands of quantitative and qualitative methods to occur. The knowledge from this topic
will enable me to use mixed methods for my project. In future, I will also have the capability of
utilizing the knowledge of mixed research to research for different organizations to improve their
competitiveness.
Going by the above discussions, I can evaluate that I had a good learning experience. I
also did two assignments whereby I used my research skills to conduct the literature reviews in
both assignments and to structure my research proposal in the next assignment. The knowledge
of research methods and processes gained from this subject will enable me to accomplish
successful research projects in future. During my studies, I was also able to involve in group
discussions which helped me improve my team cooperation skills. I future, I will be able to work
successfully with teams and conduct successful personal and organizational research projects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, studying business research has equipped me with the right research skill
and knowledge in academic and professional research. I am therefore able to understand the
nature of business research, conduct research planning, and design, and perform a well-cited
literature review. Furthermore, I have gained an understanding of the ethical considerations in
business research, sampling techniques, qualitative and quantitative research techniques and
interview methods. Besides, my knowledge of mixed methods research, secondary data analysis,
content analysis and questionnaire design will enable me to handle successful qualitative and
quantitative studies in future.

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References
Bryman, A., 2017. Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Further Reflections on their
Integration. In Mixing Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Research (Pp. 57-78). Routledge.
Collis, J. & Hussey, R., 2013. Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and
Postgraduate Students. Palgrave Macmillan. Pp. 1-460
Graue, C., 2015. Qualitative Data Analysis. International Journal of Sales, Retailing &
Marketing, 4(9), Pp.5-14.
Levashina, J., Hartwell, C.J., Morgeson, F.P. & Campion, M.A., 2014. The Structured
Employment Interview: Narrative and Quantitative Review of the Research Literature.
Personnel Psychology, 67(1), Pp.241-293.
Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches.
Health Promotion Practice, 16(4), Pp.473-475.
Merriam, S.B., 2015. Qualitative Research: Designing, Implementing and Publishing a Study. In
Handbook of Research on Scholarly Publishing and Research Methods (Pp. 125-140). IGI
Global.
Palinkas, L.A., Horwitz, S.M., Green, C.A., Wisdom, J.P., Duan, N. & Hoagwood, K., 2015.
Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed-Method
Implementation Research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health
Services Research, 42(5), Pp.533-544.
Palinkas, L.A., Horwitz, S.M., Green, C.A., Wisdom, J.P., Duan, N. & Hoagwood, K., 2015.
Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed-Method
Implementation Research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health
Services Research, 42(5), Pp.533-544.

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Wallace, M. & Sheldon, N., 2015. Business Research Ethics: Participant Observer Perspectives.
Journal of Business Ethics, 128(2), Pp.267-277.
Yilmaz, K., 2013. Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Traditions:
Epistemological, Theoretical, and Methodological Differences. European Journal of Education,
48(2), Pp.311-325.