Business Research Methods: Structured Review and Qualitative Analysis

This report delves into business research methods, specifically examining the delivery of bad news within organizations. It begins with a structured review of existing literature, exploring various definitions and approaches to understanding bad news, including its psychological impact and strategic functions in management. The analysis covers preparation, delivery, and transition phases, highlighting the importance of performance correction and blame management. The report further employs qualitative research methods, emphasizing the use of epistemology philosophy and semi-structured interviews to gather data from organizations that have experienced bad news events. Ethical considerations, such as informed consent and data recency, are also addressed to ensure research integrity. This assignment provides valuable insights into managing and communicating negative information effectively in a business context. Desklib offers a wealth of similar resources, including past papers and solved assignments, to support students in their academic endeavors.

Business Research Methods

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
Structured review.........................................................................................................................3
PART 2............................................................................................................................................5
Qualitative methods or researching.............................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

PART 1
Structured review
According to Chen, Miao and Valentine, (2022) bad news is an information which is
undesirable, harmful or unpleasant. It has been explained that bad news is a type of negative
information. The aspect of the information is what defines the badness of the information. It can
be said that there are two basic approaches for the study which is agreed to be bad news. A very
common approach to the bad news is to focus on the negative information that is agreed by
majority to be bad news. However, in the other approach of bad news the respondents are asked
for defining the bad news. It is the approach which is used for the qualitative studies of the
delivering bad news. Mainds and Jones, (2018) defined bad news as the information which
results in perceived loss by the receiver which creates cognitive, emotional and behavioural
deficits receiving the news. Some evidence suggests that bad events wear off more slowly in
comparison to the good events. The consequences of the negative information is stronger than
that of a good information.
The analysation of Ahn, Bonsall and Van Buskirk, (2019) explained how there are
different types of deliverers of bad news. People deliver bad news in their private life and those
which deliver bad news as part of their work. Those professionals which deliver bad news as
their profession suggests that they deliver bad news in three different but interrelation of the
phases of activities. These phrases of delivering bad news are preparation, delivery and
transition. These phrases are directly interrelated to each other however are different in the ways
in which the stages in which they are performed. Zomerlei and et.al., (2021) added that the in the
preparation phase the leader prepares to what the reaction of the respondents can be from the bad
news. It involves lots of psychological preparation. The delivery phase of the bad news in the
activities which are involved in the actual communication of the bad news. It can be in both
verbal and non-verbal form. The phase of transition is phase in which the bad news has already

been delivered it is helpful for the evaluation of the bad news which is still going on by a variety
of audiences.
As per the view of Tonning Otterlei and Studsrød, (2021) the bad news management
activities across the three phases serve five different in the relations of strategic functions. The
bad news management activities may serve a primary for the secondary functions. It is the said
that the strategic functions which serves the bad news management activities of the delivery of
the news which include performance correction. In this strategy the management of the blame is
also less perceived with a lot of severity of the outcome. Building of commitment and support
towards the self-management is said to be important for self-management. Dietrich and et.al.,
(2021) added that the strategic functions of bad news management activities contain,
performance correction. It is the activity in which the focus is over correcting the performance. It
is the part of activity in which the tracking of the public relation activities is the secondary
function which is helpful for performance correction. Blame management is the activity in which
they deliver the bad news and focus on the efforts towards influencing the receiver's casual
judgements.
Anestis and et.al., (2021) the analysation of the bad news as the new direction for
research is considered to be the framework which is the analysation of the development of the
article for the identification of the new direction. It is said to be the qualitative studies for the
managers and executive that deliver the management of news. The model of multiphase is the
one which is able to manage the activities that grew out of several ground theories for the
delivery of bad news for occupations. In the delivery phase he choice of the medium of deliver is
very important for timing of delivery, face management and self-presentation and the truth
telling. Haffar and Searcy, (2020) said it is the moderators of the literature review is identified a
variety of the moderators for the influencing different bad news for the management of activities.
The identification of the different strategic functions of the bad news management activities is
the highlights of the multiple motivations that is the influence of the managerial actions.
Enache, Li and Riedl, (2018) suggested that the for managing the bad news delivering in
the organization it is very important to speak up. This includes not pushing to hard for the couple
of years towards the contentious lawsuit in which the company was about to become involved. It
is essential for the organization to analyse the much better ways in which they are able convince
the better ways of saying things about the senior management. It is also very essential for the

leader to be more accurate for the making the bad news sound less bad as it would if the
information has been given in irregular manner. Nunn, (2019) suggested that it is the
responsibility of the organization to make sure that the bad information is delivered effectively
so that it does not impact the morale of the different companies. In order to do so the leaders of
the organization need to take the responsibility which is regarding the early stages of
understanding the example of the ways in which it can be considered to be effect the operations.
Omarsaid and Ahmaddien, (2020) was able to conclude that the complexity of the
process of delivering the bad news in the organization can be solved with the help of following
the three different phases of activities. Along with this the framework has also suggested that the
practical application of the different managerial processes which are included in the activities. It
is said that different strategical functions are directly linked to the organizational dilemmas
which are needed to be managed for the different strategies so that it can create unintended
consequences. Sarpal and Gofton, (2019) said that the bad news directly effects the practical
strategical development for the beholder which is the nature of the meaning of the new that is
bad or not. It is very important for the leaders to understand that different people take the bad
news in different manners.
PART 2
Qualitative methods or researching
For the researching of the delivery of bad news article the use of qualitative methodology
was undertaken. The reason for the selection of qualitative study was that it was useful in
developing good knowledge relating to the research topic and also assisted in better working and
analysis. The qualitative research method is being defined as the way of researching which does
not involve the use of any numeric information. The use of qualitative information is useful in
order to develop theoretical insight relating to the delivery of bad news in company (Bougie and
Sekaran, 2019). Further the use of epistemology philosophy was undertaken in the present
analysis. This philosophy was used in order to analyse the theory and concept behind the
research topic. This philosophy is used in order to make a relation of mind with the reality. This
is necessary because of the reason that there is different aspect related to a single concept and
this philosophy assist in developing the relation within the thoughts in mind and the reality
relating to the research topic.

In addition to this, there is requirement of selection of proper collection of data. This is
because of the reason that in case the data will not be collected in proper manner then the whole
study will be wrong and objective will not be attained. Hence, for this reason that the use of semi
structured interview or the focus group will be better. In case the interview will be conducted
then this will result in proper collection of the data and this will result in attainment of objectives
of research. this method is being used in the present study because this will result in attainment
of objectives of research. Along with this, for the research to successful it is very important that
the proper target audience or the sample is being selected. This is because of the reason that in
case the sample will not be proper then data will not be gathered in correct manner (Abutabenjeh
and Jaradat, 2018). In the completion of the present research the sample selected will be
organizations who have witnessed some of the bad news or event. In addition to this, ethical
consideration is also kept in mind and for this the informed consent have been signed from the
participant with whom the data has been gathered. In addition to this, another ethical
consideration which is being kept in mind is that all the secondary information is also gathered
from the latest dates and not the past years. For this the data relating to past five years has only
been considered and not beyond that. Hence, it can be stated that for the study to be successful it
is very important for the researcher to undertake proper and good sources of data which are
reliable and authenticate.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Abutabenjeh, S. and Jaradat, R., 2018. Clarification of research design, research methods, and
research methodology: A guide for public administration researchers and
practitioners. Teaching Public Administration. 36(3). pp.237-258.
Ahn, M., Bonsall, S.B. and Van Buskirk, A., 2019. Do managers withhold bad news from credit
rating agencies?. Review of Accounting Studies. 24(3). pp.972-1021.
Anestis, E., and et.al., 2021. Healthcare professionals’ involvement in breaking bad news to
newly diagnosed patients with motor neurodegenerative conditions: a qualitative study.
Disability and Rehabilitation, pp.1-14.
Bougie, R. and Sekaran, U., 2019. Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
Chen, S., Miao, B. and Valentine, K., 2022. Corporate Control Contests and the Asymmetric
Disclosure of Bad News: Evidence from Peer Firm Disclosure Response to Takeover
Threat. The Accounting Review. 97(1). pp.123-146.
Dietrich, E., and et.al., 2021, January. Benefits of simulation using standardized patients for
training dermatology residents in breaking bad news. In Annales de Dermatologie et de
Vénéréologie. Elsevier Masson.
Enache, L., Li, L. and Riedl, E., 2018. The disclosure of good versus bad news: evidence from
the biotech industry. Available at SSRN 3290822.
Haffar, M. and Searcy, C., 2020. Legitimizing Potential “Bad News”: How Companies Disclose
on Their Tension Experiences in Their Sustainability Reports. Organization &
Environment. 33(4). pp.534-553.
Mainds, M.D. and Jones, C., 2018. Breaking bad news and managing family during an out-of-
hospital cardiac arrest. Journal of Paramedic Practice. 10(7). pp.292-299.
Nunn, K., 2019. Delivering bad news. Journal of paediatrics and child health. 55(6). pp.617-
620.
Omarsaid, M.M. and Ahmaddien, I., 2020. Bad News Is A Good News Beyond The Crisis, Be A
Cause Not Just A Business. 7 LANGKAH, p.1.
Sarpal, A. and Gofton, T.E., 2019. Addressing the competency of breaking bad news: What are
Canadian general paediatric residency programs currently doing. Paediatrics & child
health. 24(3). pp.173-178.
Tonning Otterlei, M. and Studsrød, I., 2021. Breaking bad news: Child welfare workers'
informing parents of care order proceedings. Child & Family Social Work.
Zomerlei, T., and et.al., 2021. When no news is bad news: Improving diagnostic testing
communication through patient engagement. Journal of Patient Safety and Risk
Management. 26(5). pp.221-224.