Background

Background in research is essential in business. Research acts as a tool that helps build knowledge and efficient learning; a means to understand various issues, aid to business success as well as a way to prove lies and support truths. Business research equips learners with better ideas on how they can proceed with their research projects in other fields of study. Before my enrollment in the unit, I never knew how to develop research proposals or research project plan since I had no background in such areas. However, now am well equipped to research any particular field that requires research knowledge. The learning process has equipped me with skills on how I can develop a research project plan and research proposal which will be vital for my future career. In life generally, the learning process has helped improve my critical thinking through review of literary material. The skills gained from the unit will help in my future business in some ways some of which include helping me determine what potential customers want, analyze how my departments are performing as well as help me spot marketplace and industry trends. This paper reflects on my learning experience on HI6008 Business Research unit I enrolled in at Holmes Institute.

At the beginning of the unit, several learning outcomes were set. They included being able to evaluate theoretical and practical knowledge of business research as well as quantitative/qualitative methodology, ability to evaluate and apply business research concepts to various business research scenarios, and the ability to develop research proposals, research project plan and apply professional practice issues in business research. Students were also expected, at the end of the unit, to be able to demonstrate that they understood the process of research planning and business research methods as well as the significance of professional ethics in a business research project. Other expectations of the unit included the ability of students to apply concepts of business research to business scenarios, ability of students to evaluate and compare various business research methodologies, ability to develop a research proposal, research project plan and literature review, ability to evaluate professional practice issues in business research, and the ability of students to justify their chosen research methodology and explain procedures involved in data collection, proposed data analysis and limitations of the proposed study.

In the learning process, we developed research questions and looked at how research contributes to theory and practice. I learned several things. First, developing research questions enabled me to focus on a study and guided me on how to conduct it. I learned how to effectively formulate my research questions which were vital in the other modules of the unit that discussed other components of business research. We looked at various components of research one of which included a literature review. Here, we identified, accessed and managed information and scholarly literature, looked at academic writing and referring developed literature review as well as argued and synthesized on the materials presented to us.

Learning Outcomes

Reviewing various research literature allowed me to become a better critical thinker since literature review requires one to think critically while analyzing and reflecting on readings which are more than just giving a summary. Literature review enabled me to critically analyze the existing research relevant to my topic of study as well as helped me identify major gaps in my area of research. Having a good literature review enabled me to understand my field of study, justify the reason for my research as well as allowed me to establish my theoretical framework and methodological framework. In another module, we looked at qualitative and quantitative research methods. Under qualitative methods, we discussed the nature and various types of qualitative research, various types of data collection, types of data analysis and how to write up qualitative research in general. Attending the qualitative methods class enabled me to explore research issues in in-depth in a manner that is relatively unstructured, helping me understand how people think and behave. Qualitative research helped me synthesize on what is in the mind of an individual like emotions, perceptions, and beliefs which is very important in business research. Studying qualitative methods helped improve my mathematical skills especially statistics. I also learned how to sample and report a quantitative study.  The learning process also engaged us to apply various research methodology in research project particularly research proposal.

The business research was useful for my research learning process in several ways. The business research class highlighted the importance of being creative and thinking out of the box as one of the vital attributes of modern marketers. The skills gained from this unit proved valuable in establishing effective and innovative methods of marketing. We also looked at the traditional tools of making decisions which help improve my decision making. Regarding the teaching style used in the unit, I must admit that the tutor had an outstanding style of teaching which not only enhanced my understanding but also motivated me. This specifically made me more interested in the unit of study. Also, all the teaching materials that were provided to us were compressive and informational. I was shown how to evaluate and apply various concepts of business research to various business research scenarios. One specific business research scenario was on how I could spot specific marketing opportunities by referring to real-life case studies in the world of business. I came to realize the complications involved in traditional marketing mix when we try to implement it in the global settings.

Components of Research

The class discussions I engaged in were also very motivating and encouraging. Initially, I was a bit reluctant to take part in the class discussions, but as we proceeded with the unit, I came to develop an interest in the discussions which has helped me a lot in developing my self-confidence and communication skills. I came to familiarize myself with marketing research in various marketing situations, and I gained confidence in dealing with primary and secondary data sources. I was also able to spot major differences that exist between qualitative research and quantitative research methods. I came to realize that there are major differences that exist between the traditional meaning of marketing and the marketing management since a lot is required from the marketing manager regarding analytical skills when issues of global marketing chips in. One area that I felt uncomfortable with was on case studies that we had to go through at the beginning of the business research unit. I think that the case studies were very long to read. However, I came to understand that the case studies comprised mainly of real-life business situations that I am likely to encounter in my future career hence diverted my attitude and begun to approach them with a lot of seriousness. I came to realize that the case studies were even more encouraging than I thought as I came towards the conclusion of the unit.

Discussing various research ideas made me understand that pieces of literature can be read in various ways. I was particularly surprised with various interpretations from my classmates. However, I became convinced with their interpretations especially those which were linked specifically to various parts of the study. I also made a lot of contributions in the class discussions with most of my contributions coming as responses to other people’s views. However, this helped improves my critical thinking on business research. The business research unit equipped me with the skill of developing research proposals which I never knew before. The research module also equipped me with skills on how to develop research project plan and apply profession issues of practice in business research. After the unit, I am glad that I can now successfully apply knowledge and skills in demonstrating my understanding of the process of planning research and applying various business research scenarios in the real-life business. I also came to understand why professional ethics is very important in the field of business. I learned how I could identify and address ethical issues when they emerge in a business research project. The unit has also taught me how to apply business research concepts in real-life business scenarios and how I can conduct an evaluation of the impacts of existing businesses in a business environment.

Conclusion

To conclude, the class made me realize the kind of learner I am in terms of critical and creative thinking abilities. In assignment one, I did an assessment of literature review where I was expected to demonstrate my understanding of existing academic literature that is related to an approved business topic. The assignment helped improve my critical thinking skills through critical analysis of academic literature. Assessment 2 was also very important as it helped me, master how to write a research proposal based on the literary review. I will apply this learning experience in my future career in determining what potential customers want, analyzing how my departments are performing as well as analyzing marketplace and industry trends.