PRACTICAL RESEARCH HANDBOOK: Steps, Methods, and Tools for Business & Marketing Research

This handbook is a hands-on and practical guide designed for Master’s students in Business and Marketing who are developing their research projects. Unlike generic research methods textbooks, this book focuses on step-by-step guidance, from choosing a topic and reviewing the literature to building conceptual frameworks, selecting methodologies, analyzing data, and presenting results.

Each part includes clear checklists, examples, and tools that students can directly apply to their own work. The handbook also integrates practical resources, such as validated scales, qualitative coding guides, software tutorials (SPSS, NVivo, MAXQDA, SmartPLS, Jamovi, R), and AI-powered research tools (Consensus, Elicit, ResearchRabbit, etc.), making it an essential companion for modern research in business and marketing.

Written by an experienced professor and researcher, this guide encourages students not only to follow methodological rigor but also to enjoy the process of inquiry, creativity, and critical thinking. It is the ideal resource for students who want to go beyond theory and actually do research with confidence.

CONTENT:

PART 1. GETTING STARTED.. 5

1.1 Choosing a Relevant Topic. 5

1.2 Formulating the Problem Statement. 6

1.3 Identifying Research Gap. 6

1.4 Defining Objectives. 7

PART 2. LITERATURE REVIEW... 8

2.1 Purpose of Literature Review.. 8

2.2 How to Search Effectively. 8

2.3 Reading Strategy. 8

2.4. Types of Literature Review in Business & Marketing. 8

2.5 Structuring the Review.. 9

2.6 Connecting Theory to Your Problem.. 10

2.7 Practical Tools. 10

2.8 Common Mistakes. 12

2.9 Final Output of Literature Review.. 12

2.10. Smart Tip for Students. 12

PART 3. FRAMEWORK & HYPOTHESES / PROPOSITIONS.. 14

3.1 What is a Conceptual Framework?. 14

3.2 For Quantitative Research. 14

3.3 For Qualitative Research. 14

3.4 Building the Framework. 15

3.5 Visual Representation. 15

3.6 Hypotheses/Propositions Development. 16

3.6 Operationalization (Quantitative Only) 16

3.7. Operationalization in Qualitative Research. 17

3.8 Common Mistakes. 18

PART 4. METHODOLOGY.. 19

4.1 Purpose of Methodology Section. 19

4.2 Research Approaches. 19

4.3 Research Design. 19

4.4 Population & Sampling. 20

4.5 Data Collection Methods. 20

4.6 Data Analysis Methods. 21

4.7 Ethical Considerations. 21

4.8 Structure of Methodology Chapter. 21

4.9 Common Mistakes. 22

4A. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS & MARKETING.. 22

1. When to Use Qualitative Research. 22

2. Data Collection Methods. 23

3. Data Analysis in Qualitative Research. 24

4. Writing Up Qualitative Results. 25

EXTRA: What to Do With Text Data in NVivo / MAXQDA.. 25

4B. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS & MARKETING.. 27

1. When to Use Quantitative Research. 27

2. Data Collection Methods. 27

3. Questionnaire Design. 27

4. Main Quantitative Techniques. 28

5. Visual Outputs. 30

6. Reporting. 30

PART 5. DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION.. 32

5.1 General Principles. 32

5.2 Presenting Qualitative Results. 32

5.3 Presenting Quantitative Results. 33

5.4 Presenting Mixed-Methods Results. 34

5.5 Common Mistakes. 34

PART 6. DISCUSSION.. 36

6.1 Purpose of the Discussion. 36

6.2 Structure of Discussion. 36

6.3 Examples. 36

6.4 Common Mistakes in Discussion. 37

PART 7. CONCLUSION.. 38

7.1 Purpose of the Conclusion. 38

7.2 Managerial / Business Implications. 38

7.3 Limitations of the Study. 38

7.4 Future Research Directions. 39

7.5 Closing Paragraph. 39

PART 8. WRITING & PRESENTING.. 41

8.1 General Writing Principles. 41

8.2 Structure of a Master’s Thesis (Business & Marketing) 41

8.3 Writing Style — Dos & Don’ts. 42

8.4 Referencing (APA 7 Quick Guide) 42

8.5 Presenting the Thesis / Project. 43

8.6 Checklists for Submission. 44

Master Checklists. 45

Recent & Advanced Approaches in Research Methods. 46

📚 Practical Software Resources for Business & Marketing Research. 50

🤖 AI-Powered Research Tools 52