Writing Business Research Reports

A Guide to Scientific Writing

Matthew Rehart, Matthew J Rehart

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781351968683
• Subtopic: Research & Methodology in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

A useful handbook, this text presents guidelines frequently followed by writers of reports of empirical research designed for publication in scientific business journals. The guidelines describe the types of information that should be included, how this information should be expressed, and where various types of information should be placed within a report. Excerpts from journal articles are used to illustrate most of the guidelines. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for classroom discussion.

Chapter 1

Writing Simple Research Hypotheses

In a single sentence, a simple research hypothesis describes the results that a researcher expects to find. In effect, it is a prediction. The following are guidelines for writing this type of hypothesis.

✓ Guideline 1.1

A simple research hypothesis should name two variables and indicate the type of relationship expected between them.

In Example 1.1. A, the variables are “level of verbal skills” and “ability to close a sale.” They are called variables because subjects are expected to vary or differ on them (e.g., some subjects will have more highly developed verbal skills than others).

The hypothesis indicates that the researcher expects to find (1) higher levels of verbal skills among subjects who have greater ability to close a sale and (2) lower levels of verbal skills among subjects who have less ability to close a sale. (The hypothesis does not imply that the relationship is perfect. A “direct relationship” refers to an overall trend to which there may be many exceptions.)

Note that the word “positive” may be substituted for “direct” in Example 1.1.A without changing its meaning. “Direct” is usually preferred to “positive” in academic writing.

Example 1.1.A

There is a direct relationship between level of verbal skills and ability to close a sale.

In Example l.l.B, “retail price” is an independent or stimulus variable; its relationship to “sales volume” is stated in the hypothesis—in general, the lower the price, the higher the sales volume.

Note that the word “negatively” may be substituted for “inversely” in the hypothesis without changing its meaning. “Inversely” is usually preferred in academic writing.

Example 1.1.B

The retail price of household cleaning products is inversely related to their sales volume.

Example 1.1.C also contains an independent variable—the frequency of performance evaluations. The anticipated relationship to improvement in job performance is clear in the hypothesis. This improvement is known as the outcome or dependent variable.

Example 1.1.C

Employees who are given quarterly performance evaluations will show greater improvement in job performance than those given annual performance evaluations.

In Example 1.1.D, two variables are named but the expected relationship between them is not stated. The Improved Version of Example 1.1.D makes it clear that the author believes that those with more free-floating anxiety have less ability to form friendships.

Example 1.1.D

Managers differ in their levels of free-floating anxiety, and they differ in their ability to form friendships with colleagues.

Improved Version of Example 1.1.D

There is an inverse relationship between managers’ level of free-floating anxiety and ability to form friendships with colleagues.

✓ Guideline 1.2

When a relationship is expected only among a certain type of subject, the population should be mentioned in the hypothesis.

In Example 1.2.A, automobile salespeople are identified as the population of interest to the investigator, who believes that the relationship will be found in this population but may or may not be found in other populations.

Example 1.2.A

Among automobile salespeople, there is a direct relationship between level of verbal skills and ability to close a sale.

✓ Guideline 1.3

A simple hypothesis should be as specific as possible yet expressed in a single sentence.

In Example 1.3.A, the terms “computer literacy” and “computer use” are ambiguous. The Improved Version of Example 1.3.A is more specific—yet still stated in a single sentence.

Example 1.3.A

There is a direct relationship between administrators’ computer literacy and computer use.

Improved Version of Example 1.3.A

Among administrators, there is a direct relationship between the amount of training they have had in the use of computers and the number of administrative tasks they voluntarily perform using computers.

A certain amount of subjectivity enters into the decision on how specific to make a hypothesis. It is usually not possible to replace all ambiguous terms with fully operational definitions (i.e., definitions that fully describe the physical attributes of a variable) in a hypothesis. These definitions should be provided elsewhere in a research paper. Guidelines for writing definitions are presented in Chapter 6.

In Example 1.3.B, “positive effectiveness” is vague. This flaw is partially corrected in the improved version.

Example 1.3.B

Administrators who provide wellness programs for their employees project positive effectiveness.

Improved Version of Example 1.3.B

Administrators who provide wellness programs for their employees receive higher employee ratings on selected leadership qualities than administrators who do not provide wellness programs.

The Improved Version of Example 1.3.B indicates that “effectiveness” will be defined in terms of employee perceptions. The “selected leadership qualities” and “wellness programs” will need to be more fully defined elsewhere in the research paper.

✓ Guideline 1.4

If a comparison is to be made, the elements to be compared should be stated.

Example 1.4.A

Food products packaged in recycled containers will receive greater acceptance from young adult consumers.

In Example 1.4.A, it is not clear whether recycled containers are to be compared with new containers or whether young adult consumers’ preferences for recycled containers are to be compared with those of other consumers. Either of the following improved versions is acceptable, depending on the researcher’s purpose.

Improved Version of Example 1.4.A

Food products packaged in recycled containers will receive greater acceptance from young adult consumers than from older consumers.

OR

Among young adult consumers, food products packaged in recycled containers will receive greater acceptance than those packaged in new containers.

Commonly used terms that begin comparisons that should be completed are greater, less, more, fewer, higher, and lower.

✓ Guideline 1.5

Because most hypotheses deal with the behavior of groups, plural forms should usually be used.

In Example 1.5.A, the terms engineer’s and his level are singular. This problem has been corrected in the improved version by substituting the terms engineers’ and their level.

Example 1.5.A

There is a direct relationship between an engineer’s participation in administrative decision making and his level of job satisfaction.

Improved Version of Example 1.5.A

There is a direct relationship between engineers’ participation in administrative decision making and their level of job satisfaction.

In the Improved Version of Example 1.5.A, the sex-role stereotype regarding engineers has been eliminated. It is important, of course, to avoid sex-role stereotyping throughout research papers.

✓ Guideline 1.6

A hypothesis should be free of terms and phrases that do not add to its meaning.

Example 1.6.A

Among secretaries, those who have been assigned to w...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Writing Simple Research Hypotheses
• Chapter 2 A Closer Look at Hypotheses
• Chapter 3 Writing Research Purposes, Objectives, and Questions
• Chapter 4 Writing Titles
• Chapter 5 Writing Introductions and Literature Reviews
• Chapter 6 Writing Definitions
• Chapter 7 Writing Assumptions and Limitations
• Chapter 8 Writing Method Sections
• Chapter 9 Writing Analysis and Results Sections
• Chapter 10 Writing Discussion Sections
• Chapter 11 Writing Abstracts
• References
• Appendices: