Choosing your research methodology is one of the most consequential decisions in your dissertation — and one of the most commonly misunderstood. Most students pick a method because their peers are using it, or because they feel more "comfortable" with surveys. Neither is a valid academic justification.
The Core Question: What Are You Trying to Find Out?
Your methodology must match your research question. That sounds obvious, but the logic is frequently reversed by students who choose their method first and then retrofit their research question to fit. Start here:
- Are you measuring something? (e.g., "To what extent does X influence Y?") → Quantitative
- Are you exploring meaning or experience? (e.g., "How do managers perceive X?") → Qualitative
- Do you need both measurement and depth? → Mixed Methods
Quantitative Research: When to Use It
Quantitative research is appropriate when you want to test hypotheses, establish statistical relationships, or generalise findings to a larger population. It requires a positivist or post-positivist philosophical stance — you believe there is an objective reality that can be measured.
Common MBA uses: customer satisfaction surveys, performance correlations, market share analysis, regression-based financial modelling.
Qualitative Research: When to Use It
Qualitative research is appropriate when you are exploring phenomena that cannot be reduced to numbers — leadership styles, organisational culture, decision-making processes, or consumer motivations. It aligns with an interpretivist philosophical position.
Common approaches: semi-structured interviews, focus groups, thematic analysis of documents, case study analysis.
Mixed Methods: The Most Misunderstood Choice
Mixed methods are not simply "doing a survey and some interviews." A legitimate mixed methods design has a clear integration rationale — why do you need both, and at which stage do they interact? The three main designs are:
- Sequential Explanatory: Quantitative first → qualitative explains the numbers
- Sequential Exploratory: Qualitative first → informs quantitative instrument design
- Concurrent Triangulation: Both simultaneously, cross-validated
How to Justify Your Choice in Chapter 3
Your methodology chapter must flow as an argument: Research Philosophy → Research Approach (Inductive/Deductive) → Research Design → Data Collection Method → Sampling Strategy → Analysis Method. Each decision must be justified in relation to your research question — not simply described.
Cite Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill's "Research Methods for Business Students" as your primary methodological framework reference. It is the standard MBA methodology text across UK universities.