A note on research strategy: for MBA students

A note on research strategy: for MBA students

 

Regarding the subject of Research Methods, I have come across a term called "research strategy". I could not tell the differences between research strategy and research methodology. Could you highlight 4 main ideas of research strategy and then also suggest 2 main differences between research strategy and research methodology?

A research strategy is the overall plan for answering a research question—for example, using a survey, case study, experiment, ethnography, or action research. Research methodology is broader: it explains and justifies the overall logic, assumptions, design, strategy, methods, and procedures used in the study. Saunders and colleagues describe strategy as the “general plan” for answering the research questions.

Four main ideas of research strategy

1. It provides an overall research plan

A research strategy explains how the research will be organised and conducted. It connects the research questions and objectives with decisions about:

·        Whom or what to study.

·        What type of evidence to collect.

·        How evidence will be collected.

·        How the evidence will be analysed.

·        How the conclusions will answer the research questions.

For example, if the question is “How do employees perceive the use of artificial intelligence in management accounting?”, the researcher might select a qualitative interview strategy.

2. It determines the broad form of enquiry

A strategy identifies the main route through which the research will be undertaken. Common business and management research strategies include:

·        Survey: collecting standardised data from a relatively large number of respondents.

·        Case study: conducting an in-depth investigation of one organisation, department, project, or a small number of cases.

·        Experiment: examining cause-and-effect relationships by controlling or manipulating variables.

·        Ethnography: studying the culture, practices, and experiences of a social group through extended involvement.

·        Action research: working collaboratively with participants to investigate and improve a real organisational problem.

·        Grounded theory: developing theoretical explanations from systematically collected and analysed data.

·        Archival research: analysing existing records, reports, databases, or historical documents.

These strategies are not necessarily limited to one type of data. For instance, a case study may use interviews, observations, questionnaires, financial records, and company documents.

3. It should be selected according to the research question

The appropriate strategy depends primarily on what the researcher wants to find out.

Research purpose or question	Potentially suitable strategy
“How many employees use a digital accounting system?”	Quantitative survey
“Why do employees resist a new accounting system?”	Case study or qualitative interviews
“Does a training programme improve budgeting performance?”	Experiment or quasi-experiment
“How can a housing service be improved through collaboration with residents?”	Action research
“How has an organisation’s sustainability reporting changed over ten years?”	Archival or longitudinal research

Thus, the researcher should not choose a survey or case study merely because it is familiar. The strategy should fit the research question, objectives, context, available access, time, and ethical constraints.

4. It links the research design with data-collection methods

Research strategy operates between the more abstract decisions—such as research philosophy and research approach—and the more practical decisions concerning data collection and analysis. In the research-onion framework, strategy is one part of the research design, alongside methodological choice and time horizon.

For example:

Interpretivist philosophy → inductive approach → case-study strategy → interviews and document analysis → thematic analysis.

This sequence shows that a strategy is not simply a data-collection technique. An interview is usually a method or technique, whereas a case study is a broader strategy that may use interviews together with other sources of evidence.

Two main differences

Difference 1: Scope

Research methodology is broader; research strategy is narrower.

Research methodology concerns the overall reasoning and justification behind the study. It may include:

·        Research philosophy or paradigm.

·        Deductive, inductive, or abductive approach.

·        Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods choice.

·        Research strategy.

·        Sampling.

·        Data-collection methods.

·        Data-analysis procedures.

·        Validity, reliability, credibility, ethics, and limitations.

Research strategy is one important component within this broader methodology. In the research-onion model, research philosophy, research approach, methodological choice, research strategy, time horizon, and techniques are related but distinct decisions.

Difference 2: Function

Research methodology explains and justifies the research logic; research strategy specifies the broad way in which the research will be carried out.

For example:

·        Methodology: “An interpretivist methodology is appropriate because the study seeks to understand employees’ subjective experiences of AI adoption.”

·        Strategy: “A qualitative case-study strategy will be used to investigate AI adoption in two Hong Kong accounting firms.”

·        Methods: “Semi-structured interviews and document analysis will be used.”

·        Analysis technique: “The interview data will be analysed thematically.”

In this example, methodology answers largely “Why is this overall research design appropriate?” Strategy answers “What broad research route will be followed?” Methods answer “What specific procedures will be used to collect and analyse data?”

Simple distinction

A useful way to remember the relationship is:

Methodology = the overall logic and justification of the research.
Research strategy = the broad plan for conducting the research.
Research methods = the specific techniques used to collect and analyse evidence.

For an MBA dissertation, a suitable methodology section might therefore state:

“This study adopts a pragmatist methodological position and a mixed-methods approach. A sequential explanatory research strategy will be used: a questionnaire will first examine the relationship between digitalisation and management-accounting performance, followed by semi-structured interviews to explain the quantitative findings.”

Here, pragmatism and mixed methods form part of the methodology, while the sequential explanatory design describes the research strategy.

 

Provide 2 academic references on this topic in Harvard reference format.

Two suitable academic references in Harvard format are:

1.    Saunders, M.N.K., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2023) Research methods for business students. 9th edn. Harlow: Pearson.

2.    Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D. (2023) Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 6th edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

You may cite them in the text as follows:

·        Research strategy is the general plan for answering research questions (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2023).

·        The selection of a research design and methodology should be aligned with the research problem, research questions, and philosophical assumptions (Creswell and Creswell, 2023).