However, the latest developments in the practice of conducting studies have increased the popularity of pragmatism and realism philosophies as well. The choice between positivist and interpretivist research philosophies or between quantitative and qualitative research methods has traditionally represented a major point of debate. There are important philosophical differences between studies that focus on facts and numbers such as an analysis of the impact of foreign direct investment on the level of GDP growth and qualitative studies such as an analysis of leadership style on employee motivation in organizations. The choice of a specific research philosophy is impacted by practical implications. Within the scope of business studies in particular there are four main research philosophies: Generally, research philosophy has many branches related to a wide range of disciplines. The research philosophy will reflect the authorвЂ™s important assumptions and these assumptions serve as base for the research strategy. Research philosophy in the вЂresearch onionвЂ™ Д®ach stage of the research process is based on assumptions about the sources and the nature of knowledge. As it is illustrated in figure below, the identification of the research philosophy is positioned at the outer layer of the вЂresearch onion, accordingly it is the first topic to be clarified in research methodology chapter of your dissertation. In essence, addressing research philosophy in your dissertation involves being aware and formulating your beliefs and assumptions.

You will collect secondary and primary data and engage in data analysis to answer the research question and this answer marks the creation of new knowledge. In simple terms, a research philosophy is belief about the ways in which data about a phenomenon should be collected, analysed and used.ДЄlthough the idea of knowledge creation may appear to be profound, you are engaged in knowledge creation as part of completing your dissertation. Research philosophy deals with the source, nature and development of knowledge. You need to discuss the implications of your research philosophy on the research strategy in general and the choice of primary data collection methods in particular.The reasons behind philosophical classifications of the study need to be provided.Your research philosophy can be pragmatism, positivism, realism or interpretivism as discussed below. You need to specify the research philosophy of your study.For a business dissertation at MasterвЂ™s level you may need to provide more discussion of the philosophy of your study, but even there, about two pages of discussions has to be accepted as sufficient by your supervisor.Дiscussion of research philosophy in your dissertation should include the following:

In business and economics dissertations at BachelorвЂ™s level, you are not expected to discuss research philosophy in a great level of depth, and about one page in methodology chapter devoted to research philosophy usually suffices. Research philosophy is a vast topic and here we will not be discussing this topic in great details.

Interpretivism philosophy