Research methods for business and trade: Questions, evidence, design, ethics and scholarly inquiry

Research methods determine whether business and trade claims deserve confidence. This chapter develops a comprehensive undergraduate foundation for designing rigorous applied research, from the first practical problem to a defensible proposal and dissemination plan. It explains ontology, epistemology, paradigms, theory-evidence relationships, research questions and hypotheses; systematic literature searching and synthesis; qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, case-study, survey, experimental, quasi-experimental, documentary and secondary-data designs; sampling and sample-size reasoning; operationalization, reliability, validity, trustworthiness and bias; data collection and analysis planning; research ethics, data protection and organizational permissions; transparency, reproducibility and responsible use of generative AI. African business research is central, including the Nigeria YouWiN! randomized experiment and World Bank Enterprise Surveys methodology, while an Indian management field experiment provides comparative perspective. Christian moral reasoning treats inquiry as accountable truth-seeking that must respect persons, refuse fabrication, represent uncertainty honestly and steward evidence for the good of organizations and communities.

Keywords: business research; trade research; research design; research paradigms; sampling; measurement; qualitative research; mixed methods; secondary data; research ethics