How to Approach a Company for your Primary Study?

Approaching a company for the research process is stepping out of the academic world and into the high-pressure corporate one, where busy managers have little time for students’ requests. 

So, how do you get your foot in the door? How to convince them your research is worth their time and energy? This guide will significantly help you with that.

Questions to Answer Before You Approach a Company for Your Primary Study

Here are the questions that you can ask yourself and answer before approaching a company: 

Question 1: Is the company you wish to engage with suitable for your research?

The first question you must ask yourself is whether the company you will be approaching for primary research is suitable for your research needs. Do your research to find out about the company’s different departments, focusing on the one related to your study.

It will be important for you to figure out which areas of the company are not performing well and the causes of their underperformance. It’s because at the end of your research, you will be expected to develop ideas that could help them improve their performance.

Question 2: Do you see yourself working for the company after completing your research?

Many students aim to secure a job with a firm they approach for their primary research study. Do you intend to work for the company you are researching after graduating? If YES, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

If you can showcase your ability to identify areas of problem in a company and also propose a plan to rectify the situation, then it is highly likely that the company itself will be eager to add you to its team of employees.

On the other hand, if in-depth research about the company reveals that the ethos is not what you had initially hoped for, then it is not the right choice for your career. 

Question 3: Why did you choose this company for your research?

It is vitally important to establish your research on how this company will enable you to address the dissertation paper’s aim and objectives. Make sure that you have a clear understanding of this before you approach the company.

You should think of some questions, such as: 

• Does the company have enough workforce to provide an adequate sample size for your research?
• Does it really fit well with the research hypothesis or research question of your study?
• Why do you see it as a suitable company, considering the aim of your research?

Steps to Approach a Company for Primary Research

Here are the essential steps that you must follow to approach a company when conducting primary research: 

Step 1: Prepare for initial contact 

Once you’re ready with your background research and have all the related information, make an effort to get in touch with the company’s management. You will have to put in a lot of hard work to lure their interest in your studies.

Step 2: Secure an appointment

Managers and other company officials have busy work schedules, so contacting them and obtaining appointments would be nothing less than a challenge. The key is not to give up. Keep trying even if you have to face rejections or cold responses initially.

Step 3: Handle rejection and negotiate

There might be instances where your chosen company might refuse your request to conduct research based on their business and employees, or they may disapprove of your preferred method of collecting primary data.

If that is the case, you will have to press your case or change your data collection method. 

Step 4: Make a compelling case

Do whatever needs to be done to help the company understand how the research exercise will benefit you and their business.

Explain how you intend to conduct the research and what the results will be. Leave a lasting impression on the company and the management. You never know, you might land a job at the same company. 

Step 5: Propose a research schedule

Once you’ve established contact with the officials and have convinced them to participate in your study on their organisation, propose a schedule for how it will be conducted.

Step 6: Plan for interviews and data collection

There are different ways of collecting primary data. If you intend to interview some members of management, propose a plan for how and when the interviews will be conducted so the participants can incorporate it into their work schedules.

Suppose all the interviews cannot be conducted on the same day due to the company’s staff’s prior engagement. Schedule and propose alternative days and times according to their availability. Follow the same pattern for other primary research tools, such as surveys and questionnaires.

Step 7: Leverage online tools and flexibility

Due to financial and time constraints, you may propose to have company representatives participate in your study and respond to questionnaires, surveys, and interview questions online using tools such as SurveyMonkey and Google Spreadsheets.

If possible, propose two or three plans with the help of which primary research can be conducted in the organisation, so participants can choose the one that suits them best.

Step 8: Understand the time commitment

Conducting primary research requires a lot of time, depending on the chosen primary data collection method. Understand the different methods used to collect primary data before you start your dissertation.

Some Useful Tips When Approaching a Company

Tip 1: Make yourself meeting-ready by preparing documents related to the performance of the company on which your research is based. You can leave these documents with the person you are interviewing. 

It will help them better understand the idea behind your research and influence other staff members.

Tip 2: The company will be mainly interested in the benefits your research will bring to them. So, you will do yourself a great favour by emphasising the company’s key points of interest.

Tip 3: Avoid being over-assertive, even though there is nothing wrong with demonstrating your expertise in the field of your study.

Frequently Asked Questions