How do I use the "Research Onion" in Business Research?

What is the "Research Onion", and how can it help you design a strong research project? In this short lecture, I introduce the Research Onion by Saunders and colleagues and explain how it can help students make deliberate, consistent, and defensible methodological choices. The Research Onion provides a structured way to think through the key layers of a research design before moving too quickly into data collection or analysis. In this video, I cover the original layers of the framework, including: • Research philosophy • Research approach • Research strategy • Methodological choices • Time horizon • Techniques and procedures I also explain why making these decisions early can improve the structure, credibility, and justification of a research project. The video closes with three practical recommendations: Peel the onion – understand the core ideas and tensions within each layer Decide and move on – make choices that fit your research question and project Check overall consistency – make sure your methodological decisions work together as a coherent whole This video is part of the Research Methods for Business playlist and accompanies my course in the M.Sc. Entrepreneurship and Corporate Venturing program at THI Business School. The concepts are equally relevant for students working on seminar papers, bachelor’s theses, master’s theses, or other academic research projects.