This article considers the views and perceptions of lecturers delivering Higher Education Business Programmes (HEBPs) in Further Education Colleges (FECs) about whether they desire to undertake research, thus enabling them to both become and be viewed as specialists in their subjects. The methodology employed took an interpretivist perspective, seeking to understand how lecturers interpret research and whether they see it as part of their role. A total of 26 in-depth interviews were conducted throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region in the United Kingdom (UK). A key finding was that although some lecturers would like to undertake research in order to specialise further in their subject area, they felt that they had neither the time nor the support of their individual institution.