Transcript Chapter 5
Slide 5.1
Chapter 5 Formulating the research design
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.2
Underlying issues of data collection and analysis
"Well begun is half done“ --Aristotle, quoting an old proverb Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.3
Underlying issues of data collection and analysis
• Research design focuses upon turning a research question and objectives into a research project. It considers: • Research strategies • Research choices and • Time horizons Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.4
Research Design and Tactics
The research onion
Saunders
et al
, (2009) Figure 5.1 The research ‘onion’ Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.5
Research Design
The research design needs
• Clear objectives derived from the research question • To specify sources of data collection • To consider constraints and ethical issues • Valid reasons for your choice of design Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.6
The Process of Research Design
• As you start thinking about your • research question(s) you will also be • thinking of the purpose of your research Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.7
Classification of the research purpose
•
Exploratory research
•
Descriptive studies
•
Explanatory studies
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.8
Classification of the research purpose
• • •
Exploratory research: Find out what is happening, to clarify your understanding of a problem.
3 ways for conducting:
– – –
A search of the literature Interview experts in the subject Conducting focus group interviews Flexible and adaptable to change
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.9
Classification of the research purpose
• •
Descriptive studies: Its object is to portray an accurate profile nof persons, events or situations.
•
Usually a research cannot be simply descriptive since the reader’s reaction would be SO WHAT?
•
So it is a means to an end, not an end in itself
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.10
Classification of the research purpose
• •
Explanatory studies: Studies that establish causal relationships between variables
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.11
Research Strategies
Experiment Grounded theory Action research Survey Ethnography Case study Archival research
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.12
Research Strategies
An experiment will involve
• Definition of a theoretical hypothesis • Selection of samples from know populations • Random allocation of samples • Introduction of planned intervention • Measurement on a small number of dependent variables • Control of all other variables Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.13
Research Strategies
A classic experiment strategy
Saunders
et al
, (2009) Figure 5.2 A classic experiment strategy Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.14
Research Strategies
Survey: key features
• Popular in business research • Perceived as authoritative • Allows collection of quantative data • Data can be analysed quantitatively • Samples need to be representative • Gives the researcher independence • Structured observation and interviews can be used Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.15
Research Strategies
Case Study: key features
• Provides a rich understanding of a real life context • Uses and triangulates multiple sources of data A case study can be categorised in four ways and based on two dimensions: single case v.
multiple
case (
more ability to generalize
)
holistic
case (
choose 1 organization as a whole)
v.
embedde
d case( some departments or activities) Yin (2003) Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.16
Research Strategies
Action research: key features
• Research IN action - not ON action
focusing on the purpose
• Involvement of practitioners in the research • The researcher becomes part of the organisation • Promotes change within the organisation • Can have two distinct focii (Schein, 1999) – the aim of the research and the needs of the sponsor Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.17
Research Strategies
The action research spiral
Figure 5.3 The action research spiral Saunders
et al
, (2009) Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.18
Research Strategies
Grounded theory: key features
Inductive deductive approach
• Theory is built through induction and deduction • Helps to predict and explain behaviour • Develops theory from data generated by observations • Is an interpretative process, not a logico deductive one Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
Based on Suddaby (2006) , 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.19
Research Strategies
Ethnography: key features Inductive approach
• Aims to describe and explain the social world inhabited by the researcher • Takes place over an extended time period • Is naturalistic • Involves extended participant observation
such as studying gorillas in their natural habitat
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.20
Research Strategies
Archival research: key features
• Uses administrative records and documents as the principal sources of data • Allows research questions focused on the past • Is constrained by the nature of the records and documents • Example: historical research Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.21
Research Strategies
The role of the practitioner-researcher Key features
• Research access is more easily available • The researcher knows the organisation • Has the disadvantage of familiarity • The researcher is likely to their own assumptions and preconceptions • The dual role requires careful negotiation Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.22
Multiple research methods
Research choices
Saunders
et al
, (2009) Figure 5.4 Research choices Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.23
Multiple research methods
Multiple method refers to those combinations where we use more than one data collection technique but restricted within either quantitative or qualitative world view .
Mixed method approach Refers to an approach where both , quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques are used.
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.24
Multiple research methods
Reasons for using mixed method designs:
( Table 5.1 ) • Triangulation • Facilitation • Complementarity • Generality • Aid interpretation • Study different aspects • Solving a puzzle Source: developed from Bryman (2006) Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.25
Time Horizons
Select the appropriate time horizon
• Cross-sectional studies the study of a phenomenon at a particular time. Because of time restrictions • Longitudinal studies it has the capacity to study change and development Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.26
Credibility of research findings
Important considerations
• Reliability extent to which your data collection techniques will yield consistent finding (see threats) • Validity concerned with whether findings are really about what they appear to be about (see threats) • Generalisability whether findings may be equally applicable to other research settings such as other organizations • Logic leaps and false assumptions your research design should have a logical flow and assumptions that can be defended.
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.27
Research design ethics
Remember
‘The research design should not subject the research population to embarrassment, harm or other material disadvantage’ Ex some universities do not allow collecting data from population not aware that it is subject of research Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009 Adapted from Saunders
et al
, (2009)
Slide 5.28
Summary: Chapter 5
Research design turns a research question and objectives into a project that considers
Strategies Choices Time horizons
Research projects can be categorised as
Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory
Research projects may be
Cross-sectional Longitudinal Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.29
Summary: Chapter 5
Important considerations
• The main research strategies may combined in the same project • The opportunities provided by using multiple methods • The validity and reliability of results • Access and ethical considerations Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,
Research Methods for Business Students
, 5 th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009