Advanced Research Methods

Lecture -1

With Applications in SPSS

Introducing Research

The research problem

What is scientific research?

Types of Research

The research Process

Its Characteristics

Ethics and Research

Steps in Your Term Project» Discussion/Question-Answer Session» Group Activity: Select a research topic according to the

criteria discussed in the lecture.» Activity in SPSS : Introduction to SPSS

(Statistical Package for Social Scientists)

“All scientific work is incomplete – whether it be observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have, or to postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time.”

A.B. Hill, The environment and causation, p. 300

‘The results of research are all around us’

» Whether, it be a scientific invention,

» …... a national geographic documentary,» ……. a politician’s policy decision,» …….. a commercial campaign for a new

product

Defi ning Research…..

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (1986:720) defines research as: “systematic investigation undertaken in order to discover new facts, get additional information”.

For Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003:3), research is:

“……..Something that people undertake in order to find new things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge….”

The Scientific Research

Scientific Research is a systematic process designed to help us make accurate decisions. It follows the principles of empirical verification.For example if I want to establish that smoking causes lung cancer, then I would conduct a series of carefully planned observations designed to test this proposition. These observations may include careful examination of the levels of lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers.It is this process of careful and unbiased observation of the real world that is seen as the only route to a true understanding.

Types Of Research

» Pure and Applied» Exploratory» Descriptive» Explanatory or Causal

7

Types of Research Problems

Fundamentally there are two types of research problems:

pure or basic research that is necessary to generate new knowledge and technologies to deal with major unresolved problems and;

applied research that is necessary to identify priority problems and to design and evaluate policies and program to achieve greatest benefits, making optimal use of available resources.

However, it is often practical to consider slightly wider range of research as follow:

Figure 1.1 Basic and applied researchSource: Authors’ experience, Easterby-Smith et al., 2002, Hedrick et al., 1993

Types of Research Problems

Exploratory research - which involves investigating a new problem or issue;

» Initial qualitative research conducted to clarify and define the nature of a problem

» Does not provide conclusive evidence» Subsequent research expected

Descriptive Research- which involves determining the limits of the application of exploratory work; Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon

» Some understanding of the nature of the problem; andExplanatory or Causal Research

» Conducted to identify cause and effect relationships

Action Research, which involves starting out with a practical problem from the real world and applying the available knowledge and intellectual resources to solving the problem. Complex social processes can best be studied by introducing changes into these processes and observing the effects of these changes (Marsick and Watkins 1997).

o Academics jointly work with practitioners solving a problem.

o However, it often lacks scientific rigor.

The action research spiral Saunders et al. 2007

Types of Research Problems

Intensive research sets out to identify how causal processes work in a particular situation; this approach is often exemplified by the undertaking of case studies.Extensive research on the other hand, sets out to describe and explain, usually through statistical analysis, how large groups of people who have, for example, similar perceptions, attitudes or social climates, behave under certain defined conditions.

Quantitative research

Qualitative research

Deductive (Testing theory)

Inductive (Developing theory)

Approaches to research

Deducti ve and Inducti ve Reasoning in Research

15

Source:Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, 2006

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Characteristics of Research Process

it is generated by a question; it necessitates clarification of a goal; it entails a specific program of work; it is aimed at increasing understanding by

interpreting facts and/or ideas; it involves reasoned arguments to support

research conclusions; and it is not a linear but a cyclical process, therefore it

is called re-search.

Characteristics of Research Process

Honesty is an essential characteristic of research

Copying or presenting the work of other researchers

Researchers should not be selective in their presentation of results

Business and management research: characteristics

» Is trans-disciplinary» Engages with both theory and

practice» Involves undertaking systematic

research» Should be undertaken with rigour

ETHICS AND RESEARCH

Societal Accountability

Corporate Accountability

Moral Accountability

Conflict among accountabilities

22

23

STEPS

Wish to research

Formulate and clarify research topic(Lecture – 2)

Critically review the literature (Lecture – 3)

Choose research approach and strategy (Lecture – 4 & 5)

Gaining access to data and ethical issues(Lecture – 6)

The research Process

Yourterm

project

Plan data collection and collect the data usingone or more of:

a. Sampling (Lecture – 7)

b. Secondary data (Lecture – 8)

c. Observation(Lecture – 9)

d. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews(Lecture – 10)

e. Questionnaires (Lecture – 11)

Analyse the data using one or both of:

Write project report & prepare your presentation(Lecture – 14)

Give your presentation(Lectures – 14 & 15)

a. Quantitative methods (Lecture – 12)

b. Qualitative methods (Lecture – 13)

» Start working on a research proposal just now,

» choose a leader and a recorder (Ideally these duties should rotate amongst all group-members, provided your group wishes so).

» Form a group of 5 members that will work on this research assignment as long as each group presents its research proposal in the 13th & 14th classes,

Group Activity

Initi ate your term paper:Assignment - 1

» Each group member will study Appendix 1, i.e. “Example research project titles”, page 1-7; provided in the ‘Additional Reading Materials’, placed at Photocopying Shop.

» Every member is advised to select two research topics including one he/she likes the most and one he/she dislikes, with a brief justification of why you like or dislike the two topics selected. The topic would be selected either from the enlisted ones or of your own choice.

» The group should then have a brainstorming meeting discussing each member’s ideas about the selected research topics, and should come up with one research topic considered best by the group.

Continues on next slide…….

In next class, each group will present their selected topic written on a flip chart, and the class will be invited to provide their input on the topics.

The group, through its team leader, will also turn in a 6-page group activity report of the last week, on the following format.

Page 1 (front-page)Assignment 1Topic selected by the groupName of group leaderName of group-recorderNames of group members

Page 2 to 6 (one page for one student’s activity report)Assignment 1Name of the student1. Topic selected (which student likes the most) Justification why he/she likes it2. Topic which student dislikes Justification why he/she dislikes it

Initi ate your term paper:Assignment - 1

SPSS Exercise 1 (a)

Introduction to SPSS• The Data Editor, Data View & Variable View • Entering data (Steps for data entry)

+ Open SPSS’s ‘Data Editor’+ Enter data in ‘Data View’ taking data from next Slide

(You can even copy data from Excel sheet or from a MS Word’s table)

+ Go to Variable View, and change ‘VAR00001’ with P, ‘VAR00002’ with S and ‘VAR00003’ with D.

+ Go back to ‘Data View’ and check whether names/titles of the variables have been changed.

SPSS Exercise 1 (b)

P S D

1 210 6002 230 5603 265 5254 310 4955 380 4726 472 4427 550 3958 615 3369 690 265

10 770 190

References

» Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. 2007. Research methods for business students. 4th ed. London: Prentice Hall.