CHAPTER 3

The Research Process – Steps 1 to 3

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1. ObservationBroad area ofresearch interestidentified

1. ObservationBroad area ofresearch interestidentified

2. Preliminary Data GatheringInterviewingLiterature survey

2. Preliminary Data GatheringInterviewingLiterature survey

3. Problem DefinitionResearch problemdelineated

3. Problem DefinitionResearch problemdelineated

7. Data CollectionAnalysis, and Interpretation

7. Data CollectionAnalysis, and Interpretation

8. DeductionHypotheses substantiated?Research question answered?

8. DeductionHypotheses substantiated?Research question answered?

4. Theoretical Framework

Variables clearlyidentified andlabelled

4. Theoretical Framework

Variables clearlyidentified andlabelled

5.Generation

of Hypothesis

5.Generation

of Hypothesis

6.ScientificResearch

Design

6.ScientificResearch

Design

9. Report Writing

9. Report Writing

10. Report Presentation

10. Report Presentation

11. Managerial

DecisionMaking

11. Managerial

DecisionMaking

NoNo YesYes

The Research Process for Basic& Applied Research

Broad Problem Area

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3

The specific issues that need to be research in a certain situation refers to ‘Broad Problem Area’. These issues might be: Problems currently existing in an organization Areas that a manager believes need to be

improved in the organization Some research questions that a basic researcher

wants to answer empirically

Preliminary Data Collection

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4

Prevailing knowledge on the topicNature of data to be gatheredBackground information on the organizationInformation on structural factors &

management philosophyPerceptions, attitudes & behavioral responses

Literature Review

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Literature Review is the documentation of a comprehensive review of the published work.

Purpose is to ensure no important variable is ignored that has in the past been found repeatedly to have had an impact on the problem.

Helps integrate information gathered - gives a framework for the investigation.

integrate information from literature into the research design

develop theoretical frameworknot reinventing the wheeldetermine originality of study

Writing up the Literature Review

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The write up needs to: convince the reader that the researcher is

knowledgeable about the problem area and has done the background work

the theoretical framework will be built on work already done and will add to the foundation of the existing knowledge

Writing a literature review cont...

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Get as many relevant articles as possible.Read all and highlight points of interest

or importance.Note down key issues that are arising

across the articles.Plan the writing up of the literature

review around these key points.Begin writing by drawing on the points

you found and discussing each authors’ work

Writing a literature review cont...

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Keep a record of all citations and quotations - keep a running reference section. It is easy to forget where you read something.

Keep reading while you are writing to add to the literature review.

Take note of key references / citations made by authors you are reading.

References must be current unless it is a seminal piece. Eg Doll (1988) on user satisfaction factors.

Writing a literature review cont...Supporting your case

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To provide evidence either use quotations from a reliable source or follow statement with citation e.g. ‘Most organizations use SQL’ (Smith 1998, Lo 1992)

When citing a book as evidence, include the page number even if you are not quoting from the book. See pg 52 Sekaran e.g.

The failure of information systems is often caused by poor communication. (Bresko 1993, 41)

Reference Style

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You are expected to use the Harvard style/ APA for referencing. Example

• Journal Article

• Jeanquart, S., & Peluchette, J. (1997).

Diversity in the workforce and

management models. Journal of

Social Work Studies, 43 (3), 72-85.

Problem Definition

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Define a problem as any situation where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal states

Examples: How has the new packaging affected the sales of the

product? Has the new advertising message resulted in

enhanced recall?

Ethics in the preliminary stages of investigation

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It is necessary to inform all the employees about the research

It is important to keep information related to employees confidential

Every step should be transparent