Advance Research

Methods

Welcome
Shall walk through the complete research
process.
Revisit many research techniques.
Opportunity to design a time-based real
research proposal.
An active hands-on learning course.
Write a research proposal as a student,
researcher, or a consultant. Proposal to be
evaluated.
Choose an appropriate quantitative or
qualitative method or follow triangulation.

Focus
The detailed coverage of survey
technique and case study as part of the
research design.
Students to extend their mastery by
practicing their ability to apply the
concepts to the preparation of the
research proposal inclusive of developing
the instruments of data collection, and
laying down the detailed research design.
Aim at collecting primary data.
Number of assignments to be given.

Course objectives
To sharpen the students analytical skills based
on objective and pragmatic investigation of a
situation;
Develop their own understanding of the
research problems being faced by their clients;
Develop the ability to convert their
managerial/administrative concerns into
research problem in a clear, objective, and
pragmatic manner; and
Prepare a research proposal, making an
appropriate use of survey research and/or case
study design and tools learnt in this course.

Recommended books
There is no catch-all book. Let us locate:
Zikmund, W. G. (2003). Business research
methods. Mason, Ohio: South Western. Get
latest edition available.
Sekaran, U. (2004). Research methods for
business. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Neuman, W. L. (2006). Social research methods.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Get latest edition
available.
Silverman, D. (2005). Doing qualitative
research. London: Sage Publications.
Guest, G., Namey, E. E., & Mitchell, M. L. (2013).
Collecting qualitative data. Los Angeles: Sage

Topic Selection

Selecting the topic

Research problem has to have some
title (topic).
No formula for the selection of topic.
Freedom of interest.
Interest emerges from a variety of
sources:
- Personal experiences.
- Mass media.
- Developments in knowledge.
- Solving problems (Org., family).
- Hot issues of daily life.

Start with a broad area

of interest
Dont try to solve all the problems
in one project. Make it doable.
Manageable. So narrow it.
At the end, you have something
specific (definitive) to say. Not
broadly based things.
For example: within the broad area
identify variables of interest
(brainstorming, review of
literature).

Possible variables:
Power relations, organizational citizenship
behavior, motivation, customer satisfaction,
customer loyalty, aggressive behavior,
modernism, religiosity, leadership, women
empowerment, women harassment, self
concept, job enrichment, emotional
intelligence, emotional labor, occupational
aspirations, conflict management, stress,
organizational commitment, corporate social
responsibility, marketing social responsibility,
corporate voluntarism, super market loyalty
schemes and customer retention, mobile
hand-held devices, work-life balance.

Some guidelines
Freedom to select a topic may be frustrating.
Interest. Limit it to the field of study.
Gender studies. Locate a specialized index
related to field.
Review the literature:
- Skim the headings till the one catches your
interest.
- Focus on current research in your field. Any
controversies. What more you would like to
know? Brainstorm.
From broad area of interest to a narrow
topic.

Narrow it to:
Focal question you want to answer.
Where to go? If you know where to
go then you can ask for its
direction.
Not a question for interview
protocol.
Research questions determine
what is to be included and what is
to be excluded.
Therefore:

From a narrowed topic to

question (s)
Find in the topic the question (s) to be
answered. Something which you do not
know but feel you must.
Why these questions are important? I
am studying X because I want to find
out who/ what/ when/ where/ why/ how
_______
Motivating question transform the
question of your interest that makes
others interested in it. Question with a
rationale.

From questions to
problems

Topic: I am studying harassment of

women. Call it an educational problem.
(you may convert it into a research
problem)
Research Questions: What is the profile
of women experiencing harassment?
What could be the determinants of
harassment? What could be its
consequences? How could we overcome
it?
Rationale: could be different for each
question. Usefulness of what we do not
know.

From problem to research

problem:
Practical problem. For solution pose
research question (s). Incomplete
knowledge or flawed understanding will
need research. Will result in research
problem.
Research problem: Involves what we dont
know. Non availability of answer (s) to the
research question (s) can be a problem for
research. Learn more, create knowledge.
Solving research problem per se does not
solve the practical problem. Have to apply
the research findings.

Epistemological
considerations

Research to create knowledge.

Knowledge that is acceptable in a
discipline.
Acceptability based on grounds and
nature of the knowledge itself.
Epistemology.
Nature of knowledge: natural
science, social science.
How to acquire that knowledge?
Basis means for acquiring

Natural science
epistemology

Positivism: scientific strategy to study the

phenomenon based on five principles:
1. Sensory experiences: Knowledge confirmed by
the senses (principle of phenomenalism).
2. Theory to generate hypotheses to be tested
thereby provide explanations of laws (principle of
deductivism).
3. Knowledge arrived at through gathering of
facts that provide the basis for laws
(inductivism).
4. Scientific strategy has to be value free
(objectivity).
5. Scientific findings (statements) can be
verified. Normative statements or beliefs cannot
be confirmed by the senses.

Positivism in social
sciences

Application of natural science model

to social reality.
Reality out there. External to the
observer.
Positivism equated with science.
Tangled.
Debate. Opposing positivism or
scientific approach
Subject matter of the natural
sciences different from the social

Interpretivism
Explanation of human behavior (positivism)
vs. understanding of human behavior
(interpretivism).
Understanding (Webers use of Verstehen).
Empathic understanding. Interpretive
understanding of social action.
Subjective meaning of social action.
Such approach is also called
phenomenology.
Alferd Schutz associated with it.
How individuals make sense of the world
around them? Based on subjective
interpretation.

Interpretivism (cont.)
Three main features:
1. Reality (social + physical) has meaning for
humans. Common sense thinking. Act.
Meaning to own and others acts. Interactions.
All based on interpretation.
2. Social scientist has to gain access to
peoples common sense thinking and hence
to interpret their actions and their social
world from their point of view.
3. Researchers interpretation of the humans
interpretation + Interpreted in terms of
concepts, theories, and literature of the
discipline. Use social scientific frame. (double
interpretation)

Epistomologically
Can natural science approach
(positivism) be applied to social
science world? Quantitative +
Deductive approach. Theory and
research.
Can the interpretivist approach be a
substitute? Qualitative + inductive
approach. Research and theory.
Theory and research compliment
each other.

Ontological
considerations

Concerned with the nature of social

entities.
Can social entities be considered as
objective entities?
Can these social entities be realities
external to social actors?
Who constructed these realities?
Actors? Researchers?
Two ontological positions:
Objectivism and constructionism.

Objectivism
Social phenomena and their
meaning have an existence external
(independent) of actors.
Organization as tangible object:
rules and regulations, TQM,
meritocracy, bureaucracy, culture. A
reality external to workers.
Employees perform in line with some
set pattern. Organization
components outside the employees.
Putting constraints on workers.

Constructionism
Also called constructivism.
Social phenomena and its meaning
created and continuously being
created by the people.
Researchers own accounts of the
social world are also constructions.
Specific version of reality. One
version of knowledge.
Organization and its culture created.
Negotiation.
Culture persists and antedates the

Research strategy: General orientation

quantitative vs. qualitative research

Quantitative researches employ

measurement.
Fundamental difference

Quantitativ Qualitativ
e
e

Role of theory
to research
Epistomologic
al orientation
Ontological
orientation

Deductive: theory
testing
Natural science
model: positivism

Inductive: theory
generation

Objectivism

Constructionis
m

Interpretivism

No wedge between the

two
Overtones of one over the other.

Examples:
Qualitative research used for testing
theories rather than generating theories.
(Adler and Adler 1985 study of
relationship between participation in
athletics and academic achievement. Used
existing literature as proxy for theory.)
Quantitative: Westergaard et.al. 1989
feeling of redundancy and job search.
Interpretivist tone.
Use mixed methods.

Influences on social
research

Epistomology
Ontology
Practical considerations
Values research not value free. Can intrude
any /all steps.
-- Choice of research area
-- Formulation of research question
-- Choice of method
-- Formulation of research design
-- Data collection
-- Analysis of data
-- Interpretation of data
-- Conclusions