Lecture 6 Formulating The Research Design

Slide 5.
Chapter 5
Formulating the research design
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 5.2
The Process of Research Design

Your research question will subsequently inform your
choice of research strategy, your choices of collection

techniques and analysis procedures, and the time horizon
over which you undertake your research project.
Slide 5.3
Research strategies
Robson (2002) defined research strategy as the general
approach taken in an enquiry and added that research

strategies have been classified in different ways. While
Saunders et al (2007) defined it as a general plan of how
you will go about answering the research questions you
have set.
Slide 5.4
Research design
Your research design will be the general plan of how you
will go about answering your research question(s)
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
Slide 5.6
Classification of the research purpose

Exploratory research
is a valuable means
of finding out what is happening to seek new
insights; to ask questions and to assess
phenomena in a new light. It is particularly
useful if you wish to clarify your
understanding of a problem, such as if you are
unsure of precise nature of the problem . It
may well be that time is well spent on
exploratory research, as it may show that the
research is not worth pursuing!
Slide 5.7
Explanatory
There are three principal ways of conducting explanatory
research:
A search of the literature;
Interviewing experts in the subject;
Conducting focus group interviews.
Slide 5.8
Descriptive studies
The object of descriptive research is to portray
an accurate profile of persons, events or

situations. This may be an extension of, or a
forerunner to a piece of exploratory research or,
more often, a piece of explanatory research. It is
necessary to have a clear picture of the
phenomena on which you wish to collect data
prior to collection of data.
Slide 5.9
Explanatory research
Studies that establish causal relationships
between variables may be termed explanatory

research. The emphasis her is on studying a
situation or a problem in order to explain the
relationship between variables. For example, that
a cursory analysis of quantitative data on
manufacturing scrap rates shows a relationship
between scrap rates and the age of machine
being operated
Slide 5.10
Research Strategies
Experiment
Action research
Grounded theory
Ethnography
Survey
Case study
Archival research
Slide 5.11
Experiment
Experiment: measuring the effects of manipulating one
variable on another variable
Slide 5.12
Survey
Survey: collection of information in standardized form
groups of people
Slide 5.13
Case Study
Case study: development of detailed, intensive knowledge
about a single case, or of a small number of related

cases.
Slide 5.14
Action research
The second relates to the involvement of the practitioner
in the research and in particular a close cooperation

between practitioners and researchers. The final theme is
that action research should have implications beyond the
immediate project. In other words it must be clear that the
results could inform other context.
Slide 5.15
Grounded theory
Grounded theory: Collection of data starts without the
formation of an initial theoretical framework. Theory is

created from data made by a series of observations.
Slide 5.16
Ethnography
Ethnography: Derives from the field of anthropology. The
idea is to interpret the social world the research subject

inhabits and the way in which they interpret it.
Slide 5.17
Quantitative and Qualitative

The terms quantitative and qualitative are used
widely in business and management research to

differentiate both data collection techniques and
data analysis procedures. One way of
distinguishing between the two is the focus on
numeric (numbers) or non-numeric(words) data.
Quantitative is predominantly used as a
synonym for any data collection technique (such
as questionnaire) or data analysis procedure (such
as graphs or statistics) that generates or uses
numerical data.
Slide 5.18
Quantitative and Qualitative

qualitative is used predominantly as a synonym
for any data collection technique (such as an

interview) or data analysis procedure (such as
categorizing data) that generates or use nonnumerical data. Qualitative therefore can refer to
data other than words, such as pictures and video
clips.
Slide 5.19
Research multiple methods

In choosing your research methods you will
therefore either use a single data collection

technique and corresponding analysis procedures
(mono method) or use more than one data
collection technique and analysis procedures to
answer your research question (multiple
methods).
Slide 5.20

This choice is increasingly advocated within
business and management research, where
a single research study may use quantitative
and qualitative techniques and procedures
in combination as well as use primary and
secondary data. If you choose to use a mono
method you will combine either a single
quantitative data collection technique, such
as questionnaires, with quantitative data
analysis procedures
Slide 5.21

or a single qualitative data collection technique,
such as in-depth interviews, with qualitative data

analysis procedures. In contrast, if you choose to
combine data collection techniques and
procedures using some form of multiple methods
design, there are four different possibilities.
Slide 5.22

The term multi-method refers to those
combinations where more than one data collection

technique is used with associated analysis
techniques, but this is restricted within either a
quantitative or qualitative world view
Slide 5.23

Thus you might choose to collect quantitative data
using, for example, both questionnaires and

structured observation analyzing these data using
statistical (quantitative) procedures, a multimethod quantitative study. Alternatively, you
might choose to collect qualitative data using, for
example, in-depth interviews and diary accounts
and analyze these data using non-numerical
(qualitative) procedures, a multi-method
qualitative study. Therefore, if you adopted
multi-methods you would not mix quantitative and
qualitative techniques and procedures.
Slide 5.24

Mixed methods approach is the general term for
when both quantitative and qualitative data

collection techniques and analysis procedures are
used in a research design. It is subdivided into two
types. Mixed method research uses quantitative
and qualitative data collection techniques and
analysis procedures either at the same time
(parallel) or one after the other (sequential) but
does not combine them. This means that, although
mixed method research uses both quantitative and
qualitative
world views at the research methods stage
quantitative data are analyzed quantitatively
Slide 5.25

and qualitative data are analyzed qualitatively. In
addition, often either quantitative or qualitative

techniques and procedures predominate. In
contrast, mixed-model research combines
quantitative and qualitative data collection
techniques and analysis procedures as well as
combining quantitative and qualitative approaches
at other phases of the
research such as research question generation.
Slide 5.26
Multiple research methods

Research choices
Figure 5.4 Research choices
Saunders et al, (2009)
Slide 5.27
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)
Slide 5.28
Triangulation
Use of two or more independent sources of data or
data collection methods to corroborate research

findings within a study.
Slide 5.29
Facilitation
Use of one data collection method or research
strategy to aid research using another data

collection method or research strategy within a
study (e.g. qualitative/quantitative providing
hypotheses, aiding measurement
quantitative/qualitative participant or case
selection)
Slide 5.30
Complementarity
Use of two or more research strategies in order
that different aspects of an investigation can be

dovetailed (e.g. qualitative plus quantitative
questionnaire to fil in gaps quantitative plus
qualitative questionnaire for issues, interview for
meaning)
Slide 5.31
Generality
Use of independent source of data to contextualize main
study or use quantitative analysis to provide sense of

relative
importance (e.g. qualitative plus quantitative to set case in
broader context; qualitative quantitative analysis is to
provide sense of relative importance)
Slide 5.32
Aid interpretation
Use of qualitative data to help explain
relationships between quantitative variables (e.g

quantitative/qualitative)
Slide 5.33
Study different aspects

Quantitative to look at macro aspects and
qualitative to look at micro aspects
Slide 5.34
Solving a puzzle
Use of an alternative data collection method when
the initial method reveals unexplainable results or

insufficient data
Slide 5.35
Time Horizons
Select the appropriate time horizon
Cross-sectional studies: cross-sectional
studies are the study of a particular

phenomenon (or phenomena) at a particular
time.
Longitudinal studies: usually study the change
and development over a period of time.
Slide 5.36
Credibility of research findings

Important considerations
Reliability
Validity
Generalisability
Logic leaps and false assumptions
Slide 5.37
Reliability
Reliability refers to the extent to which your data
collection techniques or analysis procedures will

yield consistent findings. It can be assessed by
posing the following three questions:
1 Will the measures yield the same results on
other occasions?
2 Will similar observations be reached by other
observers?
3 Is there transparency in how sense was made
from the raw data?
Slide 5.38
Validity
Validity is concerned with whether the findings are
really about what they appear to be about. Is the

relationship between two variables a causal
relationship? For example, in a study of an
electronics factory we found that employees failure
to look at new product displays was caused not by
employee apathy but by lack of opportunity (the
displays were located in a part of the factory that
employees rarely visited). This potential lack of
validity in the conclusions was minimized by research
design that built in the opportunity for focus groups
after the questionnaire results had been analyzed.
Slide 5.39
Research design ethics

Remember
The research design should not subject the

research population to embarrassment, harm or
other material disadvantage
Adapted from Saunders et al, (2009)

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Slide 5.

The Process of Research Design

choice of research strategy, your choices of collection

Robson (2002) defined research strategy as the general

approach taken in an enquiry and added that research

will go about answering your research question(s)

Classification of the research purpose

an accurate profile of persons, events or

between variables may be termed explanatory

variable on another variable

about a single case, or of a small number of related

in the research and in particular a close cooperation

formation of an initial theoretical framework. Theory is

idea is to interpret the social world the research subject

Quantitative and Qualitative

widely in business and management research to

Quantitative and Qualitative

for any data collection technique (such as an

Research multiple methods

therefore either use a single data collection

Research multiple methods

Research multiple methods

such as in-depth interviews, with qualitative data

Research multiple methods

combinations where more than one data collection

Research multiple methods

using, for example, both questionnaires and

Research multiple methods

when both quantitative and qualitative data

Research multiple methods

addition, often either quantitative or qualitative

Multiple research methods

Figure 5.4 Research choices

Saunders et al, (2009)

Multiple research methods

data collection methods to corroborate research

strategy to aid research using another data

that different aspects of an investigation can be

study or use quantitative analysis to provide sense of

relationships between quantitative variables (e.g

Study different aspects

qualitative to look at micro aspects

the initial method reveals unexplainable results or

studies are the study of a particular

Credibility of research findings

collection techniques or analysis procedures will

really about what they appear to be about. Is the

Research design ethics

The research design should not subject the

Adapted from Saunders et al, (2009)

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