a study about research methodology methods

8/10/2019 A Study About Research Methodology Methods

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AStudyabout

Research&Research

Methods

Preparedby:

Eng.AhmadNouri

Arab British Academy for Higher Education.

www.abahe.co.uk


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ContentsIntroduction ...................................................................................................................3

Meaningofthewordresearch(5)...................................................................................... 3

WhatisResearch? ..........................................................................................................3

WhyResearch?...............................................................................................................4

ResearchApproaches......................................................................................................5

Typesofbusinessresearch ..............................................................................................5

Thehallmarkofscientificresearch ...................................................................................5

Thebuildingblocksofscience..........................................................................................6

Theresearchprocess ......................................................................................................7

(1)TheBroadProblemArea ............................................................................................7

(2)Preliminary

Data

Collection ........................................................................................7

(3)ProblemDefinition.....................................................................................................9

(4)TheoreticalFramework ............................................................................................10

(5)GenerationofHypotheses........................................................................................12

(6)ScientificResearchDesign ........................................................................................13

(7)DataCollectionMethods...........................................................................................25

(8)ResearchReport ......................................................................................................30

References...................................................................................................................32


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DefinitionsofOriginality(4)

Sayingsomethingnobodyhassaidbefore

Carryingoutempiricalworkthathasnotbeendonebefore

Synthesizingsomethingthathasnotbeenputtogetherbefore

Makinganewinterpretationofsomeoneelsesmaterialorideas

Takinganewtechniqueandapplyingittoanexistingarea

Takinganexistingtechniqueandapplyingittoanewarea

Continuingapreviouslyoriginalpieceofwork

Beingcross

disciplinary

and

using

different

methodologies

Testingexistingknowledgeinanoriginalway"

"Anorganized,systematic,databased,critical,objective,scientific,inquiryor

investigationintoaspecificproblem,undertakenwiththepurposeoffinding

answersorsolutiontoit."(6)

Why

Research?

Researchisawayto:

1. Developtheindependentlearningabilityrequiredforcontinuingprofessional

development.

2. Facechallenges.

3. Findfacts.

4. Solveaproblem.

5. Investigateforabettersolution.

6. Servethesociety.

7. Earnadegree.


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Research

Approaches

Therearetwoapproachesforresearch:

1. QualitativeResearch

a. Aimedatexploringandunderstandingmeaningsandexperience

b. Dataisoftenusedtoverifyanexistingtheory,andthehypothesisis

formulatedatthebeginningoftheresearch.

2. QualitativeResearch

a. Triestomeasurevariables

b. Aninitialhypothesismaybeformulatedatthebeginning

c. Thedatacollectedisoftenusedtoevolveanongoinghypothesis

Typesofbusinessresearch

1. Appliedresearch:Tosolveacurrentproblemfacedbythemanagerinthe

worksetting,demandingatimelysolution.Itisthetypeofresearchdone

withtheintensionofapplyingtheresultsofthefindingstosolvespecific

problemscurrentlybeingexperiencedintheorganization.

2. Basicresearch:Togenerateabodyofknowledgebytryingtocomprehend

howcertainproblemsthatoccurintheorganizationcanbesolved.Itisdone

chieflytoenhancetheunderstandingofcertainproblemsthatcommonly

occurinorganizationalsettings,andseekmethodstosolvethem.Itiscalled

basicorFundamental,orpureresearch.

Thehallmarkofscientificresearch

1. Purposiveness:e.g.

Focusing

on

employee's

commitment

to

the

organization,anincreaseinthecommitmentwilltranslateintoless

turnover,lessabsenteeismandprobablyincreaseinperformancelevels.

2. Rigor:connotescarefulness,scrupulousness,andthedegreeof

exactitudeinresearchinvestigation.

3. Testability.

4. Replicability.

5. PrecisionandConfidence:

a. Precision:referstotheclosenessofthefindingstoreality.

b. Confidence:refers

to

the

probability

that

our

estimations

are

correct.


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6. Objectivity:theconclusionsshouldbebasedonthefactsofthefindings

derivedfromactualdata,andnotonourownsubjectiveoremotional

values.

7. Generalizability:referstothescopeofapplicabilityoftheresearch

findingsin

one

organization

setting

to

other

settings.

8. Parsimony:Simplicityinexplainingthephenomenaorproblemsthat

occur,andingeneratingsolutionsfortheproblem,isalwayspreferredto

complexresearchframeworkthatconsidersanunmanagednumberof

factors.

The

building

blocks

of

science

ObservationIdentification of

Problem areaTheoreticalFramework

ResearchDesign

DataAnalysis

Hypotheses

Interpretation

Concepts

Pure and or Applied Research

DataCollection


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The

research

process

(1)

The

Broad

Problem

Area

1. Thebroadproblemareareferstotheentiresituationwhereoneseesa

possibleneedforresearchandproblemsolving.

2. Thebroadproblemareamaycontain:

1. Currentexistingproblems

2. Asituation

requiring

improvement.

3. Conceptualissuethatneedsto betightened

(2)PreliminaryDataCollectionTherearetwotypesofdata:

1. Secondarydata:Datathatalreadyexistanddonothavetobe

collectedbytheresearcher(Statisticalbulletins,government

publications,information

published

or

unpublished

and

available

fromeitherwithinoroutsidetheorganization)


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2. Primarydata:Datagatheredforresearchfromtheactualsiteof

occurrenceofevents(Observation,questionnairestoindividuals).

1.Backgroundinformation ofthe organization such as :

Theoriginandhistoryofthecompany.

Size

in

terms

of

employees,

assets,

or

both.

Charter:purposeandideology.

Location.

Interdependentrelationshipswiththeexternalenvironment.

Financialpositions.

2.Structuralfactorsandmanagementphilosophysuch as:

Rolesandpositionsintheorganization.

Extentofspecialization.

Communicationchannels.

Controlsystems.

Coordinationandspanofcontrol.

Reward

systems.


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2. Problem:anysituationwhereagapexistsbetweentheactualanddesired

idealstate.

3. Problemisaclearprecisestatementofthequestionorissuethatistobe

investigatedwiththegoaloffindingananswerorsolution.

(4)TheoreticalFrameworkVariables:

Avariableisanythingthatcantakeondifferingorvaryingvalues.

TypesofVariables:

1.Thedependentvariable:itisthevariableofprimaryinteresttothe

researcher.Example:Abasicresearcherisinterestedininvestigatingdebtto

equityratioofmanufacturingcompanies.

2.Theindependentvariable:Itisonethatinfluencesthedependentvariable

ineitherapositiveornegativeway.Thevarianceinthedependentvariableis

accountedforbyindependentvariable.

3.Themoderatingvariable:Itisonethathasastrongcontingenteffecton

theindependentvariabledependentvariablerelationship.


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4.TheInterveningVariable: Itisonethatsurfacesbetweenthetimethe

independentvariablesstartoperatingtoinfluencethedependentvariable

andthetimetheirimpactisfeltonit.

Thetheoreticalframeworkisthefoundationonwhichtheentireresearch

projectisbased.Itisalogicallydeveloped,described,andelaborated

networkofassociationsamongthevariablesdeemedrelevanttotheproblem

situationandidentifiedthroughsuchprocessesasinterviews,observations,

andliteraturesurvey.

Componentsoftheoreticalframework:

Agoodtheoreticalframeworkidentifiesandlabelstheimportantvariablesin

thesituationthatarerelevanttotheproblemdefined.Therearefivebasic

featuresthatshouldbeincorporatedinanytheoreticalframework:

1. Thevariablesconsideredrelevanttothestudyshouldbeclearly

identifiedandlabeledinthediscussions.

2. Thediscussionsshouldstathowtwoormorevariablesarerelatedto

oneanother.Thisshouldbedonefortheimportantrelationships

thataretheorizedtoexistamongthevariables.

3. Ifthe

nature

and

direction

of

the

relationships

can

be

theorized

on

thebasisofthefindingsofpreviousresearch,thenthereshouldbe

anindicationinthediscussionastowhethertherelationshipswould

bepositiveornegative.

4. Thereshouldbeaclearexplanationofwhywewouldexpectthese

relationshipstoexist.Theargumentscouldbedrawnfromthe

previousresearchfindings.

5. Aschematicdiagramofthetheoreticalframeworkshouldbegivenso

thatthereadercanseeandeasilycomprehendthetheorized

relationships.


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(5)GenerationofHypotheses

Hypothesesdefinition:Itcanbedefinedasalogicallyconjecturedrelationship

betweentwoormorevariablesexpressedintheformoftestablestatement.

Statement

of

Hypotheses:

Format

I. PropositionsandIfThenStatements:

a. Proposition:Ex.Employeeswhoaremorehealthywilltakesick

leavelessfrequently

b. IfThen:Ex. Ifemployeesaremorehealthy,Thentheywilltakesick

leavelessfrequently.

II. DirectionalandNondirectional:

a. Directional:Ex.Thegreaterthestressexperiencedinthejob,

thelowerthejobsatisfactionofemployees.

b. Nondirectional:

Ex.

There

is

arelationship

between

age

and

jobsatisfaction.

III. NullandAlternativeHypotheses:

a. NullHypotheses:isapropositionthatstatsadefinitive,exact

relationshipbetweentwovariables.Thenullstatementisexpressed

asnosignificantrelationshipbetweentwovariablesornosignificant

differencebetweentwogroups.

b. AlternateHypotheses:istheoppositeofnull,itisastatement

expressingarelationshipbetweentwovariablesorindicating

differencesbetweengroups.


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(6)

Scientific

Research

Design

1)PurposeoftheStudy

1/1:Exploratorystudies

1. ExploratoryStudy:isundertakenwhennotmuchisknownaboutsituationat

hand,orwhennoinformationisavailableonhowsimilarproblemsor

researchissueshavebeensolvedinthepast.

2. Exploratorystudiesareundertakentobettercomprehendthenatureofthe

problem,since

very

few

studies

might

have

been

conducted

in

that

area.


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1/2:DescriptiveStudies

1. Adescriptivestudyinundertakeninordertoascertainandbeableto

describethe

characteristics

of

the

variable

of

interest

in

situation.

2. Thegoalofthedescriptivestudyistoofferaprofileortodescriberelevant

aspectsofthephenomenaofinteresttotheresearcherfromanindividual,

organizational,industryoriented,orotherperspective.

1/3:HypothesisTesting

1. AHypothesistesting:Itexplainsthenatureofcertainrelationships,or

establishesthedifferencesamonggroupsortheindependenceoftwoor

morefactorsinasituation.

2)TheTypesofInvestigation

1. Acausalstudy:Whentheresearcherwantstodelineatethecauseofoneor

moreproblems.

2. Acorelationalstudy:Whentheresearchisinterestedindelineatingthe

importantvariablesthatareassociatedwiththeproblem.

3. Examples:

1. Acausalstudyquestion:Doessmokingcausescancer?

2. Acorelationalstudyquestion:Aresmokingandcancerrelated?

3)Extentofresearcherinfluence.

1. Theextenttowhichtheresearcherinterfereswiththenormalflowofworkat

theworkplacehasadirectbearingonwhetherthestudyundertakeniscausal

orcorelational.

2. Acorelationalstudyisconductedinthenaturalenvironmentofthe

organization.


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3. Inacausalstudy,theresearchertriestomanipulatecertainvariablessoasto

studytheeffectsofsuchmanipulationonthedependentvariables.

4)TheStudySetting

1. FieldStudies:arecorelationalstudiesdoneintheorganization.

2. FieldExperiments:studiesconductedtoestablishcauseandeffect

relationshipsusingthesamenaturalenvironmentinwhichemployees

normallyfunction.

3. Labexperiments:experimentsdonetoestablishcauseeffectrelationships

beyondthepossibilityoftheleastdoubtrequirethecreationofanartificial,

contrivedenvironmentinwhichalltheextraneousfactorsarestrictly

controlled.

5)UnitofAnalysis

1. Itreferstothelevelofaggregationofthedatacollectedduringthe

subsequentdataanalysisstage.

2. Examplesofthedifferentunitsofanalysisare:

1. Individual.

2. Dyads.

3. Groups.

4. Organizations.

5.

Culture.


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6)Timehorizon

1. Crosssectionalstudies:dataaregatheredjustonce,perhapsoveraperiodof

daysorweeksormonths,inordertoansweraresearchquestion.

2. Longitudinalstudies:tostudypeopleorphenomenaatmorethanonepoint

oftimeinordertoanswertheresearchquestion.

MeasurementofVariables

How

Variables

are

measured?

Datarepresentingseveraldemographiccharacteristicsareobtainedby

askingemployeessimplequestion:

Howlonghaveyoubeenworkingintheorganization?

Whatisyourjobtitle?

Otherinformationcouldbecheckedthroughcompanyrecordssuch

asabsenteeism

or

employee

performance.

Objectivevs .Subjective Nature

Therearevariablesthatlenditselftoobjectiveandprecise

measurementandtheotherismorenebulousbecauseofitssubjective

nature.suchasmotivation,satisfaction,involvement,buyersbehavior.

Abstractnotionsarebrokentoobservablecharacteristicsbehaviorsso

thattheycanbemeasuredinatangibleway

`Operationalizingtheconcepts

OperationalDefinition

Operationalizing,oroperationallydefiningtheconcept,torenderit

measurable,isdonebylookingatthebehavioraldimensions,facets,or

propertiesdenotedbytheconcept.Thesearethentranslatedinto

observableandmeasurableelementssoastoformanindexof

measurementoftheconcept.Operationallydefiningaconceptinvolvesa

seriesof

steps.


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Operationalizing theConceptofAchievementMotivation

WeexpectthatpeoplewithhighAchievementMotivationwouldhave

thefollowingcharacteristicswhichwewillcalldimensions

1. Drivenbyworkandconstantlyworkingtodrivethesatisfactionof

havingAchievedandaccomplished

2. Findithardtorelaxordevotetheirattentiontootherthanwork

relatedactivity.

3. Prefertoworkontheirownratherthanwithothers(becauseof

wantingtoachieve)

4. Engageinchallengingjobsratherthaneasyroutineonesbutatthe

sametimenotexcessivelychallengingjobsbecausetheirprobabilityof

theiraccomplishmentisnotveryhigh.

5.Theywouldliketogetfrequentfeedbackfromtheirsuperiorsand

colleaguesastheygoalongtoknowhowtheyareperforming.

ElementsofDimension1

Beconstantlyworking(countthenumberofworkinghours)

Reluctanttotaketimeofffromwork(countofdaysoffworked)

Preserveeveniftherearesomesetbacks(keeptrackforhow

frequentlypeoplecontinuetopreservedoingtheirjobsdespitefailures.


Howoftendoyouthinkofworkwhileyouareawayfromthe

workplace?

Whatareyourhobbies?

Howdoyouspendyourtimewhenyouarenotattheworkplace?



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Impatientwithineffectivenessandreluctanttoworkwithothers.


Ameasureofhoweagerpeoplearetoseekchallengingjobscanbe

foundbyaskingemployeeswhatkindsofjobstheyprefer.

Employeespreferencescouldvaryfromfairlyroutinejobstojobswith

progressiveincreaseinchallenge


Wantto

know

others

opinion

on

how

well

they

are

performing

both

positiveandnegative.

Constantlyseekingfeedbackfromdifferentsources(trackinghow

oftenindividualsseekfeedback)

ScaleDefinition

Ascaleisatoolormechanismbywhichindividualsaredistinguishedon

howtheydifferfromoneanotheronthevariablesofinteresttoourstudy.

Thescalecouldbeagrossone(Broadlycategorizeindividualson

certainvariables),oritcouldbefinetunes(differentiateindividualsonthe

variablewithvaryingdegreeofsophistication).

Scales

Nominal Scale Ordinal Scale Interval Scale Ratio Scale

NominalScale

Anominal

scale

is

one

that

allows

the

researcher

to

assign

subjects

to

certaincategoriesorgroups(suchasmale&femaleforexample).


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Nominalscalescategorizeindividualsorobjectsintomutually

exclusiveandcollectivelyexhaustivegroups.

Theinformationthatcanbegeneratedfromnominalscalingisto

calculatethepercentage(orfrequency).

ExampleofNominalScale:

Nationality:

American Japanese

Chinese Russian

Australian Polish

German

Swiss

Indian Zambian

Others.

OrdinalScale

Anordinalscalerankordersthecategoriesinsomemeaningfulway(not

onlycategorizesthevariablestodenotedifferencesamongthevarious

categories).

InanordinalScale,thecategoriesaretobeorderedaccordingtosome

preference.

ExampleofOrdinalScale:

JobCharacteristic Rankingofimportance

Theopportunityprovidedbythejobto:

1

Interact

with

others

____

2 Useanumberofdifferentskills ____

3 Completeawholetaskfrombeginningtoend ____

4 Serveothers ____

5 Workindependently ____

IntervalScale

Aninterval

scale

allows

us

to

perform

certain

arithmetical

operations

onthedatacollectedfromtherespondents.


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Intervalscaleallowsustomeasurethedistancebetweenanytwo

pointsonthescale.Thishelpsustocomputethemeans&thestandard

deviationsoftheresponsesonthevariables.

Exampleofintervalscale:

Indicatetheextenttowhichyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsas

theyrelatetoyourjob,bycirclingtheappropriatenumberagainsteach,

usingthescalegivenbelow.

Strongly Disagree NeitherAgree Agree Strongly

Disagree NorDisagree Agree_

1

2

3

4

5__

Thefollowingopportunitiesofferedbythejobareveryimportanttome:

a Interactingwithothers 1 2 3 4 5

b Usinganumberofdifferentskills 1 2 3 4 5

c Completingataskfrombeginning 1 2 3 4 5

toend

d Servingothers 1 2 3 4 5

e Workingindependently 1 2 3 4 5

RatioScale

Theratioscaleovercomesthedeficiencyofthearbitraryoriginpoint

oftheintervalscale,inthatithasanabsolute(incontrasttoanarbitrary)

zeropoint

which

is

ameaningful

measurement

point.

Theratioscalenotonlymeasuresthemagnitudeofthedifferences

betweenpointsinthescalebutalsotapstheproportionsinthedifferences.

Itisthemostpowerfulofthefourscalesbecauseithasauniquezero

origin&subsumesallpropertiesoftheotherthreescalestocalculatethe

ratiooftheweightsoftwoindividuals.


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ExampleofRatioScale

Howmanyotherorganizationsdidyouworkforbeforejoiningthissystem?

Howmanystoresdoyouoperate?

Propertiesofthefourscales

Scale Differences Order Distance Unique

origin

Nominal Yes No No No

Ordinal Yes Yes No No

Interval Yes Yes Yes No

Ratio Yes Yes Yes Yes

RatingScale

Thefollowingratingscalesareoftenusedinorganizationalresearch:

Dichotomousscale:

The

dichotomous

scale

is

used

to

elicit

a

yes

or

no

answer.

Note

that

a

nominalscaleisusedtoelicittheresponse:

Doyouownacar? ( )Yes ()No

Doyousmoke? ( )Yes ()No

Doyouplayfootball? ( )Yes ()No

Categoryscale:

Thecategory

scale

uses

multiple

items

to

elicit

asingle

response

as

per

thefollowingexample.Thisalsousesthenominalscale.


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eachitem,orcirclestherelevantnumberagainsteachitem.The

responsestotheitemsaresummated.Thisusesanintervalscale.

Example:Respondtoeachitemusingthescalebelow,andindicateyour

responsenumberonthelinebyeachitem:

5

Very Likely

4

Likely

3

Neither Unlikely norLikely

2

Unlikely

1

Very Unlikely

Fixedorconstantsumscale:

Therespondentsareaskedtodistributeagivennumberofpointsacross

variousitems.Thisismoreinnatureofanordinalscale.

Example:Inchoosingtoiletsoap,indicatetheimportanceyouattachto

eachoffollowingfiveaspectsbydistributingatotalof100pointsamong

them.

Fragrance

Color

Shape

Size

Texture of lather

100Total points

Graphicratingscale:

Agraphicrepresentationhelpstherespondentstoindicatetheiranswers

toaparticularquestionbyplacingamarkattheappropriatepointonthe

line.This

is

ordinal

scale.

_____________1. I will be changing my job within the next 12 months.

_____________2. I will take on new assignments in the near future.

_____________3. It is possible that I will be out of this organization with the next 12months.


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Example:Onascaleof1to10,howwouldyourateyoursupervisor?

10987654321

Excellent

Very

bad

Consensusscale:

Scalesarealsodevelopedbyconsensus,wherepanelofjudgesselect

certainitemtheyfeelmeasuretheconceptdesiredtobemeasured.The

itemsarechosenparticularlybasedontheirrelevancetotheconcept.

Suchaconsensusscaleisdevelopedaftertheselecteditemsare

examinedandtestedfortheirvalidityandreliability.

Goodnessofthemeasures


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(7)Data

Collection

Methods

DataCollectiondefinedas:

Theyareanintegralpartofresearchdesignasthereareseveraldata

collection

methods

each

with

its

own

advantages

&

disadvantages.

Sourcesofdata:

PrimaryData:

Datagatheredforresearchfromactualsiteofoccurrenceofevents.

SecondaryData:

Dataalreadyexistsascompanyrecordsorarchives ,government

publications,

industry

analysis

offered

by

the

media,

web

sites.

Data Collection MethodsIncludes :-

Interviews

1. Face To Face2. Telephone

3. Computer Assisted

Questionnaires

1. Personally Administered2. Through Mail

Observations

1. Individuals

2. EventsWithout videotaping Or

Audio Recording

1. Interviews

Un StructuredInterviews

StructuredInterviews


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UnstructuredInterviews

Theyaresolabeledbecausetheinterviewerdoesntentertheinterview

withaplannedsequenceofquestionsthatwillbeaskedtothe

respondent.

ItsObjectiveistobringsomePreliminaryIssuestosurface&

understandthesituationinitstotallysothattheresearchercandecide

whatvariablesneedindepthinvestigations.

TheType&thenatureofthequestionsaskedtotheindividualsvary

accordingtotheirjoblevel&typeofworkdone,SoManagersattop&

middlelevelmightbeaskedmoredirectquestionsabouttheir

Perceptionsofproblems&situations,whileEmployeesatlowerlevel

maybe

asked

broad,

open

end

questions.

Example:

Tellmesomethingaboutyourunit&department&perhapseven

theorganizationasawhole,intermsofwork,employees&whateverelse

youthinkitsimportant.

Suchrequestmightelicitanelaborateresponsefromsome

respondentswhileothersmightjustgiveaonewordreplywhichisnot

informative.ex

(good,

boring

,).

StructuredInterviews-:

Theinterviewerhasalistofpredeterminedquestionstobeposedto

therespondenteitherpersonallyorthroughthetelephoneormediumof

pc.

Thequestionsconsideredrelevanttotheproblemsthathassurfaced

duringtheunstructuredinterview&theresearcherwillnotethemdown.

Thesequestions

will

be

asked

to

everybody

in

the

same

manner

&

the

interviewermustcomprehendthepurpose&thegoalofeachquestion.

VisualAids:

Aretoolsthatusedinconductinginterviewssuchas(Pictures,line

drawings,cards&othermaterials)&thesetechniquesareusefulin

marketingresearch,advertisinginordertocapturelikes&dislikesofthe

customertodifferenttypesofpackaging.


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FaceToFace&Telephoneinterviews

MostUnstructuredinterviewsinorganizationalresearchareconducted

facetoface.whileStructuredinterviewscouldbeeitherfacetofaceor

throughtelephone.

FaceToFaceAdvantages:

Researchercanadaptthequestionsasnecessary,clarifydoubts,&

ensurethattherespondentunderstandbyrepeatingorrephrasingthe

questions.

Researchercanalsopickuphowtherespondentisnervousorunder

pressurethroughhisbodylanguage&itsobviouslybeimpossibletodetect

thisinatelephoneinterview.

FaceToFacedisadvantages:

Geographicallimitation&Highcostoftraininginterviewers.

TelephoneInterviewadvantages:

Differentnumberofpeoplecanbereached(acrossthecountryoreven

internationally)inashortperiodoftime.

Peoplefeelmorecomfortablewhileintroducingthemselvesthrough

phonethanfacetoface.

TelephoneInterviewDisadvantages:

Therespondentscallcouldbeterminatedwithoutwarningbefore

finishingtheinterview.

ComputerAssistedinterviewing:

Thereare2typesofCAI:

ComputerAssistedtelephoneinterviewingCATI:

Usedinresearchorganizationassurveyscanbeobtainedfrom

peopleallovertheworldsincepcisnetworkedinthetelephonesystem.

ComputerAssistedPersonalInterviewingCAPI:

Respondentcanuseintheirowncomputerstorunprogramsby

themselvesonce

they

receive

the

software

&

enter

their

response.


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Questionnaires

Aquestionnaireisapreformulatedwrittensetofquestionstowhich

respondentrecordtheiranswersusuallywithinrathercloselydefined

alternatives.

Questionnairesareanefficientdatacollectionmethodswhenthe

researcherknowsexactlywhatisrequiredandhowtomeasurethe

variablesofinterest

Questionnairescanbeadministeredpersonally,mailedtothe

respondentsorelectronicallydistributed.

Personallyadministeredquestionnaires

Whenthe

survey

is

confined

to

alocal

area

and

the

organization

is

willingandabletoassemblegroupsofemployeestorespondtothe

questionnairesattheworkplacepersonallyadministeringthequestionnaires

isagoodwaytocollectdata.

Mailquestionnaires

Themainadvantageofmailquestionnairesisthatawidegeographical

areacanbecoveredinthesurveytheyaremailedtotherespondentswho

cancompletethemattheirownconvenience,intheirhomes,andattheir

ownpace.

Thereturnratesofmailquestionnairearetypicallylow.

Guidelinesforquestionnairedesign

Questionnairedesignershouldfocusonthreeareas

1. Thewordingofthequestions.

2. Planningofcategorizingtheissues.

3. Thegeneralappearanceofthequestionnaire.

Othermethodsofdatacollection

Observationalsurveys

Ismadebygatheringdatawithoutaskingquestionsofrespondents.

Peoplecanbeobservedintheirnaturalworkenvironmentsorinthelab

setting,andtheiractivitiesandbehaviorsorotheritemscanberecorded

Theresearchercanplayoneoftworoles:


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1. Nonparticipantobserver

Hecancollecttheneededdatawithouttryingtobecomeanintegralpart

oftheorganizationalsystem.

2. participantobserver

Theresearcherenterstheorganizationortheresearchsettingactually

becomingapartoftheworkteam.

Structuredobservationalstudies

Wheretheobserverhasapredeterminedsetofcategoriesof

activatestobestudied

Unstructuredobservationalstudies

Iftheresearcherhasnodefiniteideasoftheparticularaspectsthat

needsfocustheobserverwillrecordalmosteverythingthatisobserved.

(8)

Research

Report

Researchproposal

Theresearchproposaldrawnupbytheinvestigatoristheresultofaplanned,

organized,andcarfuleffort,andbasicallycontainsthefollowing:

1. Thebroadgoalsofthestudy.

2. Thespecificproblemtobeinvestigated.

3. Detailsoftheprocedurestobefollowed.

4. Theresearchdesignofferingdetailson:

a. Thesamplingdesign.

b. Datacollection

methods.

c. Dataanalysis.

5.Timeframeofthestudy,includinginformationonwhenthewritten

reportwillbehandedovertothesponsors.

6.Thebudget,detailingthecostswithreferencetospecificitemsof

expenditure.


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Thereport

Itisimportantthattheresultofthestudytherecommendationstosolvethe

problemareeffectivelycommunicatedtothesponsor,sothatthesuggestions

madeareacceptedandimplemented.

Thewrittenreport

Thewrittenreportenablesthemanagertoweightthefactsandarguments

presentedtherein,andimplementtheacceptablerecommendations.

Integralpartsofthereport

TheTitlePage:Thetitleofthereportshouldsuccinctlyindicatewhatthe

studyisallabout.

TableofContent:Thetableofcontentwithpagereferenceusuallyliststhe

importantheadingsandsubheadingsinthereport.

TheResearchProposalandtheAuthorizationLetter:Acopyofboth.

TheExecutiveSummaryorSynopsis:Theexecutivesummary(orsynopsis)isa

briefaccount

of

the

research

study

that

provides

an

overview.

TheIntroductorySection:theintroductorysectionstartswithastatementof

theproblemunderinvestigation.

TheBodyoftheReport:Inthispart,thedetailsoftheinterviewsconducted,

theliteraturesurvey,thetheoreticalframework,andthehypothesesare

furnished.

TheFinalPart:Thefinalpartofthereportwillcontaintheconclusionsdrawn

fromthe

findings.

In

most

cases,

alist

of

recommendations

for

implementationwillfollow.

Acknowledgments:helpreceivedothersincludingthepeopleparticipatedin

thestudy.


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References

(1)Oxfordpaperbackdictionary,3rdedition

(2)Research

Methodology

by

Dr.

M

SSridhar,

Head,

Library

&

Documentation,

ISRO

SatelliteCentre,Bangalore560017

(3)THEPRINCIPLESOFSCIENTIFICRESEARCH,ByPAULFREEDMAN,B.Sc.,M.I.E.E.,

F.I.E.S.,HeadofLampResearch,Messrs.CromptonParkinson,Ltd.

(4) ApresentationbyDr.AdelM.Zayed,oneofmyinstructorsinmyMBA.

(5)Website:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/research

(6)ResearchmethodsforBusiness,ForthEdition,byUmaSekaran,SouthIllinois

UniversityatCarbondale.


a study about research methodology methods

Documents