assignment 1

ASSIGNMENT 1: RESEARCH TOPIC

Prepared byNurhidayah Binti Bahar

CHA110004

Prepared forCXHB7109 Quantitative Research Methods For

Business

LecturerProfesor Madya Dr. Sharifah Latifah Binti Syed A

Kadir

1. Proposed Topic

This section describes the proposed study I would focus on in my PhD research which is

critical realism as a realistic philosophy for health information systems.

1.1 Background of the study

In the past, the majority of information systems (IS) research and systems

development, mainly in the US, has been underpinned by a positivist philosophy.

The main philosophy which emphasizes the inherent meaningfulness of the social

world is interpretivism or generally known as conventionalism (Mingers, 2004;

Lee, 1999). Other philosophies that supporting IS research are ethnography

(Harvey & Myers, 1995), hermeneutics (Boland, 1991; Myers, 1994; Olson &

Carlisle, 2001), ethnomethodology (Bhattacharjee & Paul, 2001; Crabtee,

Nichols, O’Brien, Rouncefield, & Twidale, 2000) and phenomenology (Boland,

1985; Coyne, 1995; Dreyfus, 1996; Introna, 1997; Mingers, 2001b). Based on

distinctive approaches, there are approaches namely critical theory (Janson,

Cecez-Kecmanovic, & Brown, 2001), post modernism (Greenhill, 2001) and

actor-network theory (Walsham, 1997).

However, there has been a diversity of responds to this variety of philosophical

approaches. Imperialists argue for the dominance of one particular paradigm

(usually positivism), either on epistemological grounds or in the belief that it is

necessary to create a strong discipline (Benbasat & Weber, 1996; Pfeffer, 1993).

Isolationists are more likely to accept opinion of Burrel and Morgan (1979) that

there are distinctively different paradigms and that these are impossible to

measure or compare due to having an irrational ratio – therefore research should

Assignment 1: Research Topic

develop separately within each paradigm (Deetz, 1996; Parker & McHugh, 1991).

Pluralists agree to, and undoubtedly welcome, a diversity of paradigms and

research methods. Briefly, we can see that some of those who welcome methods

diversity (Van Maanen, 1995a, b), those who thinks different methods as being

more or less suitable for particular research questions (Robey, 1996), and those

who see that research should strive to be trans-paradigmatic, routinely combining

philosophically distinct research methods (Goles & Hirschheim, 2000).

Figure 1.0 Diversity of philosophical approaches

It is notorious that Information Systems (IS) is not distinctive in respect of this

diversity, for example, organization theory, sociology, economics or geography,

are equally split. For example, health information systems (HIS) particularly can

be defined as “a set of components and procedures organized with the objective of

generating information which will improve health care management decisions at


Philosophies

Inter-pretivism

Ethnography

HermeneuticsEthno-methodologyPheno-menology

Critical Theory

Post-modernism

Actor-network Theory

all levels of the health system” (Lippeveld, Sauerborn, and Bodart, 2000). It is

important to assess the ability of the system to produce valid, reliable, timely, and

reasonably accurate information for use by planners and decision-makers. The

result of the assessment will allow the user to be pleased about the ability of a

country’s HIS to “integrate data collection, processing, reporting, and use of the

information necessary for improving health service effectiveness and efficiency

through better management at all levels of health services” (Lippeveld, Sauerborn,

and Bodart 2000). Therefore, the objective of the HIS is to produce significant

and quality information to support decision making (Health Metrics Network

2006).

To date the practice of health sector in managing IS has not been sufficiently

theorized. An adequate theory should be able to answer the pre-eminent critique

of how information in healthcare should be theorized and should also offer

vigorous analytical and ethical resources to identify and engage with the social,

political, economic and moral issues underlying health information system. Thus,

this paper proposes a realistic philosophical approach –critical realism– as a way

to theorize HIS and dissolve most of those issues with other philosophy of science

in Figure 1.0. The critical realism perspective could lay a fruitful foundation for

an interdisciplinary research field like IS, and its user studies in particular,

concerned with many levels of information creation, seeking, use and processing

(Wikgren, 2004).


2. Significance of Study

This section will answer the motives for studying this topic as well as stating my interest

to investigate it.

The findings of the study will provide salient evidence of critical realism addresses both

natural and social science and thus encompasses the main domains of health information

system. Therefore, the findings may also contribute to other researchers to resolve

theoretical questions, develop a theoretical model or stimulate new research, and

professionals and practitioners; may change the way they do their jobs specifically in

managing health information system because critical realism is able to point out the

limitations of positivism and interpretivism individually whilst recognizing the

contribution that research methods from these paradigms can make.

It is as well to acknowledge here, an interdisciplinary research field like HIS, and its user

studies in particular, concerned with many levels of information creation, seeking, use

and processing, both institutional and system-oriented, individual and collectivistic

(Wilson, 2002), will naturally contain different ontological, epistemological, and

methodological perspectives (Budd, 2001). On the one hand, Dervin (2003) rightly points

out that we are “drowning in concepts, variables, methods, theories”, while, on the other

hand, Bates (2002, p. 15) (also rightly) claims that: “the several metatheories driving

research in information seeking each have much of value to offer, and should not be

placed in a life or death struggle for dominance in our thinking and research”.

As for the supply of health information, many methods and sources are available for

generating data. They can be divided into those that generate data relative to populations

as a whole (census, vital registration, surveys), and those that generate data about the


operation of the services (administrative records, service records, health and disease

records). Different data are needed at different level of systems. Realizing this scenario, I

am interested to explore whether critical realism does potentially fit well with the reality

of health information system and to find out whether health information system can adopt

critical realism philosophy. Other than that, I would like to attempt to further the

effectiveness of managing health information system using critical realism philosophy.

Finally, it is hoped that this study would encourage further related research to extent the

knowledge of critical realism philosophy in health information system or any other fields.

3. Research Methods

The study will adopt the qualitative research methodologies which it serves the following

purposes (Peshkin, 1993):

• Description. They can reveal the nature of certain situations, settings, processes,

relationships, systems or people.

• Interpretation. They enable the researcher to (a) gain new insights about a

particular phenomenon, (b) develop new concepts or theoretical perspectives

about the phenomenon and/or (c) discover the problems that exist within the

phenomenon.

• Verification. They allow a researcher to test the validity of certain assumptions,

claims, theories, or generalizations within real-world contexts.

• Evaluation. They provide a means though which a researcher can judge the

effectiveness of particular policies, practices, or innovations.

There are a few approaches might be suitable for meeting the research objectives and I

briefly describe the specific nature of the method and data analysis.


In a case study, the subject matters which are health information system and critical

realism will be studied in depth for a defined period of time. For example, what

philosophy has underpinned information system (IS) research for the past years and how

health information system (HIS), specifically being managed currently and what

philosophy is use to theorized HIS. This case study may be especially suitable for

learning more about a little known or poorly understood situation. In either circumstance,

it is useful for generating and providing preliminary support for hypotheses. An

extensive data will be collected that uses a literature-based analysis of the critical realism

concepts of a stratified social reality, the importance of contextualization, and the relation

between structure and agency. These features are discussed in relation to various models

of information-seeking behavior, but also to the “interpretative” approach to information

as meaning which can only be achieved through discourses in a human community.

Then, data analysis will be performed based on the case study that typically involves the

following steps (Cresswell, 1998; Stake, 1995):

• Organization of details about the case. The specific “facts” about the case are

arranged in a logical order.

• Categorization of data. Categories are identified that can help cluster the data into

meaningful groups.

• Interpretations of single instances. Specific documents, occurrences, and other

bits of data are examined for the specific meanings they might have in relation to

the case.

• Identification of patterns. The data and their interpretations are scrutinized for

underlying themes and other patterns that characterize the case more broadly than

a single piece of information can reveal.


• Synthesis and generalizations. An overall portrait of the case is constructed.

Conclusions are drawn that may have implications beyond the specific case that

has been studied.

As the content analysis is a detailed and systematic examination of the contents of

particular body of material for the purpose of identifying patterns, themes, or biases; I

think that this approach is also appropriate to answer the research questions. The

following are the typical steps to perform content analysis (Leedy & Ormrod):

Identify the specific body material to be studied. If this body is relatively small, it is

studied in its entirely. If it is quite large, a sample (perhaps a random sample) is selected.

Define the characteristics or qualities to be examined in precise, concrete terms. Also

identify specific examples of each characteristic as a way of defining it more clearly.

If the material to be analyzed involves complex or lengthy items, break down each item

into small, manageable segments that are analyzed separately.

Scrutinize the material for instances of each characteristic or quality defined in step 2.

When judgments are entirely objective, only one judge, or rather, is necessary. When

judgments are more subjective, two or three rates are typically involved, and a composite

of their judgments is used.


4. Nature of knowledge and Business Organisations

In a knowledge-based society, knowledge that leads to innovation and commercial

activity is now recognised as critical to economic development especially to business

organisations. Again, there is a tendency to argue that this kind of knowledge –

‘commercial’ knowledge – is different from academic knowledge. I would argue that

sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. Both commercial and academic knowledge have

the similarity that eventually led to innovation. My proposed research itself is more on

academic knowledge rather than a commercial knowledge that can benefit business

organization in term of monetary reward.

My other opinion is that academic knowledge is utterly seen in these arguments as not

relevant to the knowledge society; it is only applied knowledge now that matters.

However, and this is the critical point. It has been the explosion in academic knowledge

that has formed the basis of the knowledge society. It was academic development in

sciences, medicine and engineering that led to the development of the Internet,

biotechnology, digital financial services, computer software and telecommunication, etc.

Indeed, it is no co-incidence that those countries most advanced in knowledge-based for

business organizations were those that have the highest participation rates in university

education.


REFERENCES

Bates, M. (2002), “Toward an integrated model of information seeking and searching”, The New Review of Information Behaviour Research, Vol. 3, pp. 115.

Budd, J.M. (2001), Knowledge and Knowing in Library and Information Science: A Philosophical Framework, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD.

Dervin, B. (2003), “Human studies and user studies: a call for methodological interdisciplinarity”, Information Research, Vol. 9 No. 1, paper 166, available at: http://InformationR.net/ir/9-1/paper166.html (accessed 13 March 2011).

Health Metrics Network. 2006a. A Framework for Standards for Country Health Information System Development (Version 1.65). Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO).

Lee, A. (1999). Rigour and relevance in MIS research: beyond the approach of positivism alone. MIS Quarterly, 23, 29-33.

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, R. K. (2002). Practical Research (8th Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Lippeveld, Theo, R. Sauerborn, and C. Bodart. 2000. Design and Implementation of Health Information Systems. Geneva: WHO.

Mingers, J. (2004). Real-izing information systems: critical realism as an underpinning philosophy for information systems, 14, 87-103

Peshkin, A. (1993). The goodness of qualitative research. Educational Researcher, 22(2), 23-29.Stake, R. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Wikgren, W. (2004). Critical realism as a philosophy and social theory in information science?,

Vol. 61, 11-22Wilson, T.D. (2002), “Philosophical foundations and research relevance: issues for

information research”, paper presented at CoLIS4 – 4th International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science: Emerging Framework and Method, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 21-25 July, available at: http://informationr.net/tdw/publ/papers/COLIS4.html (accessed 16 March 2011).


http://informationr.net/tdw/publ/papers/COLIS4.html

http://InformationR.net/ir/9-1/paper166.html

assignment 1

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