Overview and Analysis of Research Methodologies

Overview and Analysis of explore MethodologiesINTRODUCTIONThis chapter presents the seek mannerologies adopted for the query. A combination of some(prenominal) soft and three-figure methodological improvementes was adopted by the look intoer in order to attain a realistic emergence from the explore. Specific exclusivelyy, the chapter discusses the crop of methods used by the inquiry worker for the search, interrogation philosophy, inquiry scheme and enquiry methods used to gain selective information and information abstract.RESEARCH doctrineResearch philosophy is nigh the system in which the query enigma should be fundament in all(prenominal)y approached, and this includes incontrovertibleness, realism and interpretivism. (Davies, 2007)Positivism The roots of positivism prevarication especially with empiricism, which works with observable facts. The basic philosophy behind positivism is that, all factual knowledge is ground on the positive entropy gathit herd from observable experience, and that whatsoever idea beyond this realm of irrefutable fact is metaphysical. Only analytic statements atomic number 18 allowed to be kn let as true, through reason al adept. (Davies, 2007)Interpretivism is a view that believes that the earthly concern and reality argon non bearing and external, muchover argon favorablely constructed and given subject matter by people. This view is usually referred to as the qualitative approach and is establish on an inductive procedure (Rea and Parker, 2006).( wherefore appropriate to use)Saunders et al (2003) defines realism that is based on the belief that a reality exists that is autonomous of human thoughts and beliefs, and that eject work on their perceptions either consciously or unconsciously. Management and Business research is oft a mixture between positively charged and interpretivist, perhaps reflecting the status of realism. (Scheurich, 2007)The research issues im interpreter try to f ind out, the extent of employee filmment in the executing of Total Quality Management (TQM) in PZ Industries (NIG.) PLC as a case discover. What they do sound or non in this regard. Thus, the research philosophy is interpretivism rather than positivism.Deciding which research method exit be adopted depending on what research philosophy is adopted is relevant in a research, Rea and Parker, (2006). For positivism, a deductive process asks the development of a conceptual and theoretical standpoint prior to its testing through empirical reflexion while for interpretivism, it involves an inductive procedure which is the reverse of deductive process. Interpretivism involves reflecting on youthful and past experiences (Davies, 2007). Realism accommodates the use of both deductive and inductive processes (Scheurich, 2007). The research philosophy for this research is interpretivism therefore, an inductive procedure is adopted.(why is it appropriate)RESEARCH STRATEGYA research strat egy is the plan for the researcher to carry out his research. The principal(prenominal) research strategies include experiment, retrospect and case aim etcetera The chosen research strategy for this research is the case meditate.According to Davies, (2007), case contract is the development of detailed, intensive knowledge or so a single case, or a small number of related cases. The advantages of using case study include the detailed observations surrounding the case study method, allow us to study many an(prenominal) assorted parts, scrutinize them in relation to separately other, view the process with its entire environment and besides utilize the researchers capacity for versatility. As a event, case study provides us with a greater prospect than other available methods to obtain a holistic view of a specific research this is non to guess that researches based on case study imbibe no shortcomings.A common criticism of case study is that it provides a limited foo ting for the traditional scientific generalisation. (Gomm, 2009)(explain what it means and introduce your company in brief and of what benefit depart it be to the presidential term)DATA COLLECTIONData aggregation is the most crucial process in a research or study and it comp musters of two flakes the simple info and the alternative selective information (Scheurich, 2007) move-ranking DATA(Cancell this section entirely, it is not necessary) instead put multi-method approach i.e, why micturate you choosen dubietynaire and interview methods) expantiate with reasons in your own lectureAccording to Scheurich, (2007), secondary data is that which the reference has not been responsible for gathering first-hand. It therefore includes all the data gathered by someone else and presented in a regeneration of forms, such as journal clauses, reports, archive materials, companies annual reports, news text file and magazines, conference document, net and books etc.For this researc h, the secondary data collection related to TQM and employee involvement in the implementation and the objectives of this research chief(prenominal)ly come from books, journal phrases and internet search. first-string DATAAccording to Scheurich, (2007), basal data is any data which the author has obtained first-hand from its original source as part of the applied aspect of his research. It therefore, does not include any data previously gathered by anyone else. Hence, primary data sources include individual enquiry in the form of observation, conversations, questionnaires, interviews etc.For this study, environ interview and questionnaire will be used for collecting the primary data.(why is it useful and achievable barriers to it in your own words opinion)QUESTIONNAIRESQuestionnaires atomic number 18 one of the most widely used data collection strategy. It provides an efficient modal value of collecting responses from a too large sample prior to quantitative analysis, becaus e separately respondent is asked to respond to the same set of questions. (Saunders et al, 2003). Questionnaires mass be associated with both positivism and interpretivism approaches of research. The response rate, the reliability and validity of data collected be two key criteria to a good questionnaire. (Scheurich, 2007)According to Davies, (2007), three main techniques exist in exploring peoples opinion and attitudes. These includeClosed questions the respondent is compulsory to direct between a limited numbers racket of answers.Open-ended question the participant is allowed to use his discretion in providing any answer to the questions and its either written down, verbatim or the researcher is armed with a list of probable pre-determined responses.Scales limited choice of answers has been chosen to measure an attitude, an purpose or some aspect of the participants behaviour. The key to aim scalar questions is to decide on what should be measured and then to select the re levant attri entirelyes by which they can be rated.In this study, closed questions and scalar questionnaire will be used.(explain why you used it properly in your words opinion)Questionnaire design is important to quantitative data collection. Most of the style of the quantitative method is attitude scaling. on that point is an grammatical case question Reward system below strongly Agree Agree Neutral disagree Strongly DisagreeI am satisfied with the organic laws give back system 1 2 3 4 5The advantages of choosing questionnaire method ar time saving for participants and guarantee the accuracy of questionnaires, because the pattern of questions argon the same .The next stage is to identify the number of sample(say how you encouraged them to do so). The questionnaire will be designed with 25 questions in four A4 papers(because.). There are closely 400 people in PZ Industries (NIG.) PLC head positioning in Lagos, comprising of 5 divisions and the questionnaire will be sele ctd to one C people who are working in incompatible departments and holding different job positions ( autobuss and employees). base on the number of people working in to each one department, the questionnaire will be distributed in the come ining orderHRM department = 30 purchasing department = 20Product department = 15Finance department = 10Marketing department = 25Before this explain the rule behind your choosing this departments and how they were encouraged to participate)Because of the long distance, the distribution and collection of questionnaires will be e-mailed to the researchers friend who is equally a manager in one of the branches of PZ Industries (NIG.) PLC at IIupeju, in Lagos state. He will print 100 questionnaire copies and help the researcher to distribute and collect these questionnaires, then post to the researcher.( much than on question design like objectives and questions that answers them)INTERVIEWSAccording to Scheurich, (2007), interviews are associa ted with cocksure and interpretivist philosophies. This is an approach where the selected respondents are asked questions about what they do, think or feel. A positivist method suggests closed questions which have been designed prior to distribution. An interpretivist method suggests uncrystallized questions, where the questions have not been designed in advance. There are v different interview styles structured interview, semi-structured interview, focus group interview and telephone interview.(which did you choose and reason because , reason jobstec)Although the questionnaire has provided the researcher with the main data about what PZ Industries (NIG.)PLC does well or not in the involvement of employees in the implementation of TQM from the participants, the reasons and thoughts of their opinion cannot be ascertained. Thus, four telephone interviews will be utilize in this research (the CEO who is rattling familiar with the organization, HR manager who knows the employees claims and wants and their level of motivation in doing their job, the marketing manager who well know marketing and front- line employees, Product manager who well knows about quality of their products and back-line employees). The purpose of the interview is to find out what is, in the judicial decision of the interviewee that cannot be known directly (Scheurich, 2007). The interview method is a very good complement to the questionnaire.Telephone interview allows interviews sometimes with individuals otherwise not entreeible because of one reason or the other. It therefore involves speed, access and lower cost. There are also disadvantages with interview method for qualitative data. This particularly relates to the composite plantity in establishing the needed trust, usually so important for obtaining this typecast of data (Davies, 2007). However, in this research, the researcher is quite familiar with these interviewees, so this eliminates the problem associated with trust w hen interviewing people over the phone.The findings from above analysis will be linked to theories and opinions with the intention of tipple a conclusion and making fitting recommendation.data gestatement table with how each objective each objective is been meant ie.like the one you did befor but put obj I question so and so 1 ,7 ,8,23)(what questions dis you ask and why ,link to objectives)and refer to interview schedule appendix that you have prepared and refer to them)SAMPLINGWhatever your research questions and objectives, you will need to collect data to answer them. If you collect and analyse data from every possible case or group, it is referred to as census, but for many research questions and objectives, it will be impossible for the researcher ,either to collect or analyse all the available data, owing to restrictions of time, money and often access (Saunders et al, 2003).According to Saunders et al,( 2003), sampling technique provide a wide range of methods that enab le the researcher to minimize amount of data the researcher need to collect, by considering only data from a subgroup, rather than all possible cases or elements, and which can be catego spread outd into two long groups of chance sampling and non-probability sampling. Probability samples, are notable by the fact that each population element has a known, non zero chance of being selected in the sample, but with non-probability samples, the reverse is the case, where there is no way of estimating the probability that any population element will be included in the sample, and thus, there is no way of ensuring that the sample is representative of the population.This study will be based on non- probability sampling because the sample size is not critical. The size of the interview is 4 persons, and for the questionnaire, it is 100. The choice of interviews within the sample will be based on managers holding different job positions in the organisation and whose ability to contribute co ntentfully to the topic under research is not in doubt.DATA ANALYSISQuantitative data analysis can be categorized into two types descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. descriptive statistics deals with quantitative data that are summarised or displayed in the form of charts, tables, percentages and averages. This type of statistical method is commonly used in management research for analysing data obtained from investigations of a limited nature (Davies, 2007)Inferential statistics may involve the application of descriptive statistics, but have the main aim of drawing results from the data with regard to a theory, model or body of knowledge. Also, this much involves reaching a conclusion from a sample to generalize to the total population. This type of statistical method is therefore important to those whose research undertaking is based on positivism (Davies, 2007)The research philosophy for this research is interpretivism, thus, an inductive process is adopted. There fore, the descriptive statistics is adopted in this study, because the questionnaires are to be collected from limited respondents and using SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences) or travel by to analyse the data. A percentage table will clearly turn in the results of the same sort of questions. Take sample question as an exampleStrongly AgreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly DisagreeReward systemn=10011%33%77%6464%2525%From the above table, it can be seen that most of the employees at PZ Industries (NIG.)PLC are not satisfied with the reward system in place in the organisation, thus, the organisation is not doing well in this aspect to motivate employees to put in their best, in the implementation of TQM strategy.(how did you you analyse the qualitative data like self-aggrandizing iterpterations to what was verbalize duing the interview session. and quantitative data Ms pass (reason and why talk more than than please)LIMITATIONSThe results from 4 interviews and 100 partici pants in PZ Industries (NIG.) PLC may not be representative of what would be found in the larger number of employees. The people invited to take part in the questionnaire, may influence the outcome, because some respondents may respond in a way that the organisation want them to respond, rather than giving their genuine opinion, because of fear of repercussions.The researcher would have preferred to interview more of the employees at PZ Industries (NIG.)PLC by himself, instead of relying on the marketing manager and product manager to give the opinion of front-line employees and back-line employees severally during the interview, but this was not possible because of distance problem.Sample distribution was also limited by distance the researcher could not personally distribute and collect the questionnaires, so, maybe respondents to the questionnaire at PZ Industries (NIG.)PLC may not cover all departments as intended.(ETHIC CONSIDERATIONS..ONE OR FOUR PARAGRAPHS)EXAMPLE SPEAK ON CONFIDENTIALITY AND enforce REASON MAYBE TO REASSURE THEM ETC AND LOOK FOR OTHER REASON YOU CONSIDERED analogous THEN GIVE REASON .LOOK AT APPENDIX 1)*** Generally ,put every thing in past tense as if you have make it)****(your data anlysis should be change to findings and conclusions as chapter four as in the paper she gave you in discussion office)**** conclusions and recommendations as chapter 5*** write an deed plan and reflective statement(5 pages of refective statement) like u did with hrm in context scorn u telling them u dont need cipd , she said its a requirement)(multi method approach)Multiple Methods in ASRby Jerry A. Jacobs, Editor, American sociological freshen upIn new-fashioned geezerhood, the American sociological appraise (ASR) has featured papers based exclusively on ethnographic research (e.g., Timmermans, 2005), interview data (e.g., Tyson et al., 2005), and sociological theory (e.g., Frickel and Gross, 2005). However, a serial publication of papers th at combine different types of data and approaches in the same study are especially noteworthy. One quarter of the papers I have trustworthy for publication in ASR since becoming editor in 2003 draw on more than one research method. This brief essay highlights some of the shipway that authors have employed such multi-method1 research to provide a more informative account of the social world.Interviews and SurveysSeveral authors of ASR papers have covered interviews in order to refine the questions employed in a subsequent statistical analysis. In this approach, the qualitative investigation helps to clarify the nature of the issues under investigation, but the real proof is presented in the statistical analysis. For example, Benson and Saguy (2005) interviewed 150 journalists, politicians, activists, and academics in their study of the media coverage of social problems in the United States and France. However, the empirical heart of their article was a statistical analysis of 750 articles on immigration and 685 articles on versed harassment in these two countries. Similarly, Uzzi and Lancaster (2004) conducted in-depth interviews with a small number of lawyers and clients in the lead embarking on a study of social ties and pricing patterns in large U.S. law firms.Qualitative data play a more primeval role in the research of Cherlin and his colleagues (2004) on abuse in families. aft(prenominal) conducting a survey of more than 2,000 families, Cherlin et al. followed up on 256 of these families with a series of repeated, open-ended interviews over a period of 12-18 months. They found that reports of abuse surfaced more and more as respondents came to know the researchers over this extended series of interviews. Thus, in this study, qualitative data played a key role in obtaining a more complete and accurate measurement of the phenomenon under investigation.Qualitative data are also sometimes used to help clarify the meaning of the responses to survey que stions and to better understand the social processes that might produce broad outcome patterns. For example, Edgell (forthcoming) and colleagues interviewed respondents in four cities to follow up their national survey of attitudes toward atheists. The qualitative data helped establish that attitudes toward atheists are not generally the result of face-to-face encounters but rather represent a symbolic avowal of the role of religion and skepticism about the moral standing of those who would close out a role for religion in their lives. Similarly, Giordano and colleagues (forthcoming) conducted a survey of more than 1,000 adolescents and then asked more detailed, open-ended questions of a subset of 100 respondents. They drew conclusions about gender differences in confidence, engagement, and power from both types of data.Multiple Quantitative ApproachesMulti-method studies are not limited to the blending of qualitative and quantitative research but can also appear in the artful com bination of different quantitative methods in the same study. Pager and Quillian (2005), for example, combined a social experiment with a follow-up survey in their study of racial discrimination in hiring practices. The first portion of their study uses an audit methodology, send testers to apply for jobs at various employers who had advertised positions. This experiment is designed to equation the success of B drop and color applicants who are portrayed (fictitiously) as having or not having criminal records. Pager and Quillian returned to the same employers six months later to conduct a survey of the employers attitudes about hiring different types of employees. In growth to uncovering discrepancies between employers deeds versus words, this follow-up survey allowed a comparison of the insights that can be gained from survey versus experiment.In another case, You and Khagram (2005) combined sum of money national data (i.e., one data point per country) with a multi-level stati stical analysis of survey data from 30 countries. They used the survey data to bolster their claim that countries with more inequality have more decomposition because there is a higher normative acceptance of corruption in countries characterized by higher levels of inequality.Historical AnalysesHistorical studies often combine various types of data. For example, Somers and Block (2005) principally examined historical documents in their investigation of welfare make better in Great Britain in the 1830s and the United States in the 1990s. They supplement this qualitative analysis of political texts with a statistical portrait of welfare expenditures beforehand and after reform in both countries. Similarly, Riley (2005) draws on archival, statistical, and spatial data in his study of the connection between civil society and the rise of fascism in Italy and Spain. Wildes (2004) study of the success of the reform movement during Vatican II is primarily a qualitative analysis of archi val documents, but her thick of the vote counts is an indispensable element in her story. Molnars (2005) study of debates among Magyar architects drew on interview data as well as historical documents and supporting statistics. The 1950s time period she studied is recent enough that participants were still alive and available for interviews.Schwartz and Schumans (2005) paper, History, Commemoration and Belief, draws from an especially broad range of sources. They show that while the reputation of President capital of Nebraska as a great leader has remained strong, the basis for this belief has shifted from capital of Nebraska as the savior of the union before the Civil Rights movement to capital of Nebraska as the great emancipator since that time. They support this claim using data from surveys conducted over a 50-year period, as well as analyses of history textbooks, the books of leading historians, and cultural symbols such as statues and memorials. Their theoretical point is that the study of commemoration as portrayed in statues and celebrated in parades should be accompanied by research on how these commemorative activities are received, as tapped by surveys and other measures of popular beliefs. Thus, in their view, a complete sound judgement of issues of collective memory requires multiple sources of data.ObstaclesWhile multi-method research can be a fruitful research strategy, this approach is neither necessary nor fitted for completing a high-quality study. Designing, collecting, and analyzing data from across diverse methodological styles is often only possible under the aegis of a large research project. Dissertation writers, for example, may wish to combine methods but may lack the time and money to complete each facet of the study effectively. more seasoned investigators also face obstacles that put this strategy out of reach. Moreover, the founding of different types of data in a single article presents its own challenges.For example, spa ce constraints may prevent the full presentation of qualitative findings. It can be difficult to achieve a substantive and stylistic labyrinthine sense between diverse genres of research. And sometimes different sorts of data speak to clean different issues. In short, multi-method papers present their own challenges and thus require at least as much skill and insight to be effective as do single-method studies.Many sociologists view the social world as a multi-faceted and multi-layered reality that reveals itself only in part with any single method. While there are precedents for most if not all of the approaches described above, their use by so many scholars is striking. Multi-method research is more common in the context of journal articles than was the case a ten dollar bill or two ago. It is also significant that so many sociologists are combining methods rather than trying to herald a single approach as the right way or the best way. nones1 I use multiple-method research to refer to studies that draw on data from more than one source and present more than one type of analysis. much(prenominal) research often, but not always, combines quantitative and qualitative data.Hierarchical linear models typically draw on data from different sources but combine them in a single statistical analysis. Studies that exclusively rely on this very useful method would not qualify as multi-method. Of the 66 papers I have accepted for publication thus far, nearly 26 percent (17) fit my multi-method definition.ReferencesBenson, Rodney and Abigail C. Saguy. 2005. Constructing Social Problems in an Age of Globalization A French-American Comparison. American Sociological freshen 70(2)233-259.Cherlin, Andrew J., Linda M. Burton, Tera R. Hurt, and Diane M. Purvin. 2004. The Influence of Physical and Sexual poke fun on Marriage and Cohabitation. American Sociological Review 69(6)768-789.Edgell, Penny, Joseph Gerteis, and Douglas Hartmann. Forthcoming. Atheists as another(pre nominal) Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society. American Sociological Review.Frickel, Scott and Neil Gross. 2005. A General Theory of Scientific/Intellectual moves. American Sociological Review 70(2)204-232.Giordano, Peggy, Monica A. Longmore, and Wendy D. Manning. Forthcoming. Gender and the Meaning(s) of Adolescent Romantic Relationships A Focus on Boys. American Sociological Review.Molnar, Virag. 2005. Cultural Politics and Modernist Architecture. American Sociological Review 70(1)111-135.Pager, Devah and Lincoln Quillian. 2005 Walking the Talk? What Employers Say Versus What They Do. American Sociological Review 70(3)355-380.Riley, Dylan. 2005. Civic Associations and Authoritarian Regimes in Interwar Europe Italy and Spain in Comparative Perspective. American Sociological Review 70(2)288-310.Schwartz, Barry and Howard Schuman. 2005. History, Commemoration, and Belief Abraham Lincoln in American Memory, 1945-2001. American Sociological Review 70(2)183-203. Somers, Margaret and Fred Block. 2005. From Poverty to Perversity Ideas, Markets, and Institutions over 200 long time of Welfare Debate. American Sociological Review 70(2)260-287.Timmermans, Stefan. 2005. Suicide Determination and the captain Authority of Medical Examiners. American Sociological Review 70(2)311-333.Tyson, Karolyn, William Darity Jr., and Domini Castellino. 2005. Its Not a Black Thing Understanding the Burden of Acting White and Other Dilemmas of High Achievement. American Sociological Review 70(4)582-605.Uzzi, Brian and Ryon Lancaster. 2004. Embeddedness and Price institution in the Corporate Law Market. American Sociological Review 69(3)319-344.Wilde, Melissa. 2004. How purification Mattered at Vatican II Collegiality Trumps Authority in the Councils Social Movement Organizations. American Sociological Review 69(4)576-602. American Sociological Review 70(1)136-157.(ANOTHER ARTICLE)THE say-so AND THE PROBLEMAn extraordinary surge in the methodological diversity of clinical research studies has occurred during the past 2 decades, with a recent melodramatic rise in the scope and sophistication of interracial methods designs.1,2 Mixed methods (also known as multimethod) research involves integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches to generating new knowledge3 and can involve either concurrent or sequential use of these 2 classes of methods to follow a line of inquiry.4,5 Combining methods activates their complementary strengths and helps to overcome their discrete weaknesses.6 Increasingly, incorporated mixed methods designs allow researchers to follow emerging questions, rather than limiting their research to questions that are amenable to a particular method.7 Multimethod research brings together numbers and narratives, description, hypothesis testing, hypothesis generation, and understanding of meaning and context to provide engorged discernment and greater transportability of the phenomenon under study.In the past, proponents o f quantitative and qualitative methods have been divided into separate camps with different skills and world views.8 The benefits of integrating these methods, however, are more and more recognized and acted on in the medical and health care arena,1,2,6 as they have been for a longer time in the ethnographic tradition from anthropology and the case study tradition from educational research.7,9 Among many examples, a 1999 matter Institutes of Health task force issued guidelines for rigorous qualitative and multimethod research.10 Two years ago, the (US) National Cancer Institute hosted a conference on mixed methods research that identified multimethod research as an important approach to resoluteness some of the most intractable problems in cancer control research. An article by the Medical Research Council on the design and evaluation of complex interventions to improve health11 identified the use of mixed methods as essential.Even so, the dramatic advances in the scope and sophi stication of conducting mixed methods research have not been met with parallel progress in ways of disseminating the results of mixed methods studies. From our point of view, a major dilemma is that the results of multimethod studies often are segregated in different publications that reach limited and often nonclinical audiences. For example, Wilson and colleagues12 reported in JAMA on the ineffectualness of nicotine gum in smoking cessation, while in Social comprehension and Medicine, Willms13 reported qualitative findings from the same study that the meaning patients attributed to their cigarettes was more influential in stopping smoking than either counseling or nicotine gum. both(prenominal) articles have important messages, but the JAMA article does not reference the other, and they are published in journals with very different readers. Thus, different fields only come to know part of the researchreminiscent of the story of the 4 blind men each feeling a different part of t he elephant and thus unable to develop a coherent idea of the whole.REFERENCESDavies, M., B., (2007) primeval Concepts in Social Research Methods, New York, Palgrave, Macmillan LTDGomm, R., (2009) Doing a Successful Research Project, New York, Palgrave, Macmillan LTDRea, L., M., and Parker, R., A., (2006) Designing and Conducting Survey Research, San Francisco, Jossy-BassSaunders, M., Thornhill, A., and Lewis, P., (2003) Research Methods for Business Students, 3rd edition, London, Pearson fosterage LTDScheurich, J., J., (2007) Research Methods in the Postmodern, London, Falmer Press