Sunday, November 18, 2018

Research Strategies and Tactics - Dan Remenyi - Chapter Summary


Establishing  an overall strategy and detailed tactics for a research project is an important step in  the initiation of a masters.

 In the final analysis, the researcher’s creativity and imagination are of paramount importance and the research strategy and tactics are there to support rather than hinder the researcher’s creative faculties.

At a strategic level the research process is defined in broad terms that take into account the general philosophical approach adopted by the researcher.   This includes being aware of the ontological and epistemological assumptions that underpin each different research methodological strategy.

In deciding on a research strategy the masters and doctorate students should first decide if the research is to be essentially theoretical or empirical.  In the field of business and management studies at masters and doctoral level the vast majority of the research is traditionally empirical in nature and students should respect this precedent unless there is good reason for doing otherwise.

Theoretical research requires intensive textual investigation while empirical research in business and management studies requires extensive interaction with people.

Within the empirical approach to research there are two major options or research orientations : positivistic (which is an approach which is essentially derived from the natural sciences) and phenomenological (which is an approach which is essentially derived from the social sciences).  Once a strategy has been decided, consideration can be given to the specific research methods or tactics that will  be used. Decide on a research strategy, choose a research tactic.

Factors Influencing the Choice of Research Strategy

The research strategy is determined by four key issues, three of which are to do with resources and one is a direct function of the research question.   These key issues are :  Research question.,

Research Problem or Question

The first issue that the masters or PhD student needs to consider is the research problem or question.
Skills of the Researcher
Thus those educated in mathematics or natural and life sciences should be cautious if they decide to adopt a phenomenological strategy .  Phenomenology and positivism are so different that few individuals can bridge the two research cultures and those who attempt to so do need to be aware  of the potential  problems.

The Place for  Theoretical Research
Anyone undertaking a theoretical masters and especially a theoretical PhD will need to be extraordinarily competent.
Longitudinal Versus Cross-Sectional Research

Closely  allied to the research strategy issue is whether the research will be longitudinal  or cross –sectional
The term longitudinal is used to describe a study that extends over a substantial period of time and involves studying changes over time.


Cross –sectional research refers to studies which take a snapshot of a situation in time.  This type of research does not attempt to comment on trends or on how situations develop over a time period.  Rather cross-sectional research examines how something is done at the time of the research study and will generally seek to identify and understand differences between the various members of the study population.

A doctoral dissertation lasting three to five years might qualify for a longitudinal study.  Longitudinal research studies conducted over a period of several years can be used to monitor the progress of  interventions over time.  This paradigm is not extensively used in business and management research at universities for the reasons of time and costs noted above.

Different Tactics for Pursuing  Research

The techniques which will be used to collect evidence and which influence the way in which the evidence will be analysed is referred to here as the research tactic. There is an almost limitless number of research tactics and variations in business and management studies.

Galliers (1992) provides a list of approaches or tactics, a subset of which has been discussed in this chapter. This list may be considered as a set of well-known and accepted research tactics or tools that are available to the aspirant researcher.

Action Research
(More details)

Action research was developed during the 1960s and has proved particularly useful in the area of managing change.

The process of systematically collecting research data about an ongoing system relative to some objective, goal or need of that system; feeding these data back into the system; taking action by altering selected variables within the system based both on the data and on hypotheses; and evaluating the results of the actions by collecting more data.
As a process, action research is dependent upon an external view of a situation and it essentially involves:

Taking a static picture of the organisational situation;
Formulating a hypotheses based on the picture;
The manipulation of variables in control of the researcher;
Taking and evaluating a second static picture of the situation.

The action researcher is thus involved in a real manner in an organisational situation where there is not only an expectation that a ‘contribution to knowledge’ should be made, but also to directly produce usable knowledge that ‘can be applied and validated in action’.  In addition Gummesson points out that there is an expectation that the researcher should also develop a sensitivity to the theoretical categories which are being used so that they are transcended and transformed into better theory.

As Gummesson points out, the skill here is whether the researcher can successfully combine the role of almost a consultant and that of academic researcher. Action research usually involves a small-scale intervention on the part of the researcher in the phenomenon being studied.

Depending  on the circumstance, quantitative  or qualitative analytical techniques may be required to analyses the evidence being collected.

However, PhD level it needs to be implemented with considerable care and attention.
Action research is essentially phenomenological in nature.  It would clearly not be replicable.


A recent example of a dissertation based on action research involved a researcher who implemented a new activity based costing system in an organisation.   The focus the research was to understand how this new technique was being used to improve corporate financial performance.


Case Studies
(More details)

The case study is a sophisticated research tactic that will be discussed in detail in Chapter 10.   The case study is a research tactic for the social scientist as experiments are a research strategy for the natural scientist

Yin (1989) states that  a case study from a research strategy point of view may be defined as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real life context, when the boundaries between phenomenon and the context are not clearly evident, and in which multiple sources of evidence are used.  It is particularly valuable in answering who, why and how questions in management research.

According to Bell (1993) the case study methodology has also been used as an umbrella term for a family of research methods having in common the decision to focus on an enquiry around a specific instance or event.  The philosophy behind the case study is that sometimes only by looking carefully at a practical, real-life instance can a full picture be obtained of the actual interaction of variables or events.

The case study allows the investigator to concentrate on specific instances in an attempt to identify detailed interactive processes which may be crucial, but which are transparent to the large-scale survey. Case studies are an important approach for business and management researchers and some masters and much doctoral research work is conducted using this method.

Because of its flexible nature a case study may be an almost entirely positivistic or almost entirely phenomenological study or anything between these two extremes.

A recent example of dissertation based on a case study approach involved the detailed examination of a large industrial conglomerate over a substantial period of time.  The focus of this case study was to understand the inter-relationships between the group corporate strategy and the individual strategies of the separate and somewhat independent subsidiaries in the group.

The main focus of the analytical work was on quantitative issues that employed the extensive use of  a statistical packages.

For another dissertation an intensive case study of a medium-sized specialist consulting practice was conducted .The objective here was to investigate the evolution of power  relationships in the orgnisation.

Practice which enabled some observation of interaction between consultants during the normal course of the working day. The company also allowed the researcher access to board and weekly planning meeting.  In addition, interviews were conducted with at least ten consultants and support staff.  The chairperson and managing director were also interviewed as they both consulted with clients.  The data collected was then analysed using the grounded theory method

Ethnography
(More details)

Ethnographic research requires the researcher to become part of the ‘tribe’ and to fully participate in its society.  ‘ethnography is that type of field observation in which a society’s culture  is studied . Ethnographic research is essentially phenomenological in nature.

A recent dissertation that used elements of ethnography was produced for a PhD where the student spent three years studying how the corporate culture changed as an organisation went on the acquisition trail.

This dissertation was not exclusively ethnographic and it would be quite unusual for a business and management research degree only to employ a pure ethnographic approach.

In a classical ethnographic situation a researcher would live with a tribe for five or more years and then return to his or her institution and write up the findings.  In business  and management studies, especially at the masters and even the doctoral level, this would usually not be feasible.

An ethnographer will be concerned with a detailed understanding of how the society being studied works, i.e. its culture, and thus when this approach is used in business and management studies it will focus on detailed aspects of corporate relationships.

Field Experiments
(More details)

Field experiments are more common and regarded as far more authentic than laboratory experiments in business and management research.   The famous Hardware studies that signalled the beginning of formal research studies in this field of endeavour, were field experiments that provided insight into issues concerning worker productivity.

However, a field experiment probably could be conducted around a change of policy or a new investment, and the student would simply have to obtain the agreement of the organisation to participate in this event as an observer.  Thus field experiments do have an important role in business and management research.

Field experiments are less positivistic as they clearly do not present the same opportunity for control and replication as the laboratory experiment.  Therefore field experiments are approached from a less traditional scientific point of view.  The results of a field experiment will often be interpreted in a much more phenomenological way.

Research in business and management studies is no longer largely, or even substantially, experimental in either the laboratory  or in a field study setting, but rather is based on the observation of actual business and management functions as they happen or as they have happened.

Experiments are frequently regarded as too artificial in the business and management world to be of any real applicability and thus many masters and PhD students tend to avoid them.

A recent example of dissertation based on a field experiment was a study as to how a group of sales people responded to a new incentive payment in one particular part of an organisation.  The researcher was able to to examine the sales group performance before the introduction of the new incentive scheme and was then able to observe the differences in performance after the change.

Using primarily quantitative techniques, this research confirmed that the new arrangements did in fact work and that they were suitable to be employed throughout the whole orgnisation.  This approach to research is usually straightforward, with the main problem for the researcher being the acquisition of access to organisations undertaking changes in the field.

Focus Groups
(More details)

This is a research approach for collecting evidence from a highly specialised group of individuals.  It is usually considered necessary to have a group of more than four individuals to constitute a focus group that will debate an issue of interest to the researcher.   This is a relatively easy way for a researcher to accumulate some evidence from a number of experts.

Again, the way in which this evidence is processed is similar to that described above under the heading of in-depth surveys and the positivistic and phenomenological implications are similar.

There would be no point in giving one example of the use of a focus group in masters and doctoral research.  Sometimes focus groups are used at the outset of the research to support the literature review in the formulation of a research question.  At other times the focus group is an approach to validating the research conclusions at the end of the project.

The  evidence collected during a focus group is usually analysed using qualitative techniques.  Focus groups are a useful way of obtaining evidence from experts in an intense or concentrated way.

Forecasting
(More details)

Forecasting research tends to be associated with mathematical and statistical techniques of regression and time series analysis.  This type of research may also be regarded as falling under the heading of mathematical simulation.  These techniques allow projections to be made on the basis of past or historic evidence.

This is usually a highly quantitative approach in which mathematical models are fitted to empirical data or evidence points.  This research attempts to establish relationships between different sets of historical evidence and to understand why these relationships exist.

The techniques used in forecasting are essentially positivistic in nature.  However , the results of forecasting research can be interpreted in a more phenomenological way and thus be integrated into a greater business and management paradigm than simply a mathematical view of the situation.

A recent  example of a dissertation based on forecasting research was work conducted to establish the viability of multiple regression analysis in supporting decisions to invest in plant and equipment in a large-scale processing industry.

This was a highly quantitative and mathematical piece of work which relied on a high degree of numerical sophistication as well as the ability to interpret the results in a way which was of value to management .  The result of this work showed that the forecasting approach being studied did in fact contribute to the organisation’s ability to forecast their need for more investment.

Futures Research
(More details)

Futures research also provides a way of considering and developing predictions.  However, unlike forecasting, futures research has a forward orientation and thus looks ahead, rather than backwards, using techniques such as scenario projections and Delphi studies.

The experts in a Delphi study are normally physically separated and are unknown to one another.  The purpose of a Delphi  study is to produce a relatively narrow spread of opinions.

This research tactic would not generally be sufficient on its own as the main focus for phD, but it could be used to support other tactics in an attempt to triangulate and thereby validate the conclusions.

A recent example of a masters dissertation that involved futures research was a study to establish what leading firms of chartered accountants thought were the main technological developments that would affect their practices or business over the next five years.

Game or Role Playing
(More details)

This research tactic or approach involves asking individuals to participate in a business or management game by playing out a specific role.
A recent example of a dissertation based on game or role playing considered how managers made different decisions when they were put in different competitive situations.

In-depth Surveys
(More details)

This type of survey generally attempts to obtain detailed in-depth evidence from a relatively small number of informants through a series of interviews.  In this case a questionnaire is generally not used, but rather the informant is allowed to speak freely on the subject of interest to the researcher.

At the end of an in-depth survey the researcher will have a series of transcripts and the task is then to analyse these and to produce appropriate findings.

The use of in-depth surveys is well illustrated by research conducted into how innovative companies manage to maintain an environment that supports new product development.

Twelve companies were identified and were asked to identify three innovative products.  The data was analysed through the use of quantitative methods where researchers compared quantifiable data across companies.  However, the primary focus of analysis was on the qualitative data in the form of stories.

Laboratory Experiments
(More details)

Borrowed from the physical and life sciences laboratory, experiments are sometimes used in business and management research.   However, they are not much used in practice, except in limited or specific circumstances, because many of the issues which are of most interest to business and management researchers cannot easily or convincingly be studied in laboratory settings.

Organisations and even individual managers will not usually collaborate in such experiments.  Sometimes students are used as surrogates for managers and executives in laboratory settings, but this is not often considered convincing.   Laboratory experiments are used far more frequently in the USA than in other parts of the world.

However, a recent example of a dissertation based on this approach was one in which the researcher used a group decision support system to examine how decision making differed depending upon a variety of different variables, including the number of decision makers participating in the meeting.

This experiment provided an insight into how different types of questions are best handled under different circumstances.  Laboratory experiments use quantitative techniques of evidence analysis to deliver answers to highly structures research questions.

Large –scale Surveys
(More details)

Surveys are a common approach to research in business and management.  Surveys, which for the purpose of this chapter are concerned with the administration of questionnaires, offer an opportunity to collect large quantities of data or evidence(oppenheim,1966) in a quick and convenient manner.  In business and management research, questionnaires are often used to collect evidence concerning management opinions.

Questionnaires allow evidence to be gathered concerning how much or how long or when, but are of less value when the researcher is asking about how or why.  Surveys are thus more often used as the sole or primary source of evidence at the masters level than at the PhD level.   However, some PhD dissertations might include a survey as an attempt to corroborate a theoretical conjecture.

The logic of a traditional survey is strictly positivistic.  The evidence is frequently treated as though it were the result of measurements of a machine used in an entirely physical or life science environment. Standard statistical techniques used for ordinal numbers are increasingly applied with no recognition of the problems of the subjectivity of the opinions.  Although surveys are still extensively used in business and  management research there is an increasing feeling that they are not suitable for the collection of evidence about management issues.

A recent example of a dissertation based on a large-scale survey was an exploration into the acceptance of an organisation’s computer strategy by its staff, by examining the level of user satisfaction with a management information systems based on end-user computing.

Some 1,500 computer users within the organisation were asked to complete a questionnaire, and approximately 300 completed forms were returned.  These were analysed using a number of statistical approaches.  As a result of the evidence  collected it was possible to suggest ways in which the organisation could improve the implementation of its strategy.

Participant –Observer Approach
(More details)

Using the participant-Observer tactic the researcher joins a team of individuals who are part of the phenomenon being studied.  The researcher takes part in the phenomenon in the same way as the other participants, but at the same time focuses on observing the way in which the group operates.  This research technique is essentially phenomenological in nature.

A recent example of the participant-observer approach involved research conducted into the management of design and manufacturing processes in small textile companies in central England.  The student conducted research in two companies and spent some time working as an employee in these organisations.

Access was negotiated with the owner –manager of the organisations and the researcher participated as a complete participant, or a normal member of the organisation, gathering information on how the design and the production process was managed by working alongside the mainly female workforce.

Scenario Research
(More details)

This research tactic involves collecting evidence from a group of suitably qualified experts who are asked to discuss the implications of a particular hypothetical situation occurring.   This evidence too is collected and processed in much the same way as in in-depth surveys and again the positivistic and phenomenological implications are similar.

A recent example of a dissertation using scenario discussions as part of an evidence collection strategy involved the presentation of  a number of views as to how the market for a product might change  over the next five years.  Each scenario was fully debated by a group of informants and the researcher collected their evidence.  This evidence was then analysed in the same way as it would be in the case of in-depth interviews or focus groups.

Simulation or stochastic Modelling
(More details)

In the context of this chapter, simulation or stochastic modelling may be defined as a domain of study in which the input variables and the manner in which they interact is generally known to an uncertain level of accuracy.  In such situations, when there is some question as to the accuracy, it is considered inappropriate to use single point estimates of the variables.

Stochastic modelling is used to investigate situations that do not readily lend themselves to a strictly deterministic or analytical treatment.  Sometimes simulation can be used as a substitute for a laboratory or field experiment.

Simulation is particularly relevant where there is a requirement for the evaluation of formal mathematical relationships under a large variety of assumptions.   There is not a high degree of utilisation of this research paradigm in business or management research except where mathematical modelling is key part of the study.   The techniques used for stochastic modelling are positivistic in nature but the results may be interpreted in a more phenomenological way.

A recent example of a dissertation based on simulation involved the building of a mathematical model which was used to describe how to optimise the logistics function of a large manufacturing firm.  This model included a large number of variables.  Some of these variables were quite difficult to estimate and as a result a stochastic rather than a deterministic approach was taken.

The model was eventually computerised and a large number of simulated trails were performed in order to obtain a better understanding of the impact of different values for the variables, and thus to understand better how to optimise the logistics function.  This was a highly mathematical dissertation requiring the researcher to have a strong quantitative background, as well as an ability to be able to present the findings to management in terms that were comprehensible to them.

Research Tactics and their Philosophical Bases

Table 3.1 summarises the general philosophical  bases underpinning the different research tactics.  It should be noted that most research tactics can be used, at least to some extent, as either positivistic or phenomenological devices.  However some tactics are much more studied to one type of research than another and appropriate comments are made in the table.


Suggested Further Reading 


Ethnography: Principles in Practice, Tavistock, Landon. 
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=voia5txnkbQC

‘Getting answers from a focus group’.

Issues in Participant Observation.
Whyte, W.F. (1985) Participatory Action Research.  Sage Focus Editions Vol.123


Updated on 19 November 2018
Last update  1 September 2013

Ethnography Research in Business and Management


Books


Ethnography: Principles in Practice

Martyn Hammersley, Paul Atkinson
Psychology Press, 1995 - Social Science - 323 pages


In this accessible introduction to the methods of ethnographic fieldwork, Hammersley and Atkinson reconsider the status of ethnography and seek to place it quite explicitly in a general methodological context. Ethnography provides a systematic and coherent account of ethnographic principles and practices. From an outline of the principle of reflexivity the authors go on to discuss and exemplify the main features of ehtnographic work, such as the selection and sampling of cases, the problems of access, observation and interviewing, recording and filing data, and the process of data analysis. There is also consideration of the ethical issues surrounding ethnographic research. Throughout, the discussion draws on a wide range of illustrative material from classic and more recent studies in Britain and the US. 
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=voia5txnkbQC


Articles and Papers


Colin Dey, (2002) "Methodological issues: The use of critical ethnography as an active research methodology", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 15 Iss: 1, pp.106 - 121


USING ETHNOGRAPHY IN STRATEGIC CONSUMER RESEARCH
2002 paper
http://business-school.exeter.ac.uk/research/areas/topics/management/outputs/publication/?id=112

Digital ethnography: The next wave in understanding the consumer experience
Design Management Journal, 2003
http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/interests/research/03142MAS75.pdf

ETHNOGRAPHY, ETHNOGRAPHERS AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH:
COMMUNITIES, TENSIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
Peter Lugosi, PhD
School of Services Management, Bournemouth University
http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/11185/2/P_Lugosi_THPD_Final_Resubmission.pdf

Ethnographic Research Methods in Business and Information Systems Research
Ann Brown and Jessica Iacono
Page 79
Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Research Methods
28-29, June 2012
http://phd-research-methodology.blogspot.com/2012/10/proceedings-11th-european-conference-on.html

Gartner: Call for Participation - Ethnography within enterprise, 2013
http://blogs.gartner.com/mike-gotta/call-for-participation-ethnography-within-the-enterprise/

ADVANCED QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES: ETHNOGRAPHY, CASE STUDIES, GROUNDED THEORY AND ACTION RESEARCH
Course page: http://badm.au.dk/uddannelse/badm-phd-courses/badm-phd-courses-2013/advanced-qualitative-research-methodologies-ethnography-case-studies-grounded-theory-and-action-research/



Updated on 19 November 2018
Last update 31 August 2013

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

How to Do and Write Literature Review?



Literature review has to be done by every researcher to make a research proposal. The proposed research is trying to extend the understanding of a particular phenomenon. This necessarily implies that the researcher made a review of the present understanding of the phenomenon and identified the need for further understanding. In academic research that is knowledge enhancing research, literature review is done using research journals.


The Procedure Described by Remenyi et al. in their book.

Chapter 4

The Literature Review

The literature review is a material part of the research process, taking a significant amount of the time and the energy to be expended on the research degree.   Furthermore the literature review is never completed, as the researcher has to remain abreast of the latest literature right up to the final publication of the dissertation.

As already mentioned, in the first instance the researcher should have some idea of the field of study, or the area of his or her interest in which the research is to be carried out.  This will perhaps be related to earlier undergraduate academic interests, or to current working experience, or both.  Defining the field of study in such broad terms would be specific enough at the early stage of the research project.

The next step is to review the literature in this general area in some detail. This means reading as much of the published material on the subject area as possible.  Initially the researcher needs to review all possible references available, including textbooks, academic papers, professional magazines and newspapers.  In addition television broadcasts and video recordings are also acceptable sources during this stage of the literature review.  Emphasis should be placed on the most recent material.

However, as the researchers’ interests begin to focus on a possible research topic, the literature emphasis should be increasingly placed on papers published in academically reviewed journals.  The popular press and even textbooks should be given relatively low emphasis at this stage.  Of course, it is sometimes the case that the topic is so new or novel that the popular press or videos have be used as a primary source of reference material.  In such cases it is important that support for views expressed in these media be sought from experts in the field.

The literature review should indicate a suitable problem to research as well as give the researcher some idea of the research methods or approaches that have been traditionally used in this field.
In reviewing the literature it is useful to look for contradictions or paradoxes.  These usually suggest that there is an interesting research question which could be addressed for a masters or doctoral degree.


It is important to note that in the dissertation the literature should be critically evaluated and not just accepted on face value.  It is this critical evaluation of the thoughts of other academics which usually leads to the formulation of suitable research question.

Traditionally researchers used paper reference indexes available in the university or business school library as the way of initiating a literature search.  These references lead researchers to seminal papers in the field of interest and these papers in turn contained references to other important papers.  However, increasingly this type of paper-based literature search is being replaced by electronic searchers.

Many libraries now supply their students with access to electronic databases, either over telecommunications networks or on CD-ROM.  In addition, there are extensive literature search facilities on the Internet, which is currently available to researchers at a low cost.

By the end of the literature review the researcher should have a vision of what he or she wishes to achieve in his or her research.

https://phd-research-methodology.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-research-programme-and-process-dan.html

Chapter 5

Literature Review

Once the literature has been fully and critically reviewed, the researcher should be able to provide a narrative description of the current understanding in the field of study, including at least one area where there is incomplete knowledge which could be further investigated.

Assessment of the Established Theory

There are agreed facts and established (if sometimes conflicting) theories, and the researcher may have deduced a new theory by analysing and then sythesising ideas and concepts, already present in the literature of the discipline.

In business and management  studies established and accepted theories are unlikely to be available.  There is little grand theory and few, if any, authors who have developed seminal theories of the kind offered by Freud, Marx or Keynes.  As a result the business and management researcher needs to generate a grounded theory, a concept developed by Glaser and Strauss(1967), which they define as: ‘ an inductive, theory discovery methodology that allows the researcher to develop a theoretical account of the general features of a topic while simultaneously grounding the account in empirical observations or evidence.’            

The grounded  theory methodology normally relies heavily on the use of in-depth interviews with experts in the field of study for the collection of evidence that will be used in an inductive way to assist in the theory generation.

Theoretical Conjecture

The primary aim of the researcher developing a grounded theory is to describe the phenomena of interest accurately.  The grounded theory emerges through the process of concept discovery, within which the researcher develops abstract concepts and categories from the evidence.   It is important to note that in this approach to research, concepts and theories are regarded simply as more or less useful and not as more or less true or valid.

Once the grounded theory has been developed, the researcher in business and management studies is in a position to  make a theoretical conjecture or thesis, but there is no structured methodology for doing this.  Rather, this aspect of research or scientific study can be regarded as an art that relies almost entirely on the imagination and creative abilities of the researcher.

It is not acceptable for the researcher completely to invent a theoretical conjecture, and he or she needs to be able to defend how the concepts and ideas which exist in the literature and which arose from the evidence lead to the theoretical conjecture.

The following is an example of a theoretical conjecture developed through the use of the grounded theory approach for a doctoral dissertation in information systems management(Remenyi,1990a).

Strategic Information Systems (SIS) occur as a result of pressure or opportunities directly related to industry drivers.  The firm’s response to this pressure or opportunity is influenced by its strategy and by its critical success factors (CFS), and these issues determine the formulation of the SIS.  The decision to attempt to take advantage of SIS is made with little attention to detail concerning cost-justification and vendor selection, but with more attention to communicating with the staff, training appropriate people and setting up support facilities.

An important change occurs at this stage of the research.  Whereas the formulation of the research problem began as a description of the known facts from which a narrative theory was developed, this narrative will now be used paradigmatically.  That is to say, it will provide a set of logical conjectures as the basis on which to predict and explain observations.

Whereas in the physical sciences the theoretical conjecture will frequently be expressed as a formula or as a series of simple propositions, in business and management research the theory or thesis will often be reduced to a diagram for the purpose of clarification



Read an interesting paper

A Systems Approach to Conduct an Effective Literature Review
Yair Levy and Timothy J. Ellis
Nova South Eastern University, Florida, USA
Informing Science Journal, Vol. 9, 2006
http://inform.nu/Articles/Vol9/V9p181-212Levy99.pdf

Ideas from A Systems Approach to Conduct an Effective Literature Review
Yair Levy and Timothy J. Ellis


Literature: Step of Processing

Know the literature

Comprehend the literature

         Cognitive Issues - Constructs and Concepts

Apply the literature

Analyze the literature

Synthesize the literature

Evaluate the  literature


Literature Step: Outputs

Writing arguments and Argumentation theory

Writing the literature review



The literature review must do more than just "point to the literature." An effective review must describe the major points contained in the article, interpret those points, classify the article's position in the BOK, explain the importance of the article, compare and contrast the findings and position of the article from the BOK, and evalute the findings of the article in light of the rest of the BoK.




Video Lecture based on the above Paper

Effective Literature Review - Video Lecture by Yair Levy - Part 1/5 - YouTube Video

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English Language to use in Literature Reviews

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Structuring and Writing Literature Review

Introduction: Literature needs to have introductory paragraphy explain the focus of the literature review.

The suggestions are start from a broard area discussion to more specific topic close to your area of research.

Present the literature chronologically.

Where multiple themes or topics are there, present the review theme wise. Within each of these, chronological order needs to be followed.

Critical analysis of the papers brings out the areas of agreement and disagreement expressed by other scholars as well as the conclusion of the candidate writing literature review. Hence carefully reading the criticism of a paper by other scholars and evaluating it is important. The candidate has to make judgment whether the criticism is justified or not and if it is needed the candidate may correct the unjustified criticism or misrepresentation.

A concluding paragraph or section summarizes the key issues covered in the literature review and the gaps identified for further research.

http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.04.htm


References


The Literature Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students (SAGE Study Skills Series)
Diana Ridley

chapter
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/29986_Chapter3.pdf

Bryman 3 edition chapter
http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199202959/bryman3e_ch04.pdf


Updated 14 November 2018,
First published 6 Decmber 2012


Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Issues Requiring Clarification - Fellowship Batch 2018-19



1. Literature Survey - Systematic Approach - Where to start and how to progress?

2. Characteristics of a research gap.

3. How to develop some of the research skills if one doesn't possess them already?

4. Proper writing skills? Main points.

5. Most research done at Ph.D level are not fit for societal application. Why?

6. Literature review techniques

7. Data analysis methods

8. Reliability and validity testing

9, Practical examples with theory.

10 How to do literature review

11. How to identify gap in research

12. How to choose between qualitative and quantitative research?

13. How to do testing of valididyt and reliability in research?

14. What are major factors one should consdier while deciding the area of reseach.

15. Guidelines for literature review.

16. How to identify research problem and methodology?

17. Positivistic & non-positivistic approach for empirical study.

18. What are different phases in research process?

19. Literature review and its types

20. New trends in industrial engineering like comparison of previous and present can be helpful for us.

21. How industrial engineering is changing with revolution and as a research fellow of industrial engineering how should be our role towards it.

22. Different tools like problem solving techniques may be helpful.

23. Types of literature review
24. How to write the abstract of a research paper?
25. How to write the research paper?
26. How to identify gap in research?
27 The right way of literature review is difficult for me to understand.
28. How to find research gaps after doing literature review?
29. literature review - Procedures and approaches ot be follow in literature review.
30. Applications of statistical techniques for given problem. Which technique is suitable for which type of problems.
31. What are different problem solving methodologies/methods that can be used in quantitative research?
32.What are different domains in industrial engineering? Brief introduction about area of industrial engineering
33. What are current trends in industrial engineering domain?
34. Statistics should be taught with applications in actual research articles/or through classical paper replication.
35. RM concepts like literature review have not yet been dealt with. However, all subjects expect a term paper from us.
36. Some one from HR/Finance/Economics may not need to learn system approach or review of IE.
37. How to write an abstract?
38. Types of literature review and how to perform the same.
39. Epistemology
40. Qualitative research method. tools and techniques in this method.
41. Syllabus of IE and R.M. are not clear.
42. How to do literature review?
43. How to define propositions and then derive hypothesis?
44. One example from already published paper in which methodology, statistical tool used, hypothesis formed are clearly defined with their outcome.
45. Literature review methods
46. How to write propositions?
47. Research paradigms
48. How to choose a right journal?
49. How to record literature points (review points)?
50. How to do literature review?
51. What are major techniques to select the reference papers?
52. How to do literature review? Types and Methods.
53. Explain what AHP is comes into the RM?
54. Which types of technique and tools required for publish good journal articles?
55. What the way of writing attractive methodology?
56. How to do literature review is not clear?
57. How should we choose a topic and proceed through it?
58. How to decide the number of objectives for our research area that can be or should be included?
59. What is the significance of typical terms, e.g., ontology, phenomenology, ethnography for writing thesis or doing research?
60. How to differentiate between technomanagerial research and managerial research? What should be the core characteristics?


Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Rigor in Research


Rigor in Qualitative Research
https://journals.lww.com/dccnjournal/Fulltext/2017/07000/Rigor_or_Reliability_and_Validity_in_Qualitative.6.aspx


Pursuit of rigor in research: Illustration from coopetition literature
Article in Industrial Marketing Management · June 2016 with 247 Read
Devi R. Gnyawali
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University


Rigor consists of three key aspects: conceptual (the theoretical lens, constructs, and logic used to understand a phenomenon), methodological (how data are collected and analyzed to capture a phenomenon), and empirical (how findings are organized, distilled, and related to the theory).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303782343_Pursuit_of_rigor_in_research_Illustration_from_coopetition_literature

From the Editors: Establishing Methodological Rigor in Quantitative

Management Learning and Education Research: The Role of Design,

Statistical Methods, and Reporting Standards.
Köhler, Tine. Academy of Management Learning and Education Volume: 16

Issue 2 (2017)

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Productivity Related Research





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Productivity and Indoor Environmental Conditions Research: An Annotated Bibliography for Facility Engineers
Front Cover
DIANE Publishing
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=QAWZkYeLqvwC


Productivity and Inequality
Front Cover
William H. Greene, Lynda Khalaf, Paul Makdissi, Robin C. Sickles, Michael Veall, Marcel-Cristian Voia
Springer, 02-Feb-2018 - Business & Economics - 336 pages
0 Reviews

The volume highlights the state-of-the-art knowledge (including data analysis) of productivity, inequality and efficiency analysis. It showcases a selection of the best papers from the 9th North American Productivity Workshop. These papers are relevant to academia, but also to public and private sectors in terms of the challenges that firms, financial institutions, governments, and individuals may face when dealing with economic and education related activities that lead to increase or decrease of productivity. The volume also aims to bring together ideas from different parts of the world about the challenges those local economies and institutions may face when changes in productivity are observed. These contributions focus on theoretical and empirical research in areas including productivity, production theory and efficiency measurement in economics, management science, operation research, public administration, and education.

The North American Productivity Workshop (NAPW) brings together academic scholars and practitioners in the field of productivity and efficiency analysis from all over the world, and this proceedings volume is a reflection of this mission. The papers in this volume also address general topics as education, health, energy, finance, agriculture, transport, utilities, and economic development, among others. The editors are comprised of the 2016 local organizers, program committee members, and celebrated guest conference speakers.
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Research Methods for Engineers




Research Methods for Engineers
David V. Thiel
Cambridge University Press, 11-Sep-2014 - Science - 291 pages


Learn how to plan for success with this hands-on guide to conducting high-quality engineering research. Plan and implement your next project for maximum impact: step-by-step instructions cover every stage in engineering research, from the identification of an appropriate research topic through to the successful presentation of results. Improve your research outcomes: discover essential tools and methods for producing high-quality, rigorous research, including statistical analysis, survey design, and optimisation techniques. Research with purpose and direction: clear explanations, real-world examples, and over 50 customisable end-of-chapter exercises, all written with the practical and ethical considerations of engineering in mind.

A unique engineering perspective: written especially for engineers, and relevant across all engineering disciplines.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=NbhUBAAAQBAJ

Research Project Karne Ke Liye Avashyak Margdarshan - Research Methodology Book in Hindi - Information



Research Project Karne Ke Liye Avashyak Margdarshan
Front Cover
Zina O'Leary
SAGE Publishing India, 20-Nov-2017 - Social Science - 344 pages

Hindi translation of the book by Zina O'Leary is now available.

Preview the book

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=_UtSDwAAQBAJ

Sanshodhan Prakalp Kasa Karava - Research Methodology In Marathi - Information

Sanshodhan Prakalp Kasa Karava

Sanshodhan Prakalp Kasa Karava - Yababtache Aavashyak Margdarshak: Yababatche Avashyak Margdarshak
Front Cover
Zina O'Leary
SAGE Publishing India, 20-Nov-2017 - Education - 392 pages

This book is now as a Marathi translation. Please preview it.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=MxpBDwAAQBAJ


The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project - Zina O'Leary - Book Information & Introduction

The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project
Zina O'Leary
SAGE, 20-Mar-2017 - Social Science - 415 pages



The ultimate companion to successfully completing your research project, the author guides you through a step-by-step approach to research and provides all of the skills and momentum you need to excel. Each stage of a project is clearly set out with best practice highlighted alongside pragmatic advice for tackling research in the real world.

The Third Edition uses multidisciplinary case studies, and examples from the author’s own experience, to answer your questions and support your progress as you move smoothly through each stage. There is a new chapter on mixed methods approaches, disseminating research,  practical and legal implications of ethics and more international examples.

The book is packed full of learning features and tools to support your journey, including:

A fully-developed website with podcasts, videos, journal articles and examples of real projects
Activities and worksheets to help you organize your time
Learning objectives to sustain your momentum
Top tips relating to key research skills
Full glossary to test understanding and provide definitions
Annotated further reading to help you move through the literature
‘Excuse me, I have a question!’ feature to answer common questions.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=F2ECDgAAQBAJ


The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project
Zina O'Leary
2nd Edition
SAGE, 21-Oct-2009 - Reference - 320 pages


The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project gives students the knowledge and skills they need to get from 'clueless' to 'completed'. This highly readable text guides the reader through each stage of their research project, from getting started to writing up, with each chapter clearly explaining a step along the way.

This new edition retains the warmth, wit and grounded nature of the first, while providing tools to help students through the ins and outs of their own projects, and addressing the key questions students need to tackle, such as:

- What is this thing called research and why do it?

- How can I assure that my research project has integrity?

- How to I develop a researchable question?

- How do I construct a winning proposal?

- What exactly is expected in a literature review?

- What options are there in qualitative, quantitative, mixed and more purposive methodological designs?

- Is it best to work with a sample, key informants, or a case?

- What data collection options are there and how do I choose?

- How should I work with my quantitative data?

- What should I do with my qualitative data?

- How in the world will I capture this on paper?

This is an inspiring book full of down-to-earth advice, illuminating figures and diagrams and engaging real life examples. With this book as your personal mentor, a successfully completed research project is well within reach.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=qcZD738Sr6oC


Researching Real-World Problems: A Guide to Methods of Inquiry

Zina O'Leary
SAGE, 4 nov. 2005 - 312 páginas


This is the perfect book for any student new to Research Methods. It is brilliantly written, witty, and always easy to understand.

Taking as her starting point the need for students to conduct research for themselves in the `real world', Zina O'Leary guides those new to research through the whys and how-tos of the entire research process. Always student-focused, this book offers a hands on and practical guide to the research process from the initial process of coming up with a good question, via methods of gathering information, through to the writing process itself.

Researching Real-World Problems:

- Makes the entire research process a meaningful experience

- Provides a jargon-busting hands-on guide to the entire research process

- Is illustrated throughout with real-life examples

- Speaks directly to the needs of the new researcher

- Locates the researcher and research process at heart of a complex web of social structures

- Provides via the Companion Website link above, PowerPoint slides that cover all 12 chapters of the book. They can be printed out as separate transparencies or used in PowerPoint based lectures. They would also be suitable for applications in e-learning/ web-based teaching.

O'Leary draws her examples from the full range of the Social Sciences, and this is the perfect text for any student in Health, Education or Applied Social Science.

https://books.google.es/books?id=cTNyiWKbWyYC

Research Methodology - Simple Explanation of Various Steps - Zina O'Leary



The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project
Zina O'Leary
SAGE, 20-Mar-2017 - Social Science - 415 pages



The ultimate companion to successfully completing your research project, the author guides you through a step-by-step approach to research and provides all of the skills and momentum you need to excel. Each stage of a project is clearly set out with best practice highlighted alongside pragmatic advice for tackling research in the real world.

The Third Edition uses multidisciplinary case studies, and examples from the author’s own experience, to answer your questions and support your progress as you move smoothly through each stage. There is a new chapter on mixed methods approaches, disseminating research,  practical and legal implications of ethics and more international examples.

The book is packed full of learning features and tools to support your journey, including:

A fully-developed website with podcasts, videos, journal articles and examples of real projects
Activities and worksheets to help you organize your time
Learning objectives to sustain your momentum
Top tips relating to key research skills
Full glossary to test understanding and provide definitions
Annotated further reading to help you move through the literature
‘Excuse me, I have a question!’ feature to answer common questions.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=F2ECDgAAQBAJ


The videos are based on the book
________________

________________

More videos are there on YouTube


_________________

_________________

What is Research?




The Oxford English Dictionary (2002) defines research as, ‘the systematic study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions’. This is straightforward, but in practice research is often an open-ended process that is likely to generate as many questions as it does answers.   (Zina O'Leary,  1ed.)

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Types of Research and Research Designs

Encyclopedia of Research Design, Volume 1

Neil J. Salkind
SAGE, 2010 - Philosophy - 1736 pages


To request a free 30-day online trial to this product, visit www.sagepub.com/freetrial

Research design can be daunting for all types of researchers. At its heart it might be described as a formalized approach toward problem solving, thinking, and acquiring knowledge—the success of which depends upon clearly defined objectives and appropriate choice of statistical tools, tests, and analysis to meet a project's objectives.

Comprising more than 500 entries, the Encyclopedia of Research Design explains how to make decisions about research design, undertake research projects in an ethical manner, interpret and draw valid inferences from data, and evaluate experiment design strategies and results. Two additional features carry this encyclopedia far above other works in the field: bibliographic entries devoted to significant articles in the history of research design and reviews of contemporary tools, such as software and statistical procedures, used to analyze results.

Key Features

Covers the spectrum of research design strategies, from material presented in introductory classes to topics necessary in graduate research
Addresses cross- and multidisciplinary research needs, with many examples drawn from the social and behavioral sciences, neurosciences, and biomedical and life sciences
Provides summaries of advantages and disadvantages of often-used strategies
Uses hundreds of sample tables, figures, and equations based on real-life cases
Key Themes
Descriptive Statistics

Distributions

Graphical Displays of Data

Hypothesis Testing

Important Publications

Inferential Statistics

Item Response Theory

Mathematical Concepts

Measurement Concepts

Organizations

Publishing

Qualitative Research

Reliability of Scores

Research Design Concepts

Research Designs

Research Ethics

Research Process

Research Validity Issues

Sampling

Scaling

Software Applications

Statistical Assumptions

Statistical Concepts

Statistical Procedures

Statistical Tests

Theories, Laws, and Principles

Types of Variables

Validity of Scores

The Encyclopedia of Research Design is the perfect instrument for new learners as well as experienced researchers to explore both the original and newest branches of the field.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=HVmsxuaQl2oC


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49_u-pXwx7g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpHee7l1cZg


Case Theory in Business and Management: Reinventing Case Study Research


Evert Gummesson
SAGE, 25-Jan-2017 - Business & Economics - 368 pages

'This meticulous book submits research and the research process to deep scrutiny. It debunks the unhelpful dichotomy between quantitative and qualitative research and highlights the great value of multi-method and interactive research, approaches that have greatly deepened our thinking.'

– Professor Adrian Payne, University of New South Wales, Australia / Professor Pennie Frow, University of Sydney

Setting out to dispel the argument that case study research lacks the science, theory and therefore validity of other forms of research, Evert Gummesson combines many decades of experience as both a renowned scholar and a reflective practitioner to effectively bridge the divide between case theory and how it is applied in practice.

Bringing the fundamental strengths of cases to the fore, Gummesson introduces the 'Case Theory' concept as an expanded version of case study research which includes both methodology and the types of results that emerge by:

Guiding the reader in the theoretical and philosophical underpinning Demonstrating how to translate theory to pertinent research practice that address the real and consequential issues in business and management today.

This book will appeal to students, academics and researchers who are interested in the science and philosophy behind case study research as well as the methodology and a thought-provoking read for anyone who wants to be challenged about their belief of case study theory.



Updated  18 July 2018
First pub 29 April 2012