Running head: Business Research

Individual Assignment 1

Student Name:
Course
Handout Date: 20th Feb 2014
Code: BUSN 350

Lecturer: Dr. Asma Fatima Syeda

Semester: Spring 2014

Business Research

1. How Business Research Can Help Dubai or Abu Dhabi Police in Improving its Services
Dubai police is among the most progressive and forward thinking in globally. According to
Walker (2001), the force has employed more than seventeen thousand officers with greatest
educational standards in different organizations. This has made the force to receive both
international and local recognition for using quality management systems within the entire police
fields. However, there are various ways through which Dubai police force services can be
improved by carrying out business research. Below are two ways:
i.

Reduce police corruption

Police corruption is present in both developing and developed countries. Although corruption
degree varies with place and time, normally it has effects in public confidence in association with
government accountability and police organization. Hence, UAE authorities are committed to
fight corruption in entire government departs but particularly in police force. Keen (2000), adds
that conducting of business research would assist to explore police corruption in Dubai while
viewing both external and internal forces that trigger corruption besides applying countermeasures that are needed to curb it. Adpolice.gov.ae (2010), explosive population increase made
UAE to lack strategies in dealing with effects of rapid social changes whereby police corruption
is one of them. Hence business research would come at handy when looking forward to reduce
police corruption due to following issues:
-

There is need of skills to manage the modern economy & society;

Insufficient human resources where vital managerial skills should be applied;
Before, in UAE people relied on tribal nature that was linked with local cultural traditions
(Keen, 2000).

Business Research

UAE became a business centre serving Middle East and Africa, hence a key centre for goods and
services to be re-exported to other parts of the world (Gulfnews, 2007). In this regard, it is well
understand that corruption can easily form barriers to foreign investment or minimize its
efficiency. Thus conducting of business study would identify acts of corruption and also identify
perpetrators in a better way (Walker, 2001). This can be enabled by unified definition of
corruption and using anti-corruption law.
ii.

Adoption and utilization of e-government services within police force

According to Altshuld & Witkin (2000), the e-services provided by police forces presently are
still at beginning stages although new e-services are still introduced on daily basis. Also, there is
need to identify and understand how numerous factors can influence the adoption and diffusion
of these e-services. Hence, there will be need to carry out business research which will enable
public members to abide and remain protected by law within the police force (Gulfnews, 2007).
Various changes take place to ensure better standards that enable handling of numerous kinds of
security issues. For instance, training, paying attention to quality services, educating citizens and
police force members, would result in minimization of deaths that are caused by traffic accidents
(Adpolice.gov, 2010). On the other hand, for optimum protection of citizens, ADPF (Abu Dhabi
police force) has its recruitment policy that enables that organization to recruit all people capable
of enhancing the force. Different applications are considered not only from people with armed
forces experience but also from other civilians of diverse nationalities (Carter & Belanger, 2005).

Evaluation of Research Based on Value and Cost

Business Research

Bryman & Bell (2003), considering the ever-increasing need to bring improvements in Dubai
police force, it was recognized that business research was necessary to assess effectiveness and
ways of bringing change to all strategies that should be applied. The process has been termed as
cost-effective considering the number of evaluations that are currently in progress. This is
considering implementation interventions that are meant to increase usage of good practice as
defined by proof-based guidelines. In addition, verification of economic merits of this study is
coupled with evidence on crime prevention and delinquency that are introduced at a critical
moment.

2. What types of questions can quantitative methods reasonably address?

a. Descriptive research questions: These types of questions just focus in elaborating

variables that a researcher is measuring.
b. Comparative research questions: These research questions target to scrutinize differences
between two or more teams or dependent variables (even though usually a single
dependent variable is used).
c. Relationship research questions: This kind of questions are referred as relationship-based
research questions since they target on casual trends, associations or interactions amidst
two or more variables or groups.

a. Relative strengths and limitations of qualitative and quantitative research methods

Both methods offer a tradeoff between depth & breadth, generalizability (conceptualizing

Business Research

statistical framework) and targeting of specific items. However, all have limitations of degree to
which the findings apply towards particular individuals within groups (Bwalya, 2008). More so,
it is hard to generalize about relative costs of both methods as this is dependent on below factors:
-

Needed amount of information;

Quality standards applied for data collection;
And number of cases needed for validity and reliability.

b. Some of the embedded assumptions in both methods

Both methods of research have assumptions and generalizations which researchers try to reduce
including structure of knowledge, understanding and reality of perception (Carter & Belanger,
2004). Quantitative research seeks to comprehend causes or facts of phenomena and does not
consider subjective states of individuals or situations. On the other hand, Qualitative inquiry
assumes that reality is subjective and social environments are individual constructs formed by
people interpretations but which are not generalizable. The attempt is to systematically articulate
any paradigms underlying within both approaches through direct description and through
application of contrast using an identifiable alternative.

3. How to choose the best design (qualitative or quantitative) and common research based
relationship between the two research methods
This is determined by the kind of data you are dealing among other valuables surrounding your
research. For instance, in quantitative research, you do not rely on your conclusions to emerge

Business Research

from the data you collect (Choudrie & Dwivedi, 2005). However, there are various factors that
determine the design of research method to be used which include:
-

Who will conduct data collection;

Where data collection takes place;
Participants of research;
How to enroll participants into your research;
How to analyze the data;
Methods to assist in answering research questions;
Methods that are in line with your methodology;
The kind of analysis to be used.

References
Adpolice.gov.ae (2010) ADP Directorate of Traffic and Patrols has revealed an essential
improvement in performance indicators and traffic safety [Online]. Available at:
http://www.adpolice.gov.ae/en/news/accedents.kiled.ratio.aspx [Accessed: 29 December, 2010].

Business Research

Altshuld, J., and Witkin, B.R. (2000). Transferring Needs into Solution Strategies. Newbury
Park, CA: Sage.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2003) Business Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Bwalya, K.J. (2008). Factors Affecting Adoption of E-governmental adoption in Zambia.
EJISDC. 38, 4: 1-13.
Carter, L. and Belanger, F. (2004) The Influence of Perceived Characteristics of Innovating on
e-Government Adoption, Electronic Journal of e-Government, 2(1), pp. 11-20.
Carter, L. and Belanger, F. (2005) The utilization of e-government services: citizen trust,
innovation and acceptance factors, Information Systems Journal, 15(1), pp. 5-25.
Choudrie, J. and Dwivedi, Y.K. (2005) Investigating the research approaches for examining the
technology adoption in the household, Journal of Research Practice, 1(1), pp. 1-12.
Gulfnews. (2007) Abu Dhabi Police gear up for golden jubilee celebrations [Online]. Available
at: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/abu-dhabi-police-gear-up-for-golden-jubileecelebrations-1.213334 [Accessed: 30 November, 2010].
Keen Ellie. (2000) Fighting Corruption Through Education. Cambridge University Press.
Rogers, E.M. (2003) Diffusion of Innovations, 5th edition, New York: Free Press.
Walker Samuel. (2001) Police Accountability: Role of Citizen Oversight, University of Nebraska
at Omaha.