QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

RESEARCH DESIGN

Sage Publications Limited 2008 Michael D. Myers

All Rights Reserved
 INTRODUCTION (CONTD.)

A research design is a plan for an entire

qualitative research project
This plan should be written in a research
proposal
One purpose is to convince your potential
supervisor(s), advisory committee, school, etc.
that you are capable of doing the research and
that your project is viable
Of course, you need to be flexible and possibly
change the plan as your research progresses

2
 INTRODUCTION (CONTD.)

A research design provides a road map for the

entire research project

Research design 3
RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY

Must specify the major elements of the design

Variables, instruments
Subjects: sampling frame, sample size, selection
procedures
Timing of testing/intervention
Use a diagram if needed
Must be consistent with objectives/hypotheses.
 RESEARCH DESIGN

Research design involves

specifying your philosophical assumptions,
your research method,
which data collection techniques you will use,
your approach to qualitative data analysis,
your approach to writing up, and,
how you plan to publish your findings

Research design 5
 RESEARCH DESIGN

The first step is deciding upon a topic

How you decide upon a research topic?

Research design 6
 CHOOSING A TOPIC

There are three important requirements in

choosing a topic:
1. You are interested in the topic
2. A faculty member is prepared to supervise
you
3. You can obtain relevant data on the topic

Research design 7
CHOOSING A RESEARCH TOPIC: YOU NEED A
RESEARCH PROBLEM
Move on to next stage
of research design

1. Read literature,
reflect, discuss and
identify gaps
2. Generate list of
Yes No interesting potential
6. Does a suitable questions
problem exist?

5. Eliminate impractical 3. Check literature. Have

questions questions been answered
Yes
already?
No

4. Test
feasibility

Figure 3.1. How to identify a research problem (adapted from Collis &
Hussey, 2003)

Research design 8
 CHOOSING A TOPIC

Availability

Accessibility

Skills

Research design 9
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Three steps in most qualitative research projects:

1. Choose a topic
2. Choose some potential research questions
3. Choose a theoretical framework
.Given the iterative nature of qualitative research,
these might change later

Research design 10
A MODEL OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
DESIGN
Written Record

Data Analysis
Approach

Data Collection
Technique

Research Method

Philosophical
Assumptions

Research design 11
PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS

Written Record Positivist research are

you testing one or more
hypotheses?
Data Analysis
Approach Interpretive research
are you exploring a
research topic or
Data Collection
Technique
theory?
Critical research are
to seeking to critique
Research Method the status quo or help
people in some way?
Philosophical
Assumptions

Research design 12
 PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS

Provide foundation for rest of the research design

Tell how knowledge about world can be obtained
Inform about nature of the world

Research design 13
 POSITIVIST

Natural Sciences
Emphasized on quantitative aspects
Focus on testing hypothesis

Research design 14
 INTERPRETIVE

Anti-positivism
Social Sciences
Focus on exploration of development of theory

Research design 15
 RESEARCH METHOD

Written Record A research method is a

strategy of enquiry
Data Analysis How are you going to
Approach find out about the
social world?
Data Collection Research methods
Technique action research, case
study research,
ethnography, grounded
Research Method
theory
Each can use any set of
Philosophical philosophical
Assumptions assumptions

Research design 16
DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES

Written Record
Which data collection
technique(s) will you
Data Analysis
use?
Approach Interviews
Participant observation
Data Collection
Technique fieldwork
Documents
Research Method

Philosophical
Assumptions

Research design 17
DATA ANALYSIS APPROACH

Written Record
Many ways to analyse
qualitative data
Data Analysis Coding
Approach
Content analysis
Data Collection Discourse analysis
Technique
Hermeneutics
Semiotics
Research Method
Narrative analysis, etc.

Philosophical
Assumptions

Research design 18
 WRITTEN RECORD

Written Record
Are you writing a thesis,
a book, a book chapter,
Data Analysis
Approach
a conference paper, or a
journal article?

Data Collection
The process of writing
Technique up is just as important
as doing the research
itself
Research Method

Philosophical
Assumptions

Research design 19
THE MODEL IN PERSPECTIVE
Written Record
(Thesis, book, report, article ...)

Data Analysis Approach

(Hermeneutics, semiotics,
narrative analysis . ..)

Data Collection Technique

(interviews, participant
observation, documents)

Research Method
(action research, case study,
ethnography, grounded theory ...)

Philosophical Assumptions
(positivist, interpretive, critical)

Research design 20
 Content analysis
What is content analysis?
Content analysis is a method of
coding qualitative and/or
quantitative narrative data to identify
the prevalence of key themes and
issues in relation to a particular
context.
 When is content analysis
useful?
When . . .
your research question is best
analysed by organising the data
in a thematic way
your research requires you to
gather narrative data from
interviews, focus groups or
field notes
When is content analysis
useful?
When . . .
the codes for analysing your
data can be derived before the
data is collected
it is important to identify the
context within which certain
words and terms are used
the results do not need to be
generalisable to the wider
population
 Effectiveness
The effectiveness of the content analysis is
dependent on the effectiveness of the
codes.
Codes therefore need to be:
 The coding process
Clarify the documents you will
use.
Which documents will you derive the
codes from?
Academic literature?
Previous data-gathering (interviews,
questionnaire)?
Organisational documents?
Which documents will you use for
your analysis?
Transcripts from interviews?
Open comments on questionnaires?
Field notes?
Then clarify the aspects to be
coded
Words
Can you identify the key words you need to
search for in the text?

Can you identify the themes that may relate to

Themes the words even if the words themselves are
not used?

Dispositions
Can you identify how people react to the
words
and themes?
Then produce a content coding
manual
To do this you need:
a thorough understanding of the
literature
a thorough understanding of the
codes selected
a thorough understanding of the
data you will collect
a thorough understanding of what
you are trying to achieve
The content coding manual
Map your words, themes and
dispositions on to the content coding
No
manual
Word/theme Code Features Dispositions
1 Drivers for change 1 i- opportunity a. Positive
ii-problem b. Negative
iii- more efficient c. Neutral
iv-more effective
2

So where someone talks of the drivers for

change trying to improve things, this would
be coded as 1.i.a
Piloting the coding system
Always pilot the coding system
Ask yourself:
Are the units of analysis
easily/clearly derived from the
literature?
Does the content coding manual
clearly reflect the issues arising from
the text?
Does the analysis allow you to
answer your research question in a
trustworthy way?
 The analytical process
Read each text in turn, coding
each area as you go
Re-read the texts to draw
together the emergent themes
Integrate issues of frequency
with notes about dispositions
 Hermeneutics
Method of interpreting the
meaning of text
Text can be any form of
communication
Interpretation is not what is
being said, but how it is said as
well
 Hermeneutics
Also focus on personality of
author, who they are and how
that affects text
Jewish and Greek scholars use
this type of analysis
 Semiotics
Study of signs and symbols
It looks on how signs and
symbols are used to
communicate and develop
interpretations
Derive from Greek word
semeiotikos which means an
observant of signs
Research design 34
Research design 35
Research design 36
Research design 37
WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Item
1. A title
2. An abstract
3. An introduction
4. A literature review
5. A topic
6. A theoretical framework
7. A research method
8. A qualitative data analysis
approach
9. A timeline to completion
10. A list of references

Research design 38