With Applications in SPSS

Advanced
Research
Methods
Lecture -1
 The research problem
What is scientific research?
Types of Research
The research Process
Its Characteristics
Ethics and Research
Steps in Your Term Project
» Discussion/Question-Answer Session
» Group Activity: Select a research topic according
to the criteria discussed in the
lecture.
» Activity in SPSS : Introduction to SPSS
(Statistical Package for
Social Scientists)
Lecture -1:
Introducing Research
 » Whether, it be a scientific
invention,
» …... a national geographic
documentary,
» ……. a politician’s policy
decision,
» …….. a commercial campaign
for a new product
»
‘The results of research are all around us’
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current


English (1986:720) defines research as: “systematic

investigation undertaken in order to discover new facts,
get additional information”.


For Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003:3), research is:

“……..Something that people undertake in order to find

new things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their

knowledge….”
»

Defining
Research…..
Scientific Research is a systematic process
designed to help us make accurate
decisions. It follows the principles of
empirical verification.
For example if I want to establish that
smoking causes lung cancer, then I would
conduct a series of carefully planned
observations designed to test this
proposition. These observations may include
careful examination of the levels of lung
cancer in smokers and non-smokers.
It is this process of careful and unbiased
observation of the real world that is seen as
the only route to a true understanding.
The Scientific Research
» Pure and Applied
» Exploratory
» Descriptive
» Explanatory or Causal

Types Of Research 6
 Fundamentally there are two types of research
problems:
pure or basic research that is necessary to
generate new knowledge and technologies
to deal with major unresolved problems
and;
applied research that is necessary to
identify priority problems and to design
and evaluate policies and program to
achieve greatest benefits, making optimal
use of available resources.
 However, it is often practical to
Types of Research
consider slightly wider range of
Problems
research as follow:
Figure 1.1 Basic and applied research
Source: Authors’ experience, Easterby-Smith et al., 2002, Hedrick et al., 1993
 Exploratory research - which involves
investigating a new problem or issue;
» Initial qualitative research conducted to clarify
and define the nature of a problem
» Does not provide conclusive evidence
» Subsequent research expected
Descriptive Research- which involves
determining the limits of the application of
exploratory work;
Describes characteristics of a population or
phenomenon
» Some understanding of the nature of the
problem; and
Types of Research
Explanatory or Causal Research
Problems
» Conducted to identify cause and effect
relationships
Action Research, which involves
starting out with a practical problem
from the real world and applying the
available knowledge and intellectual
resources to solving the problem.
Complex social processes can best be
studied by introducing changes into
these processes and observing the
effects of these changes (Marsick and
Watkins 1997).
o Academics jointly work with
practitioners solving a problem.
o However, it often lacks scientific
rigor.
The action research spiral
S a u n d e rs e t a l. 2 0 0 7
Intensive research sets out to
identify how causal processes work
in a particular situation; this
approach is often exemplified by the
undertaking of case studies.
Extensive research on the other
hand, sets out to describe and
explain, usually through statistical
analysis, how large groups of people
who have, for example, similar
perceptions, attitudes or social
climates, behave under certain
Types
defined of Research
conditions.
Problems


v Quantitative research
v Qualitative research
v
v Deductive (Testing theory)
v Inductive (Developing theory)


Approaches to
research
Deductive and Inductive
Reasoning in Research

14
 THE
RESEARCH
PROCESS

 Source:Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill,

2006

Æ it is generated by a question;
Æ it necessitates clarification of a goal;
Æ it entails a specific program of work;
Æ it is aimed at increasing understanding
by interpreting facts and/or ideas;
Æ it involves reasoned arguments to
support research conclusions; and
Æ it is not a linear but a cyclical process,
therefore it is called re-search.


Characteristics of
Research Process
Honesty is an essential
characteristic of research

Copying or presenting the work

of other researchers

Researchers should not be

selective in their presentation of
results

Characteristics of
Research Process
» Is trans-disciplinary
» Engages with both theory and
practice
» Involves undertaking systematic
research
» Should be undertaken with rigour

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

RESEARCH: CHARACTERISTICS
ØSocietal Accountability
ØCorporate
Accountability
ØMoral Accountability
ØConflict among
accountabilities
ETHICS AND
RESEARCH
21
22
The STEPS Your
resear term
ch proje
Proces ct
s
Wish to research

Formulate and clarify research topic

( Lecture – 2 )

( Lecture – 3 )
Critically review the literature

Choose research approach and strategy

( Lecture – 4 & 5 )

Gaining access to data and ethical

issues
( Lecture – 6 )
Plan data collection and collect the data
using
a.
one or moredata
b . Secondary of : c.
Sampling ( Lecture – 8 ) Observatio
( Lecture – n
d . 7Semi
) - structured and in - depth e.
( Lecture –
interviews Questionnaires
9)
( Lecture – 10 ) ( Lecture – 11 )

Analyse the data using one

or both ofb .: Qualitative
a . Quantitative
methods methods
( Lecture – 12 ) ( Lecture – 13 )

( Lectures – 14 & 15 )
Give your presentation
( Lecture – 14 )
presentation
Write project report & prepare your
» Start working on a research proposal
just now,
» choose a leader and a recorder (Ideally
these duties should rotate amongst all
group-members, provided your group
wishes so).
» Form a group of 5 members that will
work on this research assignment as
long as each group presents its
research proposal in the 13th & 14th
classes,

Group Activity
» Each group member will study Appendix 1, i.e.
“Example research project titles”, page 1-7;
provided in the ‘Additional Reading
Materials’, placed at Photocopying Shop.
» Every member is advised to select two
research topics including one he/she likes
the most and one he/she dislikes, with a
brief justification of why you like or dislike
the two topics selected. The topic would be
selected either from the enlisted ones or of
your own choice.
» The group should then have a brainstorming
meeting discussing each member’s ideas
about the selected research topics, and
should come up with one research topic
considered best by the group.
InitiateContinues
your term paper:
on next slide…….
Assignment - 1
Ø In next class , each group will present their
selected topic written on a flip chart , and the
class will be invited to provide their input on
the topics .

The group , through its team leader , will also turn

in a 6 - page group activity report of the last
week , on the following format .
Page 1 ( front - page )
Assignment 1
Topic selected by the group
Name of group leader
Name of group - recorder
Names of group members
Page 2 to 6 ( one page for one student ’ s
activity report )
Assignment 1
Name of the student
1 . Topic selected ( which student likes
the most )
Justification why he / she likes it
2 . Topic which student dislikes
Justification why he / she dislikes
it
Initiate your term paper:
Assignment - 1
  Introduction to
SPSS
 The Data Editor, Data View &
Variable View
 Entering data (Steps for data
entry)
+ Open SPSS’s ‘Data Editor’
+ Enter data in ‘Data View’ taking

SPSS Exercise 1
data from next Slide (You can
even copy data from Excel sheet
or from a MS Word’s table)
(a)
+ Go to Variable View, and change
‘VAR00001’ with P, ‘VAR00002’
with S and ‘VAR00003’ with D.
P S D
1 210 600
2 230 560
3 265 525
4 310 495
5 380 472
6 472 442
7 550 395
8 615 336
9 690 265
10
SPSS Exercise 1
770 190

(b)
» Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill,
A. 2007. Research methods for
business students. 4th ed. London:
Prentice Hall.
»

References