Fundamental research (or pure research) is experimental or theoretical works conducted to gain a

new understanding based on observable phenomena or data, without previous consideration that
it will have any practical application. An investigator in a fundamental study is driven by an
interest in the unknown (Eur-lex.europa.eu, 2006).
Therefore, the principal purpose of fundamental research is to explain phenomena and to
formulate theories and explanatory models. There is no resulting short-term use: it produces
knowledge, it explains, and it formulates theories.
In comparison to pure research, applied research aims to answer particular problems, thus
conclusions of this research do have direct practical application (Saunders et al., 2012).
The differences between these two types of scientific research is shown in table 1 (ibid.).

Table 1. The differences between fundamental and applied researches (Source: Saunders et al.,
2012)

Fndamental research Applied research

  Expand knowledge of processes of business Improve understanding of particular business
and management or management problem
 
  Results in universal principles relating to the Results in solution to problem
Purpose process and its relationship to outcomes New knowledge limited to problem
Findings of significance and value to society Findings of practical relevance and value to
in general manager(s) in organization(s)
  Undertaken by people based in universities Undertaken by people based in a variety of
settings including organizations and
  Choice of topic and objectives determined by
universities
Context the researcher
Flexible time scales Objectives negotiated with originator
Tight time scales

Let us observe particular bachelor thesis to define the type of researches.

The bachelor theses
1. Employee Motivation and Performance
Source: arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=121057
The purpose of the study is to investigate an impact of the different types of employee
motivation on the performance of employees at the workplace.
2. Types of Motivation and Their Use in the Management of an Organization
Source: digilib.k.utb.cz/bitstream/handle/10563/15190/begarisheva_2011_bp.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y
The aim of the thesis is to study the main motivation and demotivation factors.
3. Motivating employee
Source: theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/49698/Elina.Heikkila.Final-thesis.pdf?
sequence=1&isAllowed=y
The purpose of this study is to identify current employee motivation level at XXXX Oy.
4. Employee motivation in medium-sized manufacturing enterprises
Source: diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1018068/FULLTEXT01.pdf
The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of employee motivation in small
and medium-sized Swedish enterprises.
5. A study about the use of reward systems and employee motivation in a call center
Source: gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/39872/1/gupea_2077_39872_1.pdf
The purpose is to get insight in how, why and what reward systems that are used in company X,
how they motivate the employees and to find suggestion on how organization could maximize
the use of reward system.
According to the table 1, showed above, we can divide all these thesis on fundamental and
applied due to their aims. As we see, thesis one, two and four have theoretical purposes, which
have no immediate practical application. Therefore, we can conclude that these theses, despite
the fourth has narrow focus, are pure research. Opposite to them, the thesis three and five are
applied research, which aim to define some practical questions in particular organizations.

Methods of the research

1. Employee Motivation and Performance
The methodology of this study is based on systematic literature review (Kitchenham, 2004). It
means that author uses other studies as its data. It helps to develop a clear theoretical basis to
provide clarity and focus for further practical research.

2. Types of Motivation and Their Use in the Management of an Organization

Quantitative method is selected as the research design for this study. In quantitative research,
empirical data in form of numbers are emphasized, while the empirical data in qualitative
research is presented in forms of words (Punch, 2014). The quantitative method intends to test
and develop theory through illustrating, explaining and predicting a certain problem. Moreover,
the investigator has a limited involvement considering a large amount of empirical data that is
gathered (Cooper and Schindler, 2006). This method is able to provide factual data needed to
identify the main motivation and demotivation factors. The quantitative research aims to
examine the phenomenon with mathematical demonstrating and factual estimation or measurable
derivation. The quantitative aspect of this study is linked with the statistical outcomes obtained
from the survey.
The primary data is information obtained by the author himself and it is supposed to provide
more correct information about a specific research topic (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2010). The
primary data should be new data collected only for the purpose of a certain study (Saunders et
al., 2007). Within the quantitative research approach, the primary data often is collected through
focus groups, polls, surveys or questionnaires (Halcomb and Hickman, 2015). In this study,
primary data is gathered by using a questionnaire, which was used as an instrument.
The secondary data includes information that has been collected by other investigators, and
unlike the primary data, the secondary data is collected for some other purpose (Saunders et al.,
2007).

3. Motivating employee
Traditionally, there are two various approaches connecting to theory review and research;
deduction and induction (Bryman and Bell, 2011). The deductive approach is largely used and it
arises from logic, and the inductive approach results from empirical evidence (Ghauri and
Gronhaug, 2010). Another contemporary way of conducting scientific research is a combination
of induction and deduction named abductive approach. This approach offers new views on the
research process (Alvesson and Sköldberg, 2009). This approach provides possibilities of
moving back and forth from theory and the empirical data. By moving in a different direction,
the investigator is able to receive a wider understanding of both empirical data and theory.
Since this paper is grounded in both empirical observations among XXXX Oy and its employees
and theoretical explanations of staff motivation, the abductive research method is considered the
most proper for this study.
Quantitative method was used in this research with the questionnaire used as instrument.

4. Employee motivation in medium-sized manufacturing enterprises

This study is qualitative research, which strengths according to Maxwell (2013) is that it focuses
on specific situations or people and emphasizes descriptions rather than numbers. Using a
qualitative approach enables the researcher the ability to reach a deeper understanding and to
delve more into people’s hidden motivations and interpretations (Cooper and Schindler, 2006).
The case study, which is anchored in a real-life situation, was chosen for the research that results
in holistic and rich explanation. The single-case study consists of one case and the multi-case
study is based on two cases or more. This thesis is based on multi-case research. Yin (2009)
claims that the multicase study allows the researcher to receive more valuable data considering
that the evidence is supported by several cases. Furthermore, Merriam (2009) shows that the
multiple case study design often results in being more compelling and strong, since several both
similar and different cases are put together and build a stronger basis. The conclusion is that a
multi-case research design improves the study by enhancing the generalizability or transferability
of the findings.

5. A study about the use of reward systems and employee motivation in a call center
Traditionally, a study is conducted through either a quantitative method or a qualitative method.
In qualitative research, it is important to understand, explain, discover and to clarify values,
beliefs, and experiences of the interview participants (Kumar, 2014). The quantitative method
aims to test and build theory through describing, explaining and predicting a certain topic.
Moreover, the researcher has a limited involvement considering a large amount of empirical data
that is gathered (Cooper and Schindler, 2006). In this study, both qualitative and quantitative
methods were used. Interviews and survey were chosen as a preliminary data collection method.
For a theory to be developed, the researcher needs to analyze the empirical data and come to
conclusions based on the data. The inductive approach was chosen as a secondary data collection
method, which starts with empirical data and ends in the development of theory (Halcomb and
Hickman, 2015).

Questionnaires
1. Employee Engagement for Optimizing Organizational Performance Questionnaire. An
employee questionnaire designed for measuring of employee engagement in Taj Group of
Hotels, New Delhi
shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/110806/16/17_appendix.pdf
2. The Motivational Employee-Satisfaction Questionnaire. An employee questionnaire designed
to generate enthusiasm and gauge employee morale and job satisfaction.
inc.com/magazine/19940201/2768.html
3. Questionnaire on Employee Motivation. An employee motivation questionnaire designed to
estimate an job satisfaction of employee
scribd.com/doc/78993218/Questionnaire-on-Employee-Motivation
4. Motivation Evaluation Questionnaire. An employee questionnaire conducted to estimate
motivation level of employee
theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/22787/akah_william.pdf
5. Employee Motivation Questionnaire. Questionnaire was designed to estimate the motivation,
commitment and productivity in a real estate environment
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.835.2748&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Each of the questionnaires presented above examines and attempts to evaluate such a complex
category as staff motivation. Questionnaires are divided into several segments, for more detailed
measurement the level of staff motivation. Each part evaluates an appropriate part of the
motivation.
Basic data is a general part of every questionnaire; the other components vary depending on the
questionnaire's main topic. This disparity can be explained through the presence of various
approaches to the definition of the "motivation" concept. Therefore, some scientists involved the
concept of job satisfaction in the staff motivation category, which means that they investigate the
so-called job design. Others researchers examine the factors that influence staff motivation (and
these factors are divided into monetary and non-monetary).
All questionnaires use a rating Likert Scale. A Likert scale is a rating scale, which measures
people's feeling about some event, category, etc. It involves a set of questions that researchers
ask an employee to answer, and five balanced responses she or he can pick up. A neutral
midpoint is also presented. This scale is handled to understand respondent ratings and agreement
levels with the topic in-hand.
This scale helps to analyze the collected primary data according to the purpose of quantitative
research.
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