Classifying Research: - Types or Purpose

Slide 1.
Classifying research
• Types or Purpose
exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, predictive
• Use
pure, applied, evaluative, action/practitioner
• Classifying
primary vs. secondary
theoretical vs. empirical
quantitative vs. qualitative (vs. mixed methods)
inductive vs. deduction
Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 1.2
Classification of research purpose/nature

• Exploratory research- to clarify your understanding about
a particular topic (Lit review, interviewing experts and focus
group interviews)…identify relevant variables and formulate a
hypothesis..RQ: What is happening there?
• Descriptive studies- to describe phenomena associated

with a subject population or to estimate proportions of the
population that have certain characteristics…measure the
extent of association between two or more variables…builds on
exploratory research…usually requires a lot of data
RQ: How are these variables associated?
• Explanatory studies- to establish causal relationships
between variables..builds on both exploratory and descriptive
research RQ: Why those things are happening?
The Research Process
Slide 1.3
Review Identify
Identify
the concepts
topic
literature &
theory
Draw
Conclusion Clarify
and write research
project report Problem/
Research proposal
Analyse Collection Formulate the

data of Research
data design
Slide 1.4
Stages of the research process
• Formulating and clarifying a topic (the most important part

of any research project)
• Reviewing the literature to identify concepts/theories and

define the research question
• Prepare a research proposal
• Designing the research
• Collecting data
• Analysing data
• Draw conclusions and Writing up

Slide 1.5
Formulating and clarifying your research topic
The important steps
• Identifying the attributes of a good research topic
• Generating ideas that help you select a suitable topic
• Turning ideas into clear research questions and

objectives
• Writing your research proposal
Slide 1.6
Attributes of a good research topic (1)

Capability: is it feasible?
• Are you fascinated by the topic?
• Do you have the necessary research skills?
• Can you complete the project in the time available?
• Will the research still be current when you finish?
• Do you have sufficient financial and other resources?
• Will you be able to gain access to data?
Slide 1.7

Appropriateness: is it worthwhile?
• Will the examining institute's standards be met?
• Does the topic contain issues with clear links to theory?
• Are the research questions and objectives clearly stated?
• Will the proposed research provide fresh insights into the topic?
• Are the findings likely to be symmetrical?
• Does the research topic match your career goals?

Slide 1.8
And - (if relevant)
Does the topic relate clearly to an idea

you were given -
possibly by your organisation ?
Slide 1.9
Techniques for generating and refining research ideas
• Delphi Technique
Slide 1.10
Identifying research questions

Once your have selected a topic, you need to de
refine the topic into a specific, researchable
question:
– Poorly formulated questions will lead to poor
research
– A good research question defines the focus of

your research project. It help to focus your
literature review, research design, data
collection, analysis and writing
Slide 1.11
Turning ideas into research questions
Examples of research ideas

and their derived focus questions
Job recruitment via the internet How effective is recruitment of new staff via
Internet compared traditional methods?
Slide 1.12
• Use of internet in financial activities
• What effect has the growth of Internet

Banking had upon the uses customers make of
branch facilities?
Slide 1.13
• Research Topic: Television and consumer

behaviour
• Research Question: How does watching TV

commercial affect the buying behaviour of
teenagers between ages 12 to 18?
Slide 1.14
Formulating the research question

• “ A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved”
• Defining a research question involves the tasks of

laying down boundaries
• Technique: (i) statement of the question in a

general way (ii) understanding the nature of the
question(iii) surveying the available literature (iv)
developing the ideas through discussion and (v)
rephrasing the research question into a working
proposition Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, © Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2009
Slide 1.15
Slide 1.16
Turning ideas into research questions
Useful techniques
• Start with a general focus question
• Then try to reach the essence of the question
• Discuss areas of interest with your supervisor
Slide 1.17
Slide 1.18
Why is productivity in Singapore so much higher

than in Mauritius?
Is this a good RQ?
Slide 1.19
• What factors were responsible for the higher labor

productivity of Singaporean’s manufacturing
industries during the period 2010 to 2020 relative
to Mauritian manufacturing industries
• To what extent did labor productivity from 2010 to

2020 exceed that of Mauritius in 5 selected
manufacturing industries? What factors were
responsible for the higher productivity?
Slide 1.20
Research Problem Comments
Public Transport in Mauritius This identifies the research field but it

does not frame a research problem
because it is too general. You do not have
time to study everything about a topic.
Examination of the influence of the LRT This is a much better research problem as
links on new housing developments in it establishes a relationship(existence of
Mauritius LRT may have some influence on new
housing development). However it it is
still rather broad and could be better
focused.
Investigation of the relationship between Focusing on a limited period of time and
LRT links and the development of new limited sources
high-rise housing apartments since 2019.
Slide 1.21
Steps in selecting research questions:

an example
Slide 1.22
• Clear research questions , based on relevant

literature, will act as a focus for the research
that follows
• You have refined your topic into a

researchable question when you can phrase
the question between two operationally
defined variables.
Slide 1.23
Types of research questions

• Predicting an outcome (does y happen under circumstances a and
b?)
• Explaining causes and consequences of a phenomenon (is y
affected by x or is y a consequence of x?)
• Evaluating a phenomenon (does y exhibit the benefits that it is
claimed to have?)
• Describing a phenomenon (what is y like or what forms does y
assume?)
• Developing good practice (how can we improve y?)
• Empowerment (how can we enhance the lives of those we
research?)
Slide 1.24
Criteria for Evaluating Research Questions

• Questions should be clear….being intelligible
• Questions should be researchable…can be answered by

collecting data which is accessible and affordable
• Questions should connect with established theory…draws

on the literature
• Questions should have potential for making a contribution

to knowledge.
• Questions should be neither too broad nor too narrow.

Slide 1.25
The importance of theory in writing RQs

Research is theory dependent
Theory is ‘a formulation regarding the cause and effect relationships
between two or more variables, which may or may not have been tested’
• Asking for opinions and gathering facts – 'what' questions
(descriptive research)
• Using questions that go beyond description and require

analysis – 'why' questions
Phillips and Pugh (2005)
In order to:
Explain phenomena Analyse relationships
Predict outcomes Compare and generalise

Slide 1.26
Slide 1.27
Slide 1.28
Questions and Objectives

• You can formulate your research as objectives
or questions.
– These are different ways of saying the same thing.
Doesn’t matter which you use, but don’t confuse
things by having aims and questions
– May be helpful to have a list or hierarchy of

objectives , but keep it simple
Slide 1.29
Research Question can be turned

into Research Objective
• Research Question: Why have organisations
introduced social team activities for workers?
• Research objective: to identify organisations’
objectives for social team activities for workers
• Research Question: Why have organisations

introduced team briefing?
• Research Objective: To identify organisations’
objectives for team briefing schemes
Slide 1.30
A hypothesis is one form of a

researchable question.
• RQ: Are boys or girls better students in this module?
• Hypothesis: A greater proportion of girls than boys

have a first class in this module.
Hypotheses are designed to express relationships

between variables.
Slide 1.31
Writing your research proposal
Purposes of the research proposal
• To organise your ideas
• To convince your audience
• To contract with your client (your tutor)
• To meet ethical requirements
Slide 1.32
Summary
The best research topics
• Formulate and clarify the topic
• Meet the requirements for a postgraduate degree
• Use a variety of techniques when generating research

ideas
• Are focused on clear questions based on relevant

literature
Slide 1.33
Summary
The best research topics
• Are theory dependent
• Have a proposal containing organised ideas
Tell the reader:
• What will be done and why
• How it will be achieved
Guide for preparing your research proposal
Slide 1.34
• What is your research topic?

• Which of the attributes does your topic possess?
• What research questions are suggested by your
research topic?
• What research objectives are suggested by your
research topic?
• To what literature does your research topic relate?
• What are the key dependent and independent
variables in your proposed study and what
relationship do you think you will find?

Classifying Research: - Types or Purpose

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Classifying Research: - Types or Purpose

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Slide 1.

Classification of research purpose/nature

• Descriptive studies- to describe phenomena associated

Analyse Collection Formulate the

Stages of the research process

• Formulating and clarifying a topic (the most important part

• Reviewing the literature to identify concepts/theories and

• Prepare a research proposal

• Designing the research

• Draw conclusions and Writing up

Formulating and clarifying your research topic

The important steps

• Identifying the attributes of a good research topic

• Generating ideas that help you select a suitable topic

• Turning ideas into clear research questions and

• Writing your research proposal

Attributes of a good research topic (1)

• Are you fascinated by the topic?

• Do you have the necessary research skills?

• Can you complete the project in the time available?

• Will the research still be current when you finish?

• Do you have sufficient financial and other resources?

• Will you be able to gain access to data?

Attributes of a good research topic (2)

• Will the examining institute's standards be met?

• Does the topic contain issues with clear links to theory?

• Are the research questions and objectives clearly stated?

• Are the findings likely to be symmetrical?

• Does the research topic match your career goals?

Attributes of a good research topic (3)

And - (if relevant)

Does the topic relate clearly to an idea

Techniques for generating and refining research ideas

Identifying research questions

– A good research question defines the focus of

Turning ideas into research questions

Examples of research ideas

• Use of internet in financial activities

• What effect has the growth of Internet

• Research Topic: Television and consumer

• Research Question: How does watching TV

Formulating the research question

• Defining a research question involves the tasks of

• Technique: (i) statement of the question in a

Turning ideas into research questions

• Start with a general focus question

• Then try to reach the essence of the question

• Discuss areas of interest with your supervisor

Why is productivity in Singapore so much higher

Is this a good RQ?

• What factors were responsible for the higher labor

• To what extent did labor productivity from 2010 to

Public Transport in Mauritius This identifies the research field but it

Steps in selecting research questions:

• Clear research questions , based on relevant

• You have refined your topic into a

Types of research questions

Criteria for Evaluating Research Questions

• Questions should be researchable…can be answered by

• Questions should connect with established theory…draws

• Questions should have potential for making a contribution

• Questions should be neither too broad nor too narrow.

The importance of theory in writing RQs