Accounting Research

Methods

Fershie D. Yap, Ph.D.

College of Accountancy and Business Administration
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH CLASSIFICATION
Types of Research
 Basic Research
- referred as pure or fundamental research, studies phenomena to get a fuller
understanding of it.
- essentially to obtain knowledge of a natural phenomenon whose applications may or
may not have any bearing on any application in the immediate future or even after
a long time.
- demands a very high order of intellectual caliber; intuition also plays an important
role in this type of research
 Applied Research
- to acquire knowledge on the practical application of the theoretical base already
built up which is expected to solve a critical problem.
- conducted for industries or governments by universities or by specialized research
laboratories or institutions.
- is always for development purposes such as Research and Development (R&D).
Types of Research
 Historical Research
- the systematic collection and objective evaluation of data related to past
occurrences in order to test hypotheses concerning causes, effects, or trends of
those events which may help to explain present events and anticipate future events
 Empirical Research
- exclusively relies on the observation or experience with hardly any regard for
theory and system.
- often comes up with conclusions that can be verified through experiments or
observation.
- also known as experimental type of research, in which it is important to first collect
the facts and them sources, and actively take steps to stimulate the production of
desired information.
- the researcher first formulates a working hypothesis, and then gathers sufficient
facts to accept or reject the stated hypothesis.
Types of Research
 Experimental Research
- conducted with a scientific approach
using two sets of variables. The first
set acts as a constant, which you use
to measure the differences of the
second set
Types of Research
 Exploratory Research
- a methodology approach that investigates research questions that have not previously been
studied in depth
- often used when the issue you’re studying is new or when the data collection process is
challenging for some reason
- can help you connect ideas to understand the groundwork of your analysis without adding any
preconceived notions or assumptions yet
 Descriptive Research
- used to describe the characteristics of a population
- collects data that are used to answer a wide range of what, when, and how questions
pertaining to a particular population or group.
- a fact finding work with sufficient interpretation
- simpler and specific than explorative type of research
- focuses on theoretical point
- data is collected to test basic concepts
Types of Research
 Case Study Research
- method of exploring and analyzing the life or functioning of a social or economic unit, such as
a person, a family, a community, an institution, a firm or an industry, group, place, event,
organization, or phenomenon
- good for describing, comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research
problem
- The objective is to examine the factors that cause the behavioral patterns of a given unit and
its relationship with the environment.
- The data are always gathered with the purpose of tracing the natural history of a social or
economic unit, and its relationship with the social or economic factors, besides the forces
involved in its environment.
- a researcher conducting a study attempts to understand the complexity of factors that are
operative within a social or economic unit as an integrated totality.
Approaches to Research
 Quantitative approach
- involves the collection of quantitative data, which are put to rigorous quantitative
analysis in a formal and rigid manner.
- includes experimental, inferential, and simulation approaches to research.
- deal with numbers.
- systematic empirical investigation using statistical, mathematical or computational
techniques.
- usually start with data collection and then proceed to statistical analysis using
various methods.
Approaches to Research
 Qualitative approach
- uses the method of subjective assessment of opinions, behavior and attitudes.
- function of the researcher’s impressions and insights.
- uses techniques like in depth interviews, focus group interviews, and projective
techniques.
- involves obtaining data through open-ended conversational means of communication.
- enables the researcher to not only understand what the audience thinks but also why he
thinks it
Difference between Quantitative and Qualitative