APPROACHES TO

RESEARCH
Lecture 4
Research Methods for Social Science
RES70303
 Session Outline
■ Research Approaches
■ Research Strategies and Choices
■ Components of a Research Methodology
■ To outline of the range of research methods available to the business and
social science researcher
■ To consider how to select an appropriate research method for a particular
research task
RESEARCH ONION
 Research Approaches
Deductive Approach Inductive Approach
Hypotheses Testing Mostly Qualitative Data
Deduction of Hypotheses from Theory

Theory Development & Modification Build the Theory

Move from theory to data Move data to from theory

Cause & Effect Relationship No cause & Effect

Independency of Researcher Researcher becomes the integral part of
research process.
Selection of Reasonable Sample Size is
Compulsory
Generalization Not Required
Quantitative Data Qualitative Data
a highly structured approach Flexible Approach
 Research Strategies

•Experiment
• Survey
• Case Study
• Action Research
• Grounded Theory
• Ethnography
• Archival Research
 Contents of Methodology

•Research philosophy •Data Collection Methods

•Research approach •Data Collection Procedure
•Research strategy/Design •Measures
•Operational Definition of •Pilot study
Variables •Demographic Profile
•Target Population •Data Processing & Analysis
•Sampling Technique
•Sample Size
•Unit of Analysis
Primary and Secondary Data

■ Primary
– Data collected for the purposes of the research in hand
– Researcher is primary user
■ Secondary
– Data already collected by other researchers for other projects or for
non-research (eg. administrative) purposes
– Researcher is secondary user
 Data Collection Methods
•Primary Data Collection

 Interviews
 Observations
 Questionnaire
 Focus Group Discussion
 In-depth Interviews

•Secondary Data Collection

• Secondary Sources
• Websites
• Annual Reports
• Literature
• Printed Material