Fundamentals of IS Research Design

1
Fundamentals of IS Research Design

• The Nature of Research Design
• Error Reduction through Design
• Major Types of Design
• Specific Design Configurations
• Managerial Considerations

2
The Nature of Research Design

• Is considered to be a road map for the
  researchers
• The design processes are as follows
• what concepts will be studied
• how these concepts will be measured
• what approach will be used to study the problem
• who will be studied
• how the data will be collected and analysed
• how the collected information will be presented
  to solve the problem

3
Error Reduction through Design

• The purpose of the research design is to guide
  the researcher so that the results obtained are
  as more error-free as possible
• What are the potential sources of error in
  research design process?
• planning errors
• collection errors
• analytical errors
• reporting errors

4
Error Reduction through Design

• What is/are the managerial strategies for dealing
  with error?
• planning error reduction strategy
• collection error reduction strategy
• analytical error reduction strategy
• reporting error reduction strategy

5
Major Types of Design

• The first step in design is to identify a general
  approach that will be used to solve the problem
• Two basic types of design can be used here--
• Ex-Post Facto Field studies, Surveys
• Experimental Field experiments, laboratory
  experiments

6
Specific Design Configurations

• The following concerns need to be addressed in
  the design phase of a research
• Validity concerns
• Internal-can be defined as the degree of
  confidence that the results are true given the
  study situation
• External-is the degree to which the studys
  result can be generalised across populations,
  settings, and other similar conditions. Three
  major classes of variables which are external--
• testing interaction, selection interaction
• setting interaction

7
Specific Design

• Single/Multiple Case Study
• Control Group Design
• Participatory action research
• Ethnographic approach
• Experimental design

8
Managerial Considerations

• There is no single correct design for a research
  problem
• Design research to answer the research problem
• All research design represents a compromise
• A research design is not a framework to be
  followed blindly, without deviation

9
Managerial Considerations

• The following managerial issues must be addressed
  in the design phase of a research
• which design will best answer the research
  question?
• will the design produce information that is
  timely and cost-effective for management decision
  making?
• does the design adequately control the main
  sources of error inherent in the research
  process?
• how does the design explicitly control the major
  threats to internal and external validity?