Week 56: CHOOSING THE METHODOLOGY AND

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Week 5/6 CHOOSING THE METHODOLOGY AND REFINING
THE RESEARCH Part 1 Choosing the methodology
LEARNING OUTCOMES

• To build upon prior learning and feedback to
  further refine the outline proposal
• To appreciate the merits and demerits of various
  research methodologies
• To understand how to execute various research
  methods
• To begin choosing appropriate methodologies for
  your dissertation that will meet your research
  objectives

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RESEARCH IN THE MARKETING DOMAIN
Research in marketing
Aspects of marketing management
Aspects of consumers marketing
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RESEARCH PROBLEM AND RESEARCH POSITION
Interpretivist/
Positivist/ Qualitative
Quantitative How and Why?
What? How should? Complex number
Limited number of issues
of
issues Seeking explanation/
Seeking generalisation understanding

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DIFFERENT RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES

• Interpretivism Defined-
• Interpretive
• Understanding
• Multiple realities
• Conceptual
• Situation specific

• Positivism Defined-
• Scientific
• Objective
• Validity Rigour
• Generalisable
• One reality

TO WHICH PHILOSOPHY DOES YOUR RESEARCH BELONG?
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FOCUS OF RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES
Concentrates on
Concentrates on description

understanding and explanation
and
interpretation
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RESEARCH PHILOSOPHIES ROLE OF THE RESEARCHER
POSITIVISM/ POST-POSITIVISM
INTERPRETIVISM/ RELATIVISM

• Detached, external observer
• Clear distinction between reason and feeling
• Aim to discover external reality rather than
  creating the object of study
• Strive to use rational, consistent verbal,
  logical approach
• Seek to maintain clear distinction between
  facts and value judgements
• Distinction between science and personal
  experience

• Researchers want to experience what they are
  studying
• Allow feelings and reasoning to govern actions
• Partially create what is studied, the meaning
  of phenomena
• Use of pre-understanding is important
• Distinction between facts and value judgements
  less clear
• Accept influence from both science and
  personal experience
• Primarily non-quantitative

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• WHICH METHODOLOGY?
• What kind of information/data?
  (qualitative/quantitative?)
• How can information/data be reached?
  (who/what will provide the data?)
• How will information/data be gathered?
  (methods?)

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• METHODOLOGY
• Several methods?
• One major method
• Other secondary methods
• Exploratory - What are the variables involved?
• Explanatory - Relationships between identified
  and measured variables

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• METHODOLOGY
• Justification of research problem and literature
  review
• Awareness of positivist/phenomenological
  paradigms
• Unit of analysis - population, sample
• Instruments and procedures used (measures,
  responses, when, where, who, non-responses)
• Limitations both of the method and practical
  issues
• Specific methods for analysing data, definitions
  and interpretations and assumptions

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• METHODOLOGY - RESEARCH PROCEDURE
• Data Gathering Procedure (The research
  instruments)
• Questionnaire Design
• Interview Protocol
• Administration Research Instruments
• Testing Procedures
• Number of Respondents and Justification

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• METHODOLOGY - RESEARCH PROCEDURE
• Description of the Chosen Method
• Justification of Method (Why is this method
  chosen?)
• Appropriateness/Suitability (Stemming from
  literature/
  conceptual model)
• Value of the Method
• Advantages of the Method
• Other Possible Methods
• Deficiencies of Other Methods
• Advantages of Chosen Method Over Others

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• METHODOLOGY - RESEARCH PROCEDURE
• Data Analysis Procedure (How the data will be
  analysed)
• Description of Statistical Analysis - - What
  will it yield? - What cross analysis is
  planned?
• Description of Qualitative Analysis - - What
  will it yield? - How will data be organised
  for analysis?

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• METHODOLOGY -
• Use of Method
• Description of What Happens First
• Description of What Happens Next, etc.
• Expected Timescales

RESEARCH PROCEDURE
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• METHODOLOGY CHAPTER
• Written so that others can replicate
• More detail if qualitative because of the
  degree of influence by the researcher

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METHODOLOGY CHAPTER OUTLINE

• Introduction
• Justification of the research method(s) chosen
• Research procedures-
• Steps followed and why
• Justification of the specific techniques used
  vs others
• Links between aims/objectives and data gathering
  content
• Conclusion/link with other chapters