BRM Chapter 1: Research problems and questions and how they relate to debates in Research Methods

Objectivist versus constructivist

Objectivism states that social entities (like organisations, societies, teams) have an existence, which is separate from the people in them. objectivist view would say there definitely is an entity (the organisation) independent of the people in the organisation which can learn and foster learning Constructivists would say on the contrary that the organisation has no independent reality. this perspective, the organisation only has an existence in the minds of people, whether they are the staff or managers, customers, suppliers, contractors, government, professional bodies or, of course, business researchers.

Mode 1 knowledge

This has to do with basic research and tends to be built on the foundations of what was known before, just as in any academic essay, you must discuss what is known (published) before you start to do your own research or consider how that knowledge might be further discussed or developed. (Usually other academics want this knowledge)

key issues in research methods

Title of research takes some time. We start with a broad idea of an issue or area for research such as the impact on an organisation of flexible working, and this goes through many iterations before it turns into a working title and clear set of research questions. - we must keep on reading throughout the research as new items may be published in the area, and the primary research may lead us to form new questions of the literature, which involve new literature searches.

quantitative research

deductive approach to testing theory, often using number or fact and therefore a positivist or natural science model, and an objectivist view of the objects studied.

qualitative research

inductive approach to generating theory, often using an interpretivist model allowing the existence of multiple subjective perspectives and constructing knowledge rather than seeking to "find" it in "reality".

Mode 3 knowledge

knowledge, which is neither produced specifically for academic purposes nor for direct application to practical need, but for understanding the bigger picture in relation to society's survival and the "common good"

Deductive versus Inductive

looking at theory, produces hypotheses from that theory, which relate to the focus of research, and then proceeds to test that theory —— looking at the focus of research (the organisation, a business problem, an economic issue etc) and through investigation by various research methods, aims to generate theory from the research.

business is an umbrella term, it involves different academic disciplines

mathematics, psychology, sociology, physics, economics, politics, history and language.

Mode 2 knowledge

practical applied knowledge and comes from collaborating with practitioners or policy makers, for example managers in organisations. (People making business decisions or developing policy as well as academics interested in applied research want this knowledge).

Research Methods

specific activities designed to generate data (e.g. questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation)

researcher affects the results of research

Biased in Research method, influence the results

Positivist versus Interpretivist

Positivist approach is usually associated with natural science research and involves empirical testing. Positivism states that only phenomena which we can know through our senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste) can really produce "knowledge". It promotes the idea of experimentation and testing to prove or disprove hypotheses (deductive) and then generates new theory by putting facts together to generate "laws" or principles (inductive) Interpretivist - promotes the idea that subjective thought and ideas are valid. aims to see the world through the eyes of the people being studied, allowing them multiple perspectives of reality, rather than the "one reality" of positivism.

Research Methodology

your attitude to and your understanding of research and the strategy you choose to answer research questions.