Week 2

Research Process
Types of research
Primary Data & Secondary Data
 Learning Outcomes
The research process
Types of Research, Concepts etc

1.Types/classifications of research
2.Quantitative/Qualitative and mixed research
3.Theory, concepts, propositions
4 Deductive/inductive reasoning
5.Introduction to variables and hypothesis
6.Primary and secondary data

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 Research Project

I have to write a
research paper.
Where do I even
begin?

Research projects aren’t really that tough if

you know the research process.

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 What is Research?
• “Research can be described
as a systematic and organized Example
The Role of
effort to investigate a specific Auditing in the
problem that needs a solution” Management of
(Sekaran 2003). Corporate Fraud in
Malaysia: A
• Keywords: Quantitative study
1. Systematic and organized in K. Lumpur
2. It encompasses the processes Investigate
of inquiring /investigating – end Problem
result would help to solve
Solution
problems or suggest ways to solve
problems.
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 What is Research?
• RESEARCH IS BASED ON THE WORK
OF OTHERS – Guides new research
• RESEARCH CAN BE REPLICATED - Example
Replication guides future research The Role of
• RESEARCH IS GENERALIZABLE - Auditing in the
Research should apply to situations Management of
outside of the study setting Corporate Fraud :
• RESEARCH IS NOT DONE IN A Quantitative
INTELLECTUAL ISOLATION – It is tied to study in K. Lumpur
some theory. Based on some logical
rationale
• RESEARCH IS “DOABLE” - Good Investigate
research questions can be translated into Problem
projects that can be done!
• RESEARCH IS ONGOING – generates Solution
new questions
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 Research Process steps
The seven-step process in the hypothetico-
deductive method
The hypothetico‐deductive method involves the seven
steps listed and discussed next.
1. Identify a broad problem area.
2. Define the problem statement.
3. Develop objectives/questions/hypotheses
4. Literature Review
5. Determine methodology/measures.
6. Data collection.
7. Data analysis.
Source: Sekaran and Bougie, 2016
8. Interpretation of data/Present.
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E

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 Research Process (Cresswell, 2012)

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 Sekaran, 2003

Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sekaran/RESEARCH 4E

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FIGURE 4.1
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 Source: Sekaran and Bougie, 2016, Page 25
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 Basic Research

Applied Research

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 Basic Research OR Pure Research
• Attempts to expand the limits of knowledge.
• Not directly involved in the solution to a
pragmatic problem.
Eg: A critical analysis of factors impacting online
purchasing behavior

• Purely theoretical with the intent of increasing our

understanding of certain phenomena or behavior but
does not seek to solve or treat these problems
Basic research (also called fundamental or pure research)
Primary objective of the advancement of knowledge and theoretical
understanding
Not undertaken to solve any specific problem
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 Examples
1. An investigation looking at whether stress levels
influence the performance of students in Malaysia
2. A study assessing whether men or women are
more likely to have lower EI
3. Impact of Distributive Justice and Procedural Justice
on job satisfaction of employees in Kuala Lumpur
4. Exploratory study on the Impact FinTech is
having on the Financial Services Industry in Malaysia
5. The effect of leadership style on job satisfaction.
6. The relationship between capital structure and
profitability of the firm.
purely theoretical
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 Applied Research
• Conducted when a decision must be made
about a specific real-life problem
• To address a specific problem for a specific
organization
Eg: Researching which strategies work best to motivate
workers for an organization

Solve a current problem faced by the organization in

the work setting
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 Examples
1. How to improve cyber-security in an
organization
2. How can bullying by teachers be prevented in
specific a school? An exploratory study
3. A study on the influence of Big Data on
performance of an Organization
4. Is technology creating a “dumbing down” of
school children in a University.
5. A study into the ways of improving the sales of
Proton cars in Malaysia
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 Saunders et al., 2012
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 Exploratory

Descriptive

Explanatory
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Exploratory Research
Exploratory research : Discover ideas/insights
• Takes place where there is little or no prior knowledge
of a phenomenon.
• Conducted about a research problem when there are
few or no earlier studies to refer – gaining insights or
familiarity – looks for ideas or patterns
• Include interviews, case study - qualitative
Eg: Exploratory study of skills employers seek in fresh graduates today
Exploratory research on adoption of artificial intelligence in
customer support

Exploratory research “tends to tackle new problems on which

little or no previous research has been done” (Brown, 2006)

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 Management accounting and risk management in
Malaysian financial institutions: An exploratory
study
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between
management accounting and risk management. The paper measures the
extent to which management accounting practices help in managing risks and
the extent of the integration between these two important managerial functions.
Design/methodology/approach – The study used a mail survey of financial
institutions listed in the Malaysian Central Banks’ web site. The respondents to
whom 106 questionnaires were sent were the chief financial officers; the
response rate was 68 percent. A total of 16 post-survey semi-structured
interviews were also conducted with selected respondents to gain further
insights into the survey findings.
Findings – The findings from the survey indicate that analysis of financial
statements was perceived to contribute most towards risk management. The
majority of the respondents were of the view that the management accounting
function was greatly involved in the organization’s risk management.
Consistent with the survey findings, the interviewees also perceived that
budgetary control, budgeting, and strategic planning played important roles in
managing risk.
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 Bank officers’ perceptions and uses
of qualified audit reports of SMEs

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 Descriptive Research
“Descriptive research may be characterized
as simply the attempt to determine, describe
Describes characteristics of

or identify what is, while analytical research

attempts to establish why it is that way or
existing phenomena

how it came to be. Ethridge, D.E. (2004)

• Descriptive studies are used to describe
various aspects of the phenomenon.
• Used to describe characteristics and/or
behavior of sample population
Eg: Descriptive study of plantation workers in Borneo

Corporate leaders of multinational companies in the 21st century possess

moral rights to receive multi-million
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bonuses. A descriptive study
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Descriptive research : Describes characteristics of
objects, people, organizations
Describes a particular population OR phenomenon being studied
• Focusing upon the issue of what is happening
• Does not answer questions about how/when/why the
characteristics occurred.
• It addresses the "what" question (what are the
characteristics of population or situation being studied?)
The main goal of this type of research is to describe the data
and characteristics about what is being studied (Not the
causes)
EG: What is the impact of the global financial crisis of 2007 – 2009 on
fitness industry in UK?
A Descriptive Study on Immigrant Workers in Malaysian Plantation Sector
A descriptive study of men's fragrances market in Kuala Lumpur
Descriptive research involves gathering data that describe events and
then organizes, tabulates, depicts, and describes the data collection
(Glass & Hopkins, 1984).
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Example: what percent of the population likes
Coca‐Cola better than Pepsi
We are interested in describing consumers’ taste preferences.

1. Descriptive studies are often designed to collect data that

describe characteristics of objects (such as persons,
organizations, products, or brands), events, or situations.

2. Descriptive research is either quantitative or qualitative in

nature. It may involve the collection of quantitative data such
as satisfaction ratings, production figures, sales figures, or
demographic data, but it may also entail the collection of
qualitative information.

3. For instance, qualitative data might be gathered to describe

how consumers go through a decision‐making process or to
examine how managers resolve conflicts in organizations.
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Explanatory/Causal
Conducted in order to identify the extent and nature of
cause-and-effect relationships.

Causal studies focus on an analysis of a situation or a

specific problem to explain the patterns of relationships
between variable
Examples:
1. To assess the impacts of foreign direct investment on the
levels of economic growth in Malaysia

2. To analyse the effects of re-branding initiatives on the

levels of customer loyalty in 5 star hotels in Kuala Lumpur

3. To identify the nature of impact of work process re-

engineering on the levels of employee motivation among
nurses in K. Lumpur
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Exploratory, Descriptive and Causal Research

Causal/Explanatory research
This type of research is involved in explaining
why something happens, and assessing
causal relationships between variables.
Eg: The relationship bet. Motivation and Performance

Causal research, also known as explanatory research is conducted in

order to identify the extent and nature of cause-and-effect relationships.

Exploratory Descriptive Explanatory

New/Explore Description Relationship

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 Approaches to Research
Two different thought processes:
1. Inductive
Induction (Inductive Reasoning)— general principles are
inferred from specific observations to arrive at valid
conclusions.
. Conclusion

Hypothesis

Premise

Specific
Observation
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 Approaches to Research (cont.)
2. Deduction (Deductive Reasoning)—deductive
reasoning relies on specifics are inferred from general
principles/theory to arrive at valid conclusions.
– Premise 1: All regular employees can be trusted not to steal.
– Premise 2: Mr. Khairul is a regular employee.
– Conclusion: Mr. Khairul can be trusted.

Theory

Hypothesis

Obvervation

Confirmation
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 Research methods
Research choices

Saunders et al, (2009)

Quantitative Qualitative Mixed

Figure 5.4 Research choices Both numerical and
Numerical data
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 Quantitative vs Qualitative
Research

• Quantitative research focuses on statistical analysis of

numerical data collected through the use of large-scale
survey research, using methods such as questionnaire

• Qualitative research attempts to explore and understand

people’s beliefs, experiences, attitudes, behaviour and
interactions through methods such as interviews or focus
group discussions.

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 Research Choice: Quantitative and Qualitative
Quantitative research: numbers, closed-ended, hypotheses,
experiments, deductive
Researchers identify research problems that call for an
explanation of the relationships among variables.
Eg: Examining variables such as Ease of use towards Online
purchasing behavior (Ease of use influence online purchasing)

Qualitative research: words, open-ended, interviews,

inductive
For research problems that call for the need to explore and learn
from participants because important variables are unknown or
insufficient for describing a phenomenon.
Eg: A researcher may be interested in the problem of discipline in
schools
Clark and Cresswell, 2010
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 Mixed Method : Cresswell
• Mixed methods involves combining or integration of
qualitative and quantitative research and data in a
research study

• Triangulating data sources—a means for seeking

convergence across qualitative and quantitative
methods

• Many designs exist in the mixed methods field

– Convergent parallel mixed methods
– Explanatory sequential mixed methods
– Exploratory sequential mixed methods
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 Qualitative vs Quantitative
Qualitative Research Quantitative Research
Type of Open ended questions Closed Questions
questions Probing No probing
Words Numbers
Sample Size Small Large
Info. Per respondent Much Based on questionnaire
Deep Probing Closed ended questions
Open ended questions
Admin Requires skilled Fewer specialist skills
researcher required
Data Collection Interview Survey
Observation Experiment
Type of Analysis Subjective, Statistical
interpretative Standardized
Type of research Inductive Deductive
Exploratory Descriptive or causal
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WHAT LANGUAGE IS WRITTEN ON
THIS STONE FOUND BY
ARCHAEOLOGISTS?

34
 Case Study
• A case study is an in-depth investigation of an
individual subject.
• Case studies can be done on any subject or
topic
Example:
Foreign workers problems in the plantations
located in Borneo

Managing school behavior: a qualitative case

study
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 PRIMARY DATA:
Data originated by a researcher for the specific
purpose of addressing the research problem.
Included among primary sources are
interviews, observations etc

SECONDARY DATA:
Data that have been previously collected for
some purpose other than the problem at hand.
Included among secondary data are reports
available in the libraries/ internet, magazines,
newspapers etc.

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 Primary Data Collection

Primary data – data you collect

• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires
• Personal interviews
• Experiments
• Observational study

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 Secondary data Collection
Data someone else has collected
Sources.
1. Internal company Records
2. Company reports
3. Internal computer databases
4. Reports and publications of government agencies
5. Other publications.
6. Computerized databases.
The data for the research work is collected from source
like EBSCO, PROQUEST, Emerald
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 A Classification of Published Secondary
Sources
Published Secondary
Data

General Business Government

Sources Sources

Guides Directories Indexes Statistical Census Other

Data Data Government
Publications

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 Using secondary data for research (2)
Types of secondary data

Source: Saunders et al. (2006)

Figure 8.1 Types of secondary data
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 Secondary data Sources in
Malaysia
https://www.statistics.gov.my/
Share prices
Department of Statistics

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 The research process

Research No
project on problem!
the ……….?

You are now ready to get to work on her

assignment. Learning about the research
process has made your task much more
manageable.
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 What are ethics
Moral principles that govern a person’s
behavior or the conducting of an activity: Oxford
dictionary
Example:
1. Truthfulness
2. Integrity
3. Not cheating
4. No manipulation

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 Ethical Consideration in
Research
The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no
one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences
while following any stage of research.

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 “Ethics refers to the
appropriateness of your behaviour
in relation to the rights of those who
become the subject of your work or
who are affected by it”

Saunders et al (2009, pg. 183 ‐184)

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 Ethics and Target
Respondents
• Information collected should not be misused for
any other purpose
• Participation is voluntary
• Confidentiality of the replies
• Not to embarrass respondents/informants

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 Ethical research?
• Based on Diener and Chandall (1978) we can
say that behaving ethically means:

– No harm should come to research participants (No

harm)

– They should agree to participate and know what

the research is about (Consent)

– Their privacy should not be invaded (Privacy)

– They should not be lied to or cheated (No

Deception).
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 Academic Fraud

Fabrication
- the actual making up of research data
and (the intent of) publishing them
Falsification
- manipulation of research data
- omitting critical data or results
Plagiarism
- the act of taking credit (or attempting to
take credit) for the work of another
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 ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and
Social Research and Data Analytics
• A comprehensive framework for self-regulation for
those engaged in market, opinion and social
research and data analytics.

• Sets essential standards of ethical and

professional conduct designed to maintain public
confidence in research,

• It ensures that researchers and analysts working

with both traditional and new sources of data
continue to meet their ethical,
professional and legal responsibilities to the
individuals whose data they use in research and
to the clients and organisations they serve.

• Intended to safeguard the right of researchers to

seek, receive and impart information

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 ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and
Social Research and Data Analytics
Fundamental principles
Three fundamental principles

1. When collecting personal data from data subjects for the purpose of
research, researchers must be transparent about
• the information they plan to collect,
• the purpose for which it will be collected,
• with whom it might be shared and in what form.

2. Researchers must ensure that personal data used in research is thoroughly

protected from unauthorized access and not disclosed without the consent of
the data subject.

3. Researchers must always behave ethically and not do anything that might
harm a data subject or damage the reputation of market, opinion and social
research.

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Responsibilities to data subjects
Duty of care
1. Ensure that data subjects are not harmed as a direct result of
their personal data being used for research.

2. Exercise special care when the nature of the research is

sensitive

3. Remain mindful that research relies on public confidence in the

integrity of research and the confidential treatment of the
information provided for its success.

4. If researchers engage in non-research activities, for example

promotional or commercial activities directed at individual data
subjects, they must clearly distinguish and separate those
activities from research.
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Responsibilities to data subjects
Primary data collection: Researchers must :
1. Identify themselves promptly
2. State the general purpose of the research
3. Ensure that participation is voluntary
4. Inform data subjects if there is any activity that will involve re-contact and
data subjects must agree to be re-contacted.
5. Respect the right of data subjects to refuse requests to participate in
research
6. Allow data subjects to withdraw from the research at any time
7. Passive data collection should be based on the consent of the data subject .

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 Q&A

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 Tutorial 1
1. What is the difference between
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
2. Examples of Hypothesis and Variables
3. Sharing some samples of research
– Good Research
– Poor Research

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 Exercise
Using a Sample from past research:
• Is the Title appropriate
• Identify at least 3 concepts
• Is this a basic research or applied research
• What type of research used (Exploratory,
Descriptive, Causal). Explain each type of
research with examples?

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 Qualitative and Quantitative
Qualitative
1. The Role of Auditing in the Management of Corporate
Fraud: A qualitative study in Malaysia
Sample Titles

2. Barriers to Entrepreneurship success: A qualitative

study among fresh graduates in Malaysia

Quantitative
1. Entrepreneurship barriers and entrepreneurial
inclination: A quantitative study among Malaysian
postgraduate students
2. Behavioral finance towards future investment decision
among: A quantitative study among Accounting
undergraduates in K. Lumpur
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