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Quantitative and Qualitative

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

The purpose of this paper is a comprehensive comparison of quantitative vs. qualitative research techniques for MBA 5210 Business Statistics. The paper will weigh the relative merits and demerits of each providing interpretation of the potential applications of qualitative and quantitative research to various fields of study as per the requirements of the paper. Qualitative and Quantitative Overview Researchers have long debated the relative merits quantitative vs. qualitative research techniques have to offer field researchers. It is important that one understand the implications of each in order to weigh the relative importance and relevance of each to the field. Qualitative and quantitative methods have a long history of providing researchers with information regarding specific events, phenomena and subjects. The primary difference between the two forms of investigation is the methods each employs to uncover the ‘reality’ behind a given situation. These separate realities are explored below. Benz & Newman (1998) suggest that qualitative and quantitative research methods align in a continuum. Qualitative research derives its foundation in naturalistic philosophy, whereas quantitative research focuses on positivistic philosophy (Benz & Newman, 1998). Qualitative research is more likely to adopt an individual phenomenological perspective, whereas quantitative approaches tend to emphasize the “common reality on which people can agree” (Benz & Newman, 2). Early researchers including Douglas (1976) & Geertz (1973) assert that multiple interpretations are available regarding any given phenomena that can be valid in multiple situations, supporting the idea that reality is socially constructed (Benz & Newman, 1998). Based on this assumption one must assume that a

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