...Characteristics of Different Social Science Research Methods ( by Oscar Mercado) |Criteria |Historical Study |Case Study |Survey |Experiment |Content Analysis |Feasibility Study | |When to use |When objective is to determine |When objective is to observe a |When objective is to see a |When objective is to determine |When objective is to find out |When objective is to find out | | |the growth and development of a |process in depth |general picture of people’s |the cause and effect |the type or quality of messages |the economic viability of | | |group, organization or | |awareness, knowledge, attitude |relationship of certain social |found in the mass media or |establishing a certain | | |institution | |and/or behavior towards a |phenomena under controlled |documents |infrastructure or institution | | | | |certain phenomenon |condition | | | |Source of data...
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...Examine the advantages of using structured interviews in sociological research (20 marks) There are different forms of interview, the main division being between structured and unstructured. Structured interviews result in quantitative data that can be turned into statistics, which sociologists can use to examine trends and patterns in behaviour. Positivists believe there is an objective social reality that can be scientifically studied. They favour structured interviews, because to study something scientifically, their research methods must be reliable and representative. Structured interviews are a standardised means of research; this is because they use the same set of questions for everyone. Often they use pre-set responses that respondents much choose their answer from, making collation of data much easier for the researcher. Interpretivists on the other hand, do not approve of structured interviews, they believe them to be fundamentally flawed because the respondent is not always free to answer in the way they wish. The data from structured interviews is directly comparable, due to the fact they use fixed questions and answers. They are also easily replicable and therefore useful in checking results of other interviews. If the questions and answers were different in each interview, like they are in unstructured and group interviews, the researcher could not compare responses over time in a longitudinal study. Structured interviews also have a very high response rate...
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...are some potential methods of researching violence against women? Specifically, what are ways in which violence against women could be studied using interpretative and critical frameworks? What would you change and why? What different types of information would you likely obtain using this research process? Methods of researching violence against women One of the potential methods of researching violence against women is through interviewing. The way an interview is conducted affects the likelihood of the respondents to report incidents that are distressing. One should consider the gender of the interviewer, special training in sensitive interviewing and privacy during the interview. The presence of a violent partner in the room where the woman is being interviewed reduces the reporting of the violence (Walby & Myhill, 2001). Dedicated surveys can also be used to research violence against women since they focus on the issue of violence against women and facilitate a further number of methodological adjustments, reduce the time spent on such questions and remove the potentially restrictive crime context. Face-to-face interviews, telephone, self-completion on a computer and using postal questionnaires can be used to conduct surveys (Walby & Myhill, 2001). Interpretive and critical frameworks Violence against women can be studied using the quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative method is from an interpretive framework. The qualitative method gathers information...
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...Market Research is a systematic, objective collection and analysis of data about a particular target market, competition, and/or environment. It always incorporates some form of data collection whether it be secondary research (often referred to as desk research) or primary research which is collected direct from a respondent. The purpose of any market research project is to achieve an increased understanding of the subject matter. With markets throughout the world becoming increasingly more competitive, market research is now on the agenda of many organisations, whether they be large or small. The Market Research Process To conduct market research, organisations may decide to undertake the project themselves (some through a marketing research department) or they might choose to commission it via a market research agency or consultancy. Whichever, before undertaking any research project, it is crucial to define the research objectives i.e. what are you trying to achieve from the research? and what do you need to know? After considering the objectives, Market Researchers can utilise many types of research techniques and methodologies to capture the data that they require. All of the available methodologies either collect quantitative or qualitative information. The use of each very much depends on the research objectives but many believe that results are most useful when the two methods are combined. Quantitative Research Quantitative research is numerically oriented...
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...Assess the advantages and limitations of unstructured interviews as a means of investigating victims of crime There are two different types of interviews, Structured interviews and unstructured. A structured interview consists of set questions that will be asked in each interview. Where as unstructured interviews consist of random questions. There are many issues when researching victims of crime. Interviewing a victim may cause many ethical and practical issues, Such as how information is taken. Some times information is recorded which can easily make someone feel uncomfortable which could lead to them withholding any information needed in the interview. This also means there is a lack of validity as it could cause interviewees to lie. It also lacks validity as interviews rely on the interviewee’s memory, which over time can be affected. Unstructured interviews could overcome some of these issues and it allows the interviewee to go into further detail. However results are made harder to analyse. As shown in item B there is a danger of victim blaming. Feminist groups argue that, in cases such as rape and sexual assault the criminal justice system and media often see female victims bringing the assault upon themselves by their behaviour. Ethical issues also occur in such cases as interviewing such a personal subject could bring harm and stress on the interviewee. Interviews lack representativeness. This is due to interviews being very time-consuming. For example trying to...
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...Introduction… Pg 3 Evaluation of Research as Quantitative… Pg 4 Evaluation of the Methodology… Pg 5 Explanation on how the researcher used this method… Pg 6 Comments on the contribution of the research… Pg 7 Conclusion… Pg 7 References… Pg 8 Introduction “Friction between Public Relations( PR) and advertising( marketing) comes from bad organizational alignment,” says Scott( Anonymous 66:3). This quote shows us there are many discrepancies between both fields. This quantitative study was conducted by Miss Margalit Toledano, from the “Management Communication Department” of The University of Waikato, New Zealand. By using questions compiled in the form of a survey, 39 New Zealand practitioners were tested. The research problem, questioned the influence of inter-profession challenges, by examining the differences between the PR and advertising industries (Toledano 230). This research problem is significant, because the results of the study showed that PR practitioners were not able to take advantage of the technology, such as social media, in an effort to leverage their professional status or improve their position within the company. This problem is made worse, through the reality that both PR and advertising are still looking for ways to benefit from social media, and both industries are still in the infancy stage of using social media. This research is important because “Social media promises...
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...Method The study is for a company that builds state of the art communication systems and its employee turnover problem. The method of narrative inquiry employed to investigate how Information Systems Professionals make decisions for voluntary turnover, and the factors which are taken into consideration was used. According to Bruner (1990), “the narrative approach to conducting research involves the documenting and analyzing of individuals stories about or personal accounts of a specific domain of discourse that are contextually rich and temporally bounded, relates to personal account of experiences that are vividly remembered and structured in a sequence with a beginning and an end.” The structure is provided through the adoption of McCraken’s (1988) long interview techniques and by employing the resume as a guide to emphasize the sequence of the story. “This approach is based on the premise that the narrative can be a powerful way to locate and understand their beliefs, concerns, values, experiences, and learning. This method implies qualitative research, which assists researchers in their attempt to understand people and their social and cultural context.” Research employing the narrative approach, (Vendelo, 1998) has suggested that the sequence of the story elements (Bruner, 1990) contribute to the appropriateness of the method. Moreover, Swap. Leonard, shields, and Abrams (2001) “suggests that relating stories of personal experience would be more memorable, be given...
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...Importance and Benefits of Conducting Research What is research method? Research method is defined as “the term method in the entire research process or project can be considered as tool or technique which help researcher obtain, collect and analyze data or different types of information” Saundra et al. (2003). Research methods are used by all students, teachers, and professionals in every aspect . There are several different methodsto use when conducting research in which data to be collected when doing research. The most effective methods used are by observation, interviews and questionnaires. According to Saunders et al. (2003), there are two types of observation and each of them is responsible for collecting different types of data. The first observation type is participant observation which is primarily employed to acquire qualitative data and focus much of effort on identifying the particular meaning behind each action and behavior. Compared with participant observation, the other types of observation is are structured observation which is quantitative-based and concentrates more on the frequency of each action and behavior. In this observation phase, however, the researcher was using structured observation in terms of data collection. Gill and Johnson (1997) mentioned that participant observation requires researcher to fully participate into the life and environment of their targeteding group and activities, not just simply to observe it but try to feel it. ...
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...[pic] Exploring qualitative research online The aim of this document is to provide students with some extra insight into qualitative research methods by guiding them to specific, useable, and comprehensible websites. It aims to provide a series of ‘snippets’ of information that should broaden and deepen students’ knowledge of this subject area. This document is designed primarily to extend students’ learning and should be completed in conjunction with other course material such as textbooks. Students should click on the links and answer the questions, expanding the boxes as they go. |Participant observation, grounded theory and action research | | | |Click on the Wikipedia entry for participant observation: | |http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participant_observation | | | |What is participant observation? ...
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...article that touched upon several points I addressed via the weeks’ discussion questions. Much of the article was regarding methods of collecting data using modern technology. The author’s suggestion was to use the newer methods “in conjunction with tried-and-true research methods” (Thomas, 2013). The reasoning is, “they just might help us identify fresh solutions to a range of marketing problems” (Thomas, 2013). Some of the technologies discussed within the article include video cameras, GPS, and near-field communication (NFC). According to the article, video cameras are a good way, for respondents to a survey, to record videos of different settings and events and submit them as part of their answers to the surveys. The article continues to suggest GPS can be used to plot “traffic patterns through shopping centers, neighborhoods and cities” (Thomas, 2013). The suggestion is also made that “surveys can be triggered at particular geographic points” using GPS (Thomas, 2013). A new concept introduced to me through this article is that of NFC. NFC is a system that permits radio communication between smartphones and other devices by bringing the devices together. A system currently in place that uses this technology is Google Wallet. Google Wallet is a method of replacing traditional credit cards. The author of the article explains that qualitative research benefits much from wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets. “Participants in qualitative projects can respond on the...
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...Personality Factors It is said that people can be placed within 3 different groups, depending on what their characteristics are. One group is Type A, these people are hostile, impatient and competitive, Type B, who are laid back and easy going and then Hardy personality. Friedman and Rosenman (1974) investigated the links between type A behaviour patterns and coronary heart disease. Using 3200 Californian man, categorised as either Type A, Type B or Type X (a combination). They found that that out of the 257 men who had developed CHD 70% were Type A, twice the amount of type B. Showing that Type A behaviours increase vulnerability to heart disease. There are many problems with the study, such as, it’s androcentric, as the study is only performed on men Also it is a longitudinal study, so participants may drop out throughout the study, making the results unreliable. Another problem, is that’s structured interviews were performed to find out if the man was either type A or type B, structured interviews could result in interviewer effect, social desirability bias and demand characteristics, which can all make the results unreliable. Also a study to go against Friedman and Rosenman is Ragland and Brand (1988), who found that in the study they performed, 15% died, and there was no relationship between type A and dying. Regarding, the Hardy personality, Kobasa and Maddi (1977) put forward that not everyone could fit into either Type A or Type B. They believed that some people...
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...Examine the reasons why some sociologists choose to use structured interviews when conducting their research (20 marks) Many sociologists choose to use structured interviews when they are conducting their research, because by having a structured interview there are a set of prepared questions that are close-ended and already have pre-coded answers. One reason why researchers choose to use structured interviews is because they are cheap, quick and easy to do. This is because by going out and actually trying to interview the public it is quicker to get a response from the participants and also its quicker to find out whether or not someone is willing to take the time and answer the participants questions. It is also cheaper as you don’t need to spend a lot of time to get resources together in order to conduct this researcher as you can just go out into a town and stop people to ask whether or not they have some spare time to answer some questions. This also makes it easier for the researcher as they just need to have questions ready in order to be able to ask participants what they want to know. Also by using structured interviews researchers are able to get large numbers of people in order to get a higher response rate as they are able to interview more people. By having large numbers of people to interview researchers will be getting representative data, this means that the answers which the researchers get will be generalizable. However by having a higher response rate...
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...Examine the advantages for sociologists in using unstructured interviews in their research (20 marks) An unstructured interview has no format and the questions are not prearranged. The interviewer chooses the questions depending on the interviewee and the situation. There are many advantages for sociologists in using unstructured interviews in their research, and one of the main advantages is the work of William Labov. Labov found that to build a good relationship with the interviewee you need more of an informal style approach. Labov also found that when using a formal interview the black American children appeared to be tongue-tied and linguistically deprived, which shows that these black American children must have felt under pressure when they had been given these questions. When Labov implemented more of an informal style, he saw a change; he was receiving completely different responses to how they were with the formal interview. The children opened up and spoke freely, showing that they were capable of speaking out. This is an advantage for sociologists as it puts the interviewee at ease, this will make the interviewee feel more comfortable, so they may express their feelings more and open up which will enable the sociologists to gain more effective research. Furthermore, another advantage is that it’s the interviewees view, there are not set questions so it gives the interviewee an opportunity to express what he thinks that’s relevant to say. This is an advantage...
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...Group B.3 Data Gathering Methods Questionnaires Term Paper For the Block Seminar Lectures of Business Research Methods in the Study Program ´International Business´ of the ESB Business School Reutlingen University Jannik Mahr Student enrolment number: 732036 Semester: IB3 Email address: jannik.mahr@student-reutlingen.university.de Phone number: +49 173 5138366 Ismail Hossain Student enrolment number: 732031 Semester: IB3 Email address: ismail.hossain@student-reutlingen.university.de Phone number: 0176 30602548 Date: 05.10.2014 Supervision: Prof. Dr. Anna Göddeke Reutlingen, 05.10.2014 Introduction The questionnaire is most frequently a very brief, preplanned set of questions designed to output specific information to meet a special need for research information about a relevant topic. The research information is obtained from respondents usually from a related interest field. Questionnaires are often used in conducting quantitative research, where the novice researcher wants to profile the sample in terms of numbers or to be able to count the frequency of occurrence of opinions, attitudes, experiences, processes, behaviors, or predictions. Finally we can say that, questionnaire is a set of questions for gathering information from Individuals. Its can administer questionnaires by mail, telephone, taking face-to-face interviews, as handouts or electronically (i.e.by email or through Web-based questionnaires). The process by which the researcher...
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...Market research and the information gathered are important to Britvic to establish the products that are most likely to be successful in the market place. The research can also be used to identify the need for new product development corresponding to the change of trend in demand for customers. In the case study we can see that Britvic created Tango clear, to launch this product Britvic would have carried out market research to establish the target consumer, the price to sell at, the packaging, where to sell it and which flavors would be most appealing. This would all affect the decision to introduce the new product to the market place. The main reason for any business to carry out market research is to determine if there will be a demand for your product or service. Market research can either be primary or secondary. Primary research is new research carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups. Secondary research or desk research makes use of research previously collected for other purposes and is publically available. This includes published research reports, surveys or the Internet. To obtain and analyze this information, a business can use two techniques: Qualitative research, quantitative research or a mixture of both. Qualitative research is based on opinions, attitudes, beliefs and intentions. Qualitative research aims to understand why customers behave in a certain way or how...
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