Trustworthiness,
Quantitative Research
Design
Judging Quality

Reliability
– Replication

Validity
– Internal Validity
• Robustness of data
– External validity
• Ability to generalize

Objectivity
– Unbiased instrument and interpretation
Ensuring Quality

Objectivity
– Researcher Reflexivity
• Indifference vs. Integrity
Ensuring Quality-- Trustworthiness






Prolonged Engagement
Thick description
Persistent observation
Referential Adequacy
Triangulation
Negative Case Analysis
Ensuring Quality-- Trustworthiness
Reflexive Journal
 Purposive sampling
 Audit Trails
 Peer Debriefing
 Member Checking

Ensuring Quality: Transferability

Generalizing what?
– Limitations of survey research.
Trustworthiness critical
 Similarity of setting

– sender vs. receiver
– Framework
Exploratory & Conclusive Research Differences
Exploratory
Conclusive
Objective:
To provide insights and
understanding
To test specific hypotheses and
examine relationships
Characteristics:
Information needed is defined Information needed is clearly
only loosely. Research process is defined. Research process is
flexible and unstructured.
formal and structured. Sample is
Sample is small and nonlarge and representative. Data
representative. Analysis of
analysis is quantitative
primary data is qualitative
Findings/
Results:
Tentative
Conclusive
Outcome:
Generally followed by further
exploratory or conclusive
research
Findings used as input into
decision making
Methods of Quantitative
Research

Secondary data analysis
 Surveys
 Panels
– Structured approach
MR Problem

Levers have designed a new bag for
Taj Mahal Tea Bags. They would like to
determine its impact on consumer
preferences.
Cross-sectional Designs



Involve the collection of information from any given
sample of population elements only once.
In single cross-sectional designs, there is only one
sample of respondents and information is obtained
from this sample only once.
In multiple cross-sectional designs, there are two
or more samples of respondents, and information
from each sample is obtained only once. Often,
information from different samples is obtained at
different times.
Longitudinal Designs
A fixed sample (or samples) of
population elements is measured
repeatedly on the same variables
 A longitudinal design differs from a
cross-sectional design in that the
sample or samples remain the same
over time

Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal
CrossSectional
Design
Longitudinal
Design
Time
Sample
Surveyed
at T1
Sample
Surveyed
at T1
T1
Same
Sample
also
Surveyed
at T2
T2
Cross-Sectional Data May Not
Show Change
Brand Purchased
Time Period
Period 1
Survey
Brand A
Brand B
Brand C
Total
200
300
500
1000
Period 2
Survey
200
300
500
1000
Longitudinal Data May Show
Substantial Change
Brand
Purchased
in Period 1
Brand A
Brand B
Brand C
Total
Brand Purchased in Period 2
Brand A
Brand B
Brand C
Total
100
25
75
200
50
100
150
300
50
175
275
500
200
300
500
1000