1. What is research? What are the keywords of research? Explain the criteria
for good research.
Lecture 1: Definition (slide + book) 3 keyword trong slide. Explanation a little bit.
research là systematic, phải hoàn thành hết bước để hoàn thành mỗi criteria nên có
giải thích ngắn
● What is research?
A process of determining, acquiring, analyzing, synthesizing, and disseminating
relevant business data, information and insights to decision makers in ways that
mobilize the organization to take appropriate business actions that, in turn, maximize
business performance.
● What are the keywords of research?
Researcher vs Observer
Researcher vs Writer
Researcher vs Inventor
Keywords: determining, acquiring, analyzing, synthesizing, disseminating, data,
information, insights, action, maximize business performance.
● Explain the criteria for good research:
Criteria for good research:
- Clearly defined purpose
- Detailed research process
- Thoroughly planned design
- High ethical standards
- Limitations addressed
- Adequate analysis
- Unambiguous presentation
- Conclusions justified
- Credentials
A good research has to satisfy these following criteria:
1. Good research is systematic: It means that research is structured with specified
steps to be taken in a specified sequence in accordance with the well-defined set of
rules. Systematic characteristic of the research does not rule out creative thinking but
it certainly does reject the use of guessing and intuition in arriving at conclusions.
2. Good research is logical: This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical
reasoning and the logical process of induction and deduction are of great value in
carrying out research. In fact, logical reasoning makes research more meaningful in
the context of decision making.
3. Good research is empirical: It implies that research is related basically to one or
more aspects of a real situation and deals with concrete data that provides a basis for
external validity to research results.
2. Explain the differences between applied research (practical research) and
basic research (academic research). Please provide examples of research
questions for each of them.
Example có sự khác biệt rõ ràng practical research question( tên công ty, đơn vị), đặt
câu hỏi cho academic research
Lecture 1: definition of 2 types of research, keyword (literature review and conclusion)
● Applied Research (Practical Research) is designed to apply its findings to
solving a specific, existing problem. Applied research is a type of examination
looking to find practical solutions for existing problems. These can include
challenges in the workplace, education and society. This research type uses
empirical methodologies, such as experiments, to collect further data in an area
of study. Findings are applicable and usually implemented upon completion of
a study. Applied research focuses on answering one specific question for a
client or sponsor. It's a type of research method for applying natural sciences
to real life to improve the human condition.
- For example: Will birth-control help reduce the burden on the national
economy in the upcoming period?
- A study to find what marketing strategies to use on college campuses
● Basic Research (Academic Research) is designed to make a contribution to
general knowledge and theoretical understanding, rather than solve a specific
problem. Basic research, or fundamental research, is a type of investigation
focused on improving the understanding of a particular phenomenon, study or
law of nature. This type of research examines data to find the unknown and
fulfill a sense of curiosity. Usually, these involve "how," "what" and "why"
questions to explain occurrences. Basic research looks at how processes or
concepts work. Information obtained from basic research often creates a
foundation for applied studies.
- For example: How can the ecological scientist forecast an environmental
phenomenon?
- A study assessing whether stress levels make people more aggressive
- A study looking to see if gender stereotypes lead to depression
- A study searching for the causative factors of cancer
3. Describe the exploratory research and descriptive research. Based on your
research topic, describe which research problems should be examined by an
exploratory research.
Parity and Disparity đặt câu hỏi nghiên cứu, hiện tượng mới
● Exploratory research – used to gain an initial understanding where there is little
or no existing knowledge (rarely provides conclusive answers but offers
guidance for future research)
- Approaches for exploratory investigations:
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Desired outcomes of exploratory studies:
+ Establish range and scope of possible management decisions
+ Establish major dimensions of research task
+ Define a set of subsidiary questions that can guide research design
+ Develop hypothesis about possible causes of management dilemma
+ Learn which hypothesis can be safely ignored
+ Conclude additional research is not needed or not feasible
Commonly used exploratory techniques:
+ Secondary data analysis
+ Experience surveys
+ Focus groups
For example: What is the value of social media in organizations? Does it add
value to marketing or customer service? How does it increase organizational
productivity?
● Descriptive research – used to describe phenomena as they exist. Identify and
obtain information on characteristics of the problem/issue. High degree of
objectivity and neutrality of the researchers is also an advantage of descriptive
research.
- Descriptive research will conduct answers for those questions like who, what,
where, when and how much?
- The desired outcomes of descriptive studies
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+ Descriptions of population characteristics
+ Estimates of frequency of characteristics
+ Discovery of associations among variables
For example: How often should the social media used for marketing be
evaluated for performance and upgraded or replaced?
4. Briefly describe the steps in a research process.
Paradism (2 diagram functionalistic, từng stage and what to do in that stage)
Nhớ vẽ cái diagram trước rồi explain
Functionalistic Research Process:
Step 1: Clarifying Research Question
- In order to refine the research question, we have to discover and define the
management dilemma, management question and then define the research
question.
- Management research question hierarchy process begins by identifying the
management dilemma.
Then, define the purpose of the research => Reduce the level of risk of a business
decision. Additionally, Identify which type of research that the researcher wants to
conduct (Exploratory, Descriptive and explanatory/analytical)
● Research Objective and Questions:
Research Objective: To examine which factor(s) of Word-of-mouth have an effect on
organizational attractiveness.
Research Questions: Which are the factor(s) of Word-of-mouth that affect
organizational attractiveness?
- Break down the list of questions
- Set scope of study
- Evaluate the hypothesis
- Determine necessary evidence
- Examine variables
● Writing the research introduction:
Step 2: Conduct the literature review:
Literature review is undertaken in research not only to develop ones own expertise or
scholarships on the topic or phenomenon, but also to highlight gaps in the knowledge
base in the area or on the topic, and moreover to create a theoretical framework for
the research project.
● Literature Review is required to develop a Research Problem, theoretical
background, concept definitions, model development, methodology etc.
Step 3: Proposing research:
The research proposal includes these criteria:
- Methods
- Extent
- Timing
- Delivery
- Budgets
- Obligations
- Legally-binding contract
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Propose
Step 4: Designing the research:
The research design strategy includes these factors (Type, purpose, time frame,
scope, environment)
In order to execute the research design, it required researchers to conduct data
collection design and sampling design. After all, from these 2 steps, conclude with the
instrument development & Pilot testing.
Step 5: Data Collection
There are some data collection methods that researchers can apply into their
research: Observation, Interview, Questionnaire, Database.
Step 6: Data Analysis and Interpretation:
- Reduce data to manageable size
- Develop summaries
- Look for patterns
- Apply statistical techniques
Step 7: Reporting the results:
The last step is also important, after having the research reporting, researchers can
conclude and conduct the management decisions.
5. What are the differences between quantitative and qualitative research?
Numeric and Non-numeric (should contain example) test mô hình, interview để phát
hiện nghiên cứu vấn đề thì là qualitative.
Qualitative Research methods include gathering and interpreting non-numerical
data. The following are some sources techniques of qualitative data:1
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Group Interviews
Focus groups
Interviews
Case study
Grounded theory
Action research
Ethnography
Observation
In the course of a qualitative study, the researcher may conduct interviews or focus
groups to collect data that is not available in existing documents or records. To allow
freedom for varied or unexpected answers, interviews and focus groups may be
unstructured or semi-structured.
An unstructured or semi-structured format allows the researcher to pose open-ended
questions and follow where the responses lead. The responses provide a
comprehensive perspective on each individual’s experiences, which are then
compared with those of other participants in the study.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative studies, in contrast, require different data collection methods. These
methods include compiling numerical data to test causal relationships among
variables. Some forms of data collection for this type of study include:1
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Experiments
Questionnaires
Surveys
Database reports
The above collection methods yield data that lends itself to numerical analysis.
Questionnaires in this case have a multiple-choice format to generate countable
answers, like yes or no, which can be turned into quantifiable data.
6. What are the differences between positivism and interpretivism? What are the
research methodologies associated with positivism?
Research Paradigm bắt nguồn từ nhận thức, dựa trên 3 level để explain
Starting with the Research Paradigm, which is a way of examining social phenomena
from which particular understandings or consciousness of this phenomena can be
gained and explanations attempted.
According to three levels of paradigm: Ontology (the nature of reality), Epistemology
(what constitutes valid knowledge) and Methodology (process of doing research), we
can execute the differences between positivism and interpretivism.
The research methodologies associated with positivism:
- Experimental studies
- Surveys
- Cross sectional studies
- Longitudinal studies
Methodological assumption concerned with the process of research
◦ Positivism: A deductive process; the study of cause and effect with a static design
(categories isolated before study); research is context free; generalizations lead to
prediction, explanation and understanding; results are accurate and reliable through
validity and reliability
7. Explain the difference between research methodology and research method.
● Research Methodology: là khung phương pháp, combination của nhiều
activities. Methodology is more about your attitude to and understanding of
research and the strategy the researchers choose to answer research
questions. The understanding is also known as the combination of lots of
activities
● Research Method: cụ thể, bước phân tích dữ liệu trong data analysis, usually
refers to specific activities designed to generate data in the data analysis. For
example: Questionnaire, interviews, focus groups and observation.
For example: With particular case study or also called methodology, research can
conduct the research with many methods to collect data.
8. What are the four types of data? What are their characteristics? Provide an
example for each type of data.
Four types of data and the specific characteristics:
● Observation
● Interview
● Survey
● Database
Four types of data: observation, interview, survey, database
primary or secondary data, quali or quanti
Different types of data fall into 4 categories: interval variables (also called
quantifiable), ordinal variables, nominal variables and dichotomous variables
(these last three types are also called categorical).
a/ Interval variables:
8. What are the four types of data? What are their characteristics? Provide
an example for each type of data.
The highest form of measurement and the easiest to manipulate and analyze. There
is a fixed space (interval) between each variable and this is a consistent space. For
example if we ask for someone’s weight in Kg, we are dealing with an interval variable
as the answers will be expressed in a fixed scale: the difference between 70 Kg and
80 Kg is the same interval as that between 80 Kg and 90 Kg and so on. We could also
include answers involving age, income, number of staff, revenue etc. There is an even
more precise form of this variable which is sometimes called a ratio variable.
b/ Ordinal variables
These can be rank ordered (as can interval variables: 1Kg, 2Kg, 3Kg etc) but the space
between the variables is not equal across the range. For example, suppose we didn’t
ask for an exact weight but for which group of weights a person belonged to such as
50-60Kg, 60-70 Kg, 70-80Kg, 80-90Kg, over 90Kg. This last category changes the
entire set into ordinal rather than interval variables, and this will constrain what can be
done with the data, although it is still useful. So why put such potential interval data
into groups in a survey? There are good reasons.
c/ Nominal variables
These variables can not be rank ordered at all. An example would be to offer
alternative answers in a multiple choice question such as “hot” “spicy” “sweet” “salty”.
d/ Dichotomous variables (categorical data)
As the name implies these are answers which can only fall into one of two categories.
The usual kind is a yes/no answer or a male/female gender. It is usually best to treat
these variables as a special kind of nominal variable.
9. What information should be included in the reference list and the in-text
citation, according to popular reference style (APA or Harvard)?
The Harvard referencing style is another popular style using the author-date system
for in-text citations.
- In-text citation:
It consists mainly of the authors' last name and the year of publication (and page
numbers if it is directly quoted) in round brackets placed within the text. If there is no
discernable author, the title and date are used.
- Reference list:
The reference list should be ordered alphabetically by the last name of the first author
of each work. References with no author are ordered alphabetically by the first
significant word of the title.
Use only the initials of the authors' given names. No full stop and space between the
initials. Last name comes first.
10. Explain the criteria for a good literature review. (đầy đủ các thành phần) câu này đang chưa đủ
- A good literature review must be current and up to date.
- A good literature review must use clear language which can be easier for the
one who read to understand it clearly.
- You must have a critical comparison of different approaches which point out
any methodological flaws or gaps in research.
- You should be closely related to and well focused on the topic which you write
and show the research problem of your topic.
11. Explain the difference between cross-sectional research and longitudinal
research.
Cross-sectional and longitudinal study both are types of observational study, where
the participants are observed in their natural environment. There are no alterations or
changes in the environment in which the participants exist.
Longitudinal studies are often confused with cross-sectional studies. Unlike
longitudinal studies, where the variables of the research can change during a study, a
cross-sectional study observes a single instance with all variables remaining the same
throughout the study. A longitudinal study may follow up on the findings of a crosssectional study to investigate the relationship between the variables more thoroughly.
The difference between these studies is the timeline and variable. In a cross-sectional
study, researchers observe the same constant variable, and the study is carried out
only once. In a longitudinal study, a researcher observes different variables over time
and collects data based on those studies.
12. What is a semi-structured interview?
A semi-structured interview is a data collection method that relies on asking questions
within a predetermined thematic framework. However, the questions are not set in
order or in phrasing. It will be based on the question guide, the contents of which will
always be asked of respondents. However, since this is not fully structured, the
interviewee is allowed to go where they want with the questions and to divert to other
things which interest them. The focus of qualitative is the interviewee, not the
interviewer.
In research, semi-structured interviews are often qualitative in nature. They are
generally used as an exploratory tool in marketing, social science, survey
methodology, and other research fields.
They are also common in field research with many interviewers, giving everyone the
same theoretical framework, but allowing them to investigate different facets of the
research question.
13. Describe and provide examples of four types of scales. - chưa xon
1. Nominal: Nominal scale of measurement is used to classify the variables, the
variables that define categories and names, etc which cannot be ranked. In this
measurement, the numbers in the variable are used only to classify the data.
Words, letters, and alpha-numeric symbols can be used in this measurement
scale. This scale of measurement just satisfies the identity property of
measurement. Nominal scales could simply be called labels.
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Example: Gender of a person can be the example of this type of measurement
scale as person can be either male or female.Religion can be example for this
measurement scale like hindu,muslim,christian. In an organization, an
employee can be classified as developer, tester, manager, hr, etc
2. Ordinal: Ordinal measurement scale is basically an ordered relationship among
the variables. Ordinal scales are measures of non-numeric concepts like
satisfaction, happiness, etc. The ordinal scale of measurement includes the
variables that have the property of rank or order.
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Example:
3. Interval: Interval scales are numeric scales in which we can know the order and
also the exact differences between the values.Interval scale of measurement
includes categories in which the distances or intervals between the categories
are to be compared.
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Example: Temperature in celsius (the difference between 20 and 30 degrees is
10 degrees, as is the difference between 40 and 50 degrees)
4. Ratio: Ratio scale of measurement is almost the same as interval-scale
variable. Ratio-scale variable also includes a value of zero as well in it.Ratio
scale gives us the order, gives us the exact value between units and also has
value of zero.
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Example:
14. Define validity and reliability in research. Provide examples of validity and
reliability in survey and/or interview research. - chưa xong
Validity: The extent to which the measures avoid both systematic and random errors
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Characteristic: Truthfulness
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Ex: Quantitative researchers apply acknowledging biases in sampling and
ongoing critical reflection of methods to ensure sufficient depth and relevance of data
collection and analysis
Reliability: the extent to which the measurement avoids random error
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Characteristics: Consistency, stability, accuracy
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Ex: Reliability in qualitative research refers to the stability of responses to
multiple coders of data sets
15. Provide examples of probability and nonprobability sampling.
Probability sampling – In systematic sampling, you choose every nth person from a
listed population. For example, for researching. Ex:
- Perfume usage among females in college, you will sample a small population
of females from the colleges across country or town containing every age
group, then you will choose every 3rd person from the list.
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An organization has 500,000 employees sitting at different geographic
locations. The organization wishes to make certain amendments in its human
resource policy, but before they roll out the change, they want to know if the
employees will be happy with the change or not. However, reaching out to all
500,000 employees is a tedious task. This is where probability sampling comes
in handy. A sample from the larger population i.e., from 500,000 employees, is
chosen. This sample will represent the population. Deploy a survey now to the
sample. From the responses received, management will now be able to know
whether employees in that organization are happy or not about the amendment.
Non-Probability sampling – In convenience sampling, you choose from the most
convenient population, like, from a nearby church, mall, or school, etc. Ex:
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For researching on shopping habits, you will sample a small population of
people from a nearby mall because it is closer to where you live.
Researchers also use non-probability sampling to conduct research involving a
particular illness in patients or a rare disease. Researchers can seek help from
subjects to refer to other subjects suffering from the same ailment to form a
subjective sample to carry out the study.
16. What is sampling in qualitative and quantitative research? How are they
different?
In quantitative research you attempt to select a sample in such a way that it is unbiased
and represents the population from where it is selected.
However, in qualitative research you do not have a predetermined sample size but
during the data collection phase you wait to reach a point of data saturation.
Qualitative research:
Purposive sampling is known as judgment sampling, involves the researcher using
their expertise to select a sample that is most useful to the purposes of the research.
The researcher wants to gain detailed knowledge about a specific phenomenon rather
than make statistical inferences, or where the population is very small and specific. An
effective purposive sample must have clear criteria and rationale for inclusion.
Quantitative research:
Probability sampling means that every member of the population has a chance of
being selected. It is mainly used in quantitative research. If you want to produce results
that are representative of the whole population, probability sampling techniques are
the most valid choice.
There are four main types of probability samples:
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Simple random sampling
Systematic sampling
Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling