SUPERIOR UNIVERSITY
Module:
Business Research Method (BRM)
Individual Assignment:
Comparison of quality, quantity and Mix
Research
Course instructor:
Miss Tehmina Akbar
Submitted by:
(11321)
Program:
M.com – A (2)
INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH:
Good research reflects a sincere desire to determine what is overall true, based on
available information; Good research requires judgment (or discernment) and honesty. Where as
bad research that starts with a conclusion and only presents supporting factoids (individual facts
taken out of context). Bad research often contains jumps in logic, false arguments, and nonsequiturs (“it does not follow”). Bad research often uses accurate data, but manipulates and
misrepresents the information to support a particular conclusion.
TYPES OF RESEARCH
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:
Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people's attitudes, behaviors’, value systems,
concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles. It’s used to inform business decisions,
policy formation, communication and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, content
analysis.1
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH:
By DJS Research Ltd
Quantitative research is used to measure how many people feel, think or act in a particular way.
These surveys tend to include large samples - anything from 50 to any number of interviews.
Structured questionnaires are usually used incorporating mainly closed questions - questions with
set responses. There are various vehicles used for collecting quantitative information but the most
common are on-street or telephone interviews.2
MIX RESEARCH:
Mixed research (also commonly called mixed methods research) is research in which the
researcher uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches in a single research
study. Recent meta-analyses about mixed method studies (cf. BRYMAN 2005) have shown that
qualitative and quantitative methods are often combined in ways which lead to unrelated research
results. Although it has often been emphasised that qualitative and quantitative methods should be
combined to use their „complementary strengths and non-overlapping weaknesses.3
1
http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=64
3
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=963&bih=544&q=mixed+qualitative+and+quantitative+rese
arch&aq=9c&aqi=g-c10&aql=&oq=MIXresearch
2
COMPARISON OF QAULITY, QUANTITY AND MIX RESEARCH
S.
no
CRITERIA
QUALITY RESEARCH
PURPOSE
To understand & interpret
social interactions.
To understand &
interpret social
interactions. To test
hypotheses, look at
cause & effect,
& make predictions.
Explanatory
Descriptive or causal
Hybrids which
have elements of
both research
traditions
Usually a small number of
non-representative cases.
Respondents selected to
fulfil a given quota.
Usually a large number
of cases representing
the population of
interest. Randomly
selected respondents.
Quantitative pilot
studies can help to
guide the selection
of cases in
qualitative (smallN) studies,
Structured techniques
such as online
questionnaires, onstreet or telephone
interviews
Use different
methods of data
collection and
analysis within a
single research
paradigm4.
Ethnographies5
may help to
understand
previously
incomprehensible
1
2
TYPE OF
RESEARCH
3
SAMPLE
QUANTITY
RESEARCH
.
4
DATA
COLLECTION
5
DATA ANALYSIS
Unstructured or semistructured techniques e.g.
individual depth
interviews or group
discussions.
Non-statistical
4
Statistical data is
usually in the form of
tabulations (tabs).
Findings are conclusive
and usually descriptive
MIX RESEARCH
To increase the
quality of final
results and to
provide a more
comprehensive
understanding of
analyzed
phenomena.
A term used to refer to a set or cluster of commonly-held beliefs or values within the research or scientific
community about a field of study.
5
Ethnography: a form of qualitative research focused on describing the culture of a group of people.
6
ADMINISTRATION
7
HARDWARE
8
TRAINING OF THE
RESEARCHERS
9
OUTCOMES
6
7
in nature.
statistical
correlations.
Requires interviewer with
special skills
Fewer special skills
required
Tape recorders, projection
devices, videos, pictures,
discussion guides
Questionnaires,
computers,
printouts
Psychology, sociology,
social psychology,
consumer behavior,
marketing, marketing
research
Statistics, decision
models, decision
support systems,
Computer
programming,
marketing, marketing
research
Requires variety of
skills
Philosophically,
mixed research
takes an eclectic,
pragmatic6, and
commonsense
approach
Researcher should
mix methods or
procedures in a
way that the
resulting mixture
or combination has
complementary
strengths and non
overlapping
weaknesses.
Results from
qualitative
interviews can help
to identify
unobserved
heterogeneity7 in
quantitative data as
well previously
unknown
explaining
variables and
misspecified
models.
Exploratory and/or
investigative. Findings are
not conclusive and cannot
be used to make
generalizations about the
Used to recommend a
final course of action.
Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.
Fundamental characteristic of services which results in variation from one service to another, or variation
in the same service from day-to-day or from customer-to-customer. Heterogeneity makes it hard for a firm
to standardize the quality of its services. Opposite of homogeneity.
FINAL REPORT
10
Narrative report with
contextual
description & direct
quotations from
research participants.
Statistical report with
correlations,
comparisons of means, &
statistical significance of
findings.
8
8
http://www.snapsurveys.com/techadvqualquant.shtml
Mixed research
uses both deductive
and inductive
methods, obtains
both quantitative
and qualitative
data, attempts to
corroborate and
complement
findings, and takes
a balanced
approach to
research.