Choosing Research Methods - Literature review Example

RESEARCH METHODS 15 February Each science is based on the facts that can be received with the help of relevant and complete streams of information. All spheres of human life, including economical, political, technological, educational and social aspects, never stop progressing. However, to receive valid results and make germane conclusions, researchers require using specific research methods that can be characterized with a great abundance (McNeill & Chapman 2005). It is fair to state that each research approach has its pros and cons that is why for every research problem, the choice of the best methods should be made with special seriousness otherwise incorrect and irrelevant research techniques may bring the study to invalid and erroneous findings (Freeman, Robinson & Woodley 2004). In its widest meaning, the word “method” can be interpreted as a way to something and represents more an artificial than existed in nature the system of rules and operations (Kothari 2006). Basically, research methods are implemented to gather the full data base with the help of which a researcher is able to make appropriate conclusions and elaborate further recommendations on how to benefit from favorable consequences or eliminate the negative influence. According to Walliman (2011, p. 7), research methods are all “about advancing the frontiers of knowledge”. The usage of various research methods for one study increases the accuracy of the findings and helps to view the problem from the different aspects. The bright example of research combination is the study of Luthans and Sommer, who based their results on both qualitative and quantitative methods. The article emphasizes how seriously the market conditions have been changed compared to previous periods of production relationships. Hence, the favorable results of each company’s performance are influenced by management’s policy aimed at the improvement of product characteristics, raise of product quality, decrease of total costs, increase of productivity and superiority over competitors (Luthans & Sommer 2005). It is important to persuade the target consumers that offered brand is better than the rest of analogues and it is considered that such scheme can be achieved only with the help of strong knowledge base of the company’s personnel, effective training programs, professional skills of senior managers and attractive motivational factors. The study provides extensive demonstration on how relevant management of human resources correlates with company’s financial results. The main purpose of the mentioned research is to represent proofs regarding the significant impact of the efficacious system of human resource management on the favorable performance of an organization. The further objective of the study is to explain how exactly High Performance Work Practices (HPWP) are attached to the rural electric utility industry. The authors state that today’s human resource management is not limited only with the process of hiring and firing employees but it is a carefully thought over plan that focuses on the high productivity of every worker and collective in general and defines the effectiveness of company’s performance. As a strong instrument of persuasion, the authors provide numerous statistical examples showing tendencies that have apposite grounds to believe in the validity of the study’s statement. Hence, according to Fey, Bjorkman and Pavlovskaya (2000), the study of more than hundred companies operating in Russia found that there was a great connection between the human resource policies and indicators of firm’s performance. A lot of the authors have managed to find positive connection between such factors as employee’s job satisfaction, job training, good working conditions, motivation and final results of firm’s activity. Numerous companies of different branches, including banking and manufacturing industries, have been studied, but the main similarity of these researches is the analyses of for-profit organizations, therefore the need to study non-profits has arisen. The stimulus to check the theory on practice of unstudied fields has become the main objective of the current study. It is considered that non-profit organizations have more paternalistic pattern than firms that work for profit. This can be seen in their everlasting focus on health, safety and welfare of the staff. The regnant advantage of the current research is the fact that the choice of mentioned industry is able to decrease the influence of environmental and technological factors because the chosen branch is strictly homogenous (Luthans & Sommer 2005). Due to the transformation of the market relationships happened in the end of the twentieth century and elimination of barriers to competition, in the study, it is easy to skip the variables that are relevant to the company’s performance therefore during their research, Luthans and Sommer have been especially specific and careful while gathering information and conducting an analyses. Claiming that rural electric distribution utilities are highly influenced by the levels of HPWP, the authors use several research methods to prove their right. The article represents analytical research, which explains how or why the tendencies take place (Neville 2007). Pragmatic approach to research that mixes both quantitative and qualitative methods has been used. Such instrument is appropriate for the study’s objectives because of the wide spectrum of stated problem that is most effectively can be analyzed with versified research methods. The first method that has been implemented for the mentioned research is called Sample and Procedure. The main advantage of it is the use of stratified random sampling that allows including relevant organizations according to size and location (Luthans & Sommer 2005). About 62 per cent of the surveys have been returned to be analyzed. There were two sources of data collection. Firstly, on-site employees, mostly representatives of senior and middle management who were familiar with terminology of the questions, filled out the surveys and returned them to researchers. Secondly, the documentation from archives has been analyzed to find out the results of the company’s performance. Such research method is very convenient because it helps gather information from a big number of people. It is relatively cheap approach covering a large scale of respondents and requiring not very significant finances. The answers in the surveys are considered to be honest because this method guarantees confidentiality and anonymity therefore people are not afraid to be frank. The survey approach eliminates the possibility of evaluator bias because all respondents have to answer the same questions (Jacobson 2010). In addition, the form of surveys makes it easy to calculate and evaluate the results. However, this method also has its disadvantages. For example, there is always a high rate of unreturned surveys. Sometimes the answers may be misinterpreted and there is no possibility to get further details from the person because all surveys are anonymous. In addition, questions in the survey should be formulated properly which is not always easy to provide therefore people may understand their meaning in a different way, which is able to add erroneous findings. Documentation review is an open and inexpensive method that allows studying background information. However, this method requires a lot of time since information can be disorganized, incomplete or out of date (Jackson 2008). To create a list of concrete human resource activities within each category, the authors have used literature review method, which is very helpful for a researcher with limited experience for getting “critical examination and comparison to have better understanding” (Panneerselvam 2004, p. 6). The biggest weakness of this method is that it requires a researcher to have a high level of skills in choosing, analyzing and summarizing the most appropriate sources (Morelli 2005). Furthermore, the authors used focus group and on-site visits with several experts to discuss the questionnaire. These methods are easy to arrange. They provide quick responses and it is possible to get some additional information, like quotes, personal experiences or stories, which is hard to retrieve with other approaches. Focus group provides “the opportunity to study the ways in which individuals collectively make sense of a phenomenon and construct meanings around it” (Bryman & Bell 2007, p. 512). Hence, it is possible to get general opinion instead of focusing on individual point of view. Although, the negative aspect of this method is the fact that during the discussion some respondents may dominate while others may stay left out. According to Pratt and Loizos (2003, p. 55), “a group interview is less likely to be successful where the members of the group are not reasonable homogeneous”. Data analysis of such method is usually time-consuming and not representative of other groups. For summarizing the findings, the methods of descriptive statistics and regression analysis have been implemented. These techniques are considered to be very effective and accurate but only in case researchers have deep knowledge and skills in this area of analysis (McBurney & White 2010). The results of the study prove the validity of authors’ hypothesis and confirm that indeed in case there is a higher level of human resources management, rural electric distribution utilities will have significantly better performance. Therefore, there is a direct connection between human resource activities and a company’s production results. The findings of the research are reliable and conclusions made by the authors are likely to be valid because only those dependent measures that are directly influenced by a company’s performance have been used for the current study. This helped elude measurement limitations. However, according to the authors, it is important to identify the best human resource programs that will bring the company to the highest results. Consequently, with the study of Luthans and Sommer, it has been shown that implementation of extensive and multiple research methods is able to provide valid findings that can become a considerable ground for the further research. The List of References Fey, C, Bjorkman, I & Pavlovskaya, A 2000, ‘The effect of human resource management practices on firm performance in Russia’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 11, pp. 1-18. Freeman, R, Robinson, B & Woodley, A 2004, Practitioner research and evaluation skills training in open and distance learning, Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver. Jackson, S 2008, Research methods: a modular approach, Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont. Jacobson, M 2010, Information collection tools - advantages and disadvantages, ServeMontana Symposium, Montana, viewed 15 February 2013, Kothari, C R 2006, Research methodology: methods & techniques, 2nd edn, New Age International, New Delhi. Kuada, J 2012, Research methodology: a project guide for university students, Sumfundslitteratur, Frederiksberg. Luthans, K & Sommer, S 2005, ‘The impact of high performance work on industry-level outcomes’, Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 17 no. 3, pp. 327-345. McBurney, D H & White, T L 2010, Research methods, 8th edn, Wadsworth, Belmont. Bryman, A & Bell, E 2007, Business research methods, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, New York. McNeill, P & Chapman, S 2005, Research methods, 3d edn, Routledge, New York. Morelli, A 2005, The performance technologist’s toolbox: literature reviews, viewed 15 February 2013, . Neville, C 2007, Introduction to research and research methods, Bradford University School of Management, viewed 14 February 2013, Panneerselvam, R 2004, Research methodology, Prentice-Hall, New Delhi. Pratt, B & Loizos, P 2003, Choosing research methods: data collection for development workers, Information Press, Eynsham. Walliman, N 2011, Research methods: the basics, Routledge, New York. Read More