Analysis of Business Research Methods Book by Donald Cooper and Pamela Schindler - Assignment Example

Summary of the book “Business Research Methods” Summary of the book “Business Research Methods” Introduction The book dBusiness Research Methods authored by Donald Cooper and Pamela Schindler offers an in-depth analysis of research methods applied in business. The authors recognize the role of research in the modern business world for any organization that intents to remain outstanding irrespective of the existing competition. The book has numerous chapters that handle different topic related to research in business. Each chapter has related case studies designed to improve the understanding of both students and professionals on the different research methodologies that exist. This paper will present a summary of chapters 1 to 5 and tackle the case study questions for the Akron Children Hospital. Chapter 1 Chapter one is titled Introduction to Business Research, and in this chapter, the authors offer an introduction on the reasons why the business research should be studied. It highlights the relevance of the information and its significance in giving organizations a competitive advantage in the business world. The authors are keen to introduce the role of research in developing a business strategy as well as in making decisions. An intriguing aspect tackled in this chapter is the hierarchy of information followed by many organizations when making decisions. After offering such an informative introduction, the authors proceed to present a preview of the entire research process. From this review, readers get to understand that, research is not always problem solving based. Qualities of good research are also discussed in this introductory chapter. In a bid to place emphasis on different research methodologies, four different research studies are presented in this chapter and the type of each research discussed in details (Cooper & Schindler, 2013). Chapter 2 Chapter two of the book tackles a significant aspect in research which surrounds ethics. Notably, each field of study has a cord of ethics that researchers must adhere to. Such ethical considerations are critical in promoting the integrity of the research as well as in the development of a favorable relationship between the respondents and the researcher. More critically, some business researchers have sponsors who provide the funds for carrying out the research. Therefore, a cord of ethics also governs the relationship between the researcher and the sponsor (p. 39). Moreover, researchers rely on the efforts of the members to collect and analyze data. The relationship between the researchers and the team members should also be governed by a defined cord of ethics. The authors of this book recognize the value of ethics in each of these relationships because they accorded a section for each type of relationship discussed independently and the ethical considerations governing each relationship described effectively. In the case of the ethical considerations when dealing with participants/ respondents, the book places emphasis on the need of having an informed consent form that each participant should sign prior to participating in any research. Moreover, the authors outline the need for debriefing participants an according them their rights to privacy and even anonymity during the research process. This chapter warns against the deception of participants and also discusses incentives given to participants. Regarding the researcher and the sponsor relationship, the authors highlight that, confidentiality is critical, and the sponsor must abide by the ethical rules that govern sponsorship in research. Researchers and team members should ensure that the anonymity of the participants is maintained and that they maintain professional standards throughout the research process. Without doubt, all these aspects are critical in business research (p. 42). Chapter 3 The third chapter of the book is titled Thinking like a Researcher, and offers insight on some basic aspects that define research. One of the important aspects introduced is the language used in research processes. Notably, research has its own terms and key words that are often familiar to researchers. Since the book targets students as key part of the audience, the authors took time to introduce some of the commonly used words in research. The terms given attention in this chapter include concepts, constructs, models, variables, and theories (p. 61). Without doubt, the researchers realize the need for making readers familiar with each of these terms prior to discussing other complex ideas related to research. In this chapter, propositions and hypothesis are also discussed. There is also an introduction to the scientific method of research which is adopted by different fields in the modern world. Chapter 4 Chapter four of the book is titled The Research Process: An Overview. This chapter details the different stages involved in the research process. The authors begin from the first stage, which involves the formulation of the research question and its clarification (p. 77). This is a critical stage as it determines what the researcher will be tackling in all the other processes. Moreover, the research question is critical in determining the appropriate research methodology. The second stage described in this chapter is proposing the research. This involves drafting a research proposal and highlighting the required resources and funds for the research. The third stage is a rigorous designing of the research process. Identifying the research design is critical as it offers the researchers a blueprint of the entire research process. Sampling is a critical part in designing the research and it involves identifying the appropriate sampling method, sample size and the target population. Having the correct sample size as well as using the appropriate technique in sampling determines the validity of the entire research process. The authors also touch on pilot testing, which is an approach used to test the efficiency of the selected research design. In the other stages, the authors discuss the process of data collection, analysis, and the interpretation. The last stage discussed is reporting of the available results (p. 86). After describing the different stages in the research process the authors also describe aspects such as politically motivated research, un-researchable questions, poorly defined management problems and other aspects that need special addressing in the research process. Chapter 5 The fifth chapter is titled Clarifying the Research Question through Secondary Data and Exploration. This chapter tackles the importance of secondary data in interpreting and clarifying the research question. Different types of research questions that can often be considered ambiguous are described and the authors explain how such questions can become effective research questions that can be addressed in the research. The use of internal sources and the effective strategies that have been described by experts are also tackled in this chapter (p. 97). The chapter also addresses the need for an effective search strategy when exploring different levels of information. Therefore, they discuss in detail the different types of information sources that are available for business researchers as well as how a researcher can appraise each of the sources and select the most appropriate. What I learned and Conclusion Of the five chapters that I considered in developing the above summary, I gained familiarity with different aspects of the research process. Being a student, the book offered an informative introduction that highlighted the role of business research in different organizations. Moreover, I understood the different terms used in business research and the stages that define the rigorous research process. Without doubt, the content in the five chapters is of great relevance to students with an interest in understanding the business research. The Akron Children Hospital Case Studies Part A 1. What is the management-research question hierarchy for Akron Children’s Hospital? According to Donald Cooper and Pamela Schindler, the hospital should adopt the five critical steps in the hierarchy of management research questions. These steps are described below as follows; a) Management dilemma The initial step in the hierarchy is the management dilemma whereby the hospital must identify specific objectives that have the potential of yielding certain solutions. According to the case study, the hospital’s major concerns include an increasing business share in the market despite the competition and registering a higher number of patients. b) Management questions This forms the second step in the hierarchy and involves the search for a suitable innovative plan that can serve to offer Akron Children’s Hospital a salient advantage over its competitors by making it an outstanding hospital. c) Research questions Formulating a research question is the third step in the hierarchy which compels the hospital management team to identify specific ways that can help it improve its services offered to children and also improve on the level of technology involved in treatment and care. d) Investigation questions This is the fourth step in the hierarchy that should involve the formulation of investigation questions such as, “what factors determine the hospital parents chose to take their children for acute care?” and “how can the hospital exhibit growth and venture into other counties?” e) Measurement questions In this fifth step, the hospital should rely on the data collection tools such as questionnaires to collect information from chosen respondents concerning their perception on the level of care offered by the hospital. 2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of an observation study for this research? Advantages Observation offers an opportunity for the researcher to witness the live event. In this case, the researchers took note of every proceeding in the hospital throughout the study making it contextual. Since the researchers relied on audio or video tapes, the level of era was minimal. Disadvantages Notably, this kind of observation study was expensive because of the audio and video tapes used as well as other resources required to make it successful. Moreover, the patients may not reveal their true expressions when they are aware that they are under observation. The long time used for observation had the potential of altering the experiences of the patients hence a level of unreliability emerges. 3. What does the brand promise recommendation reveal about what researchers experienced and concluded from their study? According to the brand promise recommended by the researchers, it became evident that the hospital had the potential, resources, and a willingness to commit itself to providing outstanding care for children through the help of their parents. The researchers highlighted that the staff were willing to do everything in their potential to ensure that children received high quality health care. 4. If you were designing such an observation study, what would you direct researchers to record/look for/listen for? If given the mandate to design the observation study, I would direct the researchers to focus on the interactions between the hospital staff with the children and their parents. They would also focus on highlighting ways in which the staffs make the effort of addressing the childs needs and giving them the reassurance that they will recover. Moreover, the researchers would also have the directions to reveal how parents perceive the care given to their children. 5. What ethical issues would surface in hospital studies in general and this study in particular? a) The researchers would have to present parents and children with informed consent forms prior to carrying out the observation study. b) A level of discomfort would emerge because of including the researcher in the treatment processes and this is an issue of ethical considerations. Part B 1. Develop a focus group discussion guide for the research described above. a) What topics should be discussed in what order? What is the most critical factor that parents consider when choosing the appropriate hospital to take their children for acute care? Does quality matter in the choice of the best hospital? Do the finances of the parent determine the hospital, he or she chooses? b) What pre-tasking exercises might be relevant? Identifying if parents would mind, providing the history of their child’s health that are of great concern to them. c) What exercises might you use during the focus group? Request the parents to offer a detailed description of the services they would want in their preferred medical facility. Request the parents to identify behavioral patterns exhibited by caregivers that they like or dislike. 2. Evaluate the use of the telephone as the method of the survey. The use of telephone surveys in this research was appropriate because it served to provide data that could back up the findings from the focus group. The sample size identified in telephone surveys was appropriate in my opinion. 3. Evaluate the questionnaire used for the telephone survey. Make sure to discuss scale type, question wording, question number, topic order, transitions, and interviewer directions. The questionnaire used in the telephone survey was effective because the questions asked were relevant to the research topic. However, there was the need to alter the question formats and scale types because the questionnaire used had only YES/No single choice answers. Other critical aspects required in research questionnaires include ensuring that the questions do not have any form of bias. Although the questionnaire used was good, there is evidence that it could be improved. 4. Interviewers screened potential participants for whether they were the health care decision maker in the household and whether children were in the household. Identify other criteria that might have been used for screening and offer reasons for its inclusion or exclusion. The other screening option would have been using an indirect approach that would request the participants to indicate whether they visit childrens hospitals in the region. Such an indirect question would prompt the respondents to give highlights on whether they had children under the age of eighteen. 5. Evaluate the sampling decisions: a) Was this an appropriate sample size? In my opinion, the sample size selected for this research exhibited an appropriate balance of the target population hence representing it effectively. Cultural diversity as well as income levels were also considered in the sample size. b) What parameters might have been used in structuring this sample? This research required a sample that represented the target population effectively and hence different demographic factors were considered. Moreover, given the hospital needed to expand to new regions, it also included participants from neighboring counties. Reference Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2013). Business research methods. New York: McGraw Hill. Read More