Research Methods in Business Studies - Assignment Example

Research Methods in Business Studies Introduction The study was study with the aim of looking at barriers associated with the adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) system in China. Part of the aim of the study was also to investigate the potential benefits that come with the implementation of the EMR in Chinese health facilities. A methodological approach was designed to help the researcher with the data collection process, based on which primary data was to be collected from the identified research settings in the study. In this chapter, more focus is given to the data used in the study by way of results. This means that all themes that come under the results of the study are outlined and discussed in this chapter. Some of the themes that the chapter will look includes data collection, which explains how the research design was operationalized, data gathering, which explains the actual process of collecting data, data analysis, which presents and analyses data, sampling selection, which throws light on how the sample used in the study was constructed, and survey participants demographic classification, which gives the unique demographic characteristics of the participants used in the study. The results chapter of the study is expected to give an overall view of what the real situation on the ground is, as far as the issue of EMR adoption in China is concerned. This is because it is through the results chapter that what participants who are directly affected or part of the situation give out information on what they perceive about the research problem (Ghauri and Gronhaung, 2002). Data Collection Gill and Johnson (2007) noted that the data collection process defines the overall plan used in for the collection of data (Hussey and Hussey, 2007). By implication, the data collection component of this chapter helps to understand how the researcher put the research design into action. As part of the plan to collect data, the researcher had to select a research approach, which would help to identify the best way to approach the whole task of collecting data. Meanwhile, Remenyi, Williams, Money and Swartz (2008) and Hakim (2010) presented two major types of research approaches which are the deductive and inductive research approach. In the deductive research approach, the researcher sets a hypothesis, based on which data is collected to either justify or disprove the hypothesis (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003). Inductive approach on the other hand is more open ended in nature, allowing the researcher to collect data and analyze them, and base on the outcome of the data analysis to form a theory to conclusion (Hussey and Hussey, 2007). For this study, the inductive approach was deemed as the most preferred approach to data collection. This is because of the direct relation the inductive approach has with the use of qualitative research method, which was utilized in this study. In qualitative research, researchers are largely concerned about the need to understanding existing phenomenon in a social setting. As a result of this, it is difficult to go into a qualitative research with a preconceived hypothesis. Ghauri and Gronhaung (2002) noted that doing this in a qualitative research limits the amount and extent of data the researcher may collect. It was on this basis that the inductive approach was used. As part of the inductive approach to data collection, it was important that the researcher had a data collection method that gave room for collecting real-time data which could be connected very directly to the research problem and the research setting. In the light of this, primary data collection method was selected to be used in this study. Hakim (2010) explained that in primary data collection, the researcher is directly involved in the data collection process at the research site. What this means is that the researcher goes to the research site in person to collect data in primary data collection method. This may be seen as the opposite of secondary data collection, where the researcher collects data from existing works of literature which have been published about the research problem or the research setting. One critical situation involved with the selection of primary data collection method for this study was the need to coming to personal terms with what was prevailing in the Chinese health facilities where EMR was adopted. This means that there was the advantage of collecting first hand data which could be ascertained by the researcher for its authenticity, validity and accuracy (Bell, 2005). Due to the sensitivity and importance of the research problem and the research questions posed for the study, it was necessary that the researcher could justify the outcome of all forms of data collected from the study. This was also something that the primary data collection could help the researcher do as the researcher was going to be personally present at the research site. By the selection of inductive approach to data collection, the researcher was tasked with the responsibility of collecting as many volumes of data that fitted into the research problem as possible. With this responsibility at hand, it was important to select a data collection procedure that rightly gave the opportunity of gathering volumes of data that can be described as open ended and detailed. This gave rise to the selection of interview as the preferred data collection procedure. It would be noted that an interview is a face-to-face interaction between a researcher and a respondent or a participant that comes with the aim of making specific findings from the respondent (Gill and Johnson, 2007). There are several forms of interviews including formal, semi-formal and informal interviews. In this situation however, the plan to collecting data was to use a formal interview. There were a number of reasons that informed the selection of interview as the data collection procedure and formal interview as the type of interview. In the first place, interview makes use of open ended questions, which rightly fits the inductive research approach use in the study. Secondly, interview has been found to be appropriate for qualitative research, of which the current study is. The reason interview is said to be appropriate for qualitative research is that interview is interrogative in nature, allowing the researcher to go in-depth with the collection of data. Meanwhile, in qualitative research, the core aim of the researcher is to be in-depth with data collection so as to understand a social phenomenon (Sapsford and Jupp, 2012). A number of reviewers have debated the merits and demerits that come with the use of interview as a primary research data collection procedure. Robson (2012) noted for example that interview gives the opportunity of collecting behavioral data, which are very necessary in any qualitative research. By behavioral data, reference is being made to such forms of data as facial expression, gestures and emotions which cannot be found with the use of such distant data collection procedures as a questionnaire. Meanwhile, as part of the research questions, the researcher was concerned with knowing the barriers and benefits that come with the use of EMR. Clearly, such behavioral data can help in further exemplifying both the barriers and the benefits through how the respondents show their emotions and facial expressions whiles answering the interview. Having said this, Remenyi et al. (2008) also criticized the use of interview as time involving, making it unsuitable for researchers whose data collection are defined within a specific time frame. It was actually feared that because of the time consuming nature of interview, some researchers may be tempted to have a limited respondent size which could not give the real picture of the situation prevailing at the research setting. Because of the use of case study design however, this issue did not become problematic for the researcher in this study. This is because in case studies, the research setting is always limited or small, and therefore not requiring the need to involve a very large sample size as its being argued here. Data Gathering The data gathering phase of the researcher explains the main action of taking data from the research site and for that matter from the respondents. Adams and Schvaneveldt (2011) noted that while gathering data, it is important for the researcher to be guided by a research philosophy which guides the researcher throughout the implementation of data collection, which is the data gathering. With this said, three major research philosophies were found in literature, which were the positivism, realism, and interpretivism research philosophies. Whiles gathering data from the respondents, each of these philosophies give the researcher a different attitude and mentality, which controls the behavior and atmosphere set at the data gathering grounds (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2003). Based on the different approaches to knowledge construction that the three research philosophies give, the researcher used the interpretivism research philosophy. As noted by Bell (2005), in this philosophy, the researcher assumes that knowledge is a complex phenomenon which cannot be generalized. As a result, the researcher focuses on the need to explore the research problem through the gathering of data in such a manner that critically interprets the data gathered and bases on the interpretation to establish a theory or conclusion. With this explanation, it would be noted that the interpretivism research philosophy has a very direct link with the inductive research approach used in the data collection. This link or relation was the rationale for selecting the interpretivism research philosophy. As part of this philosophy, the researcher was to go about data gathering in a more involving manner by interpreting data as they were being gathered. Given the involving nature of the interpretivism philosophy used in the gathering of data, it was important that the researcher will be very systematic with the data gathering process so that no line of data that needed to be interpreted would be missed. With knowledge developed, the data gathering process was broken down into three major phases. The first phase was the pre-gathering phase. At this phase, the researcher prepared the interview guide to be used in gathering data. In line with the interpretivism philosophy, even before the interviewing began, the researcher assigned a code of interpretation to which item or question on the interview guide. What this means is that the researcher related each question on the interview guide to a specific objective or question raised in the course of the study. By so doing, it was able to determine whether the interview guide was conclusive enough in helping the researcher achieve all the goals set for the study. This process undertaken at the pre-gathering phase also ensured that any lapses with the interview guide was identified and duly filled by introducing questions that could address those missing issues. In effect, it was at the pre-gathering phase that the researcher ensured the internal validity of the research instrument (Robson, 2012). What is more, the researcher was engaged in the formation of sampling size at the pre-gathering phase. After the sample had been selected as explained in the previous chapter, the researcher engaged theme in a pre-interview meeting. This was done to familiarize the respondents with the questions on the interview guide so that they could prepare adequately for the interview session. The second phase was the gathering phase, were the main act of interviewing took place. There were four different health facilities involved in the study. These were facilities that all used the EMR system. For each facility, a different date for the interview was fixed with them. This was done to ensure that there was much convenience for the respondents without disrupting their usual working hours. No two facilities were visited on the same day so that the researchers would not have to rush with the data gathering process. The data gathering occurred within 2 weeks with 2 facilities visited and interviewed in 1 week. Each facility also gave a specific time that was more favorable for the executives to have time for the interview to take place without rushing through the process. On each day of the interview, the researchers agreed with the executives to visit the facilities ahead of the time given to them so that they could familiarize themselves with the facility and some of the activities that take place there. As a matter of fact, this familiarization exercise even helped in shaping the questions that were to be posed to the respondents because the researchers became more knowledgeable about the situation on the ground. After the familiarization exercise, each executive was engaged in a face-to-face and one-on-one interview session in their various offices. Face-to-face was selected ahead of telephone interview so that the behavioral data referred to earlier could be collected. One-on-one session was also selected to promote independence of the data gathering process. The data gathering took place in a fairly mutual, friendly and formal environment which was free of any forms of tensions which could affect the delivery of data or answers from the respondents negatively. This was largely achieved because the researcher had already had several interactions with the respondents before this day of the interview. The questioning and answering process took place by the use of the interview guide. This means that questions on the interview guide were posted to the respondents in an orderly manner, one after the other. However, where respondents gave answers that required follow up, these follow up questions were asked accordingly. Due to ethical reasons, the outcome of the interview was transcribed through writing rather than tape recording or video recording it (Sapsford and Jupp, 2012). Each interview session lasted for an average of 45 minutes. After each session, pleasantries were exchanged again and the respondents were thanked for their involvement in the study. The last phase was the post-gathering phase where the research put together all the answers from the various interviews and coded them in a manner that would make their analysis, presentation and discussion easier (Adams and Schvaneveldt, 2011). In the next section of the chapter, how the analysis took place after the actual gathering of data was completed will be presented. References Adams, G. and Schvaneveldt, J. (2011). Understanding Research Methods. New York: Longman. Bell, J. (2005). Doing Your Research Project. Fourth Edition. Maidenhead: Open University Press Ghauri, P. and Gronhaung, K. (2002). Research Methods in Business Studies: A Practical Guide. London: Financial Gill, J. and Johnson, P. (2007) Research Methods for Managers. London: Paul Chapman. Times Prentice Hall. Hakim, C. (2010). Research Design: Successful Designs for Social and Economic Research. London: Routledge. Hussey, J. and Hussey, R. (2007) Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students. Basingstoke: Macmillan Business. Remenyi, D., Williams, B., Money, A. and Swartz, E. (2008). Doing Research in Business and Management: An Introduction to Process and Method. London: Sage Robson, C. (2012). Real World Research. Oxford: Blackwell. Sapsford, R. and Jupp, V. (2012). Data Collection and Analysis. London: Sage Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Read More