Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of Supply Chain Management - Research Paper Example

10th November 2011 Qualitative research is better than quantitative research Supply chain management (SCM) entails all the activities that are undertaken during production of products or services in order to create value for all stakeholders including customers and suppliers. Some of the major aspects that are involved in SCM include production, supplying, inventory, information as well as transportation. One of the major importances of supply chain management is that it enables organizations to address various issues that are faced during the day to day business operations. Some of the major aspects that SCM addresses include distribution techniques, configuration of distribution network, management of cash flows and as well as trade –offs when dealing with logistics. In order for a company to emulate an effective supply chain management it is vital to undertake a research by use of the available resources. This paper discusses the statement that qualitative research is better than quantitative research. Qualitative research entails the exploration and understanding of the phenomena that governs human behavior. In order to appropriately understand human behavior through the qualitative research, a researcher seeks to identify aspects such as culture, what people say, the needs of the people and what people do. On the other hand, quantitative research refers to the use statistics, mathematical techniques and empirical investigation in order to come up with data and information that is analyzed and a conclusion is made. Important aspects of qualitative research Qualitative research is focused at looking for answers to questions that relate to social world an area that is challenging for a research by the quantitative researchers. In the same way, it seeks to collect evidence and provide findings that were not predetermined. Qualitative research is also significant in obtaining information that touches on cultural aspects of specific population. These include opinions, behaviors, and values. Another notable strength of qualitative research is its capability to produce written descriptions of how participants experience the issues being researched. For example, in the field of nursing, nurses are interested in knowing the values and culture of the community they serve. In order to acquire such information they participate in a research that entails getting and recording of the information obtained from members of the communities within their jurisdiction. Similarly, qualitative research is fundamental in identifying issues that are intangible in nature such religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender roles. It is imperative to note these intangible issues significantly affect the demand of the products and services provided by an organization. Importance of qualitative research in supply chain co-operation Effective supply chain co-operation is a major factor that ensures the success and profitability of any organization. In this regard, it is appropriate for logistic managers and other stakeholders within the organizations to emulate positive relationship among the chain partners. Through undertaking of qualitative research, companies are able to come up with ways through which supply chain co-operation can be accelerated. This is based on the fact that the aspects of creating co-operation such as motivating the stakeholders within the supply chain are mostly achieved if a company undertakes a thorough qualitative research. Advantages of qualitative research over quantitative research As mentioned earlier, qualitative research entails the understanding of human behavior such as the level of motivation, culture among others. In this regard, this method of research allows obtaining of more realistic information that cannot be expressed numerically or by statistics. This makes the process more applicable especially in the business arena where companies aim at obtaining customer feedback for example on the level of satisfaction of products or services purchased by them. In addition, qualitative research ensures proper exploration and understanding of the situation while quantitative uses generalization of findings and use of predictions. Due to the diversity of situations, it is not appropriate to use general information since it results to biasness and incorrect conclusion. Qualitative research sampling strategies One of the major aspects of qualitative research that makes it better than quantitative research is that it employs purposeful sampling while quantitative main sampling tactic is probability sampling. Due to the fact that probability sampling uses samples that are randomly selected from a larger population, it makes it to form a general observation of the entire population. On the other hand, the purposeful sampling ensures generation of quality information that can be used by researchers to undertake extensive studies. According to Donald & Pamela 36, there exist 16 cases of purposeful sampling that qualitative researchers can use during their research. These include maximum variation sampling, Quota sampling and Snowball sampling among others. Maximum variation sampling Maximum variation sampling is the most appropriate strategy. One of the major usefulness of maximum sampling is that it removes heterogeneity that is associated with small samples. In addition, it recognizes that any variation in the samples is important in attaining the vital experiences that are useful in making research observation and conclusion. In the same way, maximum sampling results to detailed information of the cases under research as well as identifying patterns that are shared by the cases. Quota sampling This involves consideration of various characteristics that are depicted by the population on which the research is being conducted. Some of the key aspects used in order to come up with a good sample includes place of residence, marital status, age among others. Quota sampling also entail choosing the members of the sample that are likely to experience the various aspects of the topic under research. Snowball sampling In the contemporary world, qualitative research has been enhanced by the social network sites such as face book and twitter to conduct snow ball sampling. Under snow ball sampling, researchers are directed to other individuals by the participants. In this way, more participants who are not easily accessible by the researchers are involved in the research. This sampling method depicts how the social sites highly contribute to the suitability of qualitative research as compared to quantitative research. Stoppage of sampling As compared to quantitative research, qualitative sampling has fewer regulations on when to stop sampling. However, the goals of the investigation and the effective examination of all the samples included in the research are major factors that should be considered. The three major determinant of when to stop sampling under the qualitative research include extending beyond the jurisdiction of the research, exhaustion of the financial and time resources as well as occurrence of regularities. Flexible ways of data collection in the qualitative research Flexible ways of data collection is another important aspect that makes qualitative research better than quantitative research. Two of the major ways applied by qualitative research are interviews and observation. Interviews In collaboration with observation, interviews provide an essential mode of collecting primary data. Through interviewing the primary source, a qualitative researcher is able to obtain accurate and reliable data that is prudent to arrive at a true conclusion. In order to ensure that appropriate data is obtained, open ended questions are used by the qualitative interviewer. In this way, individual variations are ensured that makes the process more reliable and easier to analyze. The three major methods of interviewing used are semi-structured interviews, standardized interviews as well as conversational interviews. In order to guide the respondent during the interviews, the interviewer prepares an interview guide that contains the questions that covers the major areas of research. It is vital to note that interview guide can be changed depending with the importance of the areas that the researchers is intending to cover which is in line with the flexibility aspect of the qualitative research. Other importance of the interview guide is that it helps to keep the interaction between the respondent and the interviewer focused. In order to ensure there is no difference between the information obtained from the interview and the observation made by the researchers, they use recording devices. This also makes the researcher to focus on all the aspects covered in the interview during the analysis stage of the research. Techniques of interviews In order to retrieve adequate information from the participants, interviewers adopt three major techniques. The first one is laddering technique. This is a situation whereby an interviewer starts by asking questions that are associated with external social phenomena and then asking different questions that touches on internal feelings and attitudes of the participants. Secondly, interviewers can also apply the questioning strategy that has hidden aspects. This involves concentrating on concerns that are personal. The third technique is the symbolic analysis. This entails probing the participants and getting deeper understanding of symbolic meanings by asking questions that covers their opposites. Observations Through observations a qualitative researcher is able to obtain actual information and deeper understanding of the aspects being researched. This involves observing the participants during their activities in their natural environment. Through the observations, researchers can clearly access the activities done by the participants, and the meaning of what is done by the participants. Another important aspect of observation is that it ensures generation of information that the participants are not willing to reveal to the interviewers. Observers use field notes to jot down points that are used to write the complete notes. Additionally, audio tapes, photographs can also be used to record the observed information. Focus groups Qualitative research advocates for the use of focus group as a way of collecting information from groups. Some of the scenarios that call for adoption of focus groups are when an organization has limited financial as well as time resources. In addition, focus group is adopted if the situation surrounding the researched phenomena can effectively be obtained from a group. Characteristics of a focus group In order to avoid limitation of the information collected from a group of participants as well as to ensure all the participants are involved in the research, a group should consists of 6-10 members. To acquire adequate and qualitative information, researchers use several groups. This also ensures comparison of the information obtained from the groups in order to enhance analyzes of the data. As stipulated by Schatzman & Strauss 28 there must exist something in common among the members of the group in order to ensure proper research is conducted. In order to be in line with the detailed nature of collecting information by qualitative research, focus groups are put together or analyzed individually but a researcher is always aware of the dynamics of the groups. To ensure appropriate research process is conducted on the focus groups it is paramount for qualitative researchers to have adequate skills on group formation, as well as moderating, analyzing, listening and facilitating skills. Projective Techniques The ability of the qualitative research to generate accurate and reliable information as compared to quantitative research is based on the projective technique that is emulated by interviewer during the interview process. Projective techniques entail the stimulus that persuades the participants to project their feelings, attitudes, motivation and beliefs. Researchers use the projective technique to cover up the intention of the research. This section analyzes some of the major tactics through which qualitative researchers use to retrieve more information from the participants. Completion of sentence This entail giving the respondents incomplete sentence and asking them to fill the uncompleted parts. In this way, the researcher is able to note the variation of answers thus making it possible to involve all the answers in the analyses and conclusion stages of the research. Role playing Qualitative researchers advice the participants to act as other people when answering the questions. Using this tactic, participants project their own attributes and feelings that are essential aspects for the purpose of successful qualitative research. Cartoon test Under the cartoon technique, respondents are provided with photographs of cartoon with empty dialogue boxes (Phillips 27). In order to be aware of the respondent thinking and creativity, the researchers goes through the answers and makes the analysis and the conclusion based on the information filed in the dialogue boxes. Ability to interact with the research subjects Through qualitative research, researchers are able to freely interact with the research subjects. In addition, the terms and the language used by the researchers are effectively understood by the subjects an aspect that makes this research easier to conduct as compared to quantitative research that entails complex computations. According to Donald & Pamela 76 researchers attain more and reliable information if they address the barriers that hinder effective research including language and lack of courtesy. As a result of the close relationship between the participants and the interviewers, the respondents have ample opportunities to give more details in an elaborative way an aspect that cannot be achieved in quantitative research due to lack of effective relationship between the participants and the researchers. Generally, qualitative research involves requesting the subjects to allow researchers to have access of their feeling, emotions and behaviors. Lincoln & Guba 64 depicts that statistical research is not able account for the various activities and impacts that are undertaken in a social setting. Further, they noted that the aspect of null hypothesis should be done away with since it ignores important research information that is not statistically vital. This means that individual undertaking research should adopt qualitative research since it recognizes the dynamic and the complex aspects of social life (Patton 47). Exploratory research As mentioned earlier, qualitative researchers use probing as well as open-ended questions. As a result, the research subjects are in a position to respond to the questions using their personal word contrary to the quantitative research that force the participants to respond based on the fixed responses. Other major benefits of the open-ended questions are that their results are explanatory, meaningful and those that the researcher did not anticipate (Schatzman & Strauss 14). In addition, through probing, a researcher is able to seek for clarification of the answers given by the participants. Forms of qualitative research The diversification of qualitative research is another imperative aspect that makes it more appropriate as compared to quantitative research. The section below discusses some of the major forms of qualitative research emulated by researchers. Longitudinal research Longitudinal research entails a research that is conducted for a long duration of time. Additionally, it ensures that the participants are regularly contacted by the researchers in order to seek for more information or clarification of the already collected information. An example of such research was the one that was undertaken in London in 1973 by Farrington and West that was conducted on schoolboys to come up with aspects that creates grounds for delinquency. Historical research Historical research involves the collection and evaluation of the past data in order to test the hypothesis that enhanced the occurrence of such past events. This makes it possible to be aware of the causes of the current events as well as to anticipate the occurrence of such events in future. Case studies Under the qualitative research, researchers are able to investigate complex details that are involved in the cases. In this way, a researcher is able to obtain large and deep information from the various variables that contribute to the occurrence of a situation. Observational & ethnographic Research In the supply chain management (SCM), it is imperative to understand the behaviors of suppliers as well as those of the customers. In this regard, observational & ethnographic research which is one of the major forms of qualitative research is used to understand consumer behavior. It is important to note that without having adequate knowledge of how the consumer behaves towards new or existing products it becomes difficult for an organization to undertake other components of SCM that include planning, inventory management and transportation. Psychological Research Qualitative psychological research is also paramount in analyzing the behaviors of members of a supply chain. In order to ensure the decision making process of the consumers and other partners involved in the supply chain management, most organization emulate the services of professional psychologists so as to produce products that are in line with the behaviors and needs of the consumers. Basis for the use of a qualitative research Qualitative research is most importantly used to have a better understanding of any occurrence that has little information known about it. In the same way, researchers use it to have new view of a phenomenon that has a lot of information known about it (Lincoln & Guba 85). This type of research is also significant since it enhances generation of information that cannot be represented quantitatively from the past, present or future events. In the situations where a researcher identifies variables that will later undergo quantitative analysis, it is prudent first to use the qualitative research. Similarly, a qualitative researcher uses it if he or she is convinced that quantitative research would not effectively interpret a phenomenon. In order to retrieve new information that relates to a situation, qualitative researchers frame their research problem in form of open-ended questions. For example, a research problem can be: what individual traits do politician have in common? In what way, if any did the leaders contribute to youth choice to be politician? (Patton31). Qualitative data has a higher ability to describe a situation not only to the person undertaking the research but also to the individuals who are using the data. Patton 19 argues that in order to make the data provided be comprehensible, it is essential to present it in the way the individuals normally see it. It is important to note that a qualitative research report that is in harmony with the experience of the readers has a great meaning that can enhance making of actual conclusion. The role of the researcher in qualitative inquiry The importance of the qualitative research is also attributed to the significant roles of the qualitative researcher. One of the major duties of a qualitative researcher is to emulate the stand as depicted by the natural paradigm. Secondly, the researcher develops the required skills to be a human instrument. A qualitative researcher is a human instrument since he or she is responsible for collecting, interpretation and analyzing the data collected from primary sources. The third vital role of the researcher is that he or she applies the accepted techniques of naturalistic inquest to make a research design (Donald & Pamela 15). The effective preparation of qualitative researchers to undertake the investigation results to theoretical sensitivity. This refers to the ability of the researchers to have the ability to collect meaningful information and the knowledge to understand the data as well as the know-how to separate relevant and irrelevant data (Lincoln, & Guba 19). Wide sources of data Qualitative research is better than quantitative research due to wide sources of data. Apart from the data that is retrieved from individuals through interviews and observation as discussed earlier in the paper, researchers can analyze documents to get new information regarding a certain issue. Sources such as letters, diaries, company financial reports, are some of the important documents that can reveal important information regarding a company that is being researched (Phillips 27). In addition, qualitative researchers supplement their data by use of self-evaluation information where it is available. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is clear that qualitative research is better than quantitative research. As far as supply chain is concerned, proper understanding of the feelings and behaviors of all the partners involved should not be overlooked. An effective research acts as a guideline that is followed by an organization in the production of the products that are in line with the needs of its customers. In the same way, the level of motivation among the partners in a supply chain is an essential aspect that ensures co-operation of partners within the supply chain. One of the reasons that many organizations emulate qualitative research is due to its flexibility in terms of collection and analyzes of the data. This is depicted by the ability of the interviewer to adjust the questions in order to retrieve more information from the respondents. The provision of holistic perspective of the occurrence being researched is an additional aspect that makes qualitative research better than quantitative research. Free interaction that exist between the respondent and the interviewer, largely contributes to the generation of more information that is vital in the research analyzes and conclusion. The use of primary data that is unstructured in nature gives the qualitative research a strong descriptive ability as compared to quantitative research. The above discussion also shows that research is significance in ensuring that organization attains a competitive position and effective supply chain management. One of the major aspects of the qualitative research is that it assists in identifying and analyzing the dislikes and likes of the targeted clients. By emulating the results arrived at after the research, the loyalty and trust of the customers and other parties within the supply chain management is attained leading to more sales and higher profitability for the company. Due to the significance of the research on the operation of business entities, it is paramount for financial managers to allocate more funds to the research departments since their roles have implication on the performance of the entire company. Works Cited Donald, C., & Pamela S. Business Research Methods. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2007. Lincoln, S., & Guba, G. Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills. CA: Sage Publications, Inc, 1985. Patton, Q. Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc, 1990. Phillips, C. Subjectivity and objectivity: An objective inquiry. In Eisner and Peshkin (Eds.) Qualitative inquiry in education: The continuing debate. New York: Teachers College Press, 1990. Schatzman, L., & Strauss, A. L. Field research. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc, 1973. Read More