Explaining Organisational Research Methods - Essay Example

Topic: Organizational Research Methods Name: Registration No: Institution: Date: 1. Summary of the paper 1.1. Paradigm assumptions in the research Paradigm assumption is the context in which the researcher explains a particular situation or event. In this research, it is observed that there is the paradigm of positivism. This is a paradigm assumption where the researcher tests a hypothesis so that the truth can be known from the testing research questions that have already been formulated (Belk, 2006; Davis, 2011). In this study, it is found that the research was focused on asking questions aimed at understanding the research question of the nature of experiences that immigrant Muslim women had undergone while they were in employment positions in Australia. In addition, the paradigm of positivism is illustrated by that fact that the research is focused on determining the general trend in the experiences that Muslim women undergo in the areas of employment such as the cultural bias, gender considerations and the religious beliefs that affect the manner in which they are viewed as employees in Australian employment environments. It is also observed that the research involved a generalisation process first by defining the population of interest. This observed when the researcher explained that the research focused on Muslim women immigrants from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. For instance, it is observed that the research describes the respondents who were selected for the research to be those who were born outside Australia, women from non-English speaking countries and also those who work in Sydney. In addition, the study provides a description of the level of education of participants during the research such as those who have specialised in banking, engineering and education. The research also provides a description of employment statuses of respondents involved in the research. The study also explains the average age or respondents and the time they have spent in their respective organisation. This implies that the researcher is able to get a better understanding of the characteristics of respondents during the process of data collection (Hatch, 2002; Hwang & Indiana University, 2008). It is also found that the positivism paradigm uses a single study to generalise the entire population from the study. For instance, it is found that the results of the study conducted in a sample of 25 respondents regarding workplace experiences of Muslim women in Australia resulted into generalisation of the experiences that Muslim women undergo in employment positions in general. In addition, it is observed that the researcher has used the paradigm of interpretivism paradigm. This is a research paradigm where the researcher focuses on the experiences that another person has undergone in order to provide the answers to the research questions (Morse & "Think Tank" Symposium, 1999). This is illustrated by conducting personal surveys where Muslim respondents from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are interviewed. This is because they are from Muslim countries and have undergone experiences which can enable understanding of the experiences of Muslim women in employment environments in Australia. Thus, the researcher hopes to get the most accurate information by conducting interviews with the respondents who have these characteristics. 1.2. Summary of research approaches used in the article Various research approaches were used during the research process as illustrated below: The research approach used in this study is mainly an exploratory qualitative research. This is a research process where respondents provide their opinions through narration of experiences they had undergone while working for the company (Steinberg & Cannella, 2012). The research problem was clearly stated that the research will be targeted at understanding workplace experiences of Muslim women in Australia. The research approach ensured the needs of various stakeholders were considered. The stakeholders involved in this research were employees of Australia forms who were Muslim women. The stakeholders also included the researcher himself who was responsible for collecting data which was important in ensuring in understanding the research problem. The approach used in the research ensures the needs of all respondents are accounted for in the process of collection of data. The methods and procedures included research design that was mainly a personal interview of selected respondents. The design was qualitative research where the researcher focused on understanding the experiences that Muslim participants had undergone in employment positions. During the research, a number of ethical considerations were observed. For instance, the researcher conducted a pilot study where the suitable respondents were determined before actual research was conducted. This was followed by the actual research that involved collection of data from previously selected respondents. It is also observed that the exploratory survey process gave the respondents the opportunity to respond according to their understanding. This shows that there was conducting of the research with the consideration of ethical issue of free participation in the research. Sampling issues that were observed included collection of the sample from a particular location in the world where Muslim women originated. The sampling method used in this study was a simple random sampling method. This is where participants in the research are selected as the researcher come across them provided they have the desired characteristics to participate in the research. For instance, the samples were selected from immigrant Muslim women from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The criteria for sample selection were that the participant must be born outside Australia, originating from non-English speaking countries and who were involved in working in formal sectors of employment within Sydney. The samples were collected from various sectors of employment such as banking, engineering and education (Syed, 2008a). Thus, the sample was diverse enough so that the researcher could understand the workplace experiences of immigrant Muslim women in various sectors of the economy. Measurement processes used during the research was an exploratory survey that focused on finding insights, ideas and opinions of respondents with regards to the experiences that immigrant Muslim women have undergone at their workplaces in Australia. This was achieved by conducting individual research where respondents were selected from the researcher’s personal network after which they were asked to participate in the research. In order to implement this measurement process, the survey involved collection of narratives of women about the experiences they had undergone while they were employed in various areas of employment such as banking, engineering and education. Due to the open storytelling session by the women involved in the study, it was possible to understand the actual experiences they had undergone while employed in various employment positions. Data analysis methods used include correlations between variables. This is a method of data analysis where the researcher investigates the impact of one variable over another. In addition, the data analysis method of transcription was used to transcribe 160 pages and 25 pages of notes. Another data analysis that was conducted is coding of texts. This is where texts are selected to determine the recurring words, themes and ideas so that the researcher can understand the main ideas that the respondent is trying to illustrate (Willis, 2007). Thus, the researcher was able to identify multilevel work-related experiences and relationships between categories within and across each level. With regards to this study, this was considered to be the best method of data analysis since it enabled understanding of the nature of the qualitative data collected. General conclusion is that this research provided a data collection method that ensured toe researcher achieved the objectives of understanding the research question. For instance, it ensured the right samples were selected and the right questions were formulated with respect to the topic of research. This was followed by a robust data collection process that ensured the most relevant data was collected to meet the objectives of the research. The paper also shows that the research collected a range of information that enables understanding of the topic. This involves ensuring data collected was derived from those who had immigrated into Australia, hence did not have the culture of Australians. This gave them the opportunities to understand the manner in which they were treated at work place. 2. Critique of the paper With regards to methodological approach in addressing the research questions, the researcher has considerably covered most of the areas of the research problem that enables understanding the research question. For instance, it is observed that the researcher has asked questions about the impact of cultural background in in the career of the respondents in Australia. This question ensures an understanding of the manner in which cultural background was a determining factor whether the respondents could get a job in organizations in Australia or not (Belk, 2006). Another research question that is significant in this research is that the researcher has asked the attitude of managers in the organization towards cultural diversity at work place. From this question, it is possible to understand the manner in which managers developed attitudes towards women from various cultural backgrounds. This involves the possibility of developing a positive attitude towards native Australians and a negative attitude towards immigrant Muslim women in Australia (Davis, 2011). As a result, it contributes significantly towards understanding of the research question. It also provided the respondents with the opportunities to explain the effects of dress code, legal and cultural challenges that affected their involvement in employment positions in Australia. However, the research questions do not include the question relating to the cases of discontinuing an employee as a result of cultural and religious background. Thus, it does not provide a better understanding of the research question in this case. The research also uses survey instrument where the respondents are allowed to narrate the experiences they had undergone while working in Australia. As a result, the respondents were able to explain in detail what they had experienced in Australia such as the impact of cultural background on the attitude of the employer towards them. They were also able to explain the effects of dress code such as wearing hijab on the possibility of being discriminated against by their employers. Due to the open discussion during the survey process, the respondents could provide additional information that resulted into creation of more themes and ideas that enabled understanding of the research question. The survey has a high level of reliability because it is conducted among immigrant Muslim women who are employed in companies in Sydney. Thus the data is collected from respondents who are likely to provide more accurate and reliable responses that enable understanding of the research question. The meta-criteria used in this survey involve collection of quantitative information from researchers who have published information about the workplace experiences of Muslim women in Australia. The quantitative information collected from these authors include the number of Muslim women that have immigrated into Australia, the number of Muslim women who are in employment positions and those who are affected at their workplaces due to their religious, cultural and ethnic beliefs. This is followed by comparing the results of the analysis with the quantitative results of the research conducted after which a conclusion is drawn from the comparison. References Belk, R. W. (2006). Handbook of qualitative research methods in marketing. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Davis, K. A. (2011). Critical qualitative research in second language studies: Agency and advocacy. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub. Hatch, J. A. (2002). Doing qualitative research in education settings. Albany: State University of New York Press. Hwang, B. J., & Indiana University. (2008). A study of counseling process using critical qualitative methods: A focus on caring in a cross-cultural dyad between a White male therapist and a Korean national female client. (Dissertation Abstracts International, 69-5.) Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University. Morse, J. M., & "Think Tank" Symposium. (1999). Critical issues in qualitative research methods. Thousand Oaks, Calif. [u.a.: Sage Publ. Steinberg, S. R., & Cannella, G. S. (2012). Critical qualitative research reader. New York: Peter Lang. Willis, J. (2007). Foundations of qualitative research: Interpretive and critical approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Read More