Methodology - Using Hofstede's VSM - Essay Example

Methodology Philosophical position The positivist philosophical position usually believes in definite and precise answers. This is more appropriate in causal and correlation studies. The study under discussion is a correlation study. This is because the study is used to identify variables. Research strategy A number of different research strategies can be used to analyze this research. In studies which no prior data is available, the study usually follows an exploratory path. In the exploratory research strategy the researcher conducts ground work on a certain topic. This ground work is then used for further research and studies. There are a number of different studies conducted on similar topic which have been discussed in the literature review. The research strategy cannot be exploratoryYin (2003). On the other hand causal studies are usually used when a cause and effect relationship has to be identified. This means that the changing of one variable should show an effect in other variables, that is the relationship between dependent and independent variable. This study does not establish a cause and effect relationship but only identifies a set of variables relevant to a culture. The research strategies used to identify variables is the correlation study. This study aims at establishing a quantitative evidence for the existence of a set of variables. Therefore in agreement with the research objectives, the research strategy is correlation. Research approach The type of research approach being used is directly dependent on the type of research strategy being used. A research usually carried out by using the approach of induction or deduction and in some rare cases a combination of both methods Sekram (2006). The two approaches of research are therefore directly related to types of strategies. The process of deduction is used when enough evidence is available on a research topic. The availability of evidence is a critical in deductive reasoning. This is because deductive reasoning starts from the general to the specific. This can also be described as a top down approach. Thus it leads down to a hypothesis which is than tested. Inductive reasoning on the other hand has a totally different approach. Inductive reasoning starts from the very specific and moves up to the general. Therefore the research is begun by observation of specific phenomenon and observes patterns which can finally be used to establish some general theories or conclusions. Therefore we can say that deduction is conclusive in nature Sekram (2006). That means that it is usually used to reach a conclusion. This is the very reasons that deduction is more appropriate in causal and correlation studies. As this study is also a correlation study, the deductive method of research is being used. The study starts from analyzing different research materials and finally in formulating Sample Size The study uses a secondary research of the topic under research. The sample size is usually used when more than one organizations or people are part of the study Sekram (2006). Give info about your sample size. Access issues The level of access is an integral issue when conducting any type of research. The level of access is more critical in conducting primary research. In such types of research there are many different issues which must be addresses. For researches being conducted on random population of students etc as is the case in this study, getting a workable sample size is a primary issue. Usually there are not enough candidates willingly to cooperate in order to get a substantial sample size. To solve this issue many researchers hire help of survey companies which have the sole aim of providing such services. In secondary research the access issues are very different in nature. The main problems revolve around accessing the written material on the topic. Over the past couple of decades this issue has been minimized because of availability of the internet. The access issues in secondary research can now be related to buying research needed for a study. For the purpose of this study both secondary and primary research has been conducted. In the primary research questionnaire were handed out to be filled by respondents. The access issue here was acquiring enough respondents to ensure validity of the research. The secondary research for this study mostly focuses on collecting available material researched on the topic under discussion. There were no substantial access issues in this regard. Type of research There are three main types of research available to any researcher. The choice in type of research once again depends on the research strategy. In causal studies the only possible research type is a quantitative research. This is because only analysis of quantitative analysis of variables with software such as SPSS can prove if a variable is dependent on another variable. Therefore quantitative studies rely on numbers and analysis of those numbers alone to prove a hypothesis. On the other hand exploratory research is usually dependent on a qualitative analysis of available materials and resources. The correlation study unlike the other two methods needs both quantitative and qualitative analysis. As we can see in this study that questionnaire results would be analyzed with numerical analysis techniques. On the other hand qualitative research would be conducted on available materials and resources in the literature review. Therefore for the purpose of this study the type of research is a mixed method study. Data Collection This part will include VSM tecnnique. Research ethics The research is both primary and secondary in nature. Therefore the data collected has two different aspects of research ethics involved. First of all the names and contact information of questionnaire respondents should be kept in confidentiality. Secondly the research used in secondary research should be acquired through legal means and there should be no plagiarism involved. The research has addresses both issues strictly. The personal information of respondents is not being released. Moreover all the journals and articles being used in secondary research have been acquired through proper and ethical channels. Timescale The study is a correlation study and there is minimal interference involved. Therefore the study settings are non-contrived. For non contrived study settings a cross sectional or one shot time horizon is used. Therefore a cross sectional time horizons has been used for the purpose of this study. Read More