Research Philosophies
There are two main subdivisions of research philosophies; ontological and epistemological research philosophies. Ontology involves using a nature perspective to establish how things work. On the other hand, epistemology involves assessing the interaction between the knowledge of the inquirer and the research (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009). The nature of reality can thus be determined by reviewing the four primary research philosophies that are based on epistemology and ontology.
The four primary research philosophies include pragmatism, realism, positivism, and interpretivism. An ontology based on positivism assumes that social factors have no impact on the nature and objectives of reality. According to the ontology
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According to the positivism philosophy, the assumption made regarding knowledge and its existence is that everything is based on causality. Saunders and Tosey (2013) claims that epistemology that is based on realism makes the assumption that the observable phenomenon forms the basis of knowledge. In this case, inaccurate information results from insufficient data. On the other hand, epistemology that is based on interpretivism assumes that the nature of knowledge that is obtained is determined by various factors such as social phenomenon and the meanings are subjective, meaning that they change depending on the existing situation. Finally, pragmatism is based on the idea that the knowledge that is obtained depends on the nature of questions that an individual asks, as opposed to the existing situation (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009). This research evaluates the how globalization has impacted consumer behaviors and attitudes. As such, this changes from one consumer to the other. For this reason, intepretivism philosophy is used because the nature of knowledge that is acquired on the research topic depends on the existing situation in Saudi …show more content…
In this case, researchers use information that is already available and accessible to the public. Such information is retrieved from governmental institutions, companies, and other researchers (Kumar, 2010). As such, there are various benefits that researchers gain for using this approach. One of such is that it is cheaper than primary research. Secondly, secondary researches and their findings are readily available in various sources. As such, they take a shorter time to conduct and complete than primary research studies. Thirdly, they are a source of information that is used in clarification of various issues in the study. This leads to proper development of information in the study. Finally, the initial sourced analyze the various types of research methodologies. Thus, the researcher using secondary research does not dig into such details. However, the approach has various disadvantages. For instance, sometimes the research questions and the data lack coherence. This is contrary to the primary research that establishes data that is tailored to respond to particular questions (Boyle & Schmierbach, 2015). It also has a high degree or error propagation. Errors that were incurred in the initial research are translated into the current research. Another weakness is that some data may be outdated and thus unsuitable for use in current studies. Consumer behaviors and attitudes change from time to time, on a frequent
Conducting external secondary research can help support the need for a study when addressing a management problem identified for a marketing research proposal. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your ability to conduct secondary research to inform a proposal for a new product idea.
The outermost layer is known as the research philosophy, which is then followed by the research
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When conducting research, when is it conducive to use primary research over secondary research and vice versa? Both research techniques are viable and beneficial. They each have purpose and can be used as a marketing research template when conducting research. Both techniques are equipped with tools that can be used to guide a researcher through the research process. If these tools are properly adhered to, the research process can be seamless and quite effective. Moreover, market research can assist a researcher in making accurate decisions and improve the chance of success. This paper will explain the difference among research tools used in primary and secondary research. It will also depict the
The strategy of secondary analysis was chosen for this research because it is cheap and timely in comparison to other forms of research. Using data collected by other reliable sources increases the validity of secondary data analysis research.
“Primary research delivers more specific results than secondary research, which is an especially important consideration when you're launching a new product or service” (SFGate, 2012, para 3). This type of research is used to find answers to a predetermined problem using “statistical methodologies that involve sampling as little as 1 percent of a target market” (SFGate, 2012, para 3). The main downside of primary market research over that of secondary is that is expensive to conduct.
The epistemology and ontology together guide the researcher towards the type of research they will conduct, and in turn determine the type of methodology and methods of the research (Carter & Little, 2007).
Research paradigms are ‘the entire constellation of beliefs, values, techniques, and so on shared by members of a given community’ (Kuhn, 1970, p.175). The three most common paradigms are positivism, constructivism or interpretivism and pragmatism. Each of these can be categorised further by examining their: ontology, epistemology and methodology. Fundamentally, ontology is the nature of reality, epistemology describes the relationship the investigator has with their version of reality, and methodology is the various techniques and tools used to analysis their research.
Research methodology and methodological approaches that is, the structured process of conducting research and the overall concepts and theories which underpin research respectively (Bryman, 2008), occupy a central position in the research process as they are both shaped by and translate the researcher’s epistemological position. Epistemology then refers to a researcher’s philosophical stance about the nature, derivation and scope of knowledge (Gilbert, 2008). These positions are seldom ‘spelt out’ but rather understood in the matter of research methodology and approach (Sarantakos, 2005).
Primary research is where we get information straight from the customers. These could include interviews, questionnaires, analysing purchase records and feedback. Secondary research uses published information such as yellow pages, newspaper reports and articles in trade journals.
They can also measure this through sending out a survey to customers who did not accept the organizations quote. Survey questions can include reasons for the quote being rejected, such as cost, quote turnaround time, and delivery lead time. One of the major advantages of primary data is that it can be “more specific to the problem being studied” (Kerin, R.A., Hartley, S.W., Berkowitz, E.N., and Rudelius, W., 2006) and one of the main disadvantages is the cost associated and time associated with collection. So what is the difference between primary and secondary research?
A paradigm is essentially what guides the research conducted by a researcher. Qualitative and quantitative are the main two research paradigms that guide a researcher. These are basically beliefs about reality or ontology. This is called relativism and in this paradigm, the researcher believes that there are many qualitative perspectives of reality. Generally this type of research is subjective. Qualitative research analysis is generally inductive and focuses on experiences and perceptions of research participants. Research design methods for this paradigm include phenomenology (lived experience), ethnography (influence of culture) and grounded theory (social process) (NurseKillam, 2017).
Maxwell (2005) also notes that qualitative research can be used to address various issues and is not restricted to one ontological stance. The method also involves developing a relationship with the people one is studying, an aspect that is important in defining the authenticity of the data and determining the course of action.
This is existing research that has been gathered previously either by the firm itself or by other organisations. This type of research is collected quicker and cheaper as it has been already archived. Secondary data is normally found in internal and external sources.
Primary and secondary sources are ways in which data can be retrieved. As Serakan (2006) stated, “Primary data refer to information obtained by the researcher on the variables of interest for the specific purpose of the study”. Various evidence suggesting to what methods of primary research can be conducted and which are most effective for the previously mentioned problem description are stated in this chapter.