Mgmt 802 week 1(1)

Lecture 1 Research Design and
Research Question
Professor Stephen Teo
MGMT802 Quantitative Research
Methods And Analysis

This week (Tues & Thurs)
1. Introduction
2. Ontological and epistemological
orientations in Quantitative Research
3. What is theory - from a “Quantitative”
perspective?
4. Quantitative research design
 Process of Quantitative Research
 Research question
 Hypothesis testing
 Measurement

Paper learning goals
1. Develop research questions appropriate for a
postgraduate research.
2. Specify and defend an appropriate
methodological approach to a research
question
3. Critically reflect on the nature of theory and
explain the difference between theory building
and theory testing.
4. Analyse and interpret data within the
quantitative approach to research.
3

Weekly Content
1. - Ontological and epistemological orientations
- Research question development within
the quantitative methodological approach.
- Theory building in a quantitative
methodological approach
2-6. Quantitative data collection and analysis.
Presentation of data (evidence) and
results.

Item Max mark Due date
Assignment 1
Quantitative Research
Design
20 Week 8
5 pm 25 Sept
2015
Assignment 2
Quantitative data analysis
and reporting
80 Week 12
5 pm, 23 Oct
2015
Assessments

Assignment 1 Quantitative Research Design
Purpose: Critique statistical technique(s) and
research design in Quantitative studies
Select a key article in your own research topic
Study must adopt a quantitative research design
3 requirements:
What is/are the research question(s) in this article?
Identify the statistical analyses undertaken in this
article.
Critique the statistical analysis/analyses undertaken in
the article in answering the research question(s) of the
study.
• What are the features of the technique(s)?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the
technique(s)?
• Does/do the technique(s) answer the research
question(s)?

Assignment 2 Undertaking Statistical Analyses
using SPSS
You will find an SPSS data file for this assignment
on AUT online > Assessments.
Purpose: Examine the factors which influence the
job satisfaction of NZ public sector managers
3 requirements:
 Check and clean the data
 Identify the appropriate statistical analyses required to
answer the questions in the assignment.
 Critique the statistical analyses undertaken, paying
attention to the issues relating to undertaking survey
research.

Take a 2 min break…Take a 2 min break…
reflect and regroup!reflect and regroup!

Quant Philosophy: Positivism
• The only authentic knowledge is
“scientific” knowledge Such knowledge
can only come from positive affirmation of
theories through strict scientific method
[hypothesis testing]
• Only observable phenomena are worthy of
research [driven by theory, lit review, to
derive at hypotheses]
9

Adapted from Crotty (1998)
Ontology:
essence of the reality
Epistemology:
how we know the reality
(Quantitative)
Methodology:
plan of action
Method:
data collection techniques
and analysis
10
What is your
theory?
What do we
know about
the topic?

Quantitative
Focus of research Describe, explain and predict
Researcher involvement Limited
Research purpose Theory testing [deductive]
Sample design Probability [statistical]
Sample size Large
Research design Determined before the project
Data type Verbal or numerical descriptions
Data preparation Reduced to numerical codes
Data analysis
– Statistical methods
– Clear distinction between facts and
judgements
Findings From the use of correct instruments
Insights and meaning From the output of statistical methods
Generalisations Statistical
Adapted from Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2008). Business Research Methods (10th
ed.). Boston, MA, USA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Quantitative research

Research
Design
Prediction
or Hypothesis
Theory
Data
Basic Stages in Scientific Research
(Tilley, 1996: 4)
Change mgt and subjective fit,
job stress
See figure in article
Survey
252 Australian nurses
Descriptive Statistics
Multivariate statistics
– path modeling
Aim: explore the
effects of chg mgt
practices, P-O fit
and occupational
stress to
understand the
effects of change
on employee
adjustment

Practical Example
My article on Subjective fit and Change (Newton et al.,
2013)
RESEARCH AREA: Change management, Nursing
management, OB
SPECIFIC INTEREST
e.g. Change on Nurses Work attitudes
RESEARCH QUESTION
1.What are the effects of change initiatives on
nursing wellbeing?
2.Does subjective fit have an impact on nursing
wellbeing during change?

What is THEORY?
A complete theory addresses 4 basic components
(Bacharach, 1989; Sutton and Staw, 1995; Whetten, 1989):
 “What” refers to the factors (or constructs,
variables, etc.) explained by theory.
 “How” refers to the relationships between the
factors.
 “Why” refers to the justification or rationale for the
inclusion of the factors in the theory and is the
“glue that welds models [theory] together” (Whetten,
1989, p. 491).
“When” provides the boundaries or conditions
under which the theory proposes to explain, and
this often includes issues related to the sample (or
“who”) intended to be examined in the theory.

RQ  literature search, research design, data
collection, methods of analysis, and reporting
Framing of RQ needs to align with the ‘theory(s)’
adopted in your study
1.Unambiguous – clarity
2.Researchable – lots of RQ, but which one to ask,
requires
3.Connection/links with the particular literature /
theory adopted in your research
4.will contribute something worthwhile
(contributions/significance)
5.not too big, not too small  where supervisors
input/advice
Criteria for Research Questions (RQ)

Examples of Research Questions
• What is the treatment of intangible assets in
accounting standards? (accounting)
• How is the Internet being used for political
mobilisation? (business information systems)
• Do host country cultural values influence the
effectiveness of leaders in cross cultural joint
ventures? (international business)
• What is the influence of organizational strategies on
the formulation and implementation of different types
of human resource practices? (management)
16

FINDIGN
QUANTITATIVE: Objective
Theory
Literature review
Research Problem
HYPOTHESIS
IVs DV
Data
Collection
Data Analysis
Results
Write-
up
deductive

Hypotheses Formulation
What is your theoretical perspective in your study?
Use lit review to find the relevant literature to help
you formulate/develop your hypotheses
Its your prediction of what you expect to find 
relationships between variables
 Statements that are either true or false
 Statements that are always true
 Statements that are always false
 Statements that are directional (see below)
What is your logic – reason from general principles
to specific conclusions or predictions – deductive
logic [testing guided by theory]
 Higher perceptions of subjective fit will be related to
higher levels of organizational commitment

 Collect data to test whether the hypotheses
were supported; hence, allowing to confirm
theory (as per original hypotheses)
 Can also be rejected, eg opposite direction in the
effect – then need to explain why so and thus,
contributing to theory by finding support for
competing hypothesis
 My research on change mgt, suggests that not
all change initiatives have a negative
consequence
 Hypothesis must be expressed as “testable
statements”
 Null hypotheses = no statistically significant
relationships
 Alternate hypotheses = opposite to null

 Sparrowe and Mayer (2011): Hypotheses needed
to provide an explanation to the reader on how the
theory(s) is grounded in the study
1. positioning hypotheses in relation to related research;
2. developing a clear, logical argument explaining why the
core variables or processes are related in the proposed
fashion, and
3. creating a sense of coherence in the relationships
among the variables and processes in the proposed
model in your study
 Citing Sutton and Staw (1995): “Merely citing prior
studies does not constitute a logical argument;
instead, citations should be used to illustrate
various elements of the logic of one’s own
argument”

 Sparrowe and Mayer (2011) suggested common
pitfalls in grounding hypotheses include lack of
specificity, fragmented theorizing, and stating the
obvious
 Theories can be integrated (Mayer & Sparrowe,
2013):
 same phenomenon but from different perspectives (i.e.,
same DV but different IVs).
 2 disparate streams of research can be shown to
actually not be so disparate after all - they may share
implicit assumptions or some other nonobvious link.
 2 theories may primarily address different phenomena,
but applying one theory to the domain of the other can
generate new insights.
 2 theories may address related phenomena but draw on
a related or common set of explanatory factors.

Measurement and Research Design
Research method = data collection techniques
Why bother with “measurement” in scientific
research?
– Behavioral, mental (cognitive), attitudinal or physiological
response
– Ensure reliability (measurements would be the same if
you repeat them again), validity (measuring what you
think you’re measuring and not something else),
sensitivity (measurement procedures picking up changes
in the variable), and accurate (little measurement error)
Therefore, it is important to use validated “scales”
(e.g. Job Satisfaction) to measure the phenomenon
(the variables in your study)
These variables (or concepts of your theory) must
be measured – HOW?

Measurement is affected by measurement errors:
Discrepancy between the numbers we use to represent
the thing we’re measuring (e.g. affective commitment)
and the actual value of the thing we’re measuring (i.e.
the value we would get if we could measure it directly)
Concepts and their measurement
 Concepts = building blocks of theory
Job demands and job controls are concepts of the job
demands control theory of job stress
 Must be measureable, in order to be
operationalised as independent (IV) or dependent
variables (DV)

 THEORY(S) used in your study, guides you in
relation to how many concepts to study
 Proposed theoretical model should show you the types
of variables to include
 Please refer to my article on chg management and
nursing stress (Figure 1) which shows how the concepts
in the theory are being operationalized in the research
model (depicted as a path model)
 Measurement scales  reliability and validity 
must be related to your underlying theory(s) used in
your study
 Many scales measuring job satisfaction, but which is
relevant to your theory?

Reliability, Replication and Validity
 Reliability: whether the findings are repeatable
– Whether or not the measures of the concepts in the study
are stable and consistent
– Is particularly relevant to quantitative research
 Reliability is close to the criterion of replication and
replicability
 Validity: integrity of the conclusions from the
research:
– Measurement (construct) validity: (does the measure
really reflect the concept it is denoting?)
– Internal validity: relates mainly to causality-does the
conclusion regarding a causal relationship between
variables ring true

Level of Analysis
What is your unit of analysis required to answer your
RQ:
 individuals, dyads (employee – supervisor), groups,
organisations, ethnic groups/communities, and countries
Beware of using data from one unit (eg students in a
classroom) to explain the performance of universities
 Mixed-level research design should be used to examine
if differences due to students in classrooms explaining
the performance of universities  multi-level analysis
using HLM, Mplus, etc

Reflections
How does this week’s material guide your own
research?
Discuss with your lecturer on your own research.
Bring in an article which you will use for
Assignment 1 – seek feedback on the relevance of
this article in meeting the requirements of the
assignment.

Mgmt 802 week 1(1)

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