observations, data analysis ch 8, 16- E.pptx

business research management slides on observation in research process is discussed in these slides.

1. Observations

2. Observations Observation concerns the planned watching, recording, analysis, and interpretation of behavior, actions, or events . Observational methods are best suited for research when behavior is to be examined without directly asking the respondents themselves. E.g. Researchers and managers might be interested in the way workers carry out their jobs , the impact of new manufacturing techniques on employee activity, in how consumers watch commercials , use products, or behave in waiting areas

3. Examples Observing in‐store shopping behavior of consumers via a camera Working in a plant to study factory life Studying the approach skills of sales people disguised as a shopper.

4. Controlled versus uncontrolled observational studies An observational study is said to be high in control when the situation or setting is manipulated or contrived by the researcher T he exposure of subjects (for instance, consumers, employees, or investors) to a certain situation or condition (for instance a specific store layout). Controlled observation occurs when observational research is carried out under carefully arranged conditions . Uncontrolled observation is an observational technique that makes no attempt to control , manipulate, or influence the situation. An advantage of uncontrolled observation is that people can be observed in their natural shopping or work environment

5. Participant versus nonparticipant observation N onparticipant observation : the researcher is never directly involved in the actions of the actors, but observes them from outside the actors’ visual horizon , for instance via a one‐way mirror or a camera. P articipant observation : the researcher gathers data by participating in the daily life of the group or organization under study. Passive participation : allows the researcher to collect the required data without becoming an integral part of the (organizational) system. For example, the researcher might sit in the corner of an office and watch and record how a merchant bank trader spends her time. Or: Observing people in public places, like parks, cafés, malls, transport hubs

6. Active participation: is when the researcher actually engages in almost everything that the group under study is doing as a means of trying to learn about their behavior . The researcher may also play the role of the complete participant‐observer. Complete participant observation : the researcher becomes a member of the social group under study. Complete participant observation involves “immersion ” in the social group under study. For instance, if a researcher wants to study group dynamics in work organizations, then she may join the organization as an employee and observe the dynamics in groups while being a part of the work organization and work groups

7. Concealed versus unconcealed observation Concealment of observation relates to whether the members of the social group under study are told that they are being investigated C oncealed observation : is that the research subjects are not influenced by the awareness that they are being observed. Unconcealed observation: is more obtrusive, perhaps upsetting the authenticity of the behavior under study . Concealed observation has some serious ethical drawbacks . While less reactive, concealed observation raises ethical concerns since it may violate the principles of informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality

8. The observation aspect of participant observation Getting started with participant observation and becoming a part of a social group is not without its difficulties . These include choosing a Site G aining permission T he selection of key informants F amiliarizing oneself with the research setting

9. An essential aspect of participant observation is establishing “rapport.” Establishing rapport involves establishing a trusting relationship with the social group under study, by showing respect , being truthful , and showing commitment to the well‐being of the group or the individual members of the group, so that they feel secure in sharing (sensitive) information with the researcher Deviants Professional stranger handlers

10. Qualitative Data Analysis

11. Qualitative data are data in the form of words . Examples of qualitative data are interview notes , transcripts of focus groups , answers to open‐ended questions , transcriptions of video recordings, accounts of experiences with a product on the Internet, news articles, and the like. Qualitative data can come from a wide variety of primary sources and/or secondary sources , such as individuals, focus groups, company records, government publications , and the Internet .

12. There are generally three steps in qualitative data analysis: D ata reduction D ata display D rawing of conclusions. Data reduction refers to the process of selecting, coding and categorizing the data. Data display refers to ways of presenting the data . A matrix, a graph, or a chart illustrating patterns in the data may help the researcher (and eventually the reader) to understand the data

13. Data reduction Example: After the meal I asked for the check. The waitress nodded and I expected to get the check. After three cigarettes there was still no check. I looked around and saw that the waitress was having a lively conversation with the bartender This critical incident contains two themes: The waitress does not provide service at the time she promises to: “The waitress nodded and I expected to get the check. After three cigarettes there was still no check.” The waitress pays little attention to the customer: she is not late because she is very busy; instead of bringing the check, she is engaged in a lively conversation with the bartender.

14. Data reduction ( cont …) Accordingly, the aforementioned critical incident was coded as: “ delivery promises ” (that were broken ) and “ personal attention ” (that was not provided). This example illustrates how the codes “delivery promises” and “personal attention” help to reduce the data to a more manageable amount. For instance , a critical incident in which a service provider does not provide prompt service and treats a customer in a rude manner was coded as containing two critical behaviors ( “unresponsiveness ” and “ insulting behavior ”).

15. Content analysis: Content analysis is an observational research method that is used to systematically evaluate the contents of all forms of recorded communications. Content analysis can be used to analyze newspapers, websites, advertisements, recordings of interviews, and the like . The method of content analysis enables the researcher to analyze (large amounts of) textual information and systematically identify its properties, such as the presence of certain words, concepts, characters, themes, or sentences. Content analysis has been used to analyze press coverage of election campaigns. e.g one candidate’s speech may be full of the words such as community whereas other’s may highlight the words such as nation

16. Narrative analysis: Narrative analysis is an approach that aims to elicit and scrutinize the stories we tell about ourselves and their implications for our lives Narrative data are often collected via interviews. These interviews are designed to encourage the participant to describe a certain incident in the context of his or her life history Narrative analysis has thus been used to study impulsive buying, customers' responses to advertisements, customer’s experience with certain brands.

17. Big data Big data is a popular term nowadays that is commonly used to describe the exponential growth and availability of data from digital sources inside and outside the organization. M ost researchers and practitioners have come to realize that a lot of information resides in massive, unstructured or semi‐structured data, such as texts (think weblogs, Twitter, and Facebook), images , videos . The main characteristics of big data: Volume: Refers to the amount of data Variety: R efers to the many different types of data (Text, images, videos) Velocity: Refers to the pace at which data become available from business processes, social networks, mobile devices, and the like