7-8
Running Head: Sun Coast 1
SUN COAST
Sun Coast
Tammie Witcher
Columbia Southern University
Literature Review
The purpose of this report is to develop a literature review that analyses how research-based decision-making can directly affect organizational practices. In this regards, different aspects are being considered for analysis including the differences in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and examining the advantages and disadvantages of primary as well as secondary sources of data. The entire discussion is then related to the Sun Coast’s case and how the articles in literature review solves Sun Coast’s issue.
Impact of Research-based Decision-making on the Organization
Many different researches have been made that show the positive impact of research and training on the decision making capabilities. In this regards, a study in the healthcare sector found that through training and research, there was an immediate conversion of attitudes in the workplace than on skills (Champagne et al., 2014).
One of the most popular studies in this field is the evidence- based practices. The idea behind this concept is to take quality decisions based on critical thinking and best available evidence (Barends et al., 2014). According to this practice, evidence is obtained from multiple sources in order to have a desired positive outcome. Evidence can take form of different size and shape and may and its quality depends on its relevance to the case (Barends et al., 2014).
Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodologies
There are various types of research methodologies. However, these fall majorly into two categories; qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative research is more concerned with the information available in the form of emotions that may not be quantified. It involves gathering non-numerical data. Methods can include observation etc. Quantitative research is more concerned with the numerical data that can be easily quantified. For instance, conducting statistical analysis of the test results produce by Grade 1 students.
With regards to the case of Sun Coast, data is already available in the numeric form and therefore, the quantitative research methodologies shall be applied.
Primary and Secondary Sources of Data
Primary data is when the data is collected first hand, with direct interaction from the subjects or the target audience. This involves conducting questionnaires or interviews that provide information from the source directly. The major advantage of primary data is that new and updated information is available. However, the disadvantage is that collecting data through this source may take up a lot of time and even delays in the research. Furthermore, there are ethical concerns as well in the primary collection of data (Hox & R. Boeigi, 2005).
Secondary data is the use of already collected data by the previous researchers and using the relevant information in the current research work through filtering in order to provide a meaningful analysis. The main advantage is that the data is readily available and not a lot of effort has to be made unlike in the primary data collection. However, the main disadvantage is that the data from the secondary sources might not relevant in terms of time and the characteristics of the target audience or geography used. Such as research might be collected only on the US resident and therefore, cannot be applied to the African-American residents (Hox & R. Boeigi, 2005).
In case of Sun Coast, data has already been collected by the previous researcher and only analysis followed by the execution will have to be performed.
Conclusion
The research shows that the use of research to make decisions in the organizations provide positive outcomes and therefore, the use of quantitative data from the secondary sources, as compiled by the previous researcher, will be used for analysis of Sun Coast’s issues.
Barends, E., M. Rousseau, D., & B. Briner, R. (2014). Evidence Based Management: The Basic Principles. Center for Evidence Based Management.
Champagne, F., Lemieux-Charles, L., Duranceau,, M.-F., Reay, T., & MacKean, G. (2014). Organizational impact of evidence-informed decision making training initiatives: a case study comparison of two approaches. NCBI.
Hox, J. J., & R. Boeigi, H. (2005). Data Collection; Primary vs Secondary. Encyclopedia of Social Measurement.