Methodology ( Write 5 pages) Research Topic: “Information Technology Issues Facing Retailer Business” Watch the video “Exploratory, Descriptive and Explanatory Nature of Research” Optionally, watch the video "What is Descriptive Research?" Optionally, w
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TraditionalResearchMethodology.docxRunning Head: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2
Research Methodology
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Research topic: “Information Technology Issues Facing Retailer Business”
Research design
We use exploratory research design in this research. As the name implies, exploratory research is meant to exploring the research question and in offering final and conclusive solutions to the existing issue. Exploratory research is mainly aimed at a conducting study in order to explore an issue that is not clearly defined (Creswell, 2014).
We will use the exploratory research in order to determining the nature of information technology challenges facing the retailer businesses. The exploratory research will help us to understand the important of information technology in retailer business. However, when conducting the exploratory research, we will be willing to change our direction as result of new insights and new data. We will explore the IT challenges in retailer businesses with varying levels of depth. In other words, the exploratory research will form basis of our research on the issue. Furthermore, the exploratory research design will help us to determine the research sampling, design and methodology and in our data collection process. Using the exploratory research, we will involve in tackling the new problems on which little or no previous research has been done on the information technology challenge facing the retailer businesses (Creswell, 2014).
The reason on why we use the exploratory research is because is flexible and adaptable to changes. It is also effective in laying groundwork that can help in our future studies. In addition, exploratory studies help to save time and other research resources by determining the stages of the research that are worth pursuing.
Participants
In essence, acquiring information from every individual in a given population is practically impossible. Therefore, in our research we will involve in collecting sample of population of the farmers who understand the information technology and its implications on retailer business (Creswell, 2014). Consent is considered as the key aspect in research ethics as enshrined in the Nuremberg Code. In accordance to the 1965 Helsinki Declaration valid consent is freely given and properly informed without pressures such as threats, coercion or persuasion (Creswell, 2014). Both the Helsinki Declaration and Nuremberg Code are the key foundation of precepts of consent in research.
In this research, we will make sure that the participants are duly informed about methods, purposes and intended possible use of the research, what risks, and their role in the research. We will ensure that the participants are voluntary and freely chosen and no any form of force is used. We will respect the participants’ consent or refusal in order to prevent abuse and harm such as feeling exploited, deceived, shamed or otherwise threatened by one our researchers. The consent process will be conducted in time in order to allow for clarification of any difference. This will help us to gain insights into involved risks and how to prevent them (Kazdin, 2013).
It is important to note that consent is a strenuous process. It is process by which the participants have to make informed decisions if it will be worth to take part in the research despite any involved risk or cost. The respect for the participants’ consent helps to set standards for the relationship between the participants and researchers (Kazdin, 2013). Further, the research will depend on the participants’ active cooperation such as question answering. This can be described as implied consent. However, we understand that the interviewed people may be too embarrassed, be afraid to say no unless they are offered a respectful chances to withdraw, refuse or agree to take part in the study (Kazdin, 2013). Therefore, in my research, we will give the participants ample time to decide whether they wish to take part in the research. Our consent will either be in form of written, spoken or implied. We will make sure that the participants have a copy of consent forms and a leaflet to keep (Kazdin, 2013).
Instrumentation
Questionnaire method
We will use the questionnaire method to ask questions to the research participants about the information technology challenges facing the retailer businesses. We will involve in compiling a set of written questions on a sheet of paper with indicated spaces specifically provided for the research participants to replying to the questions. The queries will be self-administered or we may choose to use them during interviewing the research participants. Nevertheless, the questions will be most useful when we will be colleting a small amount of well-defined facts from huge number of participants. With the use of the questionnaire method, the participants will be able to read and write answers with having to provide explanation for anything (Kazdin, 2013).
Interviews
Interview is one of the commonest methods purposely used for collection of relevant information from the research participants. In our research, the interviewing process will take several forms:
Structured interviews – this is a process whereby the sequence and wording of the questions is the same from one interview. In this case, the respondents will have to choose from limited number of answers that outlined in advance (Kazdin, 2013).
Semi-structured interview – in this case, the interviewer will involve in asking a number of key questions in a same way but he or she will be free to altering the sequences of the questions and to probing for more information from the participants. In other words, the participants will be free to respond to our questions in any way they choose (Kazdin, 2013).
Unstructured interview – the interviewers will have a list of topics that will be distributed to the research participants to discuss about but they will be free to phrasing the quizzes as they wish. The respondents will be free to answering in any way they desire.
Focus group
We will use this method to exploring new issues and as a way of evaluating and monitoring studies and to discovering what a group of participants feel or think about the IT challenges in retailer businesses. In this case, the research participants will be able to discuss about the IT challenges in retailer businesses. Therefore, the purpose of the facilitator of focus group will be to guide the discussion but he or she will not intervene in such discussions (Blackburn, 2015).
Observation method
This is one of the most techniques that relate to everyday life. The method usually involves recording the behavior of groups or individuals or any event that occur in a given place. The method is advantageous since the researcher may choose where and when to carry out the observation procedure and hence ensure that he or she has a good chance of seeing the behavior they wish to observe (Blackburn, 2015).
Document analysis
The method is considered advantageous since a huge amount of reliable and consistent information can be obtained without questioning many people.
Procedure
In essence, the need to carry out an exploratory research starts with a well grounded prerequisite to better understanding an internal business issue (IT challenges facing retailer businesses). In order to ensure we have conducted a well detailed research, we will involve in defining the hypothesis and increase our knowledge base about potential customers (Johnson, 2012).
Exploratory research will help in providing critical answers to such needs. It will also help to gaining comprehensive insights, narrowing insights and providing fundamentals that are considerably important for impending growth (Kodish, 2012). Syndicated research, case studies, focus groups, and expert interviews are some of the techniques we will use to conduct our exploratory research on IT challenges facing the retailer businesses.
However, we will mostly use focus groups in our exploratory research on the issue. Open discussion will help us to allowing the researchers to building a great understanding from variety of perspectives in short-time frame. With the use of focus groups method, only 9-14 individuals who fit within a given target will be brought together to discuss and answer key questions on the IT challenges to retailer business.
Our exploratory case study will be accompanied by additional data collection methods such as questionnaires and interviews (Kodish, 2012). The aim of case study will understand if a larger investigation of business problem, idea or opportunity is fundamentally necessary. We will also conduct a syndicated research in order to providing a wide overview of the issue (IT challenges to retailer businesses) rather than reporting on other research insights.
In addition, conducting an expert interview will help us to develop more detailed evidence about the challenges of information technology to retailer business (Kodish, 2012). In this case, the most critical part of the expert interview will be to establish who in the area of information technology is considered an expert. However, we will ensure that the experts have an extensive amount of experience, knowledge and ability in information technology.
Data Processing and Analysis
After we have collected the data, we will thoroughly process it before making a final presentation (Kodish, 2012). We will establish solid identifications, statistical and abundance analysis to identifying differences between study groups. Finally, we will write a report that details the key findings, methods and suggestions for purposes of visual presentations.
References
Blackburn, J. K. (2015). Ftools: A fits data processing and analysis software package. In Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems IV (Vol. 77, p. 367).
Johnson, B., & Turner, L. A. (2013). Data collection strategies in mixed methods research. Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research, 297-319.
Kazdin, A. E. (2013). Research design in clinical psychology.
Kodish, E. (2012). Informed consent for pediatric research: is it really possible?. The Journal of pediatrics, 142(2), 89-90.
