Masters of Business Administration Research Methodology

1. Masters of Business Administration Research Methodology Theory Development By: Associate Professor Dr. GholamRezaZandi zandi@segi.edu.my

2. What is Theory Theory must be able to Make predictions Explain the relationship, - why such relationship holds and when this prediction holds. Make description – about the constructs, relationship and assumptions

3. What is Theory A framework of constructs (and their manifest indicators – variable/ operational definition), An interrelated relationship (how the construct causally related - between the constructs),

4. What is Theory What is the unit of analysis (e.g. agency theory – individual; resource based view and contingency theory etc– organizational), and Their boundaries (moderating conditions)

5. What are the contributions from a thesis? Theoretical contributions Practical contributions Methodological contributions – statistics, method etc. Measurement model Conceptual model – acceptable conceptual framework

6. What is theoretical contributions To what extend your study shows a progression in the theory that you have used? Or extending previous theoretical framework into an area where there is a gap, An area that is not well understood,

7. What is theoretical contributions Where previous model have not predicted an outcome well, What is the additional explanation and moderating conditions of the theory ( or third variable that alter the relations of the theoretical framework)

8. What is theoretical contributions Different level of conceptualization and implications Different measurement and methodology

9. Antonakis (2002) Making substantive contribution will mean extending previous theoretical work into an area where there is a gap What is gap? An area that is not well understood

10. Antonakis (2002) Where previous models have not predicted an outcome well Where concept of the variable has not been explore or use - conceptualisation. Additional explanatory (or possibly dependent variables) and moderating conditions of the theory

11. Whetten (1989) Viewpoints What are the building blocks of theory development? What is a legitimate value-added contribution to theory development?

12. What are the building blocks of theory development? Four essential elements: What – which factor logically should be considered as part of the explanation of the social or individual phenomena of interest? – comprehensiveness & parsimony

13. What are the building blocks of theory development? How – how are the related? – using “arrows” and “boxes” – introduced “causality” Why – what are the underlying psychological, economic, or social dynamics that justify the relationships?

14. What are the building blocks of theory development? What and How – provide a framework for interpreting patterns, or discrepancies, in our empirical observations.

15. What is a legitimate value-added contribution to theory development? Are we generating a new theory? What are you doing is to improve what already exists. The question is what constitutes enough for PhD or DBA thesis?

16. What is a legitimate value-added contribution to theory development? Identify as many factors as possible and identify the strength of the relationships? But this is not a contribution…. Contributions – by having one variables that can alter the relationship or alter our understanding of the phenomena.

17. Theoretical Framework – Kren (2003) Job-relevant information Propensity To create budget slack Segment slack (budget slack Created) Budget participation Control system monitoring Environmental uncertainty

18. Theoretical Framework – Alternatively Job-relevant information Decentralisation Propensity To create budget slack Segment slack (budget slack Created) Budget participation Control system monitoring Environmental uncertainty

19. Alternatively: Theoretical framework Environmental uncertainty Attitude towards Budget slack Job clarity Intention To create Budget slack Create budget slack Control effectiveness Belief about Budget slack Budget participation

20. Conceptualisation Use of different concepts For example: organizational culture Katz and Kahn (1978) – roles, norms and values – not explicitly conceptualise as “culture” or “climate” Schein (1990) conceptualised it as a pattern of basic assumptions, invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal intergration…(p.111). Hofstede (1980) – the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another.

21. Measurement Based on conceptualisation: Borrow and adapt or adopt Self-construct Rigorous testing – test-retest or split-half or multitrait-multimethod technique Factor analysis – exploratory or confirmatory – dimensions and items

22. Practical Contributions How your study can helps targeted group of organisation or managers etc.? Holistic view of the framework – modified Inter relationship between variables “What” questions can be used for practical contributions – e.g. descriptive statistics and test of difference.

23. What is your research endeavour? Have you solved the Problem and answer Your research questions? Literature review/ Observation/knowledge You are the expert. Research problem/ Focus of your study Your observation. Why this? How do you see this – Where is the knowledge reside? Your hypothesis. Based on what? What is your answer? Do you really an expert (scholar)? Which METHODOLOGY? True or Not true What are looking for? TRUTH?

24. Questions? Is there really an external world ‘out there’ from which we can obtain ‘true’ knowledge? • Categories and representations are socially and culturally constructed. Can we talk of a single true version of reality? Especially when exploring a social rather than physical reality. • The search for predictive rules deals with structure but denies agency. • All knowledge is spontaneous.

25. Epistemology Epistemology is the study of how to acquire knowledge by observing the world around you.

26. Epistemology What is true knowledge and what is false knowledge? Two main epistemological positions dominated philosophy: empiricism, which sees knowledge as the product of sensory perception, and rationalism which sees it as the product of rational reflection.

27. Epistemology Assumptions deal with the basic of knowledge; How it is possible to identify and communicate what we know? The truth.. The role of researcher is to explore, to explain and to predict the knowledge (about something – e.g. business strategy in that particular setting) Belief, trust, and commitment – where are these concepts resided – within or outside there

28. Epistemology The goal is to end up believing things that are true and not believing things that are false.

29. Epistemology “Scientific method” is part (not all) of epistemology.

30. Epistemology How to form beliefs based on evidence: From Quantitative approach. (1) Propose a belief (a hypothesis). (It should be something that, if true, would be worth knowing, not a waste of mental effort.) (2) Try to confirm it. (3) Also try to disprove it.

31. Epistemology Stages: (1) Conjecture or guess (2) Opinion; belief supported by evidence (3) Firm belief, thoroughly tested against evidence and still holding up This looks like science, but is actually applicable to thinking about almost anything.

32. Epistemology Really important point (from Sir Karl Popper): A belief isn’t warranted unless you could have known if it’s not true. That is, there should be some way that you could tell if it were false.

33. Epistemology Popper’s principle implies: (1) Your guesses and opinions have to be testable. They have to say what will not happen. Beware of vague predictions that are compatible with any outcome!

34. Epistemology Popper’s principle implies: (2) It’s your job to test your opinions against evidence. You should always be looking for evidence that your current beliefs are not correct.

35. Epistemology • Example: • The earth is round. • But some people think it’s flat, and we should be able to explain why it looks flat. • People are motivated when management rewards good behaviour. • How we want to explain that people are not motivated.

36. How to develop our epistemology – “expertise”? Experiencing – participation. Observation. Literature review.

37. How to develop our epistemology – “expertise”? Via Sensory perception. Memory Reasons etc. To account ones about knowledge. To determine the limits of your knowledge. To articulate principles for justifying and improving belief.

38. Beliefs about knowledge. Objective vs. subjective. Normative vs. descriptive.

39. Beliefs about knowledge Objectivist – knowledge is someway independent of personal and social biases, political ideologies and moral beliefs. Non-objectivist (subjectivist) - knowledge is socially constructed and is an artifact of various social institutions, political and economic interests, and so forth.

40. Beliefs about knowledge Normative - Epistemology is concerned with how we ought to form our beliefs, how we ought to gather evidence for beliefs, and so forth. Descriptive approach - epistemology describes and explains how human beings form beliefs about the world, and social epistemology describes and explains the social aspects of knowledge production.

41. Beliefs about knowledge The descriptivist approach to social epistemology is an empirical investigation of the social structures of inquiring communities, as well as the economic, political, technological and cultural forces that influence knowledge production.

42. Assumptions in Social Science(Burrell & Morgan 1979) Subjective Objective Ontology Realism Nominalism Anti - positivism Positivism Epistemology Human nature Determinism Voluntarism Ideographic Methodology Nomothetic

43. Which Methodology? Epistemological underpinnings to the use of different methods • Non-objectivist, normative, anti-realist, idealist, post-modern, social constructionist, interpretative orientations tend to employ qualitative methods. • Rationalist, positivist, empiricist, realist orientations (descriptive) tend to employ quantitative methods.

44. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods • Uses numbers & stats. • Formalised methods. • Many observations. • Little information. • Makes inferences from specific to general. • Replicable analyses. • Seeks social ‘regularities’or ‘laws’. Qualitative Methods • Uses ‘text’. • Less formalised methods. • Few observations. • Much information. • Not so concerned with inference. • Not necessarily replicable. • Seeks ‘understanding’ &interpretation.

45. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods • Censuses. • Surveys. • Official & administrative statistics. • Content analysis • Summarising and descriptive statistics. • Inferential statistics. Qualitative Methods • Unstructured/depth interviews. • Focus groups. • Participant observation. • Case studies. • Semiotics. • Discourse analysis.

46. Where are we heading? Opinion is divided over the scientific status of social science – how far it can and whether it should be modeled on the physical sciences; what that model actually is. • Differences of opinion concerning the existence of an external reality and our ability to know it through observation (ontology and epistemology). • Epistemological divides tend to translate into methodological ones although not inevitable.

47. Where are we heading? • In practice, research strategies often require both quantitative and qualitative methods. • Answer = qualitative research for the context of discovery (induction) and quantitative research for the context of justification (deduction)?

48. Research Methodology Quantitative – hypothetico-deductivism (deductivism) Qualitative – phenomenological (inductivism)

49. INDUCTION

50. DEDUCTION