Qualitative Research

Proposal
(1) Determining the specific area of interest;
(2) extensive literature survey;
(3) Refinement of the research
topics/developing the research questions
(4) preparing the research design;
(5) collecting the data
(6) analysis of data;
(7) preparation of the report or presentation of
the results,
Three parts:

(i) Setting up the research

(ii) Doing the research/fieldwork
(iii) Writing up the research
Understanding where are you coming
from….
Understanding of your research
approach
Since…
“qualitative research subsumes several
diverse research methods that differ
from each other considerably.”
YOU NEED TO KNOW
(i) The differences between qualitative
and quantitative research
(ii) what is qualitative research
 Its Characteristics
 Its Assumptions

(iii) Which qualitative research

approach that you are using!
Research Proposal
 your research design will evolve as you
conduct your study, and therefore a
proposal for a qualitative study can’t
present an EXACT specification of what
you will do...

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 Where do I stand?
•What is my view of the world?
What is the broad theme/ •What is the nature of reality
research question? (ontology) & how do we construct
knowledge (epistemology)?
Is it significant?
•Does it add to knowledge?
•Does it contribute to
practice? Research design:
•Who is interested in the •Provisional
outcome? •A plan that guides your
preparation
What does the literature
say?
•Experts’ opinions/ my What data do I need?
own experience etc
Generate possible research methods
for data collection
•Which question does each method/
data source address?
•How would I analyse these data?

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 Where do I stand?
•What is my view of the world?
What is the broad theme/ •What is the nature of reality
research question? (ontology) & how do we construct
knowledge (epistemology)?
Is it significant?
•Does it add to
knowledge?
•Does it contribute to Research design:
practice? •Provisional
•Who is interested in the •A plan that guides your
outcome? preparation
What does the literature
say?
•Experts’ opinions/ my What data do I need?
own experience etc
Generate possible research methods
for data collection
•Which question does each method/
data source address?
•How would I analyse these data?

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 Where do I stand?
•What is my view of the world?
What is the broad theme/ •What is the nature of reality
research question? (ontology) & how do we construct
knowledge (epistemology)?
Is it significant?
•Does it add to knowledge?
•Does it contribute to
practice? Research design:
•Who is interested in the •Provisional
outcome? •A plan that guides your
preparation
What does the literature
say?
•Previous research What data do I need?
•Experts’ opinions/ my
own experience Generate possible research methods
•Existing theory for data collection
•Which question does each method/
data source address?
•How would I analyse these data?

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 Where do I stand?
•What is my view of the world?
What is the broad theme/ •What is the nature of reality
research question? (ontology) & how do we construct
knowledge (epistemology)?
Is it significant?
•Does it add to knowledge?
•Does it contribute top
practice? Research design:
•Who is interested in the •Provisional
outcome? •A plan that guides your
preparation
What does the literature
say?
•Experts’ opinions/ my What data do I need?
own experience etc
Generate possible research methods
for data collection
•Which question does each method/
data source address?
•How would I analyse these data?

10
 Where do I stand?
•What is my view of the world?
What is the broad theme/ •What is the nature of reality
research question? (ontology) & how do we construct
knowledge (epistemology)?
Is it significant?
•Does it add to knowledge?
•Does it contribute top
practice? Research design:
•Who is interested in the •Provisional
outcome? •A plan that guides your
preparation
What does the literature
say?
•Experts’ opinions/ my What data do I need?
own experience etc
Generate possible research
methods for data collection
•Which question does each
method/ data source address?
•How would I analyse these data?

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 Do I know the field and its literature
well?
 What are the important research
questions in my field?
 What areas need further exploration?
 Could my study fill a gap? Lead to
greater understanding?
 Has a great deal of research already
been conducted in this topic area?
 Has this study been done before? If
so, is there room for improvement?
 The researcher is the learner,
continually
and consciously making decisions that
affect the questions pursued and the
direction of the study
Questions:
How to design and plan qualitative
research given that the design
emerges/changes as the research
progresses?
(i) Setting up the research:
- Research design and proposal
• Explain/Justify Your Proposed Study
• The proposal is an argument for your
study
• Needs to explain the logic behind the
proposed study
• Not simply describe or summarize the
study
 There is no single accepted outline for a
qualitative research proposal or report

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Literature Review
Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework
Chapter 4 Research Methodology
Introduction
 Background of the research
 Tell why there's a need for the study.
 Cite relevant literature that calls for
the need for the research in this area,
or demonstrates the lack of attention
to the topic.
 Describe how you think this study will
be useful
 Introduction
 Problem Statement
 Research Objective/Research Questions
 Significance of the study
 Limitations
 Difficults.
◦ It helps to have a good supervisor, good colleagues,
and/or knowledge or practical experience of and
affinity for a topic.
◦ You must read journal articles to find out what's
already known.
 Authors also often point out topics for future research
(suggestion for future research)
 Are my research questions consistent with each
other, and linked with each other?
 Do they add up to the sensible whole

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1. Generally, how has the recently experienced
economic crisis affected the organisation?

2. How has the change in organisational

structure affected accounting practices
within the organisation?

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3. What are the roles of accounting, accounting
information and accountants, as perceived by the
other organisational members?
Are there any changes in these perceived roles?
Why were there changes?
How did these perceptions change?

4. What were the factors which were implicated in or led to the

introduction of the new system?
Who is (are) behind the introduction of the new
system?
Who is (are) responsible for the
implementation of the new system?

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5. What are the values and norms that
underpin the new system?
Does the system need new ways of
thinking and doing things in the
organisation?

What are the implications of such

changes for the firm’s specific know- how? Were
the changes : -
i. Intentional or Unintentional,
ii. Formal or Informal?
iii. Revolutionary or Evolutionary?

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6. Is there any resistance to the new system?
If yes, how was the resistance shown? Is the
resistance:

i. formal and overt?

ii. due to lack of knowledge?
iii. due to the mental allegiance to specific ways of
thinking and doing things?

7. How was the new system implemented?

Did it lead to a progressive or regressive change?

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 Motivation = answering the question:
 Why is this study important?

◦ Possible replies:
• ’This is a new phenomenon’
• ’This is under-researched’
• ’Previous research is ambiguous’
• ’We don’t know enough about it’
◦ But how to establish such propositions?

• Do a sound literature review

• Learn strategies from published

research papers
Three different ways to argue that
the study is neccessary (based on
previous research):

Synthesized coherence
Progressive coherence:

No coherence
 Synthesized Coherence:
You bring together works from
different areas that you believe point
to common ideas

--> (what’s new is the combination)

You show how the joint work of a
community of researchers have
developed over time.
And now your ’piece’ is needed,
because either:
 a) there is too little research,
or
 b) it is not focused enough to
answer what you will address
You refer to works that study
the same phenomenon,
but you disagree with their
approach/conclusions etc.
 Literature Review
 Research objectives influence the choice of
the theoretical framework and the method
to be used for the study.

 Choose appropriate framework:

Tied in between the theory, research
questions and the method
 Justify your framework - why is it
appropriate
Research Paradigm
 included - readers who are not
familiar with the qualitative research
paradigm.
 Describe your research paradigm
 Cite authors who have defined your
research paradigm and suggested its
application to your field of study
and/or your specific topic of study
 Identify and generally describe your
research method

 (e.g., ethnographic field study,

interpretive case study), and your
research procedures (e.g., long
interviews, observation)
 Cite the major authors who have
described your research method.
 Justify why your method is appropriate
for your research.
 Describe what you intend to do in
detail, as you begin your study.
 Case site selected? How many? Why?
 ONE SITE?

 MULTIPLE SITES?

 SITE SELECTION

 PILOT STUDY

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 Quantitative sampling aims at
representativeness
 Qualitative “sampling” aims at
information-rich cases
◦ Be realistic and practical
◦ Need range and diversity
◦ Link to research aim
◦ not towards statistical or
random sampling
◦ purposive sampling
◦ Each person is chosen
specifically because s/he can
bring a unique perspective to
the study.
◦ theoretical sampling
 Choose a case in terms of
your theory
 Choose extreme cases
 How many people to be interviewed?
 How many interviews
 What functions, why?
 What documents? What to look for?
 What meetings to observe
 Describe your intended data collection
procedures
 If interviews are to be used, list your
question(s) or attach as an appendix
 Justifications
 Linking between research questions,
data sources and methods,
and justifications

Research
Data source Practicalities
Question Justification
And method

You need to achieve consistency and practicality of

methods:
•How well do they address your questions?
•What claims will they enable you to make?
•How will you substantiate these claims?

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 Research Data source Justification Practicalities
Question And method

Why did the Interviews: Different viewpoints Access to key

ERP project CEO from different levels Stakeholders?
fail? CIO & org roles Can they talk about a
Project manager Failed project?
Project team Documented Access to actual project
rationale documents?
Document Process of project
Analysis: Outside views?
Annual report Consultants? Other
Project charter Stakeholders?

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 Plan the data collection:
◦ What cases?
◦ In what organisations?
◦ Access?
◦ Interview questions, equipment, recording data
 Plan the analysis
◦ What method of analysis

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Thank
You