The document discusses key aspects of research methods including: 1. Research methods can be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed. The type chosen depends on the field of study, research philosophy, design, topic, and questions. 2. Research philosophy refers to beliefs about knowledge development and includes epistemological, ontological, and axiological assumptions. 3. Research design is the general plan for answering research questions through objectives, data sources, collection, analysis, and ethics considerations. Designs include exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, and evaluative. 4. Research topics can be basic or applied research with different purposes, and questions drive literature review, design, data collection, and analysis.

2. Research Methods
• Research methods are divided into quantitative
and qualitative methods
• Which you choose will depend on
– 1. the field of your study
– 2. the research philosophy
– 3. the research design
– 4. your research topic
– 5. your research questions
– 6. the methodological choices

3. 1. Fields of Study
• Accounting & Finance
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery & Veterinary
• Architecture & Building
• Arts & Design
• Audio-visual Techniques & Media Production
• Business Management & Administration
• Computing & IT
• Communication & Broadcasting
• Education
• Engineering & Engineering Trades
• Environmental Protection
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Humanities
• Languages
• Law
• Manufacturing & Processing
• Marketing & Sales
• Mathematics & Statistics
• Medical Diagnostic & Treatment Technology
• Medicine & Healthcare
• Science (Life Science/Physical Science/Applied
Science)
• Social Sciences
An academic discipline, or branch of
knowledge.

4. 2. Research Philosophy
1. Research philosophy refers to beliefs and
assumptions about the development of knowledge.
2. The Epistemology assumption [valid & legitimate knowledge] +
Ontological assumption [nature of reality] + Axiological
assumption [values and ethics in decision making] = determine the
research design
EA: What constitutes acceptable, valid and legitimate knowledge? Scientific evidence.
OA: “Resistance to change”, good or bad in managing an organisation?
AA: Why you choose this research topic?

5. (Saunders et al., 2019)

6. 3. Research Design
• Research design is the general plan of how you will go
-about answering your research question(s).
-It will contain clear research objectives derived from your
research question(s),
-specify the source(s) from which you intend to collect data,
-how you collect and analyse these data, and
-discuss ethical issues and the constraints you will inevitably
encounter example: access to data, time, location and money.
(Saunders et al., 2019)

7. 3. Research Design
1. Exploratory research is utilised when the researcher has
very little data. It is adopted based on an inductive perspective
with the aim of providing insight into a specific topic.
2. Descriptive research is intended to get information that
portrays the attributes of the theme of interest for the research. It
is conducted to describe existing and past research phenomena.
3. Explanatory research tests whether one event causes
another/causal relationship. Causality implies an adjustment in X
(the cause) on changes in Y (the impacted).
4. Evaluative research is to find out how well something works.
(Saunders et al., 2019)

8. 3. Research Design

9. 4. Research Topic
Which type of research?
Basic research Applied research
Purpose:
• expand basic/fundamental
knowledge the field of your study
• results in universal principles
relating
to the process and its relationship to
outcomes
• findings of significance and value to
society in general
Purpose:
• improve understanding of particular
problem the field of your study
• results in solution to problem
• findings of practical relevance and
value to organisation(s)
(Saunders et al., 2019)

10. 5. Research Question(s)
-It will be important for you to express your research question(s). A
research question will allow you to say what the issue or problem is that
you wish to study and what your research project will seek to find out,
explain and answer.
-One of the key criteria of your research success will be whether you
have answered the research question(s) and developed a set of clear
conclusions.
-This/these research question(s) will be at the center of your research
project. It will influence
(a) your choice of literature to review,
(b) your research design,
(c) the data accession
(d) data collection
(e) data analysis
(Saunders et al., 2019)

11. • Quantitative data is about quantities, and
therefore numbers
• Qualitative data is about the nature of the
thing investigated, and tends to be words
• Mixed methods
6. Methodological Choices

12. (Saunders et al., 2019)

13. Quantitative
(Saunders et al., 2019)

14. Qualitative
(Saunders et al., 2019)

15. (Saunders et al., 2019)
Mixed Methods

16. Example of Mixed Methods
(Saunders et al., 2019)

17. Reasons for Mixed Methods
(Saunders et al., 2019)

18. Simulation
An imitation of some real thing, state of affairs, or process; representing
certain key characteristics or behaviors of a selected physical/abstract system.
Advantages of Simulation
(1)Most complex, real-world systems with stochastic elements cannot be
accurately described by a mathematical model that can be evaluated
analytically. Thus, a simulation is often the only type of investigation possible.
(2)Simulation allows one to estimate the performance of an existing system
under some projected set of operating conditions.
(3)Alternative proposed system designs can be compared via simulation to
see which best meets a specified requirement.
(4) In a simulation we can maintain much better control over experimental
conditions.
(5)Simulation allows us to study a system with a long time frame.
e.g., an economic system in certain period of time, or alternatively to study
the detailed workings of a AI Manufacturing system.
(Rath, 2019)

19. Simulation
Disadvantages of Simulation
(1)Each run of a stochastic simulation model produces only estimates of a
model’s true characteristics for a particular set of input parameters.
(2)Simulation models are expensive and time consuming to develop.
(3)If a model is not a “valid” representation of a system under study, the
simulation results, will provide little useful information about the actual
system. (no matter how impressive)
Usage
(4)In some studies both simulation and analytic models might be useful. In
particular, simulation can be used to check the validity of assumptions
needed in an analytic mode.
(5)On the other hand, an analytic model can suggest reasonable alternatives
to investigate in a
simulation study.
(Rath, 2019)

20. The Research Onion