This document outlines the key components of a research design, including the purpose of the study, types of investigations, extent of researcher interference, study setting, unit of analysis, and time horizon. The research design provides an overall framework and blueprint to guide the investigation and identify information relevant to addressing the research problem. The purpose can be exploratory to discover ideas, descriptive to characterize variables, or testing hypotheses about causal relationships. Studies also differ in the level of researcher interference, whether settings are natural or contrived, the unit of analysis (e.g. individual or group), and whether they use a cross-sectional or longitudinal time horizon.

1. RESEARCH DESIGN

2. CONTENT
 The Research Design.
 Purpose of the Study
 Types of Investigation
 Extent of Researcher Interference
 Study Setting
 Unit of Analysis
 Time Horizon

3. THE RESEARCH DESIGN
The Research Design is a plan which identifies the
sources and kinds of information strongly related to
the research problem.
 Conceptual structure
 Overall framework of the projects.
 Blueprint .
 Guides the investigators.

5. 1-PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
A method of solving problems, or for understanding
phenomena of interest and generating further
knowledge in that area. The nature of study whether it
is
 Exploratory
 Descriptive
 Hypothesis Testing
Depend on the stage on which knowledge about the
research level.

6. EXPLORATORY STUDY
Exploratory Research is research conducted for a
problem that has not been clearly defined.
 Main objective: Major emphasis is on discovery of
ideas & insights.
 Interviews with many people to understand the
phenomena.
 Qualitative studies are exploratory.
 The objective is general rather than specific.
 Save time and other resources

7. DESCRIPTIVE STUDY
A descriptive study is undertaken to determine and
able to describe the characteristics of the variables of
interest in a situation.
 Main objective: Major emphasis is on discovery of
ideas & insights.
 Quantitative study are descriptive.
 Research has specific objective.
 Findings are definite.
 Comparing Groups and Issues

8. HYPOTHESES TESTING
Explain the nature of certain relationships, or
establish the differences among groups or the
independence of two or more factors in a situation.
 Main objective: Researchers test the hypotheses of
causal relationships between variables.
 Control the influence of one variable on other
dependent variable.

9. 2-TYPE OF INVESTIGATION
A manager should determine whether a casual or a
correlational study is needed to find an answer to the
issue.
 Causal Study
 Correlational study

10. CAUSAL STUDY
A causal study is an inquiry to understand the cause
of one or more problems. Causation, also known as
cause and effect, is when an observed event or
action appears to have caused a second event or
action.

11. CORRELATIONAL STUDY
A Correlational study an inquiry to find out the key
variables linked to the problem. It is the relationship
between two sets of variables used to describe or
predict information.

12. EXTENT OF RESEARCHER INTERFERENCE
The extent of interference by the researcher with the
normal flow of work at the workplace has a direct
bearing on whether the study undertaken is causal or
correlational. A correlational study is conducted in the
natural environment of the organization with minimum
interference by the researcher with the normal flow of
work.

13. STUDY SETTING
 Non-contrived settings: If organizational research
be done in the natural environment where work
proceeds normally, the research is in non-contrived
settings.
 Contrived settings: If organizational research be
done in artificial environment the research is in
contrived settings.

14. UNIT OF ANALYSIS
 The unit of analysis is the major entity that is
being analyzed in a study. The unit of analysis
means the degree of aggregation of the data
gathered through the subsequent data analysis.
 Unit of analysis is the “who” or the “what” that you
are analyzing for your study.
 Individual
 Dyads
 Groups
 Departmental
 Organizational

15. TIME HORIZON
Cross-sectional studies or One-shot
 A study can be carried out in which data are collected
only once, perhaps during a period of days or weeks or
months, to be able to answer a research question
known as cross-sectional studies.
Longitudinal Studies or Multi-shot
 If the researcher might want to study people or
phenomena at more than one point in time in order to
answer the research question or when data on the
dependent variable are gathered at two or more points
in time to answer the research question, the studies are
called longitudinal studies.