Business Research Methodologies Resit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Research Methodologies Resit - Essay Example Research Methodology Research Design Research Philosophy The research shall contain elements of both positivism and interpretivism. The interpretivism philosophy is quintessential to our understanding of how and why international students arrive at a preference for certain mobile phone over another in London. This research incorporates identifying and analyzing the factors behind mobile phone selection by international students in London which have not yet been discussed in the context of UK in various past studies. Since this requires significant level of involvement, the subjective element associated with interpretivism will remain dominant. At the same time, the lack of objectivity related with using the interpretivist approach makes it necessary to adopt a quantitative approach and positivist philosophy for the establishment of our research instrument. Research Approach An inductive approach shall be used to identify common factors behind choice of mobile phones in London by inte rnational students which shall be picked up from raw data with subsequent generalizations made for the entire group. Key factors shall be grouped into categories such as cost, availability etc. from raw data and theory shall be developed capturing those factors that are judged to be significant by the researcher. Since the nature of research is qualitative, multiple interpretations may be made from open-ended data obtained through focus groups. Therefore, the findings shall be in large part interpreted in the context of the researchers’ prior experience and/or assumptions. Research strategy Reflecting a blend of positivist and interpretivist approach in our research, a combination of research strategies shall be used including surveys and focus groups. While the surveys are a reflection of the positivist approach, focus groups are suggestive of an interpretivist approach. Inferences regarding the factors that affect choice of mobile phone by international students in the UK s hall be made and relationships between these factors shall be determined using quantitative techniques. Focus groups have been defined as a series of discussions that are systematically planned and that obtain target audience’s perceptions in a particular area of interest under an environment that is tolerant and â€Å"non-threatening† (Krueger & Casey, 2009). The focus groups shall enable the identification of open-ended, sub-conscious responses from the students that they would otherwise not reveal through direct questions. Projective techniques such as those using images of various types of mobile phones (flip cover, sliding, QWERTY keypad, big screen) shall be shown along with various brands including Samsung, Nokia, Apple, Blackberry and others. This exercise particularly attempts to unravel social motivations such as peer pressure in their new place of study as well as the effect of factors such as security (little/no thefts) and supporting infrastructure such as mobile hotspots and e-shopping that may not be available in the countries to which these foreigners belong. Data Collection As suggested earlier, data shall be collected using focus groups and surveys. The surveys shall include both interviews and questionnaires.