Business Research Methods, Research Paper Example

Define the distinctions between primary, secondary and tertiary sources in a search.

Primary resources are usually the literary sources that come from scholarly articles and journals that are relatively related to the topic being considered for research. The secondary references on the other end may at some point be more opinionated in nature, which could come in form of feature articles found in news spreads or internet sources. Third level or tertiary sources usually come from actual interview methods that are further analyzed through research methodology measurements at a latter part of the study.

What problems of secondary quality must researchers face? How can they deal with them?

Given that opinion is a great part of secondary resources, it is important for researchers to be keen enough to decipher which of these opinions could be actually used as valid references and which of the said presentations should be disregarded as unrelated to the topic considered in the study.

How does qualitative research differ from quantitative research?

Qualitative research is often dependent on the analysis of collected data base don the opinionated claim of the researcher himself. Analysis in this form of research is often marginalized especially in relation to human error and the different elements that contribute to such imbalance of analysis. On the other end, quantitative research is more dependent on logic and mathematical equations that are used to assess the results that are relative to the data that has been collected from participants.

How do data from qualitative research differ from data in quantitative research?

Qualitative research data often come largely from other research materials. Getting the opinion of results from one study to another, the researcher tries to find a way to come up with a new discovery at the point of completing his own research. There could be added some actual referential assessments such as interviews, but none of these data would be analyzed through mathematical orientations of understanding. On the other end, quantitative research often becomes strongly related to the capacity of a researcher to get participants and have them present their ideas and opinions regarding a topic through survey response. The opinions are then collected and are given their mathematical variable equivalence and measured accordingly through the use of an established formula [or statistical analysis approach].

Assume you are a manufacturer of small kitchen electronics like Hamilton Beach/ Proctor Silex and you want to determine if some innovative designs with unusual shapes and colors developed for European market could be successful market in the U.S.market. What qualitative research would you recommend and why?

It is best to handle the research through a mixed approach. This means that the research on the possibility of acquiring the attention of the market could be measured accordingly through gaining response from the target market. On the other hand, knowing whether or not the new designs would appeal to the market could be handled through assuming control of the situation through gaining understanding of where the market’s trend is going to. Through opinionated articles that define the current trend of the market and cross referencing such information with the actual results of the interviews and surveys from participants, it would be easier to handle the assessment of the new product’s appeal to the target market.

References

Freshwater, D., Sherwood, G. & Drury, V. (2006) International research collaboration. Issues, benefits and challenges of the global network. Journal of Research in Nursing, 11 (4), pp 9295–303.

Cohen, N. & Arieli, T. (2011) Field research in conflict environments: Methodological challenges and snowball sampling. Journal of Peace Research 48 (4), pp. 423–436.

Shuttleworth, Martyn (2008). “Definition of Research“. Experiment Resources. Experiment-Research.com. Retrieved 14 August 2011.

Schwab, M. (2009). Draft Proposal. Journal for Artistic Research. Bern University of the Arts.