Completed the following questions 1. Describe the hallmarks of scientific research. 2. What are the steps in hypothetico-deductive research? Explain them, using your own example. 3. One hears the word research being mentioned by several groups such as research organizations, college and university professors, doctoral students, graduate assistants working for faculty, graduate and undergraduate students doing their term papers, research departments in industries, newspaper reporters, journalists, lawyers, doctors and many other professionals and non-professionals. In the light of what you have learned in this chapter, which among the aforementioned groups of people do you think may be doing ‘scientific’ investigations in the areas of basic or applied research? Why? 4. Explain the processes of deduction and induction, giving an example of each. 5. Discuss the following statement: ‘The hallmarks of scientific research do not/cannot apply to inductive research’. 6. If research in the management area cannot be 100 percent scientific, why bother to do it at all? Comment on this question. 7. What is epistemology and why is it important to know about different perspectives on research and how it should be done? 8. Is there a specific perspective on research that appeals to you? Why? 9. Some people think that you should choose a particular research perspective based on the research questions of your study. Others feel that a particular research perspective ‘chooses’ you. That is, they believe that you will have a rather strong preference for one particular research perspective; in turn, this will have an influence on the type of questions you ask. How do you feel about this matter? 10. Critique the following research done in a service industry as to the extent to which it meets the hallmarks of scientific investigation discussed in this chapter. The Mobile Phone Company The Mobile Phone Company has been named as the most complained-about mobile phone company, narrowly beating 3G, which has shot to the top of the table as the worst landline provider. According to the latest figures from the regulator, Ofcom, the Mobile Phone Company was the most complained-about mobile provider – with 0.15 complaints per 1,000 – in the last three months of 2014. It saw its complaint figures rise substantially in the last quarter of 2014. The company wanted to pinpoint the specific problems and take corrective action. Researchers were called in, and they spoke to a number of customers, noting the nature of the specific problems they faced. Because the problem had to be attended to very quickly, they developed a theoretical base, collected relevant detailed information from a sample of 100 customers and analysed the data. The results promise to be fairly accurate with at least an 85 percent chance of success in problem solving. The researchers will make recommendations to the company based on the results of data analysis.The Mobile Phone Company The Mobile Phone Company has been named as the most complained-about mobile phone company, narrowly beating 3G, which has shot to the top of the table as the worst landline provider. According to the latest figures from the regulator, Ofcom, the Mobile Phone Company was the most complained-about mobile provider – with 0.15 complaints per 1,000 – in the last three months of 2014. It saw its complaint figures rise substantially in the last quarter of 2014. The company wanted to pinpoint the specific problems and take corrective action. Researchers were called in, and they spoke to a number of customers, noting the nature of the specific problems they faced. Because the problem had to be attended to very quickly, they developed a theoretical base, collected relevant detailed information from a sample of 100 customers and analysed the data. The results promise to be fairly accurate with at least an 85 percent chance of success in problem solving. The researchers will make recommendations to the company based on the results of data analysis.
