Do you believe that the choice of research method is simply based upon Essay

Do you believe that the choice of research method is simply based upon the type of information you wish to collect or do differe - Essay Example Qualitative on the other hand is better when the researcher wants to describe, understand or explore phenomena. Therefore, there is a great deal more to research than just the answering of questions or testing hypothesis. This paper will largely discuss the choice of research methods and the methods themselves in light of their compatibility with social reality. There are two methods used by researchers to gather the required information or test hypothesis: quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative is more positivistic and deductive with qualitative being phenomenological and inductive. Qualitative is more of a holistic approach while the other is particularistic (Bryman & Bell, 2011). Qualitative is discovery and process oriented and explanatory while quantitative is verification and outcome oriented and confirmatory. Quantitative Method This is a method which offers a chance for statistical analysis as data is provided as measurements or counts. This method is credited for being quite objective as the research follows laid down procedures as well as analysis. There are also procedures that dictate how a researcher is to report their findings. This method is mostly used where comparison of variables is of essence. Statistics form the basis of analysis where meaning is attached to results that are in form of numbers (Blankie, 1993). The results, findings or conclusions are standardised data and numerical in form. A researcher employing quantitative methods starts by observing or asking questions through interviews or questionnaires. The questions asked should not demand for open answers but rather fixed ones. The second step is tabulation of results of the observation and questionnaires. Then data collected is analysed and lastly conclusions are made on whether the hypothesis is true or not and whether the fundamental question of the research has been answered. Qualitative Methods This method applies where quantitative method may not obtain the require d insights. It is also more than just non-numerical research. The data collected is nonbiased and mostly on natural occurrences and their interaction with the project’s subject (May, 2002). Due to the aim of describing quality, words are used in place of numbers. Here structured interviews as well as unstructured ones are utilised. It is however important to note that the results of qualitative research are usually generalisations of observations made unlike the specific ones of the quantitative research. The researcher starts by observing and asking open ended questions. Recording is then made and there after results interpreted. More time is spent on further observations and questioning where observation and recording take place again. Theorisation is then done after which final conclusions are drawn. Epistemological stance denotes one’s assumptions regarding the world around them. This assumptions guide researches and influence how researchers work with the collecte d data (Blankie, 1993). In this respect there are two separate extremes one whereby the researcher takes a disjointed relationship with data found and the other is where the researcher and their data are one and the same thing. The former extreme is more objective and the researcher aims at uncovering the truth. The latter extreme is at times regarded as relativistic as researchers believe that meaning is observer

The Importance of Management and Marketing within Business Essay

The Importance of Management and Marketing within Business Organization and the Impact of Technology - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that it is difficult to define management in few words because of the complex parameters involved in the management process. In simple terms, management is the process of dealing or controlling things or people. One of the most common function of management is getting things done through others. â€Å"According to Henri Fayol, "To manage is to forecast and to plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate and to control† whereas Peter Drucker, defined Management as a multi-purpose organ that manages business and manages managers and manages workers and work". From the above definitions, it is evident that management is highly complex term which has got multi-dimensions. On the other hand, marketing is a process of informing the customers about the value or utility of a product or service, and to encourage the customers to purchase it. â€Å"It is defined as the process of determining the needs and wants of consumers and being able to deliver products that satisfy those needs and wants. Marketing includes all of the activities necessary to move a product from the producer to the consumer†. Management is a process which helps to achieve; group goals, Optimum Utilization of Resources, reduction of costs. It is a process which establishes sound organization and equilibrium. Moreover, it helps the society to achieve prosperity. Man, material, machine, and money are the four most important resources of an organization. Management is the process, which helps the coordination of all these organizational resources. For example, finance department is responsible for the management of money in an organization. Same way, human resource department look after the manpower resources whereas engineering or production department look after the machineries and materials. Even though different departments are controlling the organizational resources, it is the process of management, which helps them to utilize these resource s judiciously so that the organization benefits from these resources. Many people have the illusion that management is a function restricted only to the executives of an organization. In fact, Management is a function usually undertaken by people of all calibre. For example, a housekeeper is responsible for managing the resources of a house properly whereas a construction worker is responsible for managing the works assigned to him. A housewife manages the education of her children while her husband manages other family matters. In short, management is a function which can be seen everywhere. It is impossible for this world to move a step forward without management of different kinds. All organizations depend upon group efforts. Group action and joint efforts have become necessary in every walk of life. Management is required wherever two or more people work together to achieve com ­mon objectives. The success in group efforts depends upon mutual cooperation among the members of t he group. Management creates teamwork and coordination among specialized efforts. Management is indispensable in all organizations whether a business firm, a govern ­ment, a hospital, a college, a club, etc. Management is a creative force which helps in the optimum utilization of resources. No two individuals are alike. This is true in the organizational world also. It should be noted that current organizations are heavily globalized so that they forced to employ people from different parts of the world. Diversity helps organizations in many ways. At the same time diversity creates lot of problems also. Coordination of diverse workforce is extremely difficult. Management is the process, which helps human resource managers to coordinate diverse workforce effectively.