Report on Research Methods in a Mixed Business Study: Analysis

This report provides an in-depth analysis of research methods employed in a mixed business study, focusing on both quantitative and qualitative approaches. It examines a study investigating career orientations and attitudes of male and female managers using a combination of survey and interview methods. The report highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, emphasizing the objectivity of quantitative methods like surveys and the subjective understanding gained from qualitative interviews. It discusses the survey methodology, the use of questionnaires, and the importance of ensuring generalizability of the results. Additionally, it explores the semi-structured interview process, which aims to develop theories about participants' attitudes. The report concludes by demonstrating how a mixed-methods approach combines the benefits of both quantitative and qualitative methods, offering a comprehensive understanding of the research topic and the importance of considering both objective and subjective perspectives.

Running head: RESEARCH METHODS IN A MIXED BUSINESS STUDY
Research methods in a mixed business study
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1RESEARCH METHODS IN A MIXED BUSINESS STUDY
Quantitative research methodology approaches a particular research question, as its name
suggests from a quantitative or numerical perspective. It is characterized by quantitative
evidence based on deductive mathematical or inductivestatistical techniques.Qualitative methods
approaches the problem using a subjective yet non-numerical approach. The study by Wajcman
and Martin (2002) presents a mixed research method with both a quantitative and qualitative
analysis. The two approaches of the study are discussed hence.
The study investigated the career orientations and attitudes of male and female managers.
It conducted a survey using questionnaire method on a total of 670 male and female managers of
six Australian companies. Additionally a semi-structured interview was carried out on 136
managers in each company. Naturally, the survey being a typical quantitative research technique
was used for the same purpose (Bryman, 2015).The second round of interviews on the other
hand was used for qualitative inference. The two approaches make for a mixed research method
which combines the features and strengths of both approaches while making up for the weakness
(Hussein, 2015).
A quantitative research method like survey method is a linear step by step process of
measuring aspects like causality and testing for the validity of pre-determined theories along
with a quantifiable degree of certainty. The survey methodology depends on a questionnaire
instrument, which objectively measures pre-determined variables of interest which are to be used
as instruments of analysis. The general idea behind a survey method is to choose a good
representation of a larger population, ensuring generalization of the results making them free of
any contextual limitations (McCusker and Gunaydin, 2015). This means that the aim is to design
an analysis methodology which would provide the same results for any sample from the larger
population. This implies that the analysis is done from a completely objective perspective

2RESEARCH METHODS IN A MIXED BUSINESS STUDY
whereby the results are free from the researcher’s personal bias.It had been found that there is no
significant distinction in terms of career experiences and orientations between male and female
managers.
The qualitative interview conducted in course of the study aims to understand the attitude
and career orientation of the managers in terms of their identity narratives. It is an unstructured
approach involving subjective understanding of the responses of the subjects to the interview
questions by the researcher. The questions would be open ended unlike the questions in the
questionnaire and the aim is to develop a theory about the attitudes of the participants from the
study itself rather than conduct some quantifiable validation of those theories (Ritchie et al.,
2013). The underlying tendency of the analysis is to understand the situation through the eyes of
the participants to develop a deep contextual understanding. This however implies that the results
might not be applicable to other contexts or groups of participants thus taking away any scope of
reliable generalization of the inferences made (McCusker and Gunaydin, 2015).. It is apparent
that the steps of the method are not necessarily linear. The interview investigated and found that
both male and female participants consider their career development in terms of the requirements
of the market. It also found that for this group, the males were more successful in balancing
domestic with professional life than the females.
The two approaches thus render two meaningful perspectives to the topic under scrutiny.
A mixed study therefore has the scope to utilize both the general objectivity of quantitative
approach and the contextual subjectivity of qualitative approach.

3RESEARCH METHODS IN A MIXED BUSINESS STUDY
References
Bryman, A., 2015. Social research methods. Oxford university press.
Hussein, A., 2015. The use of Triangulation in Social Sciences Research: Can qualitative and
quantitative methods be combined?. Journal of comparative social work, 4(1).
McCusker, K. and Gunaydin, S., 2015. Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed
methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion, 30(7), pp.537-542.
Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C.M. and Ormston, R. eds., 2013. Qualitative research practice:
A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage.