RESEARCH PROPOSAL:

THEORY, RESEARCH QUESTION & HYPOTHESIS

MNGT 583 – Özge Can

Research Proposal Format:

Brief introduction Research question Theoretical background

Literature review: A critical review of the theories, concepts, debates and major viewpoints around your research question

Specific emphasis to cultural discussions Study hypotheses and/or study model

Identfication of why and how culture (or cultura differences) matter

Research Proposal Format:

Proposed research methodology The context/ setting of the study Your sample – sample size and other

characteristics Method of data collection

Quantitative and/or qualitative Survey, interviews, archival data etc.

Measurement of the concepts/ variables

Possible Topics for Research Proposal:

Intercultural communication and negotiations International/ global business strategies International alliances other collaborations Managing diversity (international workforce) Teamwork (global/ multicultural teams) Global leadership; international HRM practices Expartiates and international careers Link between national and organizational culture Every possible organizational issue (e.g. employee

attitudes and behaviors, organizational performance, business decisions, organization design and practices, ...)

What is THEORY

A system of interconnected ideas that condenses and organizes the knowledge about the world and explains how it works

A good research involves theory. If theory remains unclear, incomplete or poorly formulated => it is a weak research

Theories are not static: we constantly modify older theories and develop new ones

The Parts of Theory:

Assumptions An un-tested starting point in a theory that is

necessary in order to build a theoretical explanation

Concepts An idea that is thought, carefully defined and

made explicit in a theory that we can express as a word or symbol

Relationships Whether the concepts are connected to one

another and if so, how

Concepts

They are everywhere, we use them all the time Concepts have two parts: a symbol (a word,

term, a written character) and a definition. We find them easy to use but difficult to define

or describe For example: “Height” A characteristics of a physical object

indicating the distance from top to bottom. The word “height” refers to an abstract idea. We

associate a sound and a written symbol to this idea.

Relationships

Proposition A theoretical statement about the relatipnship

between two or more concepts

Hypothesis An empirically testable version of a theoretical

proposition that is yet to be tested or verified with empirical evidence

It is most used in deductive theorizing

Relationships

Unit of analysis => In research, we must fit the concepts to a specific type of unit of social life:

individuals, groups, organizations movements and exchanges, institutions, regions nations/ countries etc.

Abstract and Empirical Levels

Treatment to

employees

Employee

loyalty

Social security &

other benefits

Annual turnover

Abstract level

Empirical level

Proposition

Hypothesis

Research Question

Typical qualitative questions: How did a certain condition or social

situation originate? How do people, events, and conditions

sustain over time? By what processes does the situation

change, develop or end?

Typical quantitative questions: Associations, relations “Is age at marriage associated with

divorce?”

Ways to Select a Research Topic:

Personal experience, everyday life and personal values

State of knowledge in the field Social premiums; curiosity based on

media Solving a problem

How to Narrow the Topic into a Research Question:

Examine the literature Published articles are excellent sources of ideas for

research questions. They provide lots of suggestions Talk over ideas with others

Ask people who are knowledgeable about the topic; seek out others’ opinions

Apply a specific context Focus on a specific time period, society, catgeory,

subgroup or geographic unit Define the aim or desired outcome of the

study Is it an exploratory, descriptive or explanatory

stdudy?

Good and Bad Research Questions

Quantitative Research: Variables

Variable: Empirical measure of a concept that can take multiple values

Attributes: Categories or levels of a variable

For Example: gender is a variable; male is an attribute marital status is a variable; married is an

attribute

Quantitative Research: Variables

Independent Variable: Variable that produces an effect or result on the dependent variable in a causal hypothesis

Dependent Variable: The effect or result variable that is caused by the independent variable

Intervening (Mediating) Variable: Comes logically or temporally after independent variable and before dependent variable; helps to show the link or mechanism between them

Quantitative Research: Hypotheses

Causal Hypothesis: Statement of a causal explanation or proposition that at least one dependent and one independent variable and yet to be empirically tested

Characteristics of causal hypotheses: At least 2 variables (dependent and independent) Expresses a cause-effect relationship Can be expressed as a prediction Logical link between hypothesis and theory Falsifiable

Quantitative Design: Hypotheses

Logic of Disconforming (“Falsification”): Testing for no relationship provides more cautious support for possible existence of a relationship. Negative, disconforming evidence is more significant.

We never prove a hypothesis; but we can disprove it!

Null Hypothesis: states that there is no significant effect of the independent variable on the dependent.

Alternative Hypothesis: paired with the null hypothesis stating that there is a significant effect

Causal Hypotheses

A positive relationship means that a higher value on the cause goes with a higher value on the effect or outcome Example: As the number of years of a person’s

schooling increases, the longer the person’s life expectancy is.

A negative relationship means that a higher value on the cause goes with a lower value on the effect or outcome Example: As the number of years of a person’s

schooling increases, his/her prejudice decreses.

Positive relationship:

Positive and negative relationship:

Positive path relationship:

Causal Hypotheses