Research Design How to do a research project!

Research designs can be very simple:

Or…. quite complicated!

Or… something in between!

A good design will not compensate for bad fundamentals!

Research Design A formal written set of specifications and procedures for

There are many ways to set up a Research Design So we will look at a generic plan.

Research Design A formal written set of specifications and procedures for Conducting and Controlling a business research project

DESIGN controls for: Time

DESIGN controls for: Time Money

DESIGN controls for: Time Money People

A good DESIGN ensures: 1.The study will be relevant 2.That is will use economic procedures

Problem: The Law of the Instrument

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory Research to gain insight and ideas… It is for understanding… not for analysis

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory Flexible… good for: a.Diagnosing a situation b.Screening alternatives c.Increase research’s familiarity with problem d.Discovery of new ideas

Types of Designs Be careful: Gas lights:

Types of Designs Be careful: IBM study in 1947:

“On a humorous note, the principal designer of the Mark I, Howard Aiken of Harvard, estimated in 1947 that six electronic digital computers would be sufficient to satisfy the computing needs of the entire United States. IBM had commissioned this study to determine whether it should bother developing this new invention into one of its standard products (up until then computers were one-of-a- kind items built by special arrangement). Aiken's prediction wasn't actually so bad as there were very few institutions (principally, the government and military) that could afford the cost of what was called a computer in 1947.

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory Flexible… good for: a.Diagnosing a situation b.Screening alternatives c.Increase research’s familiarity with problem d.Discovery of new ideas e.Gathering background info

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory Methods: a.Situational analysis

Type of Designs 1.Exploratory Methods: a.Situational analysis b.Expert Opinion survey

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory Methods: a.Situational analysis b.Expert opinion survey c.Literature search d.Pilot study e.Focus groups

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive a. To describe characteristics of a sample

Type of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive a. To describe characteristics of a sample b. To estimate proportions

Type of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive Cross-Sectional

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive Longitudinal

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive Longitudinal Omnibus

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive Longitudinal Panels

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive Longitudinal Panels Problems: Lack of representation They become experts

Type of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive 3.Associational What goes with what?

S&P 500

Types of Designs 1.Exploratory 2.Descriptive 3.Associational 4.Casual (Experiments)

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Concept of Causality Concomitant variation Time order (casual order) Elimination of alternative explanations

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Key is: Control

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms:

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: Variable

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: Constant

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: IV Independent Variable: treatment exogenous

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: DV Dependent Variable: measurement endogenous

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: Secondary Variables Something to be controlled that could cause the DV to change… Extraneous

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: Secondary Variables Eliminate them Make them constant Turn them into IVs Randomization Statistical control

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: Field Experiment Split-plot

Types of Designs Casual (Experiments) Terms: Laboratory Experiment

Validity Issues

Internal Validity The effect is due to IV and Not to other variables

Validity Issues External Validity The effect can be generalized To the real world

Validity Issues Internal Validity 1.History (Retroactive) 2.Proactive History 3.Maturation 4.Testing Effects Pre-testing… Post-testing… Interactive effects Reactive measures

Validity Issues Internal Validity 1.History (Retroactive) 2.Proactive History 3.Maturation 4.Testing Effects 5.Experimental Mortality

Validity Issues Internal Validity 1.History (Retroactive) 2.Proactive History 3.Maturation 4.Testing Effects 5.Experimental Mortality 6.Bias Selection… Interpretation… Etc.

Validity Issues Internal Validity 1.History (Retroactive) 2.Proactive History 3.Maturation 4.Testing Effects 5.Experimental Mortality 6.Bias 7.Statistical Regression

A highly unlikely event is… highly unlikely! Genetics

Is this statistical regression… or something else?

Validity Issues Internal Validity 1.History (Retroactive) 2.Proactive History 3.Maturation 4.Testing Effects 5.Experimental Mortality 6.Bias 7.Statistical Regression 8.Instrumentation 9.Luck

Validity Issues External Validity 1.Hawthorne Effect

Validity Issues External Validity 1.Hawthorne Effect 2.Demand Effects

Validity Issues External Validity 1.Hawthorne Effect 2.Demand Effects

Validity Issues External Validity 1.Hawthorne Effect 2.Demand Effects 3.Selection Bias

Why?

Why?Rasmussen used “likely voters