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 Condense = make denser, compress

The Parts of Theory: Assumptions Concepts Relationships 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 Outlining an entire model of assumptions, concepts and relationships, a theory provides a complete picture of why specific relationships do or do not exist

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 Hypothesis 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 By empirically evaluating a hypothesis, we learn whether a theoretical proposition is supported, or we may decide to revise it or remove it from the theory entirely.

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. By empirically evaluating a hypothesis, we learn whether a theoretical proposition is supported, or we may decide to revise it or remove it from the theory entirely.

Abstract and Empirical Levels Proposition Treatment to employees Employee loyalty Abstract level Hypothesis Social security & other benefits Annual turnover Empirical level

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 A causal hypothesis should always have dependent and independent variables.

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 Because, conforming of empirical evidence makes a weak case for the existence of a relationship. We can test a hypothesis in two ways: in a straightforward way and in a null hypothesis

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.

Causal Hypotheses Positive relationship: Positive and negative relationship: Positive path relationship: