©The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001Irwin/McGraw-Hill Donald Cooper Pamela Schindler Chapter 13 Business Research Methods

©The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001Irwin/McGraw-Hill Chapter 13 Observational Studies

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Observation äNonbehavioral observation äBehavioral observation Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Observation Nonbehavioral observation äRecord analysis äPhysical condition analysis äProcess or activity analysis Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Observation Behavioral observation äNonverbal analysis äLinguistic analysis äExtralinguistic analysis äSpatial analysis Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Advantages of the Observational Method äCollect the original data at the time it occurs äSecure information that participants would ignore because it’s so common it is not seen as relevant äOnly method available to collect certain types of data Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Advantages of the Observational Method (cont.) äCapture the whole event as it occurs in its natural environment äSubjects seem to accept an observational intrusion better than they respond to questioning Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Limitations of the Observational Method äObserver or recording equipment must be at the scene of the event when it takes place äSlow process äExpensive process äMost reliable results are restricted to information that can be learned by overt action or surface indicators Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Limitations of the Observational Method (cont.) äResearch environment is more likely suited to subjective assessment and recording of data than to quantification of events äLimited as a way to learn about the past äCannot observe rationale for actions, only actions themselves Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Relationship between Observer and Subject äDirect or indirect observation äObserver’s presence known or unknown to the subject äObserver is involved or not involved with the respondent Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Observation Methods Direct Indirect Participant Simple Systematic Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Guidelines for Selecting Observers äAbility to concentrate in a setting full of distractions äAbility to remember details of an experience äAbility to be unobtrusive in the observational situation äAbility to extract the most from an observational study Slide

 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2001 Irwin/McGraw-Hill Click to edit Master title style Observation Data Collection äWho äWhat Event Sampling Time Sampling äWhen äHow äWhere Slide