1. Research strategies & Methods of data collection
(brief descriptions) Documentary research Case studies Action research

2. Unobtrusive research
Studying economic or social behavior without affecting it (can be qualitative and/or quantitative). Examining ´clues´ instead of actual behavior.
Some unobtrusive research types:
Content analysis (e.g. documentary research)
Secondary statistical data analysis
Unobtrusive online research
Comparative and historical research

3. Content/documentary analysis
The study of recorded human communications or products (books, websites, paintings, etc.).
Considerations:
Topics appropriate
Conceptualization
Units of data collection vs. units of analysis
Sampling
Coding (transforming raw data into standardized form)
Manifest content (surface)
Latent content (underlying meaning)

4. Useful sources (examples only)
Communications ( s, letters, blogs, social media etc.)
Individual (personal) records (diaries, notes, calendars etc.)
Organizational sources (agendas, administrative records, policy statements, reports, book keeping etc.)
Government sources
Media sources (TV, radio, online media, printed media etc.)

5. An example (recording table for TV violance vs. target group research)

6. Some qualitative field research approaches
Naturalism
Ethnomethodology
Grounded theory
Case studies
Institutional ethnography
Action research

7. Case study
An in-depth inquiry of a single instance of a topic or phenomenon within real time setting.
Its examines the topic and its dynamics within its context.
The ‚case’ can refer to (it is always ‚one’):
Real person (individual)
Group
Organization
Settlement
Association
Project or one time process
Event
A period of time
Etc.

8. Case study The chief purpose may be The use of a case study can be:
Descriptive
Gaining explanatory insights
The use of a case study can be:
Providing idiographic understanding
Forming a basis for the development a more general theory/research
It is a useful research strategy when the boundaries between the phenomenon and the context is not apparent.
Its results are not generalizable.

9. The extended case method
The purpose is to discover flaws in existing theories and then improve them.
Expectations are set before entering the field (the case).

10. Research techniques/design used in case studies
Mixed methods
Dominantly qualitative
Most frequently used ones:
Document/content analysis
Observation
Ethnography
Interview
Focus groups
Questionnaires
Etc.

11. Naturalism
A field research approach assuming that an objective social reality exists and can be observed and reported accurately.

12. Ethnography
A report on social life that focuses on detailed and accurate desription rather than explanation.

13. Ethnomethodology
An approach to the study of social life focusing on the discovery of implicit (unspoken) assumptions and agreements.
Ethnomethodologists believe that reality is socially constructed and not an objective thing.
A frequent technique to intentionally break these agreements to reveal them.

14. Grounded theory An inductive approach to the study of social life.
Attempts to generate a theory through the constant comparing of unfolding observations.

15. Action research
An emergent and iterative process of inquiry that is designed to develop solutions to real organizational problems through a participative and collaborative approach.
It uses different form of knowledge
It will have implications for participants and the organization beyond the research project.
Its purpose is to promote organizational learning (to produce practical outcomes).
It works through several stages.

16. Action research
The figure is from Saunders et al