for Business www.wiley.com/college/sekaran Hallmarks of scientific research • Rigor: A good theoretical base and a sound methodological design add RIGOR to a purposive study. • Rigor connotes: Carefulness, scrupulousness and the degree of exactness in research investigations. • Research will lack of rigor for the following reasons:
for Business www.wiley.com/college/sekaran Hallmarks of scientific research • The conclusions are incorrectly drawn • The manner of framing and addressing the questions which could have introduced bias. • There might be many other important influences.
for Business www.wiley.com/college/sekaran Hallmarks of scientific research • Testability: Scientific research thus lends itself to testing logically developed hypotheses to see whether or not the data support the educated conjectures or hypotheses that are developed after a careful study of the problem situation.
for Business www.wiley.com/college/sekaran Hallmarks of scientific research • Replicability: The results of the tests of hypotheses should be supported again and again when the same type of research is repeated in other similar circumstances
for Business www.wiley.com/college/sekaran Hallmarks of scientific research • Precision: It refers to the closeness of the findings to “reality” based on a sample. • Confidence: It refers to the probability that our estimations are correct. • Objectivity: The conclusions drawn through the interpretation of the results of data analysis should be objective; that is they should be based on the facts of the findings derived from actual data and not on our subjective or emotional values
for Business www.wiley.com/college/sekaran Hypothetico-Deductive Research • For example, if as a result of analysis of data collected, one infers that the problem of turnover can be minimized by three important factors: (i) flexible work hours; (ii) recognition of superior performance of workers through suitable merit pay raises; and (iii) enriching certain types of jobs, this is the deductive approach.