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Definition
Applied research
Uses theories to investigate real phenomena that are of relevance
for practitioners. Applied research often builds upon basic
research. It has an emphasis on solving practical problems.
Basic research
Attempts to understand processes and their outcomes, which
form the fundaments for explaining levels of and changes in
characteristics, attitudes and behaviour. Furthermore, theory
development is mostly part of basic research. It is mostly
conducted within university and research institutes. In business
research, basic research often provides the theoretical framework
used in applied research. Basic research is also called pure
research.
Business research
Refers to studies dealing with phenomena in the business world
including non-profit and (semi) governmental organizations to
guide their decisions.
Causal hypothesis
See explanatory hypothesis
Concept
A generally accepted bundle of meanings or characteristics
associated with certain events, objects, conditions, or situations.
Conceptual scheme
The interrelationships between concepts and constructs.
Confounding
variable
An extraneous variable that influencing the relation between
independent [independent variable] and dependent variable,
similar to a moderating variable.
Construct
A definition specifically invented for an image or idea for a given
research project.
Continuous variable
A variable that can take any value in a given range. Income,
temperature and age are examples for a continuous variable.
Control
The ability to replicate a scenario and dictate a particular
outcome; the ability to exclude, isolate, or manipulate the
influence of a variable in a study; a critical factor in inference from
an experiment, implies that all factors, with the exception of the
independent variable (IV), must be held constant and not
confounded with another variable that is not part of the study
Correlation
hypothesis
Variables occur together in some specified manner without
implying that one causes the other. (See also hypothesis)
Data warehousing
A data warehouse is an electronic repository for databases that
organizes very large into categories to facilitate retrieval, sorting
and interpretation. It is an accessible archive of information to
support dynamic organizational intelligence applications.
Data mining
Data mining is a technique to detect relationships and patterns in
very large databases, often organized in data warehouses [data
warehousing]. It is a tool combining exploration and discovery
with confirmatory analysis.
Deduction
A form of inference in which the conclusion must necessarily
follow from the reasons given. If the reasons (premises) are true
and the conclusion follows necessarily from the reasons, the
deduction is valid. (See also induction).
States the existence, size, form or distribution of some variable.
(See also hypothesis)
Descriptive
hypothesis
Descriptive studies
Dichotomous
variable
Descriptive studies sketch the current state of a phenomenon.
Attempts to describe or define a subject, often by creating a
profile of a group of problems, people or events, through the
collection of data and the tabulation of the frequencies on
research variables or their interaction; the study reveals who,
what, when, where, or how much; the study concerns a univariate
question or hypothesis in which the research asks about or states
something about the size, form, distribution, or existence of a
variable They distinct from reporting studies by providing
interpretations of the information found.
A variable that only can take two values. Examples are gender
(female or male) or yes - no variables, such as having children,
being a foreign company. It generates nominal or ordinal data.
Double movement
of reflective thought
The sequential use of induction and deduction in research
reasoning to develop a plausible hypothesis.
Explanatory
hypothesis
Statement that describes a relationship between two variables
with respect to some case, one variable leads to an effect on the
other variable (a.k.a. causal hypothesis).
Explanatory studies
Explanatory studies go beyond descriptive studies. They attempt
to explain the reasons for phenomena by using theories or at
least derived hypotheses [hypothesis] and provide answers to
questions starting with why or how?
Variables to assume (because they have little affect, or their
impact is randomised) or exclude from a research study; notation:
EV.
Extraneous variable
Hypothesis
A statement formulated for empirical testing; a tentative or
conjectural declarative belief or statement that describes the
relationship between two or more variables. One distinguishes
descriptive [descriptive hypothesis], u, explanatory [explanatory
hypothesis] and relational hypotheses [relational hypothesis].
Induction
To draw a conclusion from one or more particular facts or pieces
of evidence; the conclusion explains the facts.
Internal database
Internal databases are archives of information that are kept within
an organisation and that are usually not freely accessible to
everyone. Sometimes they are organized in data warehouses
[data warehousing].
A research philosophy built upon the principles that the social
world is constructed and given subjective meanings by humans,
and that the researcher is driven by interests and part of what is
observed. It assumes that social phenomena can only be
understood if one looks at the totality and how people give
meaning and interpret the social world. (See also positivism)
Interpretivism
Intervening variable
A factor that affects the observed phenomenon but cannot be
seen, measured, or manipulated, thus its effect must be inferred
from the effects of the independent [independent variable] and
moderating variables on the dependent variable; notation: IVV.
Manager-researcher
relationship
Describes the responsibilities of and conflicts between the
manager contracting for the research and the firm providing or
conducting the research process.
Model
A representation of a system that is constructed to study some
aspect of that system or the system as a whole.
Moderating variable
A second independent variable, believed to have a significant
contributory or contingent effect on the originally stated
relationship between independent and dependent variable. The
moderating variable is also called interacting variable. Notation:
MV.
A definition for a variable stated in terms of specific testing criteria
or operations, specifying what must be counted, measured, or
gathered through our senses.
Operational
definition
Positivism
A research philosophy that builds on the principles that the social
world can be viewed objectively, research is value free and the
researcher is independent. It assumes that the social world can
be observed by collecting objective facts and consists of simple
elements to which it can be reduced. See also interpretivism.
Predictive studies
Builds on theory and attempts to provide answers to the question
what (is likely to) happen in the future. It is distinct from pure
speculation as the prediction on 'proofed' theoretical explanations,
often derived from basic research.
Proposition
A statement about concepts that may be judged as true or false if
it refers to observable phenomena. Researchers often call a
statement derived purely from reasoning a proposition and
distinguish it from a hypothesis, which is a statement asking for
empirical testing.
Pure research
See basic research
Realism
A research philosophy, which shares principles of positivism and
interpretivism. It accepts the existence of a reality independent of
human beliefs, but still concedes that understanding requires
acknowledgement of human subjectivity.
Describes the relationship between two variables with respect to
some case; relationships are co-relational or explanatory.
Relational
hypothesis
Reporting study
Provides an account or summation of some data, perhaps the
generation of some statistics, but requires little inference or
conclusion drawing.
Research variable
See variable
Scientific method
Disciplined procedures for generating quality research including
direct observation of phenomena; clearly defined variables,
methods, and procedures; empirically testable hypotheses; the
ability to rule out rival hypotheses; and statistical rather than
linguistic justification of conclusions
Theory
A set of systematically interrelated concepts, definitions and
propositions that are advanced to explain or predict phenomena
(facts); the generalizations we make about variables and the
relationships among variables.
Variable
A characteristic, trait, or attribute that is measured; a synonym for
a construct or the property being studied; a symbol to which
values are assigned; includes several different types: continuous,
control, decision, dependent, dichotomous, discrete, dummy,
extraneous, independent, intervening, and moderating variables.