This concludes the discussions on the basic design issues regarding purpose of the study type of investigation, extent of researcher interference, study setting, unit of analysis and the time horizon. The researcher would determine the appropriate decisions to be made in the study design based on the problem definition, the research objectives; the extent of rigor desired and cost considerations. Sometimes because of the time and cost involved a researcher might be constrained to settle for less than the ideal research design.
For instance, the researcher might have to conduct a cross-sectional instead of a longitudinal study, do a field study rather than an experimental design, and choose a smaller rather than a larger sample size, and so on. Thus sub-optimizing the research design decisions and setting for a lower level of scientific rigor because of resource constraints.
This trade-off between rigor and resources will be deliberate and conscious decision made by the manger researcher based on the scope of and reasons for the study and will have to be explicitly stated in any written research proposal. Compromises so made also account for why management studies are not entirely scientific. A rigorous research design that might involve higher cost is essential if the results of the study are critical for making important decisions affecting the organization's survival and or the well-being of the vast majority of the public of systems.
For instance, the researcher might have to conduct a cross-sectional instead of a longitudinal study, do a field study rather than an experimental design, and choose a smaller rather than a larger sample size, and so on. Thus sub-optimizing the research design decisions and setting for a lower level of scientific rigor because of resource constraints.
This trade-off between rigor and resources will be deliberate and conscious decision made by the manger researcher based on the scope of and reasons for the study and will have to be explicitly stated in any written research proposal. Compromises so made also account for why management studies are not entirely scientific. A rigorous research design that might involve higher cost is essential if the results of the study are critical for making important decisions affecting the organization's survival and or the well-being of the vast majority of the public of systems.
