Qualitative Approaches to DBA Research
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Qualitative Approaches to DBA Research
During the first course of this program, you considered what it means to be a scholar-practitioner and also
contrasted DBA programs with traditional PhD programs. As you plan for your doctoral study, keep in
mind that one of your objectives should be to think and function in an action-oriented manner so that your
research will be applied in practice. Consider what it means to conduct research that will affect change in
everyday business practice.
Based on the reading and a detailed review of the “Research Design Considerations Flowchart” and the
diagram “Preparing a Good Qualitative Study Within the Walden DBA Context” (on this week’s Resources
bellow):
Identify the three types of qualitative research most appropriate for DBA research and discuss why these
three are most appropriate.
What are the disadvantages of the other two approaches to DBA research? Use citations and references.
QUALITATIVE APPROACHES TO DBA RESEARCH 2
Qualitative Approaches to DBA Research
Introduction
Business research is different from other types of research. For business researchers, the
central purpose is to create research projects that will lead to practical solutions for existing
business problems (Tranfield & Ken Starkey, 1998). Furthermore, business solutions are always
related to people’s behavior and therefore the ability to understand hums behavior and culture is
critical to doing business research. This means that the research approach that a business
research chooses should be able to address these issues.
Ethnographic research approach, formal case study qualitative research, and
phenomenological qualitative method approaches are the best approaches for Doctor of Business
Administration (Creswell, 2013). The advantage of these three methods is that they provide a
platform where the research is able to come up with a practical way of dealing with business
problems and doing a research that leads to practical solutions instead of just theories. Business
QUALITATIVE APPROACHES TO DBA RESEARCH 3
is about people and these three methods are very important in studying people, their behaviors,
and cultures (Detert, Schroeder, & Mauriel, 2000).
Phenomenological qualitative method research approach for instance is useful in
understanding business problems. With the use of interviews, the researcher is able to understand
phenomenal from different viewpoints and this is important in creating practical business
solutions. Ethnographical approach is also important in that it helps the researcher to interact
with the people and understand the culture. People’s behavior is affected by their culture and this
in turn affects the economic decisions that they make. Understanding these factors makes it
possible for the business to be able to come up with practical solutions that will help the business
to gain competitive advantage. The case study qualitative research is also very critical to
business research as it deals with lived experiences for business, organizations and even
individuals. By looking at the case study, the researcher is able to come up with ways to
understand the business better and to develop practical solutions.
Strong descriptive qualitative research and the mixed design research are the other two
research approaches that DBAs can use in their research. These methods, while appropriate for
doing research in doctor of business administration disciplines, have their shortcomings
(Boudreau, Gefen, & Straub, 2001). For instance, the strong descriptive qualitative research
approach seeks to investigate why and how with regard to who, when, why and what parameters.
The problem with this is that it is too descriptive, which means that at the end of the research
proves the researchers will not help the come with a practical solution for business. While this is
important in understanding certain types of business phenomena in the business environment, it
fails to provide a solution that can be applied to business. In this regard, this method does not
seek to solve a problem but seeks to understand a problem. Sometimes it may not even be geared
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towards understanding a problem but is geared towards understanding some phenomena.
Regarding the mixed design research, the same problems also come up. This focuses on how
many, how often, how statistically similar and or different phenomena is. It also seeks to identify
correlation and cause and effect. This also leads to the same problems that strong descriptive
qualitative research comes bring sin that the researcher does not develop a practical problem for
the business environment. These two types of research approaches therefore may be useful in
cases where a preliminary understanding of a business problem is required, but not where an
ultimate solution is needed.
References
Boudreau, M., Gefen, D., & Straub, W. (2001). Validation in Information Systems Research: A
State-of-the-Art Assessment . MIS Quarterly, 25, 1 , pp. 1-16 .
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches
(3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Detert, J., Schroeder, R., & Mauriel, J. (2000). A Framework for Linking Culture and
Improvement Initiatives in Organizations. ACADemy of MANAGEment REView 25, 4 ,
pp. 850-863 .
Tranfield, D., & Ken Starkey, K. (1998). The Nature, Social Organization and Promotion of
Management Research: Towards Policy. British Journal of Management, 9, 4, , pp.
341–353.
