GCU Justification for Quantitative or Qualitative Methodology Discussion

Upon completion of this course, you will have a window of time in which you must declare whether you intend to pursue your dissertation research using a quantitative or qualitative methodology. Consider the work you have done in this course and previous courses in which you explored your potential dissertation topic through both quantitative and qualitative lenses.

In this assignment, you will choose to conduct your potential dissertation research using either a quantitative or qualitative methodology. You will justify your choice of methodology based on the problem statement and supported by the extant literature and the nature of the research questions.

General Requirements

Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:

Refer to the discussions in which you have engaged to date in the forums in this course as well as your assignments submitted in Topics 2 and 5 and any feedback from faculty and peers.

Refer to the dissertation topic you have been developing in your previous research courses as well as any feedback from faculty and peers.

If you have attended your first Residency, refer to the Prospectus PowerPoint from Residency and any feedback given by faculty or peers. The most current template can be found in the DC Network.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center.

Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for specific guidelines related to doctoral level writing. The Manual contains essential information on manuscript structure and content, clear and concise writing, and academic grammar and usage.

This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Directions

Write a paper (1,250-1,500 words) in which you create an argument for your chosen methodology. Include the following in your paper:

A refined statement of your potential dissertation topic.

A single-sentence problem statement that aligns with your potential dissertation topic.

A cohesive, literature-based argument for your choice of employing a quantitative or qualitative methodology for your study. How does this methodology align with your problem statement?

A cohesive argument for not choosing the alternate method to explore your study. Why does this methodology not align with your problem statement?

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The Role of Data and Social Media in Increasing Business Accountability
Daijour Huggins-Samuel
Grand Canyon University
Foundations of Research Design 2
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The Role of Data and Social Media in Increasing Business Accountability
The potential topic of the dissertation aims to analyze the role of data and social media in
enhancing business accountability. The topic has originality, relevance, manageability, and
clarity on the study goal. The topic attracts substantial review of various sources and application
of different techniques to obtain data. Besides, the topic gets to the center of the dissertation
problem to make the study practical and relevant. The topic would need a qualitative study to
ensure the researchers effectively research, analyze, and present the concept under study.
Attributes of the Qualitative Methodology
Qualitative research is the ideal methodology for studying increased business
accountability due to social media and data availability. Data governance has been influenced by
digitization, including the extensive use of social media (Liakh, 2021). Corporations need to be
held accountable for issues related to data governance within their operations. Accountability can
be evaluated by investigating how organizations handle data. The aspects describing how an
organization handles data depend on qualitative feedback from the involved corporates.
The nature of qualitative research is holistic and discovery-oriented. The methodology
aims to shed light on how businesses handle customer data that they have obtained from social
media networks (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2021). Evaluation of a phenomenon or observation
within a specific business will be a part of the accountability assessment in enterprises. In this
situation, business managers or data analysts in the corporates can be given questionnaires
(Fadler & Legner, 2021). The best method for gathering data is through open-ended questions.
Focus groups may also be asked open-ended questions in addition to administering surveys.
Researchers can also make direct observations, interview individuals, record videos, and record
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audio interviews with the respondents. Determining the accountability of companies in data
governance will therefore be aided by the attribute of discovery and comprehensiveness.
Additionally, the qualitative research design is interpretive, and researchers must
describe the findings. This attribute has a different magnitude in the quantitative approach. In
quantitative research design, the interpretation of data is based on the numerical values measured
or obtained from the field. The correlation of variables is centered on the data; therefore,
opinions and perspectives are not based on individuals (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2021). However,
in qualitative research, there are differences in interpretations between researchers and readers,
and participants. The approach offers a different view on content or problem. The researcher may
need to comprehensively interpret customers’ and corporate managers’ views on data privacy
concerns and data management strategies (Shamsuzzoha & Raappana, 2021). Qualitative
research creates an ideal opportunity for free interpretation of the observation and claims by
customers and corporates.
Purposeful sampling is another attribute of qualitative studies meant to enhance
understanding of the problem. The participants or cases evaluated are not representative or
randomly selected to participate in the research. In the research by Appel et al. (2019), their
sampling technique was restricted to the area of digital marketing. Reltsamer and BrunnerSperdin’s (2020) research was also choosy in the sampling stage. The respondents were people
who ever engaged in digital purchases from companies. According to Horng et al. (2022),
participants are primarily chosen for an in-depth study because they are rich in the necessary
information. Qualitative research must set parameters for the people chosen, just as the
population must be diverse. In this approach, the in-depth investigation makes sure that the
respondents provide information that alone illuminates the research problem.
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The Rationale for Using Qualitative Methodology
The qualitative approach provides means to organize and interpret data without losing the
richness and individuality of the responses. The participants provide perspectives and meanings
of various issues through their experiences. Information is gathered naturally because the
respondents are the first-hand source of information. The study focuses on real-world situations
that can be witnessed by anybody else. Even though variables of qualitative studies are complex,
interwoven, and challenging to measure, researchers can always interpret and contextualize them
(Virglerova et al., 2021). The audience of research can substantiate the qualitative information
and even identify the correlation between the variables. As such, a qualitative approach is ideal
when studying experiences.
The study on the impact of data and social media on business accountability needs to be
contextualized since it involves the analysis of actual experiences. The role entails an outcome
that is more accurately referred to as behavior. The best elements for evoking meaning and
understanding of a role are words and narrative. The use of language and narrations in a
qualitative method helps readers understand the findings. The technical application of the
qualitative methodology is thus required for the examination of the roles played by social media
and the data on corporate accountability.
A literature study by Jobin and Turale (2022) on choosing a qualitative approach justifies
why the research on business accountability should be undertaken in the approach. The authors
claim that when research that deals with the phenomena is undertaken, researchers need to
understand people’s experiences towards reality (Mohammed, 2018). The researchers also need
to identify and understand the distinctive manners by which they encounter similar phenomena.
Another example of a literature study on qualitative design was conducted by Hayashi Jr. et al.
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(2019). The authors claim that the qualitative approach is based on the need to understand
contests and events. The conclusion from the business studies on various phenomena needs
complex and holistic approaches to be valid. Therefore, the qualitative approach is ideal for
studying increased corporate accountability.
To conclude, the role of data and social media in increasing corporate accountability must
be contextualized and understood. Qualitative research is ideal for the study since it involves the
discovery and a naturalistic way of getting information. The approach has purposeful sampling
and is interpretative. Thus, the approach will aid the organization and interpretation of qualitative
data. Furthermore, the topic under the study requires contextualization, and this can be achieved
better through understanding the views and opinions of participants in a qualitative study. Thus,
the qualitative approach fits this study better than the quantitative approach.
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References
Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2019). The future of social media in
marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79–
95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1
Fadler, M., & Legner, C. (2021). Data ownership revisited: Clarifying data accountabilities in
times of big data and analytics. Journal of Business Analytics, 5(1), 123139. https://doi.org/10.1080/2573234x.2021.1945961
Hanaysha, J. R. (2017). Impact of social media marketing, price promotion, and corporate social
responsibility on customer satisfaction. Jindal Journal of Business Research, 6(2), 132145. https://doi.org/10.1177/2278682117715359
Hayashi Jr, P., Abib, G., & Hoppen, N. (2019). Validity in qualitative research: A processual
approach. The Qualitative Report, 24(1), 98–112.
Horng, J., Liu, C., Chou, S., Yu, T., & Hu, D. (2022). Role of big data capabilities in enhancing
competitive advantage and performance in the hospitality sector: Knowledge-based
dynamic capabilities view. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 51, 2238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.02.026
Jobin, P., & Turale, S. (2019). Choosing the right qualitative approach: Is phenomenography a
design for my study? Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 23(4), 314319.
Liakh, O. (2021). Accountability through sustainability data governance: Reconfiguring
reporting to better account for the digital acceleration. Sustainability, 13(24),
13814. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413814
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Mohammed, M. (2018). Corporate accountability in the context of sustainability – A conceptual
framework. EuroMed Journal of Business, 8(3). DOI:10.1108/EMJB-05-2013-0026
Reitsamer, B. F., & Brunner-Sperdin, A. (2021). It is all about the brand: Place brand credibility,
place attachment, and consumer loyalty. Journal of Brand Management, 28(3), 291301. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00229-z
Shahbaznezhad, H., Dolan, R., & Rashidirad, M. (2021). The role of social media content format
and platform in users’ engagement behavior. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 53, 4765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2020.05.001
Shamsuzzoha, A., & Raappana, H. (2021). Perspectives of business process ethics in data‐driven
marketing management. Security and Privacy, 4(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/spy2.177
Virglerova, Z., Panic, M., Voza, D., & Velickovic, M. (2021). Model of business risks and their
impact on the operational performance of SMEs. Economic Research-Ekonomska
Istraživanja, 35(1), 4047-4064. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677x.2021.2010111