SMALL-SCALE RESEARCH PROJECT

Small-scale Research Project in a Local Estate Agent

Table of Contents

Overview3

Research design4

Why qualitative?5

Epistemology5

Theoretical perspective6

Methodology6

Qualitative Research Methodologies7

Grounded Theory8

Methods8

Case Study Method9

Focus Groups9

One-to-One In-depth Interviews9

Data Interpretation10

Gantt chart10

Ethical Issues11

Trustworthiness of qualitative findings11

Generalizability in the context of qualitative research12

References14

Small-scale Research Project in a Local Estate Agent

Overview

In the research related to the property dealings, there has always been a dependence on a positivist methodology which hypothesizes values and inspects them by means of experimental and experiential testing. Nevertheless, much of the contemporary researchers in various fields have been conceding the intricacies during the study of human attitudes contained in the boundaries of the conventional hypotheses of knowledge.

For instance, Worzala (1998) researched on the relationships between clients and values embracing a quantitative study fell short of exposing the intricacies of the appraisal procedure, observing that the respondents might have been impacted by some factors that we were not capable of capturing employing a research methodology of an unspecified mail (Eisenhardt, pp 17-32). This surveillance proposes that the research methodology employed therein was really confining and that a qualitative methodology could have imparted a more affluent and thorough comprehension of the appraisal procedure, separating the impact of customer influence. This is pertinent since qualitative instead of quantitative methodologies permit researchers to perform intimately with the respondents inside a workplace and gather information relating to their individual experiences and thoughts.

Qualitative research design is not appropriate to be used for every problem relating to property. And what has to be considered are the research aims and also the research epistemology and philosophy that steer the research. Under conditions, when an examination of the existing literature does not exhibit the important endeavours at establishing a conceptual model of an occurrence, the researcher may want to adopt a substitute approach of research to the more conventional quantitative schemes for unleashing the notions and establish a theoretical model and set out a theory related to a particular context. This paper would present an overview of the several stages of the research procedure and an illustration of the research methodology would be presented. This discussion would cover an appraisal of the non positivist methods, methodology and philosophy of research. Further a debate on the trustworthiness imparted by the qualitative methodologies would also be presented that would consider specific provisions which subsist. The paper is not purposed to impart a guide to varying qualitative methods and methodologies, rather to present a general synopsis with the intent of prompting the academic community of property to ponder over qualitative approach in the research methods.

Research design

For this project, a qualitative approach must be employed for the reason that the project deals with the core customer satisfaction, hence responses and suggestions from the customers rather than facts and figures would be of much more worth to the accomplishment of research objectives. The description of any research issue must coerce the adopted methodology. Prior to embarking on a research method, an insight of the essential considerations at the back of the valid research must be developed for the ...