In the early days of the course, I was eager to learn how to perform a research study and report results like many authors have done in the past, I have now understand what is required when undertaking research especially after writing my paper on Angola. Thge experience provided me with a variety of insights into research studies especially case study research designs. Through writing my first research report, I have sharpened my research skills and expanded my knowledge in research.
There are various research designs that can be used in research studies, this include case studies, observational designs, exploratory design, cohort design, cross sectional design, causal design and cohort design among others. I used case study design for my dissertation; this involved analysing Angola market given that there is little information known about this country.
The advantages of using this approach is that less time was spent collecting information because I relied on secondary data sources, the data collection method was also less expensive compared to other methods that require more resources and time.
This method according to USC (2012) helps in bringing an understanding to issues that are complex by providing information that is detailed to a particular phenomenon, this method also is used in cases where nothing much is known about that particular phenomena. A variety of methodologies can be used as sources of information, which include interviews, structured questionnaires, observation and study of natural occurrences.
USC (2012) states that case studies are used to provide information on particular rare cases, this means that this design can be used where little information is available about a certain phenomenon. It also strengthens the results of previous studies by providing theories and concepts basis.
I learnt the techniques of undertaking studies and how to avoid bias, I applied this knowledge in my dissertation by first determining the research question, and the research question was the economic and product situation in Angola. I selected the case study design given that it was more appropriate when dealing with How and why phenomena, a lot of information was available regarding Angola’s economy.
After determining the research question, the next step was to determine data collection and analysis methods, I decided to use secondary sources of information which included collecting information from books, the internet and news articles. The challenges I faced in this step was to locate appropriate sources for the study.
The next step was planning and the actual collection of data, various sources were used in data collection, updated information was collected regarding the country. I prepared a literature review about the country and this helped me get an insight into the market situation in Angola. The literature review involved compiling information and facts about the economy and the products in the country. Information was easy to obtain from various sources and this aided in the ease of writing my literature review.
During the research process, I gained a greater understanding of the difference between qualitative and quantitative research design, Quantitative designs involves collecting numerical data and analysing the data to gain meaning and test theories, on the other hand qualitative involves collecting information using interviews and analysing this information to gain particular themes in information and making conclusions.
I also learnt about the ethical considerations one has to take into account during studies, some of these considerations is that it is important to brief respondents in cases where a research study involves collecting information from individuals. The other ethical consideration is that respondents should remain anonymous, researchers should also gain consent from respondents when using tape recorders or tape recorders in interviews. Researchers are also required to provide conclusion about data and information as it is, they are not required to change information to suite their research objectives.
I also gained knowledge about sampling, I learnt about the various sampling methods including snowball-sampling methods, stratified sampling, random sampling and convenience sampling. The size of the sample is also important in determining the accuracy and reliability of results and therefore important when undertaking studies. Larger sample may provide more reliable results compared to smaller samples.
In the research process, I learnt about the secondary and primary sources, my study used secondary sources, which has its pros and cons; one advantage is that secondary sources can be easily obtained, less expensive and less time consuming. Secondary sources on the hand are expensive and time consuming, however they provide reliable information that can be used to make conclusion about the population.
There are various challenges associated with case studies, USC (2012) states that a single case study does not provide reliable findings that can be used to generalise the nature of population. The other disadvantage is that biased results may be obtained in cases where there is intense exposure in the study. A case study may also miss vital information and this may affect the interpretation of results, finally this method is not appropriate when investigating large problems.
In the my research study, I aimed at exploring the nature of Angola market using case study, the case study design allowed me to collect data from various secondary sources. this included books and internet sources, I explored the economic situation in Angola and this way information regarding the free market economic rank was obtained, my findings were that the country’s economy was ranked number 160, the nature of products in the economy was explored.
In conclusion, I found my course materials to be very helpful in providing me with information on how to undertake my research study, I learnt that research studies are important in that they help make decision and provide information about the unknown. It is also evident that there are ethical issues to consider when undertaking research such as briefing the respondents about the important of the study, keeping responses anonymous and gaining consent from respondents when collecting information. Each research design has its won pros and cons, in my dissertation I used the case study research design that was exploratory in nature, which aimed at exploring the nature
Reference:
USC (2012).Research design. Retrieved on 12th December, from
