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Ontology Philosophy Research
The term ontology originated in philosophy and is concerned with the essential nature of what is being studied. Therefore, an ontological question in sociology addresses the essential nature of human societies. It is concerned with what societies are, what units make them up and how these units relate to each other.
Ontology is concerned with the essential nature of what is being studied, therefore ontology addresses the essential nature of human societies. It is concerned with what societies are what units make them up and how these unit relate to each other.
Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific. Sometimes this is informally called a "top-down" approach. We might begin with thinking up a theory about our topic of interest. We then narrow that down into more specific hypotheses that we can test. We narrow down even further when we collect observations to address the hypotheses. This ultimately leads us to be able to test the hypotheses with specific data -- a confirmation (or not) of our original theories.
Deductive approach is from the more general to specific reasoning of conducting a research, this can also be know as a top down approach. The researcher or scientist will developed a theory and then narrow it down to more specific hypotheses in which they can test, and then testing can be through observation to confirmation of the researcher original theories.
Inductive reasoning works the other way, moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. Informally, we sometimes call this a "bottom up" approach (please note that it's "bottom up" and not "bottoms up" which is the kind of thing the bartender says to customers when he's trying to close for the night!).
In inductive reasoning, we begin with specific observations and measures, begin to detect patterns and regularities, formulate some tentative hypotheses that we can explore, and finally end up developing some general conclusions or theories.
Inductive approach is from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories, this can also be known as bottom up approach, the researcher will seek out to detect patterns and regularities, formulate hypotheses that can then be explore, and finally general conclusions and theories.
Exploratory | Descriptive | Explanatory |
An exploratory study is a way of finding out what is happening and seeking new insights Saunders et al, 2007, p110). This is useful if the researcher are interested in finding understanding of a problem. | ||
Literature research Interviewing Focus groups interviews | Conducting descriptive research; Surveys Case Studies
| Conducting explanatory research;
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http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/ethics.php
Because exploratory research can be less useful than other forms in aiding marketing decisions, dismissing can be an easy mistake to make. The research allows the marketer to gain information on a subject that they may have previously known little about and furthermore, can also provide a platform upon which a formalised research project can be built. For example, if exploratory research identifies the key decision makers in a marketplace, descriptive research can then be used to target them thus allowing for greater efficiency with the research.
Used in the early stages of the decision-making process, exploratory research is used to assess the situation in hand with the minimum cost and time possible. Versatility and a wide-ranged approach to the preliminary investigation are the main benefits of this genre of research. The exploratory research can draw on interviews, observations, group interviews, secondary data sources and case histories.
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