Rearch Design to Achieve Set Objectives: an Example for Built Environment Researchers
Rearch Design to Achieve Set Objectives: an Example for Built Environment Researchers.
Abstract
Researches generally are characterised by diversity of approaches to identifying and solving problems and there exist an extensive literature on the strengths and weaknesses as well as adoptability and/or suitability of these approaches for addressing research questions.
This understanding appears to be missing among the present generation of Nigeria’s built environment researchers and students alike.
As a consequence, the researches carried out within the built environment disciplines are often devoid of philosophical underpinning of the research approach chosen.
And quite often, the researchers’ choices of methods and procedures often go without justification. All these failings contribute to poor researchoutputs within the built environment disciplines.
It is within the context of this problem that this paper presents an example of research design to achieve set objectives in a built environment research.
The example presented in this paper is tied to a problem of stakeholder management in construction projects. In achieving this lofty goal, a general background and comparison of the key concepts guiding research design is presented.
The focus then turned to explaining the main components of the research design model found most suitable for a set of objectives. Following this, the authors adopted a guiding research design and then present the research design and methodology adopted for the achievement of the set objectives.
Introduction
Background Of Study
Research practices are generally influenced by knowledge bases underpinned by philosophical ideas or philosophical worldviews based on which there are different options of research methods available for researchers of different disciplines (Creswell, 2009).
It is necessary for researchers in the built environment disciplines to use these to explain the choices they make in designing their research but this is not often the case for the researches conducted within the Nigeria‘s built environment disciplines.
It is against this background that this paper presents an example of research design to achieve set objectives in built environment research.
The example presented in this paper is tied to a hypothetical problem of stakeholder management in construction projects.
The paper start by giving a general background and comparison of the key concepts guiding research design, it then considers the main components of the research design model found most suitable.
Next to this, the paper adopted the most suitable research design model as a guide to solving the hypothetical problem of stakeholder management problem in construction.
On the basis of this, the paper presents the research design and methodology adopted for the study, which is aimed at addressing a set of objectives that are carefully formulated around the hypothetical problem as follows.
The first objective is concerned with the reviewing of previous work on stakeholder management in construction projects; the second is interested atinvestigating the current practice of stakeholder management within the construction industry;
The third assesses the effect of procurement routes and contract conditions on stakeholder management process; the fourth attempts to model the relationship among the critical success factors for stakeholder management in construction projects;
The fifth develops a framework for stakeholder management in construction project; and last validates the framework developed.
References
Blaikie, N. (2007). Approaches to social enquiry: Advancing knowledge. Polity.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed approaches. Sage publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research method: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
Creswell, J. W. and Plano Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, Sage publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. Sage publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
