A note on the research philosophy-type grid: for MBA students

 A note on the research philosophy-type grid: for MBA students

Referring to the grid, some options tend to be conceptually more coherent than others (re: Lecture note on research types and their preferred research philosophies )

Please provide an example on each of the following research theme cases, by coming up with (1) two research objectives, (2) 2 research questions, and (3) 2 relevant research issues:

Research theme case 1: examine the impacts of extremely hot weather on the mainland tourists' consumer behavior in the shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, based on pragmatism and descriptive research

Research theme case 2: examine the impacts of extremely hot weather on the mainland tourists' consumer behavior in the shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, based on pragmatism and exploratory research

Research theme case 3: examine the impacts of extremely hot weather on the mainland tourists' consumer behavior in the shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, based on interpretivism and descriptive research

Research theme case 4: examine the impacts of extremely hot weather on the mainland tourists' consumer behavior in the shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, based on positivism and causal research

Research theme case 5: examine the impacts of extremely hot weather on the mainland tourists' consumer behavior in the shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, based on pragmatism and evaluation research 

My intention is to learn how the chosen research philosophy and research type to study a research theme affect the formulation of research objectives, research issues as well as the research issues to respond to. For the 5 research theme cases, the research theme is the same.

 

The research topic remains the same, but the research philosophy and research type change what the study treats as knowledge, what it tries to discover or measure, and how its research objectives and questions are worded. In simplified terms, positivism emphasizes measurable cause-and-effect relationships, interpretivism emphasizes tourists’ meanings and lived experiences, while pragmatism emphasizes findings that can help shopping malls respond to a practical problem.elearning.univ-mila+1

For consistency, “extremely hot weather” could be operationalized using Hong Kong Observatory indicators, such as the Very Hot Weather Warning or an “Extremely Hot Weather” alert when temperatures generally reach 35°C or above.hko.gov+1

Research theme 1

Pragmatism and descriptive research

Research objectives

1.    To describe how extremely hot weather affects mainland tourists’ shopping frequency, time spent, spending levels, product choices and use of mall facilities in Tsim Sha Tsui.

2.    To identify the practical measures that mainland tourists consider most useful for maintaining or improving their shopping experience during extremely hot weather.

Research questions

1.    How does extremely hot weather influence mainland tourists’ shopping frequency, duration of visits, expenditure and product choices in Tsim Sha Tsui shopping malls?

2.    Which mall facilities or services do mainland tourists use, and which measures do they perceive as most helpful during extremely hot weather?

Relevant research issues

1.    The extent to which extreme heat changes tourists’ observable consumer behaviour, including shortened visits, reduced browsing, greater purchases of beverages or cooling products, and increased use of indoor resting areas.

2.    The adequacy and practical usefulness of mall responses, such as air-conditioning, shaded access routes, rest areas, water stations, cooling facilities and weather-related promotions.

How the approach shapes the study

The purpose is primarily to describe the current situation rather than prove that heat causes a particular behaviour. Pragmatism allows the researcher to combine questionnaires, mall observations and interviews if doing so produces practically useful findings.

Research theme 2

Pragmatism and exploratory research

Research objectives

1.    To explore the different ways in which extremely hot weather may influence mainland tourists’ decision-making, emotions, shopping motivations and movement between shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui.

2.    To generate a preliminary conceptual explanation of how tourists adapt their consumption behaviour to extreme heat and to identify potential factors for future investigation.

Research questions

1.    In what ways do mainland tourists describe the influence of extremely hot weather on their shopping decisions and experiences in Tsim Sha Tsui?

2.    What unexpected behavioural adaptations, coping strategies or consumption opportunities emerge when mainland tourists shop in shopping malls during extremely hot weather?

Relevant research issues

1.    There may be behavioural effects that are not captured by predetermined survey categories, such as avoiding outdoor attractions, selecting malls according to their accessibility, shopping only in highly air-conditioned areas, or treating malls as cooling and resting spaces.

2.    Tourists may differ in how they interpret extreme heat depending on age, travel itinerary, previous experience of Hong Kong weather, health condition, group composition and shopping purpose.

How the approach shapes the study

Exploratory research is appropriate when the researcher does not yet know all the relevant variables or mechanisms. The questions therefore use terms such as “in what ways,” “how,” “unexpected,” and “emerge.” A pragmatic design might begin with semi-structured interviews or focus groups and then use a questionnaire to examine whether the emerging patterns appear more widely.

Research theme 3

Interpretivism and descriptive research

Research objectives

1.    To describe how mainland tourists subjectively experience and make sense of extremely hot weather while shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui shopping malls.

2.    To interpret how tourists’ personal meanings of comfort, inconvenience, enjoyment, risk and value shape their shopping behaviour during extremely hot weather.

Research questions

1.    How do mainland tourists describe their lived experiences of shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui during extremely hot weather?

2.    How do tourists interpret the relationship between heat, physical comfort, emotions and their decisions to continue, modify or stop shopping?

Relevant research issues

1.    The meaning of “extremely hot” may differ among tourists; some may regard the heat as a temporary inconvenience, whereas others may experience it as a serious health risk or a major disruption to their itinerary.

2.    Tourists’ consumer behaviour may be socially and culturally situated. For example, group members may negotiate whether to continue shopping, rest in a mall, change destinations or prioritize particular stores.

How the approach shapes the study

Although the study is descriptive, interpretivism means that description is not limited to counting behaviour. It seeks a rich account of how tourists understand and experience the situation. Suitable data could include in-depth interviews, travel diaries or accompanied shopping observations, followed by thematic or interpretive analysis.

The focus is not necessarily to claim that one objective temperature produces one universal response. Instead, it recognizes that the same weather condition may be experienced differently by different tourists.

Research theme 4

Positivism and causal research

Research objectives

1.    To test whether exposure to extremely hot weather causes significant changes in mainland tourists’ shopping duration, spending, purchase intentions and use of mall facilities in Tsim Sha Tsui.

2.    To estimate the causal effects of heat exposure on consumer behaviour while controlling for factors such as age, gender, income, travel group size, shopping purpose, weekday or weekend, and mall characteristics.

Research questions

1.    Does extremely hot weather significantly reduce mainland tourists’ shopping duration and increase their use of indoor cooling and resting facilities?

2.    What is the causal effect of extremely hot weather on mainland tourists’ spending, purchase intentions and likelihood of visiting multiple shopping malls?

Relevant research issues

1.    Establishing causality: observed changes in spending or shopping duration may result from heat, but they may also be caused by tourist volume, promotions, exchange rates, public holidays, store type or individual shopping preferences.

2.    Measurement and research design: the study must define heat exposure and consumer outcomes precisely and use a design capable of supporting causal inference, such as a natural experiment, before-and-after comparison, matched comparison of hot and non-hot days, or regression analysis with control variables.

How the approach shapes the study

Positivism treats key concepts as measurable variables and seeks objective evidence of relationships. A possible model would be:

Consumer behaviour=f(heat exposure, tourist characteristics, mall conditions, calendar effects)

The researcher might measure:

• Heat exposure: temperature, heat index, humidity or presence of a Very Hot Weather Warning.
• Shopping duration: minutes spent in the mall.
• Spending: Hong Kong dollar value of purchases.
• Shopping breadth: number of stores or malls visited.
• Facility use: frequency of visits to rest areas, food courts or cooling zones.

A causal question should not merely ask whether heat and spending are “related.” It should ask whether heat produces a change after alternative explanations have been addressed.

Research theme 5

Pragmatism and evaluation research

Research objectives

1.    To evaluate the effectiveness of shopping mall measures designed to reduce the negative effects of extremely hot weather on mainland tourists’ shopping experience and consumer behaviour.

2.    To assess whether heat-response measures improve tourists’ comfort, satisfaction, time spent in the mall, shopping intention and willingness to revisit or recommend the mall.

Research questions

1.    How effective are mall measures such as air-conditioning, shaded access, rest areas, drinking-water facilities, cooling stations and heat-related promotions in supporting mainland tourists during extremely hot weather?

2.    To what extent do these measures improve tourists’ satisfaction, shopping engagement, spending intention and intention to revisit the shopping mall?

Relevant research issues

1.    Defining effectiveness: an intervention may improve physical comfort without increasing spending, or it may increase time spent in the mall without improving satisfaction. The evaluation must therefore consider both consumer and operational outcomes.

2.    Stakeholder and implementation issues: the same measure may be viewed differently by tourists, mall managers, retailers and employees, and its effectiveness may depend on visibility, accessibility, maintenance, cost and actual use.

How the approach shapes the study

Evaluation research asks whether a policy, service or intervention works and how it can be improved. Pragmatism is suitable because the researcher can use multiple forms of evidence:

• Tourist surveys to measure comfort, satisfaction, spending intention and revisit intention.
• Observations to record whether facilities are visible and used.
• Interviews with mall managers and retailers to understand implementation.
• Comparisons between tourists who used a heat-response measure and those who did not.
• Sales or footfall data, if available, to examine operational outcomes.

The emphasis is therefore not simply on describing behaviour or discovering meanings. It is on producing a judgement about the value and effectiveness of particular interventions.

Overall comparison

Theme	Main emphasis	Typical wording of objectives	Nature of research issues
Pragmatism + descriptive	Describe the situation and identify practical needs	“Describe,” “identify,” “measure”	What behaviours occur, how often they occur, and what tourists need
Pragmatism + exploratory	Discover patterns and possible explanations	“Explore,” “identify emerging factors,” “generate”	Unknown mechanisms, unexpected adaptations and new variables
Interpretivism + descriptive	Describe and interpret lived experience	“Understand,” “describe experiences,” “interpret meanings”	Subjective meanings, different experiences and social context
Positivism + causal	Test whether heat produces behavioural changes	“Test,” “estimate effects,” “determine whether”	Causality, measurement, confounding variables and statistical validity
Pragmatism + evaluation	Judge the effectiveness of interventions	“Evaluate,” “assess effectiveness,” “improve”	Whether measures work, for whom, under what conditions and at what cost

Key distinction

The phrase “research issues” should not be treated as another name for research questions. A research issue is the underlying problem, gap, uncertainty or practical concern that makes the research necessary.

For example:

• Research issue: It is unclear whether extreme heat causes tourists to shorten their shopping visits.
• Research question: Does extreme heat reduce mainland tourists’ shopping duration?
• Research objective: To test the effect of extreme heat on mainland tourists’ shopping duration.

The same broad topic can therefore produce different formulations:

• Descriptive: What consumer behaviours occur during extreme heat?
• Exploratory: How might extreme heat alter tourists’ shopping decisions in unexpected ways?
• Interpretive: What meaning do tourists attach to heat-related discomfort while shopping?
• Causal: Does extreme heat cause tourists to reduce their shopping duration?
• Evaluative: How effective are mall cooling measures in maintaining tourists’ shopping engagement?

In practice, the five designs should not be treated as completely interchangeable. A descriptive study can report patterns, but it should avoid strong causal claims; an exploratory study can generate concepts, but it normally does not establish population-wide effects; an interpretivist study can provide rich understanding, but it is not primarily designed to estimate average treatment effects; and an evaluation study must specify the intervention and the criteria used to judge its success.

 A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.