Research Onion Framework: Pragmatist Philosophy

This essay describes and justifies the methods used in the study. The researcher has chosen the research onion framework adopted by Saunders and Thornhill (2012), as shown in figure 3.1. The approach of the model is to start from the outer layer to the inner layer of the research onion.

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Research Philosophy

The research philosophy is found on the outer layer, and the researcher selects the pragmatist method. As stated by Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, (2009), research philosophy contains essential assumptions about how one views the world. These assumptions play a crucial role in underpinning individual's research strategy and the methods one chooses to use. In this case, the researcher arrived at a decision based on the rationale that pragmatist research philosophy could produce better research results when applying a mixture of different methods in the research. Despite being considered relatively new, pragmatism research philosophy focused on finding solutions to the problem. The use of theories and framework are centric approaches that help to meet the identified research objectives.

Research Approach

The next layer is the research approach. The researcher found the deductive methods to be appropriate with the pragmatist research. It is the dominant research approach in the natural sciences. In this field, laws serve as the foundation for the basis of explanation, thus allowing for the anticipation of phenomena and prediction of their occurrence (Collis and Hussey 2003). For this research, deductive research has helped the researcher to provide the needed observation to form views for the outcomes of the study, while addressing the study problems.

Research Strategy

For this research, the investigator selected the use of a survey strategy. It served as the primary source of data for the exercise. Surveys are popular as they allow the collection of a large amount of data from a sizeable population in a highly economical way (Saunders et al., 2009). The chosen organization for the survey is the Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces (SPDF). The research problem focuses on how the group observes the issue of job satisfaction in the organizational settings. The goal of undertaking the survey was to facilitate the identification and evaluation of the impact of job satisfaction and contentment on employee's retention in the Seychelles People's Defence Forces. Using a survey strategy gives the researcher more control over the research process. Besides, when sampling is used, there is a likelihood that the operation can generate findings that represent the whole population. One advantage of this method is that one incurs a lower cost as compared to when the researcher has to collect the data for the entire group (Saunders et al., 2009). Besides, a small group is manageable as compared to the whole population, thus reducing time wastage. Therefore, this approach provides a focus for the study, aiming to address the problem of the impact of job satisfaction among members of the selected case study organization.

Research Choice

The next layer is the research choice. A mixed-methods approach was the most appropriate for this study. The mixed-methods approach improves the relevancy of the study, relevant unlike situations where quantitative or quantitative methods are used separately (Almalki 2016, p.290). A combination of perspective qualitative and quantitative approach was applied in the study to ensure the consistency with the pragmatist research philosophy. Besides, the mix-method strategy utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods to provide better outcomes.

Reference List

Almalki, S 2016, Integrating quantitative and qualitative data in mixed methods research: Challenges and benefits, Journal of Education and Learning, 5(3), pp.288-296. doi:10.5539/jel.v5n3p288

Collis, J, and Hussey, R 2013. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P, and Thornhill, A 2009, Research methods for business students, England: Pearson Education Limited.

Saunders, M, and Thornhill, A 2012, Research methods for business students, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.