Adv Data Management and Analysis

¶ … Management & ANALYSIS

Business

What are the key concepts, constructs, and measures (operationalizations) of those constructs defined by the original study (Clinard & Yeager (2006,1980)) -- from where did the measures come?

The original study aims to interpret economic analysis data. The economic analysis data is of the annual sales of corporations that grossed $300 million - $45 billion during 1975. They analyze the data with the intent to locate if and how much of the revenue came from illegal corporate acts. Some variables in the study include net income/total assets, working capital/total assets and sales/total assets. Moreover the researchers calculated and hypothesized several relevant ratios among the critical factors and variables of the study. The corporations they study were limited to a few industries such as banking, transportation, communication, and utilities. Their measurements and interpretations of the data spread across a wide range of variables and factors such as firm size, firm growth, and percent of foreign sales. They declare early on the broad spectrum of factors they take into consideration for the purposes of this study. The authors go on to specify the codebooks referenced to support their theories, a description of the files and data examined, as well as the file structure of the data examined. It is an interesting and necessary contrast to be at once so general and at the same time extremely specific. This adds balance and grounding to the research. The data comes from the ICPS, federal agencies, law service reports and other government sources.

B.1. What is the research design for Boies (1989)? Defend your position.

I think that the study is both qualitative and quantitative. The research is transparently based on quantitative data, yet the aim or intent of the research is more of a qualitative goal. The authors want to use data and statistics, which are quantitative elements in order to derive a qualitative conclusion in the opinion of this author. The research attempts to make conclusions regarding behavior and understand relationship between behavior and revenue. This marks qualitative study to me, as behavior and relationships between behavior and material objects projects a qualitative perspective and/or approach, as well as seems more in line with a study in the social sciences. The data is economic and financial, concrete and quantitative. These are some reasons that support the position regarding design.

Furthermore, this research is a case study, a case study in one particular year with limited, finite number of companies that meet specific criteria. At the time of the study the data is not precisely current. Meaning, they did not collect the data as it occurred; the data was gathered after a specific moment in time passed. If the data had been collected "live," perhaps a better description of the research would be a survey. Therefore, this research design included a control group: the corporations that fit the profile. Because the study accommodates aspects of both qualitative and quantitative research, arguably, I would further argue that this research design is quasi-experimental, as it is a sort of hybrid.

B.2. Comment on anything interesting about the variables that Boies studied. For example, are there levels of measurement issues? If there are level of measurement issues, defend your position that those issues exist.

As far as commentary regarding what is interesting about the variables, I would first comment that the overall study is interesting. Essentially the study is to see or prove whether or not crime pays and if so, how well. The results of the study would prove useful and interesting to a variety of industries, not just those of law enforcement and government agencies. There is clearly a use for social activists and economists, for example, to have access to this kind of research.

There are measurement issues within every study, therefore it is arguable that there are measurement issues in this study as well. Use of secondary data can be useful and there can also be pitfalls. There could be additional information in the study to assist with the social construction and social context of the data presented. There could have additionally been more substantial acknowledgement or awareness of how the secondary data used is flawed or potentially how the analysis may be distorted or flawed specifically due to the data resources referenced.

C. What is the research design proposed by Daboub, Rasheed, Priem, & Gray (1995)? Defend your position.

D. What modifications or adjustments were made to the concepts, constructs, and measures identified by Clinard & Yeager (2006,1980) by either Boies (1989) or proposed by Daboub, Rasheed, Priem, & Gray (1995)? Defend your position.

Hint: Are Boes' definitions and measures that Boies obtained from C&Y used to measure the same concepts that C&Y measured?

E. 1. What is the degree to which the Clinard & Yeager (1987) data really matched the purposes of the secondary studies conducted by Boise (1989) and proposed by Daboub, Rasheed, Priem, & Gray (1995? Defend your position.

E. 2. What is the degree to which the archival data (the Clinard and Yeager (1987) data) were really suitable to the secondary studies conducted by Boise (1989) and proposed by Daboub, Rasheed, Priem, & Gray (1995)? Defend your position.

E. 3. What is the degree to which the secondary studies conducted by Boise (1989) and proposed by Daboub, Rasheed, Priem, & Gray (1995? were designed around the availability of data (Clinard & Yeayer (1987) rather than around a clear theoretical model? Defend your position.

F. What is your overall assessment of the utility of secondary and archival data? Defend your position.

My overall assessment of the utility of secondary and archival data is that there is a definitive use and value to it. Secondary and archival data are assets. I think researchers should aim for using present data in conjunction to secondary and archival data for a greater context within which to consider and understand the data, in additions to the implications of that data. Secondary and archival data can provide additional context and relativity. When applied well, this can boost the efficacy and power of a research project and design. When researchers use archival and secondary data sources, a bit of the work in their research is done for them. Of course, it is up to the researcher to use that data well, or better, or in a new or interesting way, yet, some of the work has been done to the extent that some of the data has been collected or at least located and organized. This allows researchers to focus upon other aspects of the research, or in other words dedicate their time to other parts of the research besides that part of the data collection. Sometimes researchers are fortunate in their search for secondary and especially archival data in that the previous data collectors may have had more expertise with data analysis and statistics than the researcher him/herself.