Managing absenteeism in the work place - meat industry. Methods for Dissertation

Managing absenteeism in the work place - meat effort. Methods for reducing absenteeism - Dissertation Example128). Qualitative methods can be characterised as interpretative, subjective and introspective and the investigate findings are not conclusive or representative of the tribe of interest to the research worker due to small sample sizes. Nevertheless, qualitative research is often used as an exploratory tool (McDaniel & Gates, 2007, p. 130) gaining current and relevant information about the research problem. This information can benefactor to define the research problem more precisely and to support the gathered selective information from the primary research method (Stevens et al. 1997, pp. 54-55). Before any preliminary data gathering was carried out for the study at hand, the researcher stated the basic research question and brainstormed some research objectives. Through this, the researcher was able to tick the appropriate research approach to be used. For the secondar y data gathering, the researcher determined that two sub-methods would be utilised data gathering from previous empirical studies and interviews. The interviews could fall under either one-on-one interviews or focused-group discussions. As there is no general rule for deciding how many group discussions or exclusive interviews are needed to cover a subject (Hague, Hague, & Morgan, 2004, p. 54), the researcher considered the completion of the conceptual diagram (see Fig. 1) and opinionated to conduct five focused-group discussion, five expert interviews, and ten individual depth interviews. Figure 1 abstract Diagram Advantages Relevant secondary literature, such as journal articles about similar research topics and industry information, was reviewed in order to clarify and refine the research objectives and to specify the correct flow of questions for the interview (Polonsky & Waller, 2005, p. 85). The findings and methodological analysis of the identified key literature provided essential information and served as a basis for the secondary data gathering of this study. The major advantage of this method is acquiring several scholarly data within a short span of time. Furthermore, the chief(prenominal) advantage of focused-group discussions and individual depth interviews (Polonsky & Waller, 2005, p. 84) is the quick and economical manner of obtaining insights into the methods of unlike industries and organisations on how they identify causes of absenteeism, measure and monitor absence, decide on benchmarks, manage absenteeism within the workplace, work on strategies, create flexible working policies, carry out disciplinary policies and procedures, issue notices, and have return-to-work interviews. In-depth interviews among employees can too identify the common reasons for absence and bring to light some factors that employers should consider in managing absenteeism in the workplace. Disadvantages As other researchers have previously collected secondary d ata for some other purpose, it is necessary to mensurate the accuracy and relevance of these data to the current project (e.g. the data source, purpose of the study, data collection method, main findings, how current is the research and is it consistent with other information, etc.) (McDaniel & Gates, 2007, pp. 94-95). Some secondary data was not relevant or applicable to the current research problem, because the findings were outdated and reporting units, measurement units and class definitions