Research Method and Design Appropriateness
Research Methods
This section presents three main research methods employed whil designing the proposed approach to analysis and decision making. Quantitative research methods are concerned with numeric data and employ statistical tools to analyze the collected numerical data to conduct analysis that forms the decision-making base (Bloomfield and Fisher, 2019). On the other hand, the qualitative research method is concerned with the strategic collection, analysis, and evaluation using non-numeric data. Subsequently, mixed methods involve using qqualitative and quantitative research methods to conduct analysis and inform a basis for decision making. According to Wagner et al. (2019), the underlying research method is essential in cases where data exhibits numeric and non-numeric aspects. Thus, a qualitative approach to data analysis would be essential in analyzing the non-numeric elements of the identified data. In contrast, a quantitative research method would be essential for numeric data.This research will employ a qualitative research design to conduct the analysis and inform the decision-making process in lieu of the underlying research methods. The choice of the research design is premised on several factors. First, the underlying topic seeks to examine the digital accounting trends and aspects over time (Teo et al., 2020). At the same time, the study is concerned with the underlying misconceptions about accounting as a practice. Thus, the nature of the research topic is more inclined to employ non-numeric data for informed decision-making processes. Hence, a qualitative research design would inform the study. Several advantages of the qualitative research method are highlighted in the following sections of this chapter.
Qualitative research has different advantages. The underlying research method is flexible from a holistic view. First, it enables the participants to express themselves as much as possible in the case of an interview. According to Bauer et al. (2021), qualitative data collected from the underlying participants enables the data collector to enjoy a flexible schedule by selecting aspects of the data collected that are essential in the decision-making process and leaving out aspects or components that are less important. Also, qualitative research enables the data collector to gather or collect as much data from the underlying sample size. Thus, qualitative data would still gather much data in smaller sample sizes, thus promoting sustainable analysis and decision-making (Bauer et al., 2021). As such, it would enhance efficiency in the collection process and improve flexibility, meeting study objective needs.