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

128). Qualitative methods can be characterised as “interpretative”, “subjective” and “introspective” and the research findings are not conclusive or representative of the population of interest to the researcher 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 help to define the research problem more precisely and to support the gathered data 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 determine the appropriate research approach to be used. For the secondary 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 individual 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 decided to conduct five focused-group discussion, five expert interviews, and ten individual depth interviews. Figure 1 Conceptual 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 methodology 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 main 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 various 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 also 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 data for some other purpose, it is necessary to assess 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