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a Walter AMEDZRO ST-HILAIRE, PhD
b Joo Eng Lee-Partridge, PhD
c Dr Kelly McJames
BOOK REVIEW by Joo Eng Lee-Partridge :
Methods of Empirical & Qualitative research : in Social and Administrative Sciences
ABSTRACT
The book (Methods of empirical & qualitative research in social and administration science by Prof. Amedzro St-Hilaire published in 2013, by Lambert Academic Publishing, 449 pages) is divided into three main parts:
 Part I: Research in business administration and social - foundations, key elements and requirements of the scientific approach
 Part II: Qualitative and quantitative approaches in business administration and social and methodological joint research
 Part III: The use and processing of quantitative data and qualitative data
In presenting the epistemological foundations of research in business administration and social part I will specify the conditions under which research can be considered scientific. It consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 will give us the opportunity to understand the implications of the concept of science and introduce scientific research, its role and its milestones. The place of research activity in science is the subject of Chapter 2. We will also examine the major elements, around which is a research project, and guide the researcher in the implementation of the various stages of research. Then we will become familiar with the various forms that can take a research project. Finally, Chapter 3 explores the logic of a particular type of research is widely used in business administration and social empirical research. In this chapter, we will deepen our understanding of the concepts of validity and reliability, as well as key concepts such as the research question, analytical framework, analytical tools, assumptions, measurement, operationalization and measurement.
In order to understand what motivates the choice of a research approach, the second part will deepen our understanding of approaches that guide empirical research in business administration and social and allow us to understand the research plan and methodological articulation arising from the choice of each approach. Chapter 4 focuses on theory-driven research, that is to say, research to measure or test a theory or concept. He will present some design research driven by theory and introduce quantitative approaches. Chapter 5 introduces us to exploratory design and those to build a theory. This chapter also provides us with an introduction to qualitative approaches and their characteristics in the context of research in business administration and social sciences. Finally, Chapter 6 presents the methodology and logic of research adopted in the context of commercial research involved in the development and evaluation of innovative designs (tools, utilities, interfaces, methods, procedures, etc.) employed by a disciplinary practice.
The third and final part of this book leans a little more on the methodological tools used to treat those qualitative and quantitative data during collection and analysis. Chapter 7 presents the measurement and acquisition of quantitative data. It is the stage of research in which the researcher must acquire information and deepens our understanding of the technical and measurement instruments then applied to obtain the relevant data. In addition, it recommends various operations to perform data acquisition adequately. Chapter 8 introduces the analysis of quantitative data and acquaints us with the basis for statistical analysis, while 9 deals with structured analysis of qualitative data. Finally, the tenth and last chapter is devoted to ways of presenting or reporting of the research. It also contains some advice on the overall management of a research project.
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Keywords: Methods of empirical, Qualitative research, administration science, social science research
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