Experimental Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Experimental Methods - Essay Example For this reason, seeing the actual impact of manipulating variables based on the experimentation, on the part of an experimenter will eventually help in gaining insight. The actual application of this is not only confined in a single field, but in all related areas. This means that experimental research methods could be applied in the business context. For instance, in marketing, studying the human behavior in order to understand prevailing needs is very important prior to actual formulation of certain product or service offering. Experimental research methods have major advantages and these include evidence of causality and control (Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p.239). As stated earlier, an experimenter could manipulate variables and understand the probable impacts of these to other variables. For this reason, there is a remarkable understanding of cause and effect relationship under a controlled situation. Due to a controlled condition, the researcher will have the opportunity to manag e the environment, variables and subjects, leading to extensive understanding of the entire subjects considered. There is a high control of the external factors outside the experimental designs, allowing researchers to control extraneous influences and focus on the existing causal relationship (Fiske, Gilbert, & Lindzey, 2010, p.82; Muijs, 2010, p.19). Experimental research methods could also help solve the problem of the realism of the environment and will open a new door for another set of problems because of the associated replications of findings (Babbie, 2010, p.198). However, experimental research methods could somehow be vulnerable to employ actions that are entirely relevant with deception and ethical considerations (Denscombe, 2010, p.76). This is particularly clear when there is a need to employ control groups in the experiment, so there could be variation of treatments and even hiding something from the respondents just to be able to come up with the relevant and desired information, without any strong influence of extraneous factors. Experimental research methods could be incorporated in the business communication research particularly in finding causal and effect relationship through isolating and controlling variables in a scientific manner (Lam & Bauer, 2008). In today’s advancement of information and technology, there is an actual integration of information systems and business. Experimental research methods are also found to be relevant in information systems research with actual business perspective (Levy & Ellis, 2011). Among experimental research methods, field experiment is commonly employed in various research investigations in line with business concerns. So let us explore some actual applications of field experiments in the business context. Field experiments engaged actual real-life setting of experimental manipulations within a natural environment in which business, economics and management research usually has considerable eng agement because of its external validity to identify causation (Elsevier, 2009). For instance, field experiment usually is used in test marketing of new products or evaluating alternative promotional programs (Al-Ubaydli & Boettke, 2011). In the actual context, field experiment is becoming popular. This research method has remarkable contribution in order to ensure achievement of good business management. To make it more productive, it is