Research methodsIn the case of the investigation of the trends and innovations in supply chain management, the qualitative research method might have proven useful in the collection of the necessary information about the topic. The qualitative research method refers to an approach in research work that seeks to understand as well as find the underlying information, and general interpretation of any given phenomena (Denzin & Lincoln, 2008). Often, in qualitative research, the participants play a significant role in the research findings. Thus, in finding the different trends of supply chain management the input of the researcher was very important in determining the directionality of the study.
Research design and data collection techniques
Kothari (2005) defined research design as the plan of action that researchers follow to ensure that collection and analysis of valid research data is carried for purposes of achieving given research objectives. On the other hand, research methods in a study point out to the different approaches that a researcher uses to carry out a given study. Often, any research study aims at moving from a subject that is not known to another that is known for purposes of providing insight with respect to the unknown subject (Creswell, 2009). For example, in a research to investigate the trends in the supply chain management, the researcher hopes to understand whether or not there are any trends in the supply chain management and how they have impacted the supply chain management.
In the case of the current study, secondary sources of data were used; information about the trends in supply chain management was obtained from secondary sources such as journals and books. Based on the methods of data collection used, as well as on the research design chosen, it was observed that research techniques are very vital in a study. As such, effective collection and analysis of research’s data is depended on the choice of research techniques that a research chooses and their ability to provide the necessary data to offer solution to a given problem in the society.
In the investigation of the trends in the supply chain management, it was observed that the right research methods are useful in the provision of a clear path towards arrival at a solution to a particular task under study, as in the case of supply chain trends and innovations (Chalotra, 2015). In the study, the literature proven that data for any study ought to be from valid and reliable sources. In addition, the literature review confirmed that having a clear research question is very instrumental in guiding any research. For example, in the case of the current study, the guiding research question was; what are some of the trends and innovations in the supply chain management nowadays?
Even though there are several research methods that a researcher can use in their study, the investigation on the trends in supply chain management showed that not every research method and analytical technique is applicable for all cases (Creswell, 2009). For example, different methods are used in the collection of data for a study, while others are used in finding the correlation between different variables. In the case of trends in the supply chain management, the relationship between different trends and how they influence the supply chain management were established. For example, it was evident that shared intentions determine the link between performance measures in the formulation of global supply chain and the supposed capabilities (Ayfer Başar, 2011).
Considering the scope of the data needed for the investigation, it was necessary to find reliable sources of data to provide clear understanding of the subject under investigation. For this reason, new sources of data were needed. Additional sources of data were necessary for purposes of providing valid grounds for comprehensive analysis on the possibility of different trends in the supply chain management.
- Ayfer Başar,. (2011). A taxonomy of supply chain innovations. Afr. J. Bus. Manage., 5(30). http://dx.doi.org/10.5897/ajbm11.562
- Chalotra, D. (2015). Total Quality Management and Supply Chain Relationships. Imsmanthan, 8(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.18701/imsmanthan.v8i2.5123
- Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and Mixed methods approaches. Thousand oaks, CA: Sage.
- Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y.S. (2008). Colllecting and interpreting qualitative materials. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
- Kothari, C.R. (2005), Research Methodology- Methods and Techniques. New Delhi: Wiley Eastern Limited.
