Browsing by Subject "Research methods"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
How (not) to disappear completely: pedagogical potential of research methods in international relations
(Sage Publications Ltd., 2015) Mutlu, C. E.
The question of research methods, and their role in the field, is a major source of contention for IR scholars. We can, however, discuss method, methodology, and innovation without revising or revisiting old debates. Methods do not have to be divisive, or disciplining. A frank discussion of research design, methods, and methodological preferences is essential to innovation and reproducibility. This intervention is a call for increased transparency in IR research outputs; IR theorists should not erase their own footprints from their publications and openly admit and discuss failures as productive moments in research. The act of disappearing, which has become the norm in the name of professionalised publications, robs the field of the productive pedagogical potential of research methods. The true impact of research rests in its pedagogical potential. As researchers, our job is thus to find a sensitive balance between not determining the outcome of the research from the get-go by making it all about our preferences and opinions, but also not making the impact of our preferences and opinions disappear completely. Building on this premise, this intervention discusses the significant pedagogical potential of research methods, reproducibility and discussion of failures in International Relations.
Open Access
Relationships between measured levels and subjective ratings: A case study of the food-court area in CEPA shopping center, Ankara
(SAGE, 2012-03-01) Dökmeci, P. N.; Yilmazer, S.
Physical comfort requirements of users; such as, thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort, should be considered and studied in detail when planning and designing public spaces. However, there is not enough research on the relations between the acoustical parameters, and the acoustic comfort level of users in enclosed non-acoustic public spaces, which are directly connected with a central atrium. In such spaces, evaluation on auditory perception and noise annoyance should be performed in parallel with objective parametric measurements. The food-court area of CEPA Shopping Center, with a central atrium and a glass ceiling structure, in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara is chosen for the case. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between the users' subjective ratings of noise levels and the measured equivalent continuous sound pressure levels (Leq). In addition, the demographical differences and user profile variances, as well as the auditory perception classifications are investigated in this case space. The present acoustical indices are measured and then discussed by pointing out the architectural features of the case space, which are the central atrium, glass ceiling structure and the sound reflective material applications. The research methods include, noise measurements to obtain Leq and questionnaires to assess the subjective ratings and auditory perception of the users. This study mainly concentrates on the food-court space, which is within CEPA Shopping Center and displays the significant results regarding this space. These results show that Leq values vary by different day types (weekdays and weekends) and time of day, and the subjective ratings correlate well with these Leq variances. The most dominant sound perceived by the users was found to be the hum of voices. One other significant result implies that, subjective ratings of noise level becomes significant above 67 dBA and shows a sudden increase in the ratings. Furthermore, the time spent in the food-court area correlated significantly with noise annoyance ratings.
Open Access
Understanding and managing complexity through Bayesian network approach: the case of bribery in business transactions
(Elsevier, 2019) Ekici, Ahmet; Ekici, Ş. Ö.
Managing complex business problems requires decision makers to take a systemic perspective and utilize tools that can generate knowledge from the interdependencies of the system’s complex properties. As such, the current research focuses on an important yet ambiguous business problem–bribery. Using the Global Competitiveness Index data provided by the World Economic Forum, the authors constructed and analysed a Bayesian network to delineate a ‘system’ of bribery in business transactions. In this context, they first determined the factors related to bribery activities and then developed a structural model (the Bayesian network). Through scenario and sensitivity analyses performed over the constructed model, the authors identified the factors that have the greatest impact on bribery activities. They further analysed the resulting model based on the countries’ stage of economic development in order to provide the manager and policy maker with a more informative diagnostic tool to understand and deal with bribery activities locally and globally.
Open Access
Using experiments in sport consumer behavior research: a review and directions for future research
(FiT Publishing, 2023-03) Ko, Y. J.; Kwak, D. H.; Jang, E. W.; Lee, J. S.; Asada, A.; Chang, Y.; Kim, D.; Pradhan, S.; Yılmaz, Semih Sait
A growing number of sport consumer behavior scholars have been employing experimental methods, especially because experiments allow researchers to gain a better understanding of causal inferences by examining controlled conditions. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to offer the current state of the adoption of experimental methods in sport consumer behavior research and (2) to discuss and highlight best practices that scholars can use when considering experimental designs. More specifically, we discuss methodological gaps existing in sport consumer behavior research by reviewing published sport consumer behavior articles in a content analysis. We also provide considerations to improve validity of empirical findings and outline the characteristics of well-designed experiments and how they can help advance theory development in the field. Ultimately, we offer practical recommendations and guidance to researchers wishing to use experiments in a wide array of research topics within sport consumer behavior.