What are the Building Blocks of a Research model and How to Build a Research Model (organizational Justice)

BUILDING BLOCKS OF RESEARCH
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ABSTRACT
For any type of a model there must be building components that attribute to it thus the need for analysis and identification. Research being also a model type is not an exceptional and hence embraces the building blocks. This is because researches varies from scientific, social and biological fields but still adhere to some common procedures and steps when establishing one
INTRODUCTION
The term research simply refers to the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically to establish facts. On the other hand a model is a representation of a system that allows for investigation of the properties of the system and, in some cases, prediction of future outcomes. They are applied in quantitative and technical research. For a particular research to be complete there are certain procedures or steps that are involved. These steps are also referred to as building blocks and they include:
Engaging
Defining
Initiating
Locating
Examining, selecting, comprehending, assessing
Recording, sorting organizing, interpreting
Communicating, synthesizing
Evaluating
RESEARCH MODELS
There are two major types of research models. These are known as: Quantitative, This model is also known as experimental, traditional or positivist. Qualitative, this model is also known as naturalistic, post positivist and interpretive. Research models are usually used to describe the overall framework of the research. The models also enable a researcher to look at the reality of what he or she is studying based on a particular philosophy or philosophical stance. Also research models identify basic concepts of the research and help the researcher to establish what the reality is and under what conditions it can be studied. The main reasons why a researcher would choose to use a particular model would include: The experience and training acquired by that researcher: one type of research might require the researcher to have statistical and technical writing skills and others might require the researcher to have literary writing skills, the nature of the problem or subject that is to be researched: the subject might have previously been studied by another researcher and hence there is available data or the subject might require an exploratory research. The particular audience for whom the research is being done: there are some audiences that are more comfortable with quantitative studies and data while others are more comfortable with qualitative. The assumptions of that particular model in comparison to other models and the psychological dimensions to be considered.
EXAMPLES OF MODELS USED IN ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE
Exploratory Research
Research is exploratory when no earlier model of research is used as a basis of study. The most usual reason for using this approach is that there is no other choice.
Exploratory research means that hardly anything is known about the matter at the outset of the project. The gradual process of accumulating data about the object of study means also that it will be impossible to start by defining the concepts of study. You have to start with a preliminary concept, these provisional concepts then gradually gain accuracy. In this type of research the researcher start the exploratory study from what he/she has: one or more objects of study. It means that the researcher starts by gathering as much information about the subject as possible the progress of a project of study becomes easier as the concepts become clear. Once this is done, the researcher needs to gather only data that is such empirical knowledge that is related to the problem. As soon as the relevance of date becomes obvious the researcher can leave out material that is no longer relevant and use the remaining, relevant information. Analysis in exploratory research is usually abstraction and generalization. Abstraction means that you translate the empirical observations, measurements etc. into concepts while generalization means arranging the material so that it disengages from single persons, occurrences etc. and focuses on those structures that are common to all or most of the cases.(Bunge, 1967)
Research on the Basis of Earlier Theory
Many of the problems of exploratory research can be avoided if the researcher can start with a model, developed in earlier studies, which he uses as a "working hypothesis". The model can either consist of cases (holistic model) or of concepts (analytic model). During the analysis, the researcher tries to see whether the collected material conforms to the model or must he correct the model or look for a more suitable one.
Often the study simply proceeds by enlarging an earlier model. The existence of a tentative model helps in selecting the logical structure of the entire research project and planning it. The model helps you to decide which material has to be collected, from which cases or specimens and about which attributes or variables of these cases. Even the recording of observations is facilitated because often you will be able to utilize earlier definitions of variables. The same applies to analysis methods: often you can borrow them from earlier works. Adopting models from earlier researches involves a risk: it can affect your observations so that you wrongly discard the anomalies or those cases which too much differ from what would be expected on the basis of the old theory. If this happens, you will never discover the weaknesses of the old model. (Bunge, 1967)
Hypothesis based Study
Sometimes the object of study is already well known and you just want to investigate its behavior in a specific situation. In such a situation you can choose to construct a hypothesis, i.e. a preliminary answer to the question that you are studying. During the research project the researcher can then collect empirical data which allow him/her to test the hypothesis and see if it is true or not. Hypotheses are always based on analytic models, and they are often causal and are always accurately stated.
Research process
If you choose to use a hypothesis, you should plan the logic around it in the way that (Bunge, 1967) explains:
1. Ask well formulated and fruitful questions.
2. Devise both grounded and testable hypotheses to answer the questions.
3. Derive logical consequences of the assumptions.
4. Design techniques to test the assumptions; test the techniques for relevance and reliability.
5. Execute the tests.
6. Interpret the results.
7. Evaluate the truth claims of the assumptions and the fidelity of the techniques; determine the domains in which the assumptions and the techniques hold.
BUILDING A RESEARCH MODEL
Engaging
This refers to process of involving oneself or becoming occupied while participating in an activity. It is the first building block in construction of a research model and the person involved should be able to demonstrate the following skills and strategies in order to achieve the goals. Using internet is necessary as it enables one to get new ideas from all over the world (Mike Eisenberg & Bob Berkowitz, 1993)
Another skill is reading widely of past and new materials about the area of research. This orients one with the short ...