The process of finding suitable boundary for using when describing the world covered in thesis is to introduce, specify and define basic expressions that are suitable for describing the main reserach topics.
Theory: Theory is a set of interrelated variables, definitions and propositions that presents a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relationships among variables with the purpose of explaining natural phenomena (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). It is a combination of principles, a model and initial assumptions. It is often meet as an adversary in scientific work. A theory, believed to be correct, may after a long time, be falsified or improved. A theory can only describe a natural phenomenon which does not necessarily follow from experimental observations (Benson, 1991) however it may have different kinds of origin. Theory is used extensively in this thesis and are explained and disputed according to the research.
Concept: A concept is an idea or a physical quantity that is used to analyse natural phenomena in which the basic inputs, outputs and principles are defined however it does not exit details (Kirwan, Ainsworth, 1992). McGill & King (1989) specify that there are several concepts that are primitives in the study of mechanics. Space, time, force and mass are stated. In this research, the term concept is used when discussing human performance in manufacturing systems, most often when discussing manufacturing system design.
Law and principle: Karlsson defines, (2002) a principle is a very general statement about how nature operates. It spans the whole subject and is part of its foundation. Laws are usually more specific, using mathematics to describe relationships. Sometimes, the terms law and principle are used interchangeably (Benson, 1991). Newton’s laws are well known and often used in different scientific studies. However, they do not apply for example, when velocities approach the speed of light. That is, the laws are only valid in certain special frames of reference (McGill & King, 1989).
Reliability or dependability: When discussing the quality of research, the terms validity and reliability are often used. Validity refers to the extent to which the researcher is able to use his/hers method to study what is intended, that the used method or strategy is suitable for the task. Reliability refers to the possibility to repeat the research and end up with identical results (Yin, 1994). Generally, reliability is strengthened through clarification of the point of views, backgrounds, theoretical perspectives etc, which is behind the research as well at the path to the conclusions.
Generalisability: Generalisability is the extent to which can come to conclusions about one thing (often a population) based on information about another (often a sample (Collis & Hussey (2003). The proposed research is based on collection of data from different resources, comparing them which in turn generate the appropriate result or conclusion.
Location: Location refers to the setting in which the research is conducted. The best example of a positivistic paradigm is a scientist in a laboratory conducting a controlled experiment. It is important to investigate some research problems in an artificial setting (Collis and Hussey, 2003).
Other positivistic approach that was rejected for the proposed research are as follows:
Longitudinal studies: A longitudinal study is often, but not always, associated with a positivist methodology. It is study, over time, of a variable or group of subjects. The aim is to research the dynamic of problem but investigating the same situation or people several times (Collis & Hussey, 2003). The proposed research having a time constraint cannot be implemented using this type of study which often takes many years to complete.
The most important part of research is to search and find out relevant literature, research papers and books. Research papers, previous dissertation and books have been searched by using library catalogues, bibliographic databases, full text e-journals, other journals and the Internet. When conducting searches for literature the guidelines on searching for and finding scientific information and have been used as well as information given by the University's Department . Additional information on searching the Internet mainly focused on strength and weakness of different types of search engines was provided by University. Analysis of important written material has been reviewed according to scientific systems called complete analysis described by Bjornsson et al (1994).
Concept: A concept is an idea or a physical quantity that is used to analyse natural phenomena in which the basic inputs, outputs and principles are defined however it does not exit details (Kirwan, Ainsworth, 1992). McGill & King (1989) specify that there are several concepts that are primitives in the study of mechanics. Space, time, force and mass are stated. In this research, the term concept is used when discussing human performance in manufacturing systems, most often when discussing manufacturing system design.
Law and principle: Karlsson defines, (2002) a principle is a very general statement about how nature operates. It spans the whole subject and is part of its foundation. Laws are usually more specific, using mathematics to describe relationships. Sometimes, the terms law and principle are used interchangeably (Benson, 1991). Newton’s laws are well known and often used in different scientific studies. However, they do not apply for example, when velocities approach the speed of light. That is, the laws are only valid in certain special frames of reference (McGill & King, 1989).
Reliability or dependability: When discussing the quality of research, the terms validity and reliability are often used. Validity refers to the extent to which the researcher is able to use his/hers method to study what is intended, that the used method or strategy is suitable for the task. Reliability refers to the possibility to repeat the research and end up with identical results (Yin, 1994). Generally, reliability is strengthened through clarification of the point of views, backgrounds, theoretical perspectives etc, which is behind the research as well at the path to the conclusions.
Generalisability: Generalisability is the extent to which can come to conclusions about one thing (often a population) based on information about another (often a sample (Collis & Hussey (2003). The proposed research is based on collection of data from different resources, comparing them which in turn generate the appropriate result or conclusion.
Location: Location refers to the setting in which the research is conducted. The best example of a positivistic paradigm is a scientist in a laboratory conducting a controlled experiment. It is important to investigate some research problems in an artificial setting (Collis and Hussey, 2003).
Other positivistic approach that was rejected for the proposed research are as follows:
Longitudinal studies: A longitudinal study is often, but not always, associated with a positivist methodology. It is study, over time, of a variable or group of subjects. The aim is to research the dynamic of problem but investigating the same situation or people several times (Collis & Hussey, 2003). The proposed research having a time constraint cannot be implemented using this type of study which often takes many years to complete.
The most important part of research is to search and find out relevant literature, research papers and books. Research papers, previous dissertation and books have been searched by using library catalogues, bibliographic databases, full text e-journals, other journals and the Internet. When conducting searches for literature the guidelines on searching for and finding scientific information and have been used as well as information given by the University's Department . Additional information on searching the Internet mainly focused on strength and weakness of different types of search engines was provided by University. Analysis of important written material has been reviewed according to scientific systems called complete analysis described by Bjornsson et al (1994).
