Analytical research often extends the Descriptive approach to suggest
or explain why or how something is happening, e.g. underlying causes
of industrial action.
Predictive
The aim of Predictive research is to speculate intelligently on future possibilities, based
on close analysis of available evidence of cause and effect, e.g. predicting when and
where future industrial action might take place
Exploratory
Exploratory research is undertaken when few or no previous
studies exist. The aim is to look for patterns, hypotheses or
ideas that can be tested and will form the basis for
Descriptive
Descriptive research can be used to identify and classify the elements or
characteristics of the subject, e.g. number of days lost because of industrial action.