1. Unit I

2.  Research is the process of finding solutions
to a problem after a thorough study and
analysis of the situational factors.
 Business Research is an organized,
systematic, data-based, critical, objective,
scientific inquiry or investigation into a
specific problem, undertaken with the
purpose of finding answers or solutions to
it.

3.  Studying Research provides the
knowledge and skills needed for the fast-
paced decision-making environment
 Managers need information because
• Global and domestic competition is more
vigorous
• Organizations are increasingly practicing data
mining and data warehousing

4.  To gather more information before
selecting a course of action
 To do a high-level research study
 To understand research design
 To evaluate and resolve a current
management dilemma
 To establish a career as a research
specialist

5.  Following the standards of the scientific
method
• Purpose clearly defined
• Research process detailed
• Research design thoroughly planned
• Limitations frankly revealed
• High ethical standards applied

6.  Following the standards of the scientific
method (cont.)
• Adequate analysis for decision-maker’s
needs
• Findings presented unambiguously
• Conclusions justified
• Researcher’s experience reflected

7.  Manager’s obligations
• Specify problems
• Provide adequate background information
• Access to company information gatekeepers
 Researcher’s obligations
• Develop a creative research design
• Provide answers to important business questions

8.  Management’s limited exposure to
research
 Manager sees researcher as threat to
personal status
 Researcher has to consider corporate
culture and political situations
 Researcher’s isolation from managers

9. CooperOverview.jpg

10.  Management Dilemma
 Research Questions
 Management Questions
 Investigative Questions
 Measurement Questions
 Management Decision

11.  Management Dilemma
• The symptom of an actual problem
• Not difficult to identify a dilemma,
however choosing one to focus on may
be difficult
 Management Question Categories
• Choice of purposes or objective
• Generation and evaluation of solutions
• Troubleshooting or control situation

12.  Fine tune the Research Question
• Examine concepts and constructs
• Break research questions into specific second-
and-third-level questions
• Verify hypotheses with quality tests
• Determine what evidence answers the various
questions and hypothesis
• Set the scope of your study

13.  Investigative Questions
• Questions the researcher must answer
to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion
about the research question
 Measurement Questions
• The questions we actually ask or
extract from respondents

14.  To present the question to be researched
and its importance
 To discuss the research efforts of others
who have worked on related questions
 To suggest the data necessary for solving
the question

15.  Allows the researcher to plan and review
the project’s steps
 Serves as a guide throughout the
investigation
 Forces time and budget estimates

16.  Executive Summary
 Problem Statement
 Research Objectives
 Literature Review
 Importance of the
Study
 Research Design
 Data Analysis
 Nature and Form of
Results
 Qualifications of
Researcher
 Budget
 Schedule
 Facilities and Special
Resources
 Project Management
 Bibliography
 Appendices

17.  A PLAN for selecting the sources and
types of information used to answer
research questions
 A FRAMEWORK for specifying the
relationships among the study variables
 A BLUEPRINT that outlines each
procedure from the hypothesis to the
analysis

18.  Research data may be categorized as
Primary (generated by researcher) and
Secondary data (generated by others but
used in the research).
 Factors to consider when designing a
data collection strategy - Timing, Mode,
and Contacts

19.  A procedure or plan drawn up before any
data are collected to obtain a sample
from a given population.
 Steps in Sampling Process
• Define Population
• Identify Sampling Frame
• Select Sampling Design or Procedure
• Determine Sampling Size
• Draw the Sample

20.  Measurement is typically done by
developing an instrument, which can be a
questionnaire, an examination, an interview,
an observation schedule, etc.
 When designing an instrument, keep in
mind the following:
• Conclusions drawn in a research study are only as
good as the data that is collected.
• Data that is collected is only as good as the
instrument that collects the data.
• A poorly designed instrument will lead to bad data,
which will lead to bad conclusions.

21.  A pilot test is a method used to test the
design and/or methods and/or instrument
prior to carrying out the research
 Pilot testing involves conducting a
preliminary test of data collection tools and
procedures to identify and eliminate
problems, allowing programs to make
corrective changes or adjustments before
actually collecting data from the target
population

22.  Purpose of data collection is to obtain
information to keep on record, to make
decisions about important issues, or to
pass information on to others
 Researcher must prepare the data to be
analyzed. Organizing the data correctly
can save a lot of time and prevent
mistakes.

23.  Before undertaking any detailed analysis,
responses should be vetted for
consistency and completeness. It is
important to have a policy for handling
inconsistent and or incomplete
questionnaires.
 It is sometimes necessary to convert
nominal and ordinal scale data from
category names to numerical scores
prior to the data’s being input

24.  The purpose of the data analysis and
interpretation phase is to transform the data
collected into credible evidence about the
development of the intervention and its
performance.
 This process includes the following steps:
• Organizing the data for analysis (data preparation)
• Describing the data
• Interpreting the data (assessing the findings against
the adopted evaluation criteria)

25.  Reports communicate information which
has been compiled as a result of research
and analysis of data and of issues.
 It usually focus on transmitting
information with a clear purpose, to a
specific audience.
 Good reports are documents that are
accurate, objective and complete.

26.  R&D does have an impact on decision-
making by policy-makers and
practitioners
 Extent to which research is used and has
influence on decision-making can be
enhanced by the actions of the
stakeholders

28.  Descriptive vs. Analytical
 Applied vs. Fundamental
 Quantitative vs. Qualitative
 Conceptual vs. Empirical
 Some other types
• One time Research vs. Longitudinal Research
• Field setting or Laboratory or Simulation Research
• Clinical or Diagnostic Research
• Exploratory vs. Formalized Research
• Historical Research
• Conclusion oriented or Decision oriented

29.  Descriptive Research (otherwise known
as Ex-post facto research): Description of
state of affairs as it exists at present
• No control over variables
• Can only report what has happened or already
happening
 Analytical Research : Researcher has to
use facts or information already available
and analyze these to make a critical
evaluation of the material.

30.  Applied (or Action) Research : Aims to
finding a solution for an immediate
problem facing the society or business
organization
 Fundamental (or Basic or Pure) Research:
Concerned with generalizations and
formulation of theory; Directed towards
finding information that has broad range of
applications and adds to already existing
organized body of scientific knowledge

31.  Quantitative Research : Based on
measurement of quantity or amount
 Qualitative Research : Concerned with
phenomenon relating to or involving
quality or kind; aims at discovering
underlying motives and desires

32.  Conceptual Research : related to abstract
ideas or theory; generally used by
philosophers and thinkers to develop new
concepts or to reinterpret existing ones
 Empirical Research : relies on experience
and observation alone often without due
regard to theory; data-based research
coming up with conclusions and capable of
being verified by observation or
experiment

33.  One time research : Confined to single
time period
 Longitudinal research : research is
carried on over several time periods
 Field-setting or Laboratory-setting or
Simulation research : based on the
environment in which it is to be carried
out

34.  Clinical or Diagnostic research : usually go
deep into causes of things or events that
interest us, using very small samples and
very deep probing data gathering devices
 Exploratory research : objective is
development of hypothesis rather than their
testing
 Formalized research : research with
substantial structure and with specific
hypothesis to be tested

35.  Historical research : uses historical
sources like documents, remains etc., to
study events or ideas of the past
including philosophy of persons or
groups at any remote point of time

36.  Obtrusive Research :The researcher
introduces conditions that influence
participants; manipulates the
environment
 Non-Obtrusive Research : Researcher
avoids influencing subjects in any way
and tries to be as inconspicuous as
possible

37.  Experimental Research : An experiment is a
research situation where at least one
independent variable, called the
experimental variable, is deliberately
manipulated or varied by the researcher
 Correlation Research :To find relationships
between two or more variable so to:
• Better understand the conditions and events that we
encounter (what goes with what)
• To predict future conditions and events.
• Correlations do not show cause and effect