OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH

Kothari (2004) pointed out that the purpose of research is to discover answers to
questions through the application of scientific procedures. The main aim of research is
to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered as yet.
Though each research study has its own specific purpose, we may think of research
objectives as falling into a number of following broad groupings:
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it
(studies with this object in view are termed as exploratory or formulative
research studies);
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or
a group (studies with this object in view are known as descriptive research
studies);
3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is
associated with something else (studies with this object in view are known as
diagnostic research studies);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables (such studies
are known as hypothesis-testing research studies).

Objectives Of Research:
The research is being conducted with a purpose of discovering answer to the question
by making an application of scientific procedures. The main object of the research
work is to take out the hidden facts yet to be discovered. Every research study has its
own purpose to be attended, therefore objectives of research can be broadly classified
as academic and utility one.
A) Academic Objectives – It relates to development of new concept and addition to
old concept. It means that urge for knowledge is main factor in this type of objectives
of research.
B) Utility objectives- It relates to utility of research work, as research work, as
research is accepted for more use to the society. It has to provide the base for policy
formation in the society. This type of research must be in a position to provide for
achievements in attending organizational objectives. As explained above the research
provide base for investigation by which relationship between two variables can be
established. It is only in systematic research where induction and deduction are
possible. Observation is main element in the research study by which decision making
ability can be increased. Collection of primary and secondary data is involved in the
research process and now with these requirements objectives of research can be
further classified into following:
1. Decision making objectives.
2. Environmental objectives
3. Market objectives
4. Customer objectives
5. Profit and promotional objectives.
1. Decision making objectives:
Decision making is now influenced by research. The project identification and
implementation is based on the research conducted. There cannot be any business
policy which is not affected by research findings. Controlling, which is the main
function in the management, can effectively be organized through research study.
2. Environmental objectives:
All the decisions in the business are taken in relation to the environment in which
business operates. All the factors affecting business like state, investor, worker,
customer and the competition requires systematic investigation before any decision is
to be taken.
3. Market objectives: The market objectives of research are defined as market
research. This includes the market share of products, profit margin of the organization
and total sales volume of the company. On the basis of the careful investigation of the
available market information, relevant market strategies can be drawn regarding new
product development, product selling approach and product modification.
4. Customer objectives:
The need of the customer is assessed, well in advance even before product is planned.
The utility of product is decided on the basis of the quality of the product, in relation
to the requirements of the customers. It is in this respect that the inquiry is conducted
to find out the level of satisfaction of customers.
5. Profit and promotional objectives:
In most of the companies profit maximization is the main objective to be attended by
them. This requires investigations and consultations to be conducted. Surveys are also
conducted to work out the variables in support of the promotional activities. The
research provide strong base for these activities. The development of business entity
is based on corporate image which is outcome of the relationship between internal and
external factors of the companies.
.
TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
There are, basically, four different types of research question: exploratory,
descriptive, explanatory and evaluative.
1. Exploratory. That is, an initial attempt to understand or explore some social
process or phenomenon when you (maybe as an individual, but possibly the
social research community to which you belong) have limited prior
understanding of the area or issues.
2. Descriptive. This sort of question usually follows on from exploratory
questions. Descriptive questions are often concerned with quantifying an area,
issue or phenomenon, for example: How big is it? How many are there?
Where are they? What proportion of the population is affected?
3. Explanatory. This could be described as the ‘why’ question. It asks about
causes and effects: Why has this happened? How did this happen? What
processes are at work here?
4. Evaluative. Evaluative questions are concerned with the value of a particular
social practice or phenomenon and asks questions like: What works best? How
good (or not so good) is it? How effective is this? This type of research often
includes making recommendations about how something may be improved or
changed and this aspect may be included in the research questions.
Your research may fall into more than one of these categories and that does not have
to be a problem as most research projects have more than one research question.