EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

➢ Main word – to explore

➢ Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem and

to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary
stage of a research study

➢ E.R. is also known as formulative research studies

➢ It is usually conducted when there is no earlier studies or

theory on a topic

➢ In business research, it is the process of discussing a business

problem with informed sources such as industry analysis,
consultants, customers tc….
 Features
➢ E.R. is a preliminary study of an unfamiliar problem

➢ It is flexible and versatile

➢ It is used to seek insights into the general nature of the problem

➢ Structured forms are not useful for data collection

➢ Experimentation is not required

➢ Cost for conducting the study is less

➢ It allows wide exploration of views

➢ It helps to determined the best research design, data collection

method etc…

➢ It do not aim at hypothesis testing

Objectives of Exploratory Research

➢ To generate new ideas or building theory

➢ To obtain greater understanding of a concept

➢ To increase researcher’s familiarity with the

research problem

➢ To make a precise formulation of a problem

➢ To gather information for clarifying purposes

➢ To determine whether it is feasible to attempt the study

➢ To develop techniques and a sense of direction for future

studies

• literature survey
• experience survey
• study of insight stimulating cases
 Causal research
Causal research, also called explanatory research, is the investigation of
(research into) cause-and-effect relationships.

it is important to observe variation in the variable assumed to cause the

change in the other variable(s), and then measure the changes in the other
variable(s).

This type of research is very complex and the researcher can never be
completely certain that there are no other factors influencing the causal
relationship, especially when dealing with people’s attitudes and motivations.
 Objective of causal research
Understanding which variable are the cause and which variables
are the effect

Determining the nature of the relationship between the causal

variable and the effect predicted

Theoretical research
A theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together
with their definitions and reference to relevant scholarly
literature, existing theory that is used for your particular
study.
• The theoretical framework must demonstrate an understanding of theories
and concepts that are relevant to the topic of your research paper and that
relate to the broader areas of knowledge being considered.

• The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge.

• Guided by a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your hypotheses and
choice of research methods.

• A theoretical framework specifies which key variables influence a

phenomenon of interest and highlights the need to examine how those key
variables might differ and under what circumstances.
 Empirical research
• Empirical research is defined as any research where conclusions of the
study is strictly drawn from concretely empirical evidence, and therefore
“verifiable” evidence.

• This empirical evidence can be gathered using quantitative and qualitative

methods.

• For example: A research is being conducted to find out if listening to

happy music while working may promote creativity? An experiment is
conducted by using a music website survey on a set of audience who are
exposed to happy music and another set who are not listening to music at
all, and the subjects are then observed. The results derived from such a
research will give empirical evidence if it does promote creativity or not.
 Methodologies of empirical research

• are used to gather information through numerical data.

• It is used to quantify opinions, behaviors or other defined variables.

• These are predetermined and are in a more structured format.

Quantitative research
• Survey research:
• generally involves a large audience to collect a large amount of data.

• This is a quantitative method having a predetermined set of

closed questions which are pretty easy to answer.

• Because of the simplicity of such a method, high responses are achieved.

Experimental research:
an experiment is set up and a hypothesis is tested by creating a
situation in which one of the variable is manipulated.

This is also used to check cause and effect.

It is tested to see what happens to the independent variable

if the other one is removed or altered.

The process for such a method is usually proposing a hypothesis,

experimenting on it, analyzing the findings and reporting the
findings to understand if it supports the theory or not.
For example: A particular product company is
trying to find what is the reason for them to not
be able to capture the market. So the
organisation makes changes in each one of
the processes like manufacturing, marketing,
sales and operations. Through the experiment
they understand that sales training directly
impacts the market coverage for their product.
If the person is trained well, then the product
will have better coverage.
correlational research:
• is used to find relation between two set of variables.

• Regression is generally used to predict outcomes of such

a method.

• It can be positive, negative or neutral correlation.

For example:

Higher educated individuals will get higher paying jobs.

This means higher education enables the individual to high

paying job and less education will lead to lower paying jobs.
 Longitudinal study:
is used to understand the traits or behavior of a subject under
observation after repeatedly testing the subject over a period of
time.

Data collected from such a method can be qualitative or

quantitative in nature.

For example: A research to find out benefits of exercise. The

target is asked to exercise everyday for a particular period of
time and the results show higher , stamina, and muscle growth.
This supports the fact that exercise benefits an individual body.
 Cross sectional study

is an observational type of method, in which a set of audience

is observed at a given point in time.

In this type, the set of people are chosen in a fashion which

depicts similarity in all the variables except the one which is
being researched.

This type does not enable the researcher to establish a cause

and effect relationship as it is not observed for a continuous
time period.

It is majorly used by healthcare sector or the retail industry.

For example:
A medical study to find the prevalence of under-nutrition
disorders in kids of a given population.

This will involve looking at a wide range of parameters like

age, location, incomes and social backgrounds.

If a significant number of kids coming from poor families

show under-nutrition disorders, the researcher can further
investigate into it.

Usually a cross sectional study is followed by a longitudinal

study to find out the exact reason.
Causal-Comparative research:
This method is based on comparison. It is mainly used
to find out cause-effect relationship between two
variables or even multiple variables.

For example: A researcher measured the productivity

of employees in a company which gave breaks to the
employees during work and compared that to the
employees of the company which did not give breaks
at all
 Qualitative research methods

In many cases, in-depth information is needed or a

researcher may need to observe a target audience

behavior, hence the results needed are in a descriptive
form.

Qualitative research results will be descriptive rather than

predictive.
 Case study
Case study method is used to find more information
through carefully analyzing existing cases.

It is very often used for business research or to gather

empirical evidence for investigation purpose.

It is a method to investigate a problem within its real

life context through existing cases.
The researcher has to carefully analyse making sure the
parameter and variables in the existing case are the same

as to the case that is being investigated.

Using the findings from the case study, conclusions can

be drawn regarding the topic that is being studied.

 Observational method

• is a process to observe and gather data from its target.

• Since it is a qualitative method it is time consuming and very personal.

• It can be said that observational method is a part of ethnographic

research which is also used to gather empirical evidence.

• This is usually a qualitative form of research, however in some cases

it can be quantitative as well depending on what is being studied.

nowadays is to observe people shopping in a mall to figure

out buying behavior of consumers.
 One-on-one interview

Such a method is purely qualitative and one of the most

widely used. The reason being it enables a researcher get
precise meaningful data if the right questions are asked.

It is a conversational method where in-depth data can be

gathered depending on where the conversation leads.

• For example: A one-on-one interview with the finance

minister to gather data on financial policies of the country
and its implications on the public.
 Focus groups
are used when a researcher wants to find answers to why,
what and how questions.

A small group is generally chosen for such a method and it is

not necessary to interact with the group in person.

A moderator is generally needed in case the group is being

addressed in person.

This is widely used by product companies to collect data

about their brands and the product.

For example: A mobile phone manufacturer wanting to have

a feedback on the dimensions of one of their models which is
yet to be launched. Such studies help the company meet the
demand of the customer and position their model
appropriately in the market.
Advantages of Empirical research
• It is used to authenticate traditional research through various
experiments and observations.

• This research methodology makes the research being

conducted more competent and authentic.

• It enables a researcher understand the dynamic changes that

can happen and change his strategy accordingly.

• The level of control in such a research is high so the

researcher can control multiple variables.

• It plays a vital role in increasing internal validity.

Disadvantages of Empirical research
• needs patience - time consuming.

• The researcher has to collect data from multiple sources and the
parameters involved are quite a few, which will lead to a time
consuming research.

• a researcher will need to conduct research at different locations or

in different environments, this can lead to an expensive affair.

• There are a few rules in which experiments can be performed and

hence permissions are needed. Many a times, it is very difficult to
get certain permissions to carry out different methods of this
research.

• Collection of data can be a problem sometimes, as it has to be

collected from a variety of sources through different methods
 Basic Research
• Basic or fundamental research is an original type of research

• It is mainly concerned with generalization and with the

formulation of a theory

• It aims at extension of knowledge and not problem-oriented

• Pauline.V.Young – “gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake

is termed as pure or basic research”

• There is no commercial value for the result

• E.g. research on human behaviour and its generalisation

 Features of basic research
• It is a research related with principles or rules
• Its aim is to attain knowledge
• It is concerned with theoretical aspect of a science
• It tries to find out cause and effect relationship in social
phenomena
• It is concerned with generalisation and formulation of a
theory
• It is undertaken for the sake of knowledge
• It lays down foundation for the applied research
 Applied Research
• Applied research is to solve a current problem faced by the
managers in the work setting, demanding a timely solution

• Past theories, knowledge and methods are used for solving an

existing problem.

• It deals with practical problems

• it is carried out to find a solution to real life problem requiring an

action or policy decision
• E.g – social hygene
 Features of Applied Research

• It is problem-oriented

• It is “need-based”

• It is carried out to find a solution for a real life problem

• It puts theory of testing. Knowledge of theory is used to develop

conceptual framework for the study and formulate hypothesis

• It contributes new facts

• It may integrate previous existing theories

 Descriptive Research
Descriptive research is defined as a research method that
describes the characteristics of the population or
phenomenon that is being studied.

This methodology focuses more on the “what” of the

research subject rather than the “why” of the research
subject.

it “describes” the subject of the research, without covering

“why” it happens.
example :descriptive research can be used is if a school
district that wishes to evaluate teachers attitudes about
using technology in the classroom.

By conducting surveys and observing their

comfortableness using technology through observational
methods, the researcher can gauge what they can help
understand if a full-fledged implementation can face an
issues.

This also helps in understanding if the students are

impacted in any way with this change.
A speciality food group launching a new range of barbecue rubs would like to
understand what flavors of rubs are favored by different sets of people. To
understand the preferred flavor palette, they conduct a descriptive research
study using different methods like observational methods in supermarkets. By
also conducting a survey whilst collecting in-depth demographic information,
offers insights about the preference of different markets. This can also help
tailor make the rubs and spreads to different preferred meats in that
demographic
 Analytical research
is a specific type of research that involves critical thinking
skills and the evaluation of facts and information relative to
the research being conducted.

Descriptive research attempts to determine, describe, or

identify what is, while

analytical research attempts to establish why it is that way

or how it came to be.

It involve in depth study and evaluation of available

information I an attempt to explain complex phenomenon