Research Methodology: Introduction Basic Concepts: Research, Bus.

Research; Methods and methodology; population and sample; census and sampling; variable and attribute; Operational definition; Data, information and knowledge; Research is a process of identifying the status of a phenomenon through deploying various methods in a systematic manner. Research is a systematic process of identifying the problems, defining the questions and objectives, identifying the variables/ indicators to address the objectives, collecting, compiling, processing and analyzing data to assess the inherent characteristics of the phenomenon under study and to identify the objective basis for arriving at a correct/reliable decision. Methodology is a combination of methods Methods are individually applicable. By variable we mean the characteristics which can be measured and numerically expressed and the magnitude of which varies from individuals to individuals, item to item. Profit, sales, age + discontinuous (discrete) continuous; family member

The characteristic which cannot be expressed numerically but indicates a difference in the quality of the phenomenon is unknown as an attribute. For example, Efficiency (Efficient/inefficient), Skill (skilled/unskilled).
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Indicator The parameter, information/data on which cannot be collected directly but can be estimated based on the data or information collected on other variables and attributes.

Population and Sample A population is the complete set of all items in which an investigator is interested. A population is the set of all of the outcomes from a system or process that is to be studied. N represents population size. Examples of Populations Names of all registered voters in the United States. Incomes of all families living in Daytona Beach. Annual returns of all stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Grade point averages of all the students in your university. Sampling A sample is an observed subset of population values with sample size given by n. Data, Information, Knowledge 1. Data: specific observations of measured numbers. 2. Information: processed and summarized data yielding facts and ideas. 3. Knowledge: selected and organized information that provides understanding, recommendations, and the basis for decisions.

Operational definition: The definition of a concept in terms of the operations to be carried out when measuring it, i.e., operational definition means
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assigning measurable criteria to the variables/ indicators used in the research study. For example- A person is considered as literate if s/he can write a letter in any language is known as the operational definition of literacy.

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