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Research Methodology

Unit 1
Introduction to Research Methodology
Meaning & Significance of Research
Objectives of Research
Motivation in Research
Steps in Research Process
Basic Concepts in Research
Types of Research

Research
Definition and Importance

The Websters International


Dictionary
a careful, critical inquiry or
examination in seeking facts
or principle, a diligent
investigation in order to
ascertain something.

Definitions of Research
The Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English - a careful
investigation or inquiry specially through search for new facts in any
branch of knowledge.
The Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences - Research refers to a
critical and exhaustive investigation of experimentation having as its
aim the revision of accepted conclusions in the light of new
discovered facts
Redman and Mory - systemized effort to gain new knowledge.
Research encompasses activities that increase the sum of human
knowledge.
C Crawford- starts with a problem, collects data or facts, analyses
them critically and reaches decisions based on the actual evidence.

Significance of Research in
Business
solving operational and planning
problems.
study of employee attitudes and
behaviours,

human resource management, strategy


formulation, information systems etc.
product image, advertising, sales
promotion, distribution, packaging,
pricing, after-sales service, consumer
preferences, new product development

Significance of Research in
Business
Market research, operations research and
motivational research - considered crucial,
their results assist in taking business
decisions.

investigation of structure and development


of market for formulating efficient policies
for purchasing, production and sales.
Operations research- analytical techniques
to solution of business problems of cost
minimization or of profit maximization.

Objectives of Research

gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to


achieve new insights into it - exploratory
or formulative
portray accurately characteristics of a
particular individual, situation or a
group- descriptive
determine the frequency with which
something occurs or with which it is
associated with something else diagnostic research
test a hypothesis of a causal relationship
between variables - hypothesis testing
research

Motivation in Research
Desire to get a research degree (PhD) with its
consequential benefits.

Desire to face challenges in solving unsolved


problems.
Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative
work.
Desire to be of service to society.
Desire to get respectability.
Desire to understand causal relationships

Characteristics of Research

gathers new knowledge or data from primary or first hand sources.


expert, systematic and accurate investigation

logical and objective, applying every possible test to verify data


endeavours to organize data in quantitative terms.

patient and unhurried, painstaking efforts


requires courage, guts to speak and record the truth

highly purposive, deals with a significant problem


maintains rigorous standards, scholarly person

Is carefully recorded and reported


Usually involves a hypothesis concerning
tentative explanation of a phenomenon

Types of Research

Exploratory research
Experimental research
Ex post facto research
Correlation research
Descriptive research
Testing research
Case studies
Sociometric research
Interpretative-theoretical research

Types of research (contd)


Other names given to research:

Micro-study
Macro-study
Longitudinal study
Cross-sectional study
Pilot study

Cooper : Research in
Business Studies

Exploratory Research

Descriptive Research

Causal- Hypotheses testing Research

Predictive Research

Exploratory Research
conducted because problem has not been clearly defined
allows researcher to familiarize with problem or concept to be
studied, and perhaps generate hypotheses to be tested.
is the initial research, before more conclusive research is
undertaken.
helps determine best research design, data collection method
and selection of subjects
tests concepts before they are put in the marketplace
investigates an area on which little information exists. This
includes the use of pilot studies (trial runs of an experiment) to
gain more information before doing more thorough research
often represents a poorly defined problem area. It is difficult to
produce concrete, focused results

Descriptive Research
seeks to depict what already exists in a
group or population
does not seek to measure the effect of a
variable
it seeks only to describe
Two most common types of
descriptive research designs
Observation and Surveys

Descriptive research
Is a statistical research

provides data about the population or universe being


studied
can only describe the "who, what, when, where and
how" of a situation, not what caused it.
used to provide a systematic description that is as
factual and accurate as possible.
provides the number of times something occurs, or
frequency

Descriptive research
lends itself to statistical calculations such as
determining the average number of
occurences or central tendencies.

major limitation - it cannot help determine


what causes a specific behaviour, motivation
or occurrence, cannot establish a causal
research relationship between variables.

Observation
Observation- primary method of
collecting data by human, mechanical,
electrical or electronic means.
The researcher may or may not have
direct contact or communication with
the people whose behaviour is being
recorded.

Techniques of Observation

Participant or non participant


Obtrusive or unobtrusive
Natural or contrived settings
Disguised and Non disguised
Structured and Unstructured
Direct and Indirect

Survey Techniques
involves collection of primary data
about subjects, by selecting a
representative sample of the population
or universe under study, through the
use of :
Interviews
Focus groups
Questionnaires
Phone surveying
E-Mail/Web panel survey

Causal Research
-cause and effect relationship between variables

-determines if one variable causes another variable


to occur or change
-very complex, researcher can never be completely
certain that there are not other factors influencing
the causal relationship, especially when dealing
with peoples attitudes and motivations.
2 methods for exploring cause and effect relationship between
variables:
1. Experimentation
2. Simulation

Experimentation - causality between


variables
highly controlled method
allows the researcher to manipulate a specific
independent variable in order to determine what
effect this manipulation would have on other
dependent variables.
Experimentation also calls for a control group as
well as an experimentation group
subjects would be assigned randomly to either
group
researcher can decide whether experiment should
take place in a laboratory or in the field, i.e. the
"natural" setting as opposed to an "artificial" one
Laboratory research allows researcher to control
and/or eliminate as many intervening variables as
possible

Simulation
sophisticated set of mathematical formulae
are used to simulate or imitate a real life
situation
by changing one variable in the equation, it
is possible to determine the effect on the
other variables in the equation
simulation design is conclusive research that
is secondary research in nature
simulation is a quantitative research
technique

Predictive Research
- seeks to forecast the likelihood of
particular phenomena occurring in
given circumstances.

In this, predictions are made looking at past


trends and with the help of statistics
done generally in finance, agriculture and weather
In business, used to predict market conditions,
consumer behaviour, preferences etc

Today's data can assess


tomorrow's outcomes
Past behaviours are the most predictive of
future behaviours
Consumer attitudes are somewhat
predictive
Demographics are also predictive
eg. Peoples age, sex, height, personality
make up etc.

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