1st chapter

Business Research
Method

By
Gopi
Koshys Institute of
Management Studies

1 Introduction to Research

1.1What is research?

Research is the process of finding solutions to a

problem after a thorough study and analysis of the sit
uational factors.

1.2.What is business research?

Research provides the needed
information that guides manage
rs to make informed decisions t
o successfully deal with proble
ms.
The information provided
could be the result of a careful
analysis of data gathered firstha
nd or of data that are already av
ailable (in the company).

Objectives of research

The objectives of a research project summarize what is to

be achieved by the study. These objectives should be closel
y related to the research problem.
The general objective of a study states what researchers
expect to achieve by the study in general terms. It is possibl
e (and advisable) to break down a general objective into sma
ller, logically connected parts.
These are normally referred to as specific objectives.
Specific objectives should systematically address the variou
s research questions. They should specify what you will do i
n your study, where and for what purpose.

Why should research objectives be developed?

The formulation of objectives will help you to:

Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials);

Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly necessary
for understanding and solving the problem you have identifi
ed;
Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases.
Properly formulated, specific objectives will facilitate the
development of your research methodology and will help to
orient the collection, analysis, interpretation and utilization
of data.

Introduction Research
approaches

The clear identification of the approaches to

the research can be made only by analyzing t
he different types of research
The very basic purpose of conducting the
descriptive (straightforward) research work i
s to analyze the facts and investigate the exis
ting situation.
It focus mainly on the different dimension of
the problems under study.
The researcher doesnt have any control over
the variable(unpredictable) associated with r

Applied research

The purpose of applied research is to find a

solution to the immediate problems faced by t
he society. It is action oriented research study
.
Pure Research:-the pure research aim at
finding some thing to the society . it is an in-d
epth scientific research focused in developing
knowledge to the society.
It is also called as fundamental research
brings new ideas, to the existing body of the k
nowledge.

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is based on the

quantity or the amount. The outcome of
the study is presented through monetary
or numerical terms.
The quantitative approaches are
popularly used to find the behavior of th
e people under study.

Quantitative approach

If the sales of the company is connected with

the profit for the previous years, it is clearly gi
ves the confidence to the researcher to draw t
he conclusion that sales and income or profit
are directly related to each other, and when t
he sales is increases, profit of the company is
increases .
The quantitative approaches of analysis used
regularly the different types of qualitative ana
lysis. The analysis will be based on the numeri
cal , percentage and in the monetary terms.
Further quantitative research also consists of

Qualitative Approach

It is based on subjective examination of

behavior, attitude, opinions, behavior impressi
ons etc.the simplification of research suppor
t are mainly made on the basis of non qualitat
ive terms, in other wards, by adopting group d
iscussion, group interviews, projective techniq
ues, in-depth interviews of the respondents et
c..

Types of
Research

1). Conceptual research

Conceptual research is involves

investigation of thought and ideas and d
eveloping new ideas or interpreting the o
ld ones based on logical reasoning.

Exploratory or Formulative research

Exploratory research is preliminary study of an
unfamiliar problems about which the researcher has
little or no knowledge.
It is similar to a doctors initial investigation of a patient
suffering from an unfamiliar malady for getting some
clues for identifying it.

Empirical Research

Empirical researchis a way of gaining

knowledge by means of direct and
indirect observation or experience.Emp
iricalevidence (the record of one's dire
ct observations or experiences) can be a
nalyzed quantitatively or qualitatively.

Experimental research

Experimental researchis a
systematic and scientific approach to the
scientific method where the scientist ma
nipulates variables.Probability Sampling
-Milgram Experiment-
Convenience Sampling-Control Group

Historical research is the type of

research that examines past events or c
ombinations of events to arrive at an acc
ount of what has happened in the past.

Why is it important for managers to know about research?

Solve problems
Decision making tool
Competition
Risk
Investment
Hire researchers and consultants more effectively

2 Scientific Investigation

1 Observation
2 Identification of problem area
3 Theoretical framework
4 Hypotheses
5 Research design
6 Data collection
7 Data analysis
8 Data interpretation
9 Implementation

PROCESS OF RESEARCH
Identify the Problem
Review the Literature
Clarify the Problem(theoretical
frame work)
Formulation of Hypothesis
Developing the research Design
Collect Data

Analyze the Data

Data interpretation
Research Reporting

1.Observation

2. Identification of problem area

3. Theoretical framework

4 Hypotheses

5 Research design-

6 Data collection-

7 Data analysis-

8 Data interpretation-

9 Implementation-

4. Hypotheses- Definition:A hypothesis is a

tentative statement about the relationship bet
ween two or more variables.(unpredictable)
A hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction
about what you expect to happen in your stud
y.

For example, a study designed to look at the

relationship between sleep

deprivation(loosing something) and test perfo
rmance might have a hypothesis that states,
"This study is designed to assess the hypothesis
that sleep deprived(loss) people will perform
worse on a test than individuals who are not sl
eep deprived."

The seven-step process

problem statement is a clear, defined, and brief statement of the

question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of findi
ng an answer or solution.

Theoretical framework is the foundation on which the entire

research project is based. It is logically developed,described,and
elaborated network of associations among the variables relevant
to the problem situation.

A hypothesis is a tentative(uncertain) statement that proposes a

possible explanation to some phenomenon or event. A useful hy
pothesis is a testable statement which may include a prediction.
A hypotheses should not be confused with a theory.

Contd.

Data analysis: the data gathered are statistically analyzed to

see if the hypotheses that were generated have been supported
.

Measurement is the process observing and recording the

observations that are collected as part of a research effort.

Deduction is the process of arriving at conclusions by

interpreting the meaning of the data analysis results

Split the overall research design into the

following parts:

(a) sampling design

the method of selecting items to be observed;
(b) observational design
the conditions under which the observations are to be
made;
(c) statistical design
the question of how many items are to be observed
and how the information and data gathered are to be
analysed;
(d) operational design
the techniques by which the procedures specified in
the sampling, statistical and observational designs ca
n be carried out.

46/42

The important features of a research design

(i) a plan

(ii) a strategy

specifies the sources & types of information relevant

to the research problem
which approach will be used for gathering and
analyzing the data.

(iii) the time and cost budgets

most studies are done under these two constraints

Research design must, at least,

contain
(a) a clear statement of the
research problem;
(b) procedures and techniques
to be used for gathering
information;
(c) the population to be studied;
(d) methods to be used in

47/42

Researchers work in graphic form

Results

Aztec Pyramide

Research
Plan of research
Met hods
Aims of research
H y p o t h e s i s
Review of literature
Searching for scientific problem

The Research process

The research process should be understood as one of ongoing

planning, searching, discovery, reflection, synthesis, revision, and
learning, as shown in the figure

Information needs in business

Almost every organization has to engage in research

at some level to stay competitive.
Companies gather data both from within and outside
the organization.
The methods used to gather,analyze,and synthesize
information from the external and internal environme
nts are becoming increasingly complicated to the hug
e scope of computer technology.

Research design

Purpose of the study:

Exploratory (Investigating) study
Is undertaken when no information is available on how
similar problems or research issues have been solved in the
past
Descriptive (straight forward)study
Is to able to describe the characteristics of the variables of
interest in a situation.

Contd.

Hypotheses testing
Is undertaken to explain the difference in the dependent
variable (changeable) or to predict organizational outcom
es

Case studies

Research design can be thought of as the structure of

research -- it is the "glue" that holds all of the elements in a
research project together

Data collection methods

Data can be collected in a variety ways ,data sources

can be primary or secondary.
Data collection methods such as:
interview(face-to-face,telephone,computer-assisted
interviews),
Questionaires
Observation
Motivational techniques

Sampling

A sample is a subset of the population.

Sample is the process of selecting a sufficient number of
elements from the population.
Studying a sample rather the entire population is
sometimes to lead to more dependable results, mostly be
cause fatigue(energy) is reduced, resulting in fewer error
s on collection data. (time, cost, human resources)
Surveys are useful and powerful in finding answers to
research question but if data are not collected from the p
eople or objects that can provide the correct answers to s
olve the problem, the survey will be in ineffective.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

The data analysis involves three major steps, done in

approximately this order:

Cleaning and organizing the data for analysis (

Data Preparation)

Describing the data (Descriptive Statistics)

Testing Hypotheses and Models (Inferential Statistics

)

Statistics methods

Central tendency

The Research Report

Researh proposal

Research report

Research presentation

Research report articles vary in how they are organized, :

Abstract (theoretical) - Brief summary of the contents of the

article (peace of writing)

Introduction - A explanation of the purpose of the study, a

statement of the research question(s) the study intends to ad
dress

Literature review - A critical assessment of the work done so

far on this topic, to show how the current study relates to
what has already been done

Methods - How the study was carried out (e.g. instruments

or equipment, procedures, methods to gather and analyze da

Contd

Results - What was found in the course of the

study

Discussion - What do the results mean

Conclusion - State the conclusions and

implications of the results, and discuss how it relat
es to the work reviewed in the literature review; als
o, point to directions for further work in the area

Research Method v/s Research

Methodology

We can say that research methodology has

many dimensions & research method do const
itute a part of the research methodology
The scope of research methodology is wider
than that of research methods.
Research methodology is a way to
systematically solve the research problem.
It may be understood as a science of studying
how research is done scientifically

Contd

In it we study the various steps that are

generally adopted by a researcher in stu
dying his research problem along with th
e logic behind them

R. Method

v/s

R. Methodology

Research methodology
explains the methods by
Research method are
which
you
may
proceed
the methodology which
with your research.
you conducted research
in to a subject or a topi Research methodology
involves the learning of
c.
the various techniques t
Research of experiment
hat
can
be
used
in
the
c
tests surveys and the
onducted of research & i
like.
n the conduct of tests, e
xperiment , surveys , crit
ical studies search

Contd
Research methods aim
at finding solutions to
research problems.

Research methodology
aim at the employment
of the correct procedure
to find out solution.

If the subject for

research is employment
of figure of speech in
English literature

If the subject for

research is employment
of figure of speech in
English literature

Contd
Then the research
Than the research
method that are involve
methodology pertaining
d are study of various w
to the topic mentioned a
orks of the different poe
bove involves the study
ts & the understanding
about the tools of resea
of the employment of fig
rch, collation of various
ure of speech in their w
manuscripts related to t
orks
he topic, techniques inv
olved in the critical editi
on of these manuscripts
and the like

Contd
If the subject into which If the subject into which
you conduct a research
you conduct a research
is a scientific subject or t
is a scientific subject or
opic.
topic.
The research
Then the research
methodology pertaining t
o the scientific topic
methods include experi
involves
the
techniques
r
ment, tests, study of
egarding how to go abou
various other results of
t conducting the researc
h, the tools of research ,
different experiment per
advance techniques that
formed earlier in relatio
can be used in the cond
n to the topic or the subj
uct of the experiment an
ect & the like
d the like

Research Proposal

Title Page
Abstract (on a separate single page)
The Body (no page breaks between sections in the body)
Introduction (2-3 pages)
Methods (7-10 pages)
Sample (1 page)
Measures (2-3 pages)
Design (2-3 pages)
Procedures (2-3 pages)
Results (2-3 pages)
Conclusions (1-2 pages)

Contd.
References
Tables (one to a page)
Figures (one to a page)
Appendices

Question?

How can you solve business problem?

Why do you need to know how to write the research
proposal?
Do you understand the research process?
Do you know why do you have to identify problem
statement clearly before doing research?
Do you know why sampling and statistics are important to
the research result?
Why do you have to identify the limitation of your study?
Why the research report and presentation are important?
Do you know how to apply the steps of the research
process ?

Questions

1.If you want to set up a coffee shop near the

university and school, what is your research topic?
2.Identify the problem statement.
3.Identify the objectives
4.The hypotheses
5. The research methodology.
6. The examples of the questionnaire