BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS OB,ECTIVE The objective is to create an awareness of the Process of Research, the tools and techniques of research and generation of reports Unit . INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH *Hrs Meaning – Objectives – Types of Research – Scope of Research – Research pproaches – Research Process – Research !esign – Research Methods "s Research Methodology # Steps in Research – Prob Proble le$ $ %or$ %or$ul ulati ation on – Stat State$ e$en entt of Resea Researc rch h Obje Object ctiv ivee – &' &'pl plor orat atory ory – !esc !escri ript ptiv ivee – &'peri$ental Research( Unit /. METHODS O0 DATA DATA CO11ECTION CO11ECTI ON 23 Hrs Observational and Survey Methods – %ield )or* Plan # d$inistration of surveys # Training field investigators # Sa$pling $ethods # Sa$ple si+e( Unit +. TOO1S 0OR CO11ECTION CO11ECT ION O0 DATA DATA 23 Hrs uestionnai uestionnaire re !esign!esign- ttitude ttitude $easure$ent $easure$ent techniques techniques – Motivation Motivational al Research Research Technique Techniquess – Selection of ppropriate ppropriate Statistical Techniques Techniques Unit *. STATISTICA1 STATISTICA1 METHODS 3 Hrs Tabulation of data # nalysis of data –Testing of .ypothesis, dvanced techniques – /O", 0hi# Square # !iscri$inant nalysis # %actor analysis, 0onjoint analysis # Multidi$ensional Scaling # 0luster nalysis 10oncepts Only2( Unit 4. REPORT 5RITIN6 23 Hrs Types of Reports, 3usiness, Technical and cade$ic Report writing – Methodology Procedure – 0ontents – 3ibliography S(I11 DEVE1OPMENT 4 5llustrate different types of sa$ples with e'a$ples e'a $ples 4 0onstruct a questionnaire for collection of pri$ary data *eeping in $ind the topic chosen for research 4 /arrate your e'perience using observation technique 4 !iagra$$atically present the infor$ation collected through the questionnaire BOO(S 0OR RE0ERENCE 6( O(R(7rishnaswa$y- Research $ethodology in Social Sciences, .P., 899:( 8( R( !ivivedi; Research Methods in 3ehavior 3ehav ior Science, Mac$illan 5ndia
(7( Sachdeva; 3usiness Research Methodology .P. ?( S(/( Murthy, "( "( 3hojanna; 3usiness Research Methods &'cel 3oo*s @(
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Unit I INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
Meaning – Objectives – Types of Research – Scope of Research – Research pproaches – Research Process – Research !esign – Research Methods "s Research Methodology # Steps in Research – Prob Proble le$ $ %or$ %or$ul ulati ation on – Stat State$ e$en entt of Resea Researc rch h Obje Object ctiv ivee – &' &'pl plor orat atory ory – !esc !escri ript ptiv ivee – &'peri$ental Research( GGGGG
Meaning an De$inition o$ Resear78. Systematic investigative process employed to increase or revise current cur rent knowledge by discovering new facts.
5t is divided into two general categories; 162 3asic research is inquiry ai$ed at increasing scientific *nowledge, and 182 pplied research is effort effort ai$ed at using basic research for solving proble$s p roble$s or developing new processes, products, or techniques( Research is wor* that involves studying so$ething and trying trying to to discover facts facts about it(investigation it( investigation,, study,, inquiry study inquiry,, analysis analysis,, e'a$ination e'a$ination,, probe probe,, e'ploration e'ploration,, scrutiny scrutiny,, e'peri e'peri$en $entat tation ion,, delvin delving, g, groundwor* , fact#finding careful careful,, syste$at syste$atic, ic, patient study study and invest investiga igatio tion n in so$e field of *nowledge,, underta*en *nowledge underta*en to to discover or establish facts or principles De$inition o$ resear78
6( The collecting of infor$ation about a particular p articular subject 8( To study 1so$ething2 carefully =( To collect infor$ation about or for 1so$ething2 ?( 0areful or diligent search :( studious inquiry or e'a$ination- especially . investigation or e'peri$entation ai$ed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws 58at is Resear789
Research is a syste$atic inquiry that investigates hypothesis, suggests new interpretations of data or te'ts, and poses new questions for future research to e'plore( e 'plore( Research consists of: • • •
s*ing a question that nobody has as*ed before!oing the necessary wor* to find the answer- and 0o$$unicating the *nowledge you have acquired to a larger audience(
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O!:e7tives o$ Resear78.
The purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through the application of scientific procedures( The $ain ai$ 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 $ay thin* of research objectives as falling into a nu$ber of following broad groupings; •
•
•
•
To gain fa$iliarity with a pheno$enon or to achieve new insights into it 1studies with this object in view are ter$ed as e'ploratory e' ploratory or for$ulative research studies2To portr portray ay accur accurat ately ely the the chara charact cteri erist stic icss of a part partic icul ular ar indi indivi vidu dual al,, situ situat atio ion n or a group1studies with this object in view are *nown as descriptive d escriptive research studies2To deter$ine the frequency with which so$ething occurs or with which it is associated with so$ething else 1studies with this object in view are *nown as diagnostic research studies2To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables 1such studies are *nown as hypothesis#testing research studies2(
Types of Research : 6( !escriptive Research 8( &'ploratory Research =( pplied Research ?( %unda$ental Research @( uantitative Research B( ualitative Research D( 0onceptual Research :( &$pirical Research E( &'peri$ental Research 69( .istorical Research Spe7i$i7 to $iel o$ st)y
Craduate Craduate students learn about research $ethods used in their particular particular field of study( study( )hatever )hatever $ethods are used, there are $any resources to support research, and any nu$ber of variations to the basic $ethods( 0hoose a $ethod or variation that is $anageable in your you r first years as a new faculty $e$ber to be certain to get your research agenda underway( underway( Often the biggest challenge is often to to get started, so establish research priorities early on, and create a plan to i$pli$ent the$( ;)antitative Resear78
uantitative research is inquiry into an identified proble$, based on testing a theory, $easured with nu$bers, and analy+ed using statistical statistical techniques( The goal of quantitative $ethods $ethods is to deter$ine whether the predictive generali+ations of a theory hold true( )e will e'plore so$e of the issues and
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challenges associated with quantitative research in this section( See* the advice of faculty $e$bers who have conducted quantitative studies for advice, support and encourage$ent( ;)alitative Resear78
study based upon a qualitative process of inquiry has the goal of understanding a social or hu$an proble$ fro$ $ultiple perspectives( ualitative research is conducted in a natural setting and involves a process of building a co$ple' and holistic holistic picture of the pheno$enon of interest( interest( )e will e'plore so$e of the issues and challenges associated with qualitative research in this section(
There are $any ways to collaborate and thereby enrich your wor* as a faculty $e$ber( Multiple perspectives offer a $ore co$plete view of an issue under study( )hether presenting or publishing, having several iterations of a study in different settings offers a $eans of validating findings( 0ollaboration $ay ta*e $any for$s, including crossing disciplines, types of institutions, or engaging the co$$unity outside outside the ca$pus environ$ent environ$ent(( &'plore &'plore the ways that collaboration collaboration $ay enrich your research( So$e of the issues and challenges associated with collaborative collaborative research are e'plored in this section( Pra7titioner Resear78
Si$ple definitions of practitioner research address the investigator, the setting and the purpose( The invest investiga igator tor is the practi practiti tioner oner,, in wor*pl wor*place ace settin settings gs rangin ranging g fro$ fro$ hos hospit pitals als,, to school schoolss and co$$unities co$$unities(( The general purpose is to better align the practitionerHs practitionerHs purpose purpose with their actions( There are those who argue that practitioner research ste$s fro$ a larger social justice $ove$ent within within qualita qualitativ tivee resear research( ch( &ven &ven when when social social justic justicee is not the sole sole $otiva $otivatin ting g princi principle ple,, an underlying underlying co$$onality co$$onality of purpose purpose is the desire desire to i$prove i$prove upon and develop deeper insights into oneHs oneHs practi practice( ce( Practi Practiti tioner oner resear research ch by its its nature nature offers offers practi practiti tioner onerss a voice voice in the resear research ch conversation( So$e consider it a bridge bridge of sorts between between theory and practice, although practitioners clai$ a rightful place in the research continuu$( So$e of the issues and challenges associated with practitioner research are e'plored in this section(
58at are t8e vario)s types o$ resear789 # P)re resear78 a( This is called as the funda$ental or the the theoretical research( b( 5s basic and original( c( 0an lead to the discovery of a new theory( d( 0an result in the develop$ent or refine$ent of a theory that already e'ists( e( .elps in getting *nowledge without thin*ing for$ally of i$ple$enting it in practice based on the honesty, love and integrity of the researcher for discovering the truth( 5
/# Applie resear78 a( 3ased on the concept of the pure research( b( 5s proble$ oriented( c( .elps in finding results or solutions for real life proble$s( d( Provides evidence of usefulness to society( e( .elps in testing e$pirical content of a theory( f( Ftili+es and helps in developing the techniques that can be used for basic research( g( .elps in testing the validity of a theory but under so$e conditions( h( Provides data that can lead to the acceleration of the process of generali+ation( +# E# A7tion resear78 a( Type of evaluation study( stud y( b( 5s a concurrent evaluation study( SCOPE O0 RESEARCH 6
6( To *now the 3usiness 0o$petition – &nviron$ent &nv iron$ent a( To *now the 0usto$ers;# 7now about custo$ers cu sto$ers needs, b( To *now the Product – !esign, Price, &'pectations 8( To *now the 5ndustry 0o$petition; =( Maturing of Manage$ent as a group of disciplines ? Sta*eholders de$anding greater influence @( To *now the Clobal 0o$petition B( Covern$ent 5ntervention D( &cono$ical !ata 0ollection
RESEARCH APPROACHES. The four main approaches (Types of
research) Approa78es o$ Resear78
6( uantitative pproach 8( ualitative pproach =( Prag$atic pproach ?( dvocacy I Participatory pproach Quantitative research uantitative research is generally associated with the positivistIpostpositivist paradig$( 5t usually involves collecting and converting data into nu$erical for$ so that statistical calculations can be $ade and conclusions drawn( The process Researchers will have one or $ore 8ypot8eses# These are the questions that they want to address which include predictions predictions about possible relationships relationships between the things they want to investigate investigate ?varia!les@ ( 5n order to find answers to these questions, the researchers will also have various instru$ents and $aterials 1e(g( paper or co$puter tests, observation chec* lists etc(2 and a clearly defined plan of action(
!ata is collected by various $eans following a strict procedure and prepared for statisti7al analysis ( /owadays, this is carried out with the aid of sophisticated statistical co$puter pac*ages( The analysis enables the researchers to deter$ine to what e'tent there is a relationship between two or $ore variables( This could be a si$ple association 1e(g( people who e'ercise on a daily basis have lower blood pressure2 or a causal relationship 1e(g( daily e'ercise actually leads to lower blood pressure2( Statistical analysis per$its researchers to discover co$ple' causal relationships and to deter$ine to what e'tent one variable influences another( 7
The results of statistical analyses are presented in journals in a standard way, the end result being a P val)e ( %or people who are not fa$iliar with scientific research jargon, the discussion sections at the end of articles in peer reviewed journals usually describe the results of the study and e'plain the i$plications of the findings in straightforward ter$s Principles Objectivity Objectivity is very i$portant in quantitativ quantitativee research( research( 0onsequently 0onsequently,, researchers researchers ta*e great care to avoid their own presence, presence, behaviour or attitude attitude affecting affecting the results 1e(g( by changing changing the situation situation being studied or causing participants to behave differently2( They also critically e'a$ine their $ethods and conclusions for any possible bias(
Researchers go to great lengths to ensure that they are really $easuring what they clai$ to be $easuring( %or e'a$ple, if the study is about whether bac*ground $usic has a positive i$pact on restlessness in residents in a nursing ho$e, the researchers $ust be clear about what *ind * ind of $usic to include, the volu$e of the $usic, what they $ean by restlessness, how to $easure restlessness and what is considered a positive i$pact( This $ust all be considered, prepared and controlled in advance( &'ternal factors, which $ight affect the results, $ust also be controlled for( 5n the above e'a$ple, it would be i$portant to $a*e sure that the introduction of the $usic was not acco$panied by other changes 1e(g( the person who brings the 0! player chatting with the residents after the $usic session2 as it $ight be the other factor which produces the results 1i(e( the social contact and not the $usic2( So$e possible contributing factors cannot always be ruled out but should be ac*nowledged by the researchers( The $ain e$phasis of quantitative research is on deductive reasoning which tends to $ove fro$ the general to the specific( This is so$eti$es referred to as a top down approach( The validity of conclusions is shown to be dependent on one or $ore pre$ises 1prior state$ents, findings or conditions2 being valid( ristotleHs fa$ous e'a$ple of deductive reasoning was; ll $en are $ortal JSocrates is a $an J Socrates is $ortal( 5f the pre$ises of an argu$ent are inaccurate, then the argu$ent argu$ent is inaccurate( inaccurate( This type of reasoning is often also associated with the fictitious fictitious character character Sherloc* .ol$es( .owever, $ost studies also include an ele$ent of inductive reasoning at so$e stage of the research 1see section on qualitative research for $ore details2( Researchers rarely have access to all the $e$bers of a particular group 1e(g( all people with de$entia, carers or healthcare professionals2( .owever, they are usually interested in being able to $a*e inferences fro$ their study about these larger groups( %or this reason, it is i$portant that the people involved in the study are a representative sa%ple of the wider populationIgroup( .owever, the e'tent to which generali+ations are possible depends to a certain e'tent on the nu$ber of people involved in the study, how they were selected and whether they are representative of the wider group( group( %or e'a$ple e'a$ple,, general generali+at i+ation ionss about about psy psychi chiatr atrist istss sho should uld be based based on a study study involv involving ing psychiatrists and not one based on psychology students( 5n $ost cases, rando$ sa$ples are preferred 1so that each potential participant has an equal chance of participating2 but so$eti$es researchers 8
$ight want to ensure that they include a certain nu$ber of people with specific characteristics and this would not be possible using rando$ sa$pling $ethods( Cenerali+ability of the results is not li$ited to groups of people but also to situations( 5t is presu$ed that the results of a laboratory e'peri$ent reflect the real life situation which the study see*s to clarify( )hen loo*ing at results, the P val)e is i$portant( P stands for probability( 5t $easures the li*elihood that a particular finding or observed difference is due to chance( The P value is between 9 and 6( The closer the result is to 9, the less li*ely it is that the observed difference is due to chance( The closer the result is to 6, the greater the li*elihood that the finding is due to chance 1rando$ variation2 and that there is no difference between the groupsIvariables(
Qualitative research ualitative research is the approach usually associated with the social constructivist paradig$ which e$phasises the socially constructed nature of reality( 5t is about recording, analysing and atte$pting to uncover the deeper $eaning and significance of hu$an behaviour and e'perience, including contradictory beliefs, behaviours and e$otions( Researchers are interested in gaining a rich and co$ple' understanding of peopleHs e'perience and not in obtaining infor$ation which can be generali+ed to other larger groups( The process The approach approach adopted adopted by qualit qualitati ative ve resear researche chers rs tends tends to be induct inductive ive which which $eans $eans that that they they develop a theory or loo* for a pattern of $eaning on the basis of the data that they have collected( This involves a $ove fro$ the specific to the general and is so$eti$es called a botto$#up approach( .owever, $ost research projects also involve a certain degree of deductive reasoning 1see section on quantitative research for $ore details2(
ualitative researchers do not base their research on pre#deter$ined hypotheses( /evertheless, they clearly identify a proble$ or topic that they want to e'plore and $ay be guided by a theoretical lens # a *ind of overarching theory theor y which provides a fra$ewor* for their investigation( The approach to data collection and analysis is $ethodical but allows for greater fle'ibility than in quantitative research( !ata is collected in te'tual for$ on the basis of observation and interaction with the participants e(g( through participant observation, in#depth interviews and focus groups( 5t is not converted into nu$erical for$ and is not statistically analysed( !ata collection $ay be carried out in several stages rather than once and for all( The researchers $ay even adapt the process $id#way, deciding to address additional issues or dropping questions which are not appropriate on the basis of what they learn during the process( 5n so$e cases, the researchers will interview or observe a set nu$ber of people( 5n other cases, the process of data collection and analysis $ay continue until the researchers find that no new issues are e$erging(
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Principles Researchers will tend to use $ethods which give participants a certain degree of freedo$ and per$it spontaneity rather than forcing the$ to select fro$ a set of pre#deter$ined responses 1of which none $ight $ight be appropr appropriat iatee or accura accuratel tely y descri describe be the partic participa ipantH ntHss thought thoughts, s, feelin feelings, gs, attitu attitudes des or behaviour2 and to try to create the right at$osphere to enable people to e'press the$selves( This $ay $ean adopting a less for$al and less rigid approach than that used in quantitative research(
5t is believed that people are constantly trying to attribute $eaning to their e'perience( Therefore, it would $a*e no sense to li$it the study to the researcherHs view or understanding of the situation and e'pect to learn so$ething new about the e'perience of the participants( 0onsequently, the $ethods used $ay be $ore open#ended, less narrow and $ore e'ploratory 1particularly when very little is *nown about a particular subject2( The researchers are free to go beyond the initial response that the participant gives and to as* why, how, in what way etc( 5n this way, subsequent questions can be tailored to the responses just given( ualitative research often involves a s$aller nu$ber of participants( This $ay be because the $ethods used such as in#depth interviews are ti$e and labour intensive but also because a large nu$ber of people are not needed for the purposes of statistical analysis or to $a*e generali+ations fro$ the results( The s$aller nu$ber of people typically involved in qualitative research studies and the greater degree of fle'ibility does not $a*e the study in any way Kless scientificL than a typical quantitative study involving $ore subjects and carried out in a $uch $ore rigid $anner( The objectives of the two types of research and their underlying philosophical assu$ptions are si$ply different( .owever, as discussed in the section on Kphilosophies guiding researchL, this does not $ean that the two approaches cannot be used in the sa$e study(
Pragmatic approach to research (mixed methods The prag$atic approach to science involves using the $ethod which appears best suited to the research proble$ and not getting caught up in philosophical debates about which is the best approach( Prag$atic researchers therefore grant the$selves the freedo$ to use any of the $ethods, techni technique quess and procedu procedures res typica typically lly associ associate ated d with with quantit quantitati ative ve or qualit qualitati ative ve resear research( ch( They They recog recogni nise se that that ever every y $eth $ethod od has has its its li$i li$ita tati tion onss and that that the the diff differ eren entt appr approa oache chess can can be co$ple$entary( They $ay also use different techniques at the sa$e ti$e or one after the other( %or e'a$ple, they $ight start with face#to#face interviews with several people or have a focus group and then use the findings to construct a questionnaire to $easure attitudes in a large scale sa$ple with the ai$ of carrying out statistical analysis( !epending on which $easures have been used, the data collected is analysed in the appropriate $anner( .owever, it is so$eti$es possible to transfor$ qualitative data into quantitative data and vice versa although transfor$ing quantitative data into qualitative data is not very co$$on( 1!
3eing able to $i' different approaches has the advantages of enabling triangulation( Triangulation is a co$$on feature of $i'ed $ethods studies( 5t involves, for e'a$ple; •
the use o" a variet# o" data sources (data triangulation
•
the use o" several di$erent researchers (investigator triangulation
•
the use o" multiple perspectives p erspectives to interpret the results (theor# triangulation
•
the use o" multip multiple le methods methods to stud# stud# a resea researc rch h pro%le pro%lem m (m (metho ethodol dologi ogical cal triangulation
5n so$e studies, qualitative and quantitative $ethods are used si$ultaneously( 5n others, first one approach is used and then the ne't, with the second part of the study perhaps e'panding on the results of the first( %or e'a$ple, a qualitative study involving in#depth interviews or focus group discussions $ight serve to obtain infor$ation which will then be used to contribute towards the develop$ent of an e'peri$ental $easure or attitude scale, the results of which will be analysed statistically(
&dvocac#'participator# approach to research (emancipator# To so$e degree, researchers adopting an advocacyIparticipatory approach feel that the approaches to research described so far do not respond to the needs or situation of people fro$ $arginalised or vulnerable groups( s they ai$ to bring about positive change in the lives of the research subjects, their approach is so$eti$es described as e$ancipatory( 5t is not a neutral stance( The researchers are li*ely to have a political agenda and to try to give the groups they are studying a voice( s they want their research to directly or indirectly result in so$e *ind of refor$, it is i$portant that they involve the group being studied in the research, preferably at all stages, so as to avoid further $arginali+ing the$( The researchers $ay adopt a less neutral position than that which is usually required in scientific research( This $ight involve interacting infor$ally or even living a$ongst the research participants 1who are so$eti$es referred to as co#researchers in recognition that the study is not si$ply about the$ but also by the$2( The findings of the research $ight be reported in $ore personal ter$s, often using the precise words of the research participants( )hilst this type of research could by criticised for not being objective, it should be noted that for so$e groups of people or for certain situations, it is necessary as otherwise the thoughts, feelings or behaviour of the various $e$bers of the group could not be accessed or fully understood( "ulnerable groups are rarely in a position of power within society( %or this reason, researchers are so$eti$es $e$bers of the group they are studying or have so$ething in co$$on with the $e$bers of the group(
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Resear78 Pro7ess - 2 Steps Research process contains a series of closely related activities which has to carry out by a researcher( Research process requires patients( There is no $easure that shows shows your research is the the best( 5t is an art rather than a science( %ollowing are the $ain steps in social or business research process(
6( Sele Select ctiion of Resear78 Pro!le% 8( &' &'te tens nsiv ivee
The selection of topic for research is a difficult job( )hen we select a title or research state$ent, then other activities would be easy to perfor$( So, for the understanding thoroughly the proble$ it $ust have to discuss with colleagues, friend, e'perts and teachers( The research topic or proble$ should be practical, relatively i$portant, feasible, ethically and politically acceptable( /# 1iterat) 1iterat)re re Revie& Revie& or E
fter the selection of research research proble$, the second step is that of literature literature $ostly connected with the topics( The availability of the literature $ay bring ease in the research( %or this purpose acade$ic journals, conference and govt( reports and library $ust be studied( +# Mai Maing ng Hypo Hypot8 t8es esis is
The develop$ent of hypothesis is a technical wor* depends on the researcher e'perience( The hypothesis is to draw the positive A negative cause and effect aspects of a proble$( .ypothesis narrows down the area of a research and *eep a researcher on the right path( *# Prep Prepari aring ng t8e t8e Resea Resear7 r78 8 Design Design
fter the for$ulation of the proble$ and creating hypothesis for it, research !esign is to prepare by the researcher( 5t $ay draw the conceptual structure of the proble$( ny type of research design $ay 12
be $ade, depend on the nature and purpose of the study( !aring R( !esign the infor$ation about sources, s*ill, ti$e and finance is ta*en into consideration( con sideration( 4# Sa%pling
The researcher $ust design a sa$ple( 5t is a plan for ta*ing its respondents fro$ a specific areas or universe( The sa$ple $ay be of two types; 6( Prob Probabi abili lity ty Sa$pl Sa$plin ing g 8( /on# /on#pr prob obab abil ilit ity y Sa$pl Sa$plin ing g =# Data Data 7oll 7olle7 e7ti tion on
!ata collection is the $ost i$portant wor*, is researcher( The collection of infor$ation $ust be containing on facts which is fro$ the following two types t ypes of researcher( Pri%ary Data Colle7tion. Pri$ary data $ay be fro$ the following(
6( &'peri$ ri$ent 8( ues uesttionn ionnai aire re =( Observat vation ?( 5nterview Se7onary ata 7olle7tion. it has the following categories;
6( Revi Review ew of lite litera ratu ture re 8( Offici Official al and and non#of non#offi ficia ciall report reportss =( # Data Data Anal nalysis ysis
)hen data is collected, it is forwarded for analysis which is the $ost technical job( !ata analysis $ay be divided into two $ain categories( Data Pro7essing. it is sub#divided into the following(
!ata editing, !ata coding, !ata classification, !ata tabulation, !ata presentation, !ata $easure$ent Data E
!escription, &'planation, /arration, 0onclusionI%indings, Reco $$endationsISuggestions 3# Hypo Hypot8 t8es esis is Te Testin sting g 13
Research data is then forwarded to test the hypothesis( !o the hypothesis are related to the facts or not To find the answer the process of testing hypothesis is underta*en which $ay result in accepting or rejecting the hypothesis( # 6en 6eneral erali'at i'ation ion an Interpr Interpreta etation tion
The acceptable hypothesis is possible for researcher to arrival at the process of generali+ation or to $a*e A theory( So$e types of research has no hypothesis for which researcher depends upon on theory which is *nown as interpretation( 2# Preparation Preparation o$ Report Report
researcher should prepare a report for which he has done is his h is wor*( .e $ust *eep in his $ind the following points; Report Design in Pri%ary Stages
The report should carry a title, brief introduction of the proble$ and bac*ground followed by ac*nowledge$ent( There should be a table of contents, grapes and charts( Main Te
5t should contain contain objectives, objectives, hypothesis, hypothesis, e'planations e'planations and $ethodology $ethodology of the research( 5t $ust be divided into chapters and every chapter e'plains separate title in which su$$ary of the findings should should be enlisted( enlisted( The last section would be clearly clearly of conclusions conclusions to show the $ain the$e of the R#study( Closing t8e Report
fter the preparation of report, the last step in business research process contains of bibliography, references, appendices, inde' and $aps or charts for illustration( %or this purpose the infor$ation should $ore clearer(
RESEARCH DESI6N Meaning.
The resear78 refers to the overall overall strate strategy gy that that you choose choose to integr integrate ate the differe different nt resear78 esign refers co$ponents of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby, thereby, ensuring you will effectively address the resear78 proble$- it constitutes the blueprint for the collection, $easure$ent, and analysis of data( detailed outline of how an investigation will ta*e place( research design will typically include how data is to be collected, what instru$ents will be e$ployed, how the instru$ents will be used and the intended $eans for analy+ing data collected(
The key features of a research design are:
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1i2 5t is a plan which describes the sources and *inds of infor$ation strongly related to the research proble$( 1ii2 5t is a strategy indicating which $ethod will be e$ployed for collecting and e'a$ining the data( 1iii2 5t also consists of the ti$e and cost budgets because $ost studies are done under these two li$itations( 5n a nutshell, research design $ust, at least, contain 1a2 a clear state$ent of the research proble$1b2 processes and $ethods to be utili+ed for collecting data 1c2 the population to be researched- and 1d2 techniques to be e$ployed in processing and e'a$ining data( Research design is what $a*es the entire research project p roject wor* ( More e'plicitly, the the design decisions happen to be in respect of; •
=( .elps researc researcher her to prepare prepare hi$self hi$self to carry out researc research h in a proper and a syste$atic syste$atic way( way( ?( 3etter 3etter docu$entatio docu$entation n of the various various activiti activities es while while the project project wor* is is going on( @( .elps in in proper planning planning of the the resources resources and their their procure$ procure$ent ent in right right ti$e( ti$e( B( Provides Provides satisfact satisfaction ion and confidence, confidence, acco$pan acco$panied ied with with a sense of success success fro$ fro$ the beginning of the wor* of the research project(
Nee $or Resear78 Design Research design is needed because it facilitates the s$ooth sailing of the various research operations, thereby $a*ing research as efficient as possible yielding $a'i$al infor$ation with $ini$al e'penditure of effort, ti$e and $oney( Research design has a significant i$pact on the reliability of the results obtained( 5t thus acts as a fir$ foundation for the entire research( %or e'a$ple, econo$ical and attractive construction of house we need a blueprint 1or what is co$$only called the $ap of the house2 well thought out and prepared by an e'pert architect, si$ilarly we need a research design or a plan in advance of o f data collection and analysis for our research project( Research design stands for advance planning of the $ethods to be adopted for collecting the relevant data and the techniques to be used in their analysis(
T8e nee $or resear78 esign is as $ollo&s. •
5t reduces inaccuracy-
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.elps to get $a'i$u$ efficiency and reliability-
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&li$inates bias and $arginal errors-
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Mini$i+es wastage of ti$e-
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.elpful for collecting research $aterials-
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.elpful for testing of hypothesis-
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Cives an idea regarding the type of resources required in ter$s of $oney, $anpower, ti$e, and efforts-
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Provides an overview to other e'pertse'p erts-
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Cuides the research in the right direction(
Resear78 Met8os Vs Resear78 Met8oology
16
De$inition o$ Resear78 Met8o Research $ethod pertains to all those $ethods, which a researcher e$ploys to underta*e research process, to solve the given proble$( The techniques and procedure, that are applied during the course of studying research proble$ are *nown as the research $ethod( 5t enco$passes both qualitative and quantitative $ethod of perfor$ing research operations, such as survey, case study, interview, questionnaire, observation, etc(
These are the approaches, which help in collecting data and conducting research, in order to achieve specific objectives such as theory testing or develop$ent( ll the instru$ents and behaviour, used at various levels of the research activity such as $a*ing observations, data collection, data processing, drawing inferences, decision $a*ing, etc( are included in it( Research $ethods are put into three categories; •
•
•
co vered( Such $ethods are used 0irst Category ; The $ethods relating to data collection are covered( when the e'isting data is not sufficient, to reach the solution( Se7on Category. 5ncorporates the processes of analysing data, i(e( to identify patterns and establish a relationship between data and un*nowns( un *nowns( T8ir Category ; 0o$prise of the $ethods which are used to chec* the accuracy of the results obtained(
hat are )esearch *ethods+ s $entioned $entioned above, resear78 %et8os are t8e %et8os )se $or ata 7olle7tion in resear78 ( Research methods involve surveys, interviews , case , case studies , observation , experiments, etc( 5t can be said that research $ethods are $ainly used to gather infor$ation so that the researcher can find answers to his research proble$( )hen spea*ing spea*ing of research research $ethods whether whether it is the natural sciences sciences or else the social sciences there is a vast range of $ethods that can be used( 5n the natural sciences, the researcher is $ostly interested in gaining quantitative data that will allow hi$ to provide specific conclusions( 3ut in the social sciences the research $ethods $ostly provide the researcher with quantitative data( .owever, this does not $ean that in social sciences qualitative data is ignored( On the contrary, a co$bination of data can be used for social research( De$inition o$ Resear78 Met8oology Research Methodology, as its na$e suggest is the study of $ethods, so as to solve the research proble$( 5t is the science of learning the way wa y research should be perfor$ed syste$atically( 5t refers to the rigorous analysis of the $ethods applied in the strea$ of research, to ensure that the conclusions drawn are valid, reliable and credible too(
The researcher ta*es an overview of various steps that are chosen by hi$ in understanding the proble$ at hand, along with the logic behind the $ethods e$ployed by the researcher during study( 17
5t also clarifies the reason for using a particular $ethod or technique, and not others, so that the results obtained can be assessed either by the researcher hi$self or any other party(
hat is a )esearch *ethodolog#+ Resear78 Resear78 %et8oology %et8oology e
hat are the ,i$erence -et.een )esearch *ethods and )esearch *ethodolog#+ Denitions of Research Methods and Research Methodology: Resear78 %et8os. Research $ethods are the $ethods used for data collection in a research( Resear78 %et8oology. Research $ethodology e'plains the overarching theoretical and philosophical fra$ewor*s which guide the research( Characteristics of Research Methods and Research Methodology: Content. Resear78 Met8os. Research $ethods involve surveys, interviews, case studies, observation, e'peri$ents, etc( Resear78 Met8oology. Research $ethodology involves the theoretical fra$ewor*s and learning of the various techniques that can be used in the conduct of research and the conduct of tests, e'peri$ents, surveys and critical studies( Ai%. Resear78 Met8os. Research $ethods ai$ at finding solutions to research proble$s( 18
Resear78 Met8oology. Research $ethodology ai$s at the e$ploy$ent of the correct procedures to find out solutions( Relations8ip. Resear78 Met8os. Research $ethods are the end of any research( Resear78 Met8oology. Research $ethodology is the beginning(
/e# ,i$erences -et.een )esearch *ethod and )esearch *ethodolog# The differences between research $ethod and research $ethodology can be drawn clearly on the following grounds; 6( The resear research ch $ethod $ethod is defined defined as the procedure procedure or techniq technique ue applied applied by the resear researcher cher to underta*e research( On the other hand, research $ethodology is a syste$ of $ethods, used scientifically for solving the research proble$( 8( The research research $ethod $ethod is nothing nothing but the the behaviour behaviour or tool, tool, e$ployed e$ployed in selecti selecting ng and building building research technique( 0onversely, research $ethodology i$plies the science of analysing, the $anner in which research is conducted appropriately( =( The research research $ethod $ethod is concerned concerned with carrying carrying out e'peri$ e'peri$ent ent,, test, test, surveys, surveys, intervi interviews ews,, etc( s against this, research $ethodology is concerned with learning various techniques which can be e$ployed in the perfor$ance of e'peri$ent, test or survey( ?( Resear Research ch $ethod $ethod covers covers variou variouss invest investiga igatio tion n techni techniques ques(( Fnli*e Fnli*e,, resear research ch $ethod $ethodolo ology gy,, which consists of co$plete approach aligned towards the attain$ent of purpose( @( Research Research $ethod intends intends to discover discover the solution solution to the the proble$ at hand( hand( 5n contrast, contrast, research research $ethodology aspires to apply appropriate procedures, with a view to ascertaining solutions( Con7l)sion The scope of research $ethodology is wider than that of research $ethod, as the latter is the part of the for$er( %or understanding the research proble$ thoroughly, the researcher should *now the research $ethodology along with the $ethods(
5n a nutshell, research $ethod refers to the technique which can be adopted to e'plore the nature of the world that surrounds us( On the contrary, research $ethodology is the foundation, which helps us to understand the deter$inants influencing the effectiveness of the $ethods applied(
0ormulating the research pro%lem Once the general topic or proble$ has been identified, this should then be stated as a clear resear78 pro!le%, that is, ta*en fro$ just a state$ent about a proble$atic situation to a clearly defined researchable proble$ that identifies the issues you are trying to address( 19
5t is not always easy to for$ulate the research proble$ si$ply and clearly( 5n so$e areas of scientific research the investigator $ight spend years e'ploring, thin*ing, and researching before they are clear about what research questions they are see*ing to answer( Many topics $ay prove too wide#ranging to provide a researchable proble$( 0hoosing to study, for instance a social issue such as child poverty, does not in itself provide a researchable proble$( The proble$ is too wide#ranging for one researcher to address( Ti$e and resources would $a*e this unfeasible and the results fro$ such a study would consequently lac* depth and focus( Statement of research problem
n adequate state$ent of the research proble$ is one of the $ost i$portant parts of the research( !ifferent researchers are li*ely to generate a variety of researchable proble$s fro$ the sa$e situation since there are $any research issues that can arise out of a general proble$ situation( Nour research will be able to pursue only one in depth( %or a proble$ state$ent to be effective in the planning of applied research it should have the following characteristics 1ndrew and .ildebrand 6E:82( 6( The proble proble$ $ refl reflect ectss felt felt needs needs 8( The proble$ proble$ is non#hypothet non#hypothetical, ical, ie ie it $ust $ust be based based on factual factual evidence evidence =( 5t should should suggest $eaningf $eaningful ul and testable testable hypotheses hypotheses # to avoid avoid answers answers that are are of little little or no use to the alleviation of the proble$ ?( The probl proble$s e$s shoul should d be relevan relevantt and $anage $anageable able %or$ulating the research proble$ allows you to $a*e clear, both to yourself and the reader, what the purpose of your research is( Subsequent elaboration of $ethod should be oriented to providing infor$ation to address that proble$( The proble$ state$ent is therefore a very i$portant device for *eeping you on trac* with your research( 5t is also one $eans by which your research will be evaluated # does the research address add ress the proble$ as stated(
5 Ways to ormulate the Research Pro!lem 1 peci"# the )esearch %ectives clear state$ent of objectives will help you develop effective research. research. 5t will help the decision $a*ers evaluate your project( p roject( 5tHs critical that you have $anageable objectives( 1Two 1Two or three clear goals will help to *eep your research project focused and an d relevant(2
2 )evie. the nvironment or ontext o" the )esearch Pro%lem s a $ar*eting researcher, you $ust wor* closely with your tea$( This will help you deter$ine whether the findings of your project will produce enough infor$ation to be worth the cost( 2!
5n order to do this, you have h ave to identify the environ$ental variables that will affect the research project(
3 xplore the ature o" the Pro%lem Resear78 pro!le%s range fro$ si$ple to co$ple', depending on the nu$ber of variables and the nature of their relationship(
5f you understand the nature of the problem as a researcher researcher , you will be able to better develop a solution for the proble$( To help you understand all di$ensions, you $ight want to consider focus groups of consu$ers, sales people, $anagers, or professionals to provide what is so$eti$es $uch $uch needed insight(
4 ,ene the aria%le )elationships Mar*eting plans often focus on creating a sequence of behaviors that occur over ti$e, as in the adoption of a new pac*age design, or the introduction of a new product( Such progra$s create a co$$it$ent to follow so$e behavioral pattern in the future( Studying such a process involves; •
!eter$ining which variables affect the solution to the proble$(
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!eter$ining the degree to which each variable can be controlled(
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!eter$ining the functional relationships between the variables and which variables are critical to the solution of the proble$(
!uring the pro!le% $or%)lation stage, you will want to generate ge nerate and consider as $any courses of action and variable relationships as possible(
5 :he onse;uences o" <ernative ourses o" &ction There are always consequences to any course of action( nticipating and co$$unicating the possible outco$es of various courses of action is a pri$ary responsibility responsibility in the research process( process( Resear78 O!:e7tives an Hypot8eses Resear78 O!:e7tives are state$ents of what the researcher intends to do( The objectives flow directly fro$ the proble$( They co$$unicate what the researcher plans to do( Structurally, the objectives are seen as s$all particles which constitute the proble$(