INTRODUCTION

TO
BUSINESS RESEARCH

What is research?

Management research is an unbiased, structured, and sequential

method of enquiry, directed towards a clear implicit or explicit
business objective. This enquiry might lead to validating existing
postulates or arriving at new theories and models.

Research is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing

information (data) in order to increase our understanding of the

phenomenon about which we are concerned or interested.

What Research Is Not ?

Research isnt information gathering

Research isnt the transportation of facts

What Research Is?

INFORMATION

KNOWLEDGE

Methodology

Purposes/Objectives of Business
Research
To identify and define opportunities and problems.
To define, monitor, and refine strategies.
To define, monitor, and refine tactics.
To improve our understanding of the various fields

of management

Uses of Research in decision making

Marketing Research

Government Policies and Economic System

Solving various

operational and planning problems of

Business and Industry

Social Relationships

Motivations in Research
Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential

benefits
Desire to face the challenges in solving the unsolved problems
Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work
Desire to be of service to society
Desire to get respectability

Research applications/Significance in
marketing
Market & consumer analysis
Product research
Pricing research
Promotional research

Place research

Research applications/Significance in
finance
Asset pricing, capital markets and corporate finance
Financial derivatives and credit risk modeling research

Market-based accounting research

Auditing and accountability
Other areas: financial forecasting, behavioural finance,

volatility analysis

Research applications/Significance
in human resources
Training & development studies
Selection and staffing studies
Performance appraisaldesign and evaluation
Organization planning and development

Incentive and benefits studies

Emerging areascritical factor analysis, employer branding

studies

Research applications/Significance in
production & operations management
Operation planning and design
Demand forecasting and demand estimation
Process planning
Project management and maintenance effectiveness studies
Logistics and supply chain-design and evaluation
Quality estimations and assurance studies

The research process

Management Dilemma

Defining the Research Problem

Formulating the Research Hypothesis

Developing the Research Proposal

The Research Framework

Research Design
Data Collection Plan

Sampling Plan

Instrument Design

Pilot Testing

Data Collection

Data Refining and Preparation

Data Analysis & Interpretation

Research Reporting

Management / Research Decision

The Research Process

The management decision problem
Defining the research problem
Formulation of the working hypotheses
Construction of the research proposal

The Research Process

Formulating the research design
Sampling considerations
Collecting the data for the study
Data analysis and interpretation of findings

Types of research
BUSINESS RESEARCH

BASIC RESEARCH

APPLIED RESEARCH

EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH

CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

CAUSAL RESEARCH

Types of research
Basic research : the basic premise is the need to

KNOW and the concern is primarily academic in

nature.

Applied

research: Solution or action oriented

research, that is contextual and practical in approach.

Types of research
Exploratory research is loosely structured and the basic

premise is to provide direction to subsequent, more

structured method of enquiry.
Conclusive

research is structured and definite in

orientation. These studies are usually conducted to validate
formulated hypotheses and specified relationships.

Conclusive research
Descriptive research: The main goal of this type of

research is to describe the data and characteristics about

what is being studied.
Causal research: Explores the effect of one or more

variables on other variable(s), with reasonable level of

certainty by controlling the impact of other influencing
variables.

Other types
One time research or longitudinal Research
Field setting research or laboratory Research
Historical Research
Case Study Approach

Research Characteristics or Nature

of Research
Originates with a question or problem.
Requires clear articulation of a goal.
Follows a specific plan or procedure.
Often divides main problem into sub problems.
Guided by specific problem, question, or hypothesis.
Accepts certain critical assumptions.
Requires collection and interpretation of data.

Criteria for a good research

MUST have: a clearly stated research purpose/ objective

MUST have: a sequential plan of execution

MUST have: a logical and explicitly stated justification for the

selected methods
MUST have: an unbiased and neutral method of conduct and

reporting
MUST have: complete transparency and ethical conduction of

the research process

MUST have: provision for being reliable & replicable

Who Conducts Research?

Some Syndicated Data Providers

AC Nielsen
Scarborough
Millward Brown
Nielsen Media Research
Roper ASW
CSA TMO
Yahoo!

ORC International

DoubleClick
Nielsen/NetRatings
Taylor Nelson Sofres
Intersearch
J.D. Power Associates
MediaMark
Simmon (SMRB)
BRMB
Information
Resources Inc.

Indian Market Research Companies

IMRB International
Market Xcel Data Matrix Pvt. Ltd
The Nielsen
Ipsos Indica Research

IDC
Millward Brown
Hansa Research
TNS Global

Thank you