Basic Research Example

•Is executive success correlated with high need for achievement?

•Are members of highly cohesive work groups more satisfied than
members of less cohesive work groups?
•Do consumers experience cognitive dissonance in low

Applied Research Examples

•Should McDonalds add Italian pasta dinners to its menu?
•Should Procter & Gamble add a high-priced home teeth bleaching kit to its
product line?
•Should GIM offer Big Data Analytics as a core course?
Concept (or Construct) and Variable
•Building blocks of theory development
•Construct is a broad mental configuration of a given
phenomenan(Examples: Productivity, Leadership, satisfaction)

•Variable: is an operational configuration derived from construct (Schwab,

1980)
•An observable entity
The difference between applied and fundamental or basic research is straightforward – findings of applied research can be applied to resolve issues, whereas
fundamental studies are used simply to explore certain issues and elements.
Moreover, differences between applied and basic research can be summarized into three points:
1. Differences in purpose. Purpose of applied studies is closely associated with the solution of specific problems, while the purpose of fundamental studies
relate to creation of new knowledge or expansion of the current knowledge without any concerns to applicability.
2. Differences in context. In applied studies, research objectives are set by clients or sponsors as a solution to specific problems they are facing.
Fundamental studies, on the other hand, are usually self-initiated in order to expand the levels of knowledge in certain areas.
3. Differences in methods. Research validity represents an important point to be addressed in all types of studies. Nevertheless, applied studies are usually
more concerned with external validity, whereas internal validity can be specified as the main point of concern for fundamental researchers.
Category Options
The degree to which the research question
has been crystallized Exploratory study
Formal study

The method of data collection

Monitoring
Communication Study

The purpose of the study

Descriptive
Causal

The time dimension

Cross-sectional
Longitudinal

The topical scope—breadth and depth—of

the study Case
Statistical study

The research environment

Field setting
Laboratory research
Simulation

What research design seems appropriate for the following studies?1. A

manager notices that the number of grievances increases. The manager wishes
to investigate this occurrence.2. A corporation is concerned with judging the
quality of its college graduate recruitment program.3. An academic researcher
wishes to determine if the United States is losing its competitive edge in world
trade.
Comparison of Focus Groups, Depth Interviews, and Projective
Techniques
1. Degree of Structure
2. Probing of individual respondents
3. Moderator bias
4. Interpretation bias
5. Uncovering subconscious information
6. Discovering innovative information
7. Obtaining sensitive information
8. Involve unusual behavior or questioning
9. Overall usefulness
Relatively high
Low
Relatively medium
Relatively low
Low
High
Low
No
Highly useful
Relatively medium
High
Relatively high Relatively medium Medium to high
Medium
Medium
To a limited extent
Useful
Relatively low
Medium
Low to high
Relatively high
High
Low
High
Yes
Somewhat useful