Objectives of Paper

(i) To equip students with tools and

techniques of research.

(ii) To make them define the problem and

search for suitable methods.

(iii) To make them draw appropriate

conclusions.
 Introduction
 1.1 Research - features
 1.2 Research - Types
 1.3 Research – Phases
 1.4 Research – Problem Formulation
 1.5 Business Research
 1.6 The Manager-Researcher relationship
 1.7 Styles of thinking
 1.8 The thought process
 1.9 Scientific attitude
 Understanding theory – components and connections
 1.10 Concepts
 1.11 Constructs
 1.12 Definitions
 1.13 Parameters
 1.14 Variables
 1.15 Propositions
 1.16 Hypothesis
 1.17 Theory and models
1.1 RESE ARCH -
FEA TURES
Sources of Knowledge
 Empiricists attempt to describe,
explain, and make predictions through
observation
 Rationalists believe all knowledge can

be deduced from known laws or basic

truths of nature
 Authorities serve as important sources

of knowledge, but should be judged

on integrity and willingness to present
a balanced case
 The Essential
Tenets of Science
 Direct observation of phenomena
 Clearly defined variables,
methods, and procedures
 Empirically testable hypotheses
 Ability to rule out rival hypotheses
 Statistical justification of
conclusions
 Self-correcting process
Ways to Communicate
Exposition
descriptive statements that merely state and do not
give reason
Argument
allows us to explain, interpret, defend, challenge,
and explore meaning
The Building Blocks of Theory

Concepts
Constructs
Definitions
Variables
Propositions and Hypotheses
Theories
Models
 What is Business
Research?
A systematic Inquiry whose
objective is to provide information
to solve managerial problems.
 W.J.GOODES &
PAUL.K.HATT
Logical and systematized application of
the fundamentals of science to the
general and overall questions of a study,
and scientific techniques which provide
precise tools, specific procedures and
technical, rather than philosophical,
means for getting and ordering data prior
to their manipulation.
FRANCIS RUMMEL
Research is a careful inquiry or
examination to discover new
information or relationships and to
expand and to verify existing
knowledge.
 ROBERT ROSS
Research is essentially an
investigation, a recording and analysis
of evidence for the purpose of gaining
knowledge.
 D.SLESINGER &
M.STEPHENSON
The manipulation of things, concepts or
symbols for the purpose of generalizing to
extend, correct or verify knowledge,
whether that knowledge aids in
construction of theory or in the practice of
an art.
 RESE ARCH –
OBJ EC TI VES
 To gain familiarity with a phenomenon
or to achieve new insights into it.
 To explain accurately the
characteristics of a particular
individual, situation or group.
 To determine the frequency with which
something occurs or with which it is
associated with something else.
 To test a hypothesis of a relationship
between variables.
 PROBLEMS
ENC OUNT ERED B Y
RES EAR CHERS
 Lack of scientific training in the methodology.
 Insufficient interactions between research units and
potential targets.
 Concept of secrecy and suspicion.
 Overlapping and incomplete studies.
 No code of conduct for researchers.
 Inadequate secretarial and statistical assistance.
 Inadequate and indifferent library management.
 Insufficient / poorly maintained / inaccessible records
and documents.
 Timely availability of published data.
 Conceptualisation and Methodology problems.
 RESEARCH – SCOPE
FUNCTIONAL AREA SUB – AREAS

Marketing Markets; Products, Sales, Services; Promotion;

Distribution, Pricing, Physical Evidence, Demand,
Advertising, etc.

Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Training, Development, Grievances,

Benefits, Compensation, Accounting, etc.

Finance Cost Budgeting, Control, Flows, Auditing

Systems Designs, Process, Automation, etc.

Production Process, Layout, Location, Material Handling, Inventory,

etc.

Logistics Operations, Warehousing, Delivery, Supply, etc.

Quality Testing, Procedures, Documentation, Gaps, etc.

R & D / Intelligence Competitor, Industry, Economy, etc.

1. 2 RES EA RCH -
TYPES
 DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

It attempts to describe events or

happenings but the researcher has
no control on the variables
i.e. it is mere report.

Preferences, Attitudes, Frequency of occurrence

 ANALYTICAL
RESEARCH
This research uses already
available information, analyses it
and makes critical evaluation of it.

Budgeting, Sales Forecasting

APPL IE D RESEAR CH
This research deals with finding a
solution to a particular problem in
any field.

Linear Programming, Unemployment

 FUNDAMENTAL
RESEARCH
FUNDAMENTAL research helps
gaining knowledge about ideas and
concepts and leads to
generalizations about the same

Day and Night

QUAN TI TATI VE
RESEARCH

This research endeavour to

measure quantities or
amounts.

Statistical Analysis
 QUA LITATI VE
RESEARCH
This research tries to study the
underlined motives and behaviour
of people and other phenomena.

Motivation
 CONC EPT UA L R ES EARCH

CONCEPTUAL research deals with already

existing ideas or theories that are
generally acceptable and followed.
Any concept or theory

EMPIRICAL research tries to simulate

certain conditions and relies on
experiences and observations.
Genetic Engineering
 BAS ED ON TI ME
Research can be ONE-TIME
(short period) or Any Survey
LONGITUDINAL (long period)
Manpower Planning
 BAS ED ON
ENVI RO NM ENT
SITUATION research can be
done in a controlled
atmosphere (lab) or the actual
work place or any other
geographical area (field
setting).
BASED ON EVIDENCE
In the case of HISTORICAL
research, evidence is found in the
form of documents relics & other
archeological pattern (study of the
remains of the past)
DIAGNOSTIC research goes by
evidence that has to be created
and noted.
 BASED ON THE APPROACH
• In CONCLUSION oriented research,
the researcher can take up a problem,
reorganize the enquiry and may
possess alternative approaches in
arriving at a conclusion.
• In DECISION oriented research, the
researcher does not have a choice of
approach in the sense that a scientific
approach already exists and he has to
merely follow that approach
depending on what decisions needs
to be taken.
1.3 RES EAR CH –
PHA SES
 Discover Management Dilemma
 Define Management Question

 Define Research Question(s)

 Refine Research Question(s)

 Research Proposal

 Research Design

 Design Strategy

 Data Collection Design & Sampling

Design
 Question & Instrument Pilot testing
 Instrument Revision
 Data Collection & Preparation
 Data Analysis & Interpretation
 Research Reporting
 Management Decision
1.4 RESE ARCH –
PR OB LE M
FORMUL ATI ON
 DEFINITION:
RESEARCH PROBLEM

It refers to some difficulty which a

researcher experience in the context
of either a theoretical or practical
situation and wants to obtain a
solution for the same.
 CONSIDERATION IN
DEFINITION / FORMULATION
 Technical terms, words or phrases with a
special meanings should be clearly defined.
 Basic assumption if any should be clearly stated
 A straight forward statement of the value of the
investigation (criteria for selection) should be
provided.
 Suitability of time period and source of data
must be considered
 Scope of the investigation and/or the limits
within which the problem is to be studied must
be mentioned explicitly.
TR AN SLATIO N OF MA NA GEM EN T
PR OB LEM I NTO A RESE ARCH
PR OBLEM
 Identify the management problem including problem area
and related factors
 Identify important issues and the cause/effect relationship
involved
 Divides the whole problem into sub-problem based on
issues
 List the sub problem on a priority basis
 Identify important factor and hypothesis
 Formulate relevant hypothesis for each issue
 Combine related issues together so that investigation
efforts will be exhaustive and economical
 Make statement of specific research problem or problems
 SE LECTI NG A
PROBL EM
 Subjects which have been over done should not
be normally chosen
 Avoid controversial subjects
 Avoid too narrow or two-way problems
 The subject selected should be familiar and
feasible
 Importance of the subject, qualification and
training of the researcher, cost involved, time
factor etc must be considered.
 Selection must be preceded by a preliminary
study
 MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS RESEARCH PROBLEMS

Allocate advertising budget among media Estimate awareness generated by each

media type

Decide whether to keep library open on Evaluate use of services on Sunday and
Sunday determine if members can do these on
weekdays

Introduce a new health service Design a concept “test” through which

likely acceptance and use can be assessed

Change the marketing programme Design a test marketing situation such that
the effect of the new programme can be
estimated

Increase the sales of a product Measure current image of the product

1. 5 BUSIN ESS
RESEAR CH
 What is Good
Research?
 Following the standards of the
scientific method
– Purpose clearly defined
– Research process detailed
– Research design thoroughly planned
– Limitations frankly revealed
– High ethical standards applied
– Adequate analysis for decision-
maker’s needs
– Findings presented
unambiguously
– Conclusions justified
– Researcher’s experience
reflected
1. 6 TH E MAN AGER-
RESEAR CH ER
REL ATI ONSHIP
Why Managers need
Better Information
 Global and domestic
competition is more
vigorous
 Organizations are

increasingly practicing data

mining and data
warehousing
The Value of Acquiring
Research Skills
 To gather more information before
selecting a course of action
 To do a high-level research study

 To understand research design

 To evaluate and resolve a current

management dilemma
 To establish a career as a research
specialist
The Manager-Researcher
Relationship
 Manager’s obligations
– Specify problems
– Provide adequate background
information
– Access to company information
gatekeepers
 Researcher’s obligations
– Develop a creative research design
– Provide answers to important business
questions
Manager-Researcher
Conflicts
 Management’s limited exposure to
research
 Manager sees researcher as threat
to personal status
 Researcher has to consider
corporate culture and political
situations
 Researcher’s isolation from
managers
 When Research Should be
Avoided
 When information cannot be applied
to a critical managerial decision
 When managerial decision involves

little risk
 When management has insufficient

resources to conduct a study

 When the cost of the study

outweighs the level of risk of the

decision
1. 7 STYLES OF
THINKI NG
 Rationalism
(Formal Structured proofs)
Postulational ♣

♣ Self-evident truth

Scientific Method ♣

Idealism Empiricism
(highly ♣ Method of (Observable,
interpretativ authority Concrete
e ideas) Literary ♣ data)

♣ Untested opinion

Existentialism
(Informal process)
1. 8 THE
THOUGHT
PR OCES S
 Important Arguments
in Research
Deduction is a form of inference that purports to be
conclusive

Induction draws conclusions from one or more particular

facts
Deductive Thinking
Deductive Thinking

Theory
Deductive Thinking

Theory

Hypothesis
Deductive Thinking

Theory

Hypothesis

Observation
Deductive Thinking

Theory

Hypothesis

Observation

Confirmation
Inductive Thinking
Inductive Thinking

Observation
Inductive Thinking

Pattern

Observation
Inductive Thinking

Tentative
Hypothesis

Pattern

Observation
Inductive Thinking

Theory
Tentative
hypothesis

Pattern

Observation
1. 9 SCIENTIFI C
ATTITUDE
 Purposiveness
 Rigour
 Testability
 Replicability
 Precision & Confidence
 Objectivity
 Generalizability
 Parsimony
 UN DER STAND IN G
THE OR Y – COMP ONE NT S
AN D CONN EC TION S
1. 10 CONCEP TS
A concept is a bundle of meanings or
characteristics associated with certain
events, objects, conditions, situations, and
behaviors
Concepts have been developed over time
through shared usage
The success of research hinges on:
how clearly we conceptualize
how well others understand the
concepts we use
 1.1 1
CON STR UCTS
 A construct is an image or idea specifically
invented for a given research and / or theory-building
purpose.
 1.1 2
DEF INI TI ON S
 Operational Definition

Definition stated in terms of specific

testing or measurement criteria.
 1.1 3
PARA MET ERS
 Conditions or limitations
for operation
1.1 4 VARI ABL ES
A characteristic, trait, or attribute that is
measured; a symbol to which values are
assigned; includes several different types:
continuous, control, decision, dependent,
dichotomous, discrete, dummy, extraneous,
independent, intervening, and moderating
variables.
 Types of Variables
 Independent
 Dependent

 Moderating

 Extraneous

 Intervening
 1. 15
PR OP OSITI ONS
 Statement about concepts
that may be judged ad true
or false if it refers to
observable phenomena.
 1.1 6
HYPO THESI S
 The Role of the
Hypothesis
 Guides the direction of the study
 Identifies facts that are relevant

 Suggests which form of research

design is appropriate
 Provides a framework for organizing

the conclusions that result

 Hypothesis

Tentative theory or supposition

provisionally adopted to explain
certain facts and guide
investigation
 TYPES OF
HY POTHES ES
 Null implies that there is no significant
difference between two entities.
 Alternative implies that one entity is
significantly different form the other.
 Descriptive concerns the existence, size,
form or distribution of some concept subject
to verification.
 Relational are proposed in order to test the
relationship or linkage between two variables.
 Explanatory (causal) implies that change in
one variable causes change in another
variable
ERRORS WHILE TESTING
HYPOTHESES
DECISION

ACCEPT H0 REJECT H0

H0 (true) Correct TYPE I

Decision ERROR
(α error)
H0 (false) TYPE II Correct
ERROR Decision
(β error)
 What is a Good
Hypothesis?
 A good hypothesis should fulfill three
conditions:
– Must be adequate for its purpose
– Must be testable
– Must be better than its rivals
1. 17 THEOR Y A ND
MOD ELS
A set of systematically interrelated concepts,
definitions and propositions that are advanced to
explain or predict phenomena (facts); the
generalizations we make about variables and the
relationships among variables.
The Value of a Theory
 Narrows the range of facts we
need to study
 Suggests which research
approaches will yield the greatest
meaning
 Suggests a data classification
system
 Summarizes what is known
about an object of study
 Predicts further facts that
should be found
 Representation of a system to study its
aspects
 Descriptive models

 Explicative models

 Simulational models

 Static models

 Dynamic models