Welcome

to

Methods in Business
Research
Shafqat Ullah
shafqat.u@gmail.com
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Session 1
Introduction to
Business Research

If you want to understand something, try to

measure it.

Marks Distribution
Final:

30 marks

Mid-term:

30 marks

Quiz:

15 marks

Class participation:

5 marks

Project:

20 marks

Reading text
Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation by Naresh K.

Malhotra
For SPSS: Statistical methods for practice and research

by Ajai S. Gaur and Sanjaya S. Gaur

Additional readings: Research Methodology A step by

step guide for beginners by Ranjit Kumar

Objectives and types of research

The purpose of the research is to discover answers to

questions or to find out relevant and factual

information to solve some problems through the
application of scientific procedures.
The main aim of research is to find the truth which is

hidden and which has not been discovered as yet.

Definition of Business Research

Business research is the systematic and objective
process of

identification
collection

analysis
dissemination

and use of information

For the purpose of improving decision making related to

the

identification and

solution of problems and opportunities in business

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Classification of Business Research

Problem-Identification Research
Research undertaken to help identify problems which are
not necessarily apparent on the surface and yet exist or
are likely to arise in the future. Examples: market
potential, market share, image, market characteristics,
employee morale, product quality, inflation rate.
Problem-Solving Research
Research undertaken to help solve specific marketing
problems. Examples: segmentation, product, pricing,
promotion, salary and benefits, training method, money
supply/interest rate.

Some types of research

Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Quantitative research is based on the measurement of
quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that
can be expressed in terms of quantity. Examples:
average disposable income, effect of price on sales.
Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative
phenomena, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving
quality or kind. Examples: why the market share of a
product is decreasing, which factors ensure brand
loyalty, etc.
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Research Process
Step 1: Defining the Problem
Step 2: Developing an Approach to the Problem

Step 3: Formulating a Research Design

Step 4: Doing Field Work or Collecting Data
Step 5: Preparing and Analyzing Data
Step 6: Preparing and Presenting the Report

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Basic concepts
Data

Groups of information (measurements) that represent the

qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of

variables. e.g., cigarettes smoked per day, height,
qualification, level of likeness, preference, etc.

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Basic concepts
Raw data refers to a collection of numbers, characters,

images or other outputs (unprocessed).

Processed data is derived from raw data which provides

meaningful information. e.g., average, ratio, etc.

Secondary data is data collected by someone other than

the user. Common sources of secondary data for social

science include censuses, surveys, organizational
records .
Primary data, by contrast, are collected by the

investigator conducting the research.

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Basic concepts
Population
All items in any field of inquiry constitute a Universe

or Population.
Examples: Population of Pakistan; All males living in

Karachi between the age of 25 50 years, students of

a particular university. Give examples of populations
from Demographic, Geographic, Behavioural, and
Psychographic aspects, standalone as well as
combined aspects.

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Basic concepts
Elements
All individual items in a Universe or Population.
Examples: Telephone users in Karachi, Graduates in

Pakistan, Teachers of an institution, Parents of

teenagers, Working ladies, Housewives, 1.5 lit bottles
of Pure Life, General stores in a locality, etc.

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Basic concepts
Census
A complete enumeration of all items in the population is known as a

census inquiry.
Examples: Ages of all students currently enrolled in BBA, Census of

Pakistan, Dates of birth of all internet users in Pakistan.

It can be presumed that in such an inquiry when all items are covered, no

element of chance is left and highest accuracy is obtained.

But in practice it may not be true. Even the slightest element of bias in

such an inquiry will get larger and larger as the number of observation
increases. Moreover, there is no way of checking the element of bias or
its extent except through a resurvey or use of sample checks.
Besides, this type of survey involves a great deal of time, money and

energy.
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Basic concepts
Sample
When the field of inquiry is large, census becomes difficult to conduct because

of the resources involved. Even the government adopts census approach very
rarely like population census is conducted once in a decade in most of the
countries.
Many a times it is not possible to examine each and every element in a

population, and sometimes it is possible to obtain sufficiently accurate results

by studying only a part of total population.
Resource constraints usually lead to a selection of respondents, i.e., selection

of only a few items (elements). The respondents thus selected should be as

representative of the total population as possible.
The selected respondents constitute what is technically called sample, and

the selection process sampling, while such survey is called sampling survey.
Examples:

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Basic concepts
Probability
Random sample
Characteristic
Variable

Dependent and independent variables

Parameter
Statistic

Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics
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Contents of research report

Introduction of the organization
Statements of the management and research problems

Literature survey and theoretical basis/framework

Study variables, Research model, RQs, Hypotheses
Population definition
Research methodology
Sampling procedure
Data collection instrument and method
Statistical technique used

Results and discussion

Recommendations
List of references
Appendices Data table, other relevant data or forms, etc.
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Next Assignment
Next reading: Management problem, Research objective,
Research question, Hypothesis.
Project task:
Formation of groups of 3 students (exchange phone
numbers and emails for communication)
Selection of organization (organization to be selected
where you have good acquaintance with someone in
senior management, directly or indirectly, so that you can
visit the organization a few times during the semester and
meet the relevant persons for the purpose).
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