The Business Research Process

3
Business Research Methods 9e

Zikmund
Babin
Carr
Griffin
The Business Research

Process: An Overview
Chapter 4
The Business Research Process:
An Overview
Alexander Joseph Ibnu Wibowo
2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May

not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Learning Outcomes
1. Classify business research as either
exploratory research, descriptive research,
or causal research
2. List the major phases of the research
process and the steps within each
3. Explain the difference between a research
project and a research program
2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
4-2
Business Environment
Business opportunity
A situation that makes some potential competitive
advantage possible.
Business problem
A situation that makes some significant negative
consequence more likely.
Symptoms
Observable cues that serve as a signal of a problem
because they are caused by that problem.
43
Types of Business Research

Exploratory research
Descriptive research
Causal research
44
Exploratory Research
Conducted to clarify ambiguous situations or
discover ideas that may be potential business
opportunities.
Not intended to provide conclusive evidence

from which to determine a particular course of
action.
Not an end unto itself usually it is conducted
with the expectation that more research will be
needed to provide more conclusive evidence.
Particularly useful in new product development.
45
Descriptive Research
Describes characteristics of objects, people,
groups, organizations or environments.
Addresses who, what, when, where, and how
questions.
Unlike exploratory research, it is conducted after
the researcher has gained a firm grasp of the
situation being studied.
Often helps describe market segments.
Accuracy is critically important.

Survey research typifies a descriptive study.
46
Causal Research
Allows causal inferences to be made.
Seeks to identify cause-and-effect relationships.
When something causes an effect, it means it
brings it about or makes it happen; the effect is
the outcome.
Usually follows exploratory and descriptive
research and, therefore, the researchers are quite
knowledgeable about the subject.
Can take a long time to implement and often

involves intricate designs that can be very
expensive.
47
EXHIBIT 4.2
The Spurious Effect of Ice Cream
48
Degrees of Causality
Absolute Causality
The cause is necessary and sufficient to bring about the
effect.
Conditional Causality
A cause is necessary but not sufficient to bring about
an effect.
Contributory Causality
A cause need be neither necessary nor sufficient to
bring about an effect.
Weakest form of causality.
49
Stages in the Research Process

1. Defining the research objectives
2. Planning a research design

3. Planning a sample
4. Collecting the data

5. Analyzing the data
6. Formulating the conclusions and preparing the

report
Forward linkageearlier stages influence later stages.
Backward linkagelater stages influence earlier stages.
410
EXHIBIT 4.5
Stages of the Research Process
411
EXHIBIT 4.6
Flowchart of the
Business Research Process
412
Defining the Research Objectives

Research objectives
The goals to be achieved by conducting research.
Deliverables
The consulting term used to describe research objectives to a
research client.
Exploratory Research can be used to gain a clearer idea of

the problem: previous research or literature review, pilot
studies, case studies, and experience surveys
Once done, the researcher should know exactly which
data to collect during formal phases of the project and
how to conduct the project
413
Exploratory Research Techniques

Literature review
A directed search of published works, including periodicals
and books, that discusses theory and presents empirical
results that are relevant to the topic at hand.
Pilot Studies
A small-scale research project that collects data from
respondents similar to those to be used in the full study.
Pretest
A small-scale study in which the results are only preliminary

and intended only to assist in design of a subsequent study.
Focus Group
A small group discussion about some research topic led by a

moderator who guides discussion among the participants.
414
Planning the Research Design

A research design is a master plan that specifies
the methods and procedures for collecting and
analyzing the needed information; it is a
framework for the research plan of action.
The researcher must determine the design
techniques for descriptive and causal research
Surveys
Experiments
Secondary data
Observation
Most common method is the survey

415
Survey
A survey is a research technique in which a
sample is interviewed in some form or their
behavior is observed and described in some way
Telephone
Mail
Internet
In person
416
Sampling
Sampling involves any procedure that draws
conclusions based on measurements of a portion
of the population (i.e., a subset from a larger
population)
Sampling decisions
Who to sample?target population
What size should the sample be?

How to select the sampling units? (i.e., simple random
sampling, cluster sampling, etc.)
417
Data Gathering / Collection

The process of gathering or collecting information.
May be gathered by human observers or
interviewers or may be recorded by machines
(e.g., scanner data, web-based surveys).
An unobtrusive method is one in which the
subjects do not have to be disturbed for data to
be collected
418
Processing and Analyzing Data

Editing
Involves checking the data collection forms for
omissions, legibility, and consistency in classification.
Codes
Rules for interpreting, categorizing, recording, and
transferring the data to the data storage media.
Data analysis
The application of reasoning to understand the data
that have been gathered.
Use statistical analysis (discussed in later chapters):
univariate analysis, bivariate analysis, multivariate analysis
419
Drawing Conclusions and Preparing a

Report
Consists of:
1.
Interpreting the research results
2.
Describing the implications
3.
Drawing the appropriate conclusions for managerial

decisions
Reporting requirements
Conclusions fulfill the deliverables promised in the research
proposal
Consider the varying abilities of people to understand the
research results
Summary of the research findings
420
The Research Program Strategy

Research project researcher has only one or a
small number of research objectives that can be
addressed in a single study.
Research program numerous related studies
come together to address issues about a single
company
Because research is a continuous process,
management should view business research at a
strategic planning level.
421
Theory Building
SUPPLEMENTARY: CHAPTER 3
122
Introduction
Theories are simply generalizations that
help us better understand reality.
Theories allow us to understand the logic
behind things we observe.
If a theory does not hold true in practice,
then that theory holds no value.
3-23
What is a Theory?
Theory
A formal, logical explanation of some events that
includes predictions or how things relate to one
another.
Goals of Theory
Understanding
Predicting
324
Research Concepts
Concept (or construct)
A generalized idea about a class of objects, attributes,
occurrences or process that has been given a name.
Examples:
Leadership, morale, gross domestic product, assets, customer
satisfaction, market share
Concepts are the building blocks of theory.

Concepts abstract reality (i.e., concepts express in
words various events or objects).
325
Ladder of Abstraction
Ladder of Abstraction is organization of concepts in
sequence from the most concrete and individual to
the most general.
The basic or scientific business researcher operates at
two levels
Abstract Level: The level of knowledge expressing a concept
that exists only as an idea or a quality apart from an object.
Empirical Level: The level of knowledge that is verifiable by
experience or observation.
Latent Construct: a concept that is not directly

observable or measurable, but can be estimated
through proxy measures.
326
EXHIBIT 3.2
Concepts are Abstractions of Reality
327
Research Propositions and Hypotheses

Propositions
Statements explaining the logical linkage among
certain concepts by asserting a universal connection
between concepts.
Example: Treating employees better will make them more
loyal employees.
Hypothesis
Formal statement of an unproven proposition that is
empirically testable.
Example: Giving employees one Friday off each month will
result in lower employee turnover.
328
Empirical Testing
Empirical Testing
Examining a research hypothesis against reality using
data.
Variables
Anything that may assume different numerical values.
The empirical assessment of a concept.
Operationalizing
The process of identifying the actual measurement
scales to asses the variables of interest.
329
EXHIBIT 3.3
Hypotheses Are the Empirical Counterparts

of Propositions
330
EXHIBIT 3.4
A Basic Theory Explaining Voluntary Job

Turnover
331
Theory Building
Deductive Reasoning
The logical process of deriving a conclusion about a
specific instance based on a known general premise or
something known to be true.
Inductive Reasoning
The logical process of establishing a general
proposition on the basis of observation of particular
facts.
332

The Business Research Process

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3

Business Research Methods 9e

The Business Research

2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May

Types of Business Research

Not intended to provide conclusive evidence

Accuracy is critically important.

Can take a long time to implement and often

The Spurious Effect of Ice Cream

Stages in the Research Process

2. Planning a research design

4. Collecting the data

6. Formulating the conclusions and preparing the

Stages of the Research Process

Defining the Research Objectives

Exploratory Research can be used to gain a clearer idea of

Exploratory Research Techniques

A small-scale study in which the results are only preliminary

A small group discussion about some research topic led by a

Planning the Research Design

Most common method is the survey

What size should the sample be?

Data Gathering / Collection

Processing and Analyzing Data

Drawing Conclusions and Preparing a

Interpreting the research results

Describing the implications

Drawing the appropriate conclusions for managerial

The Research Program Strategy

satisfaction, market share

Concepts are the building blocks of theory.

Latent Construct: a concept that is not directly

Concepts are Abstractions of Reality

Research Propositions and Hypotheses

Hypotheses Are the Empirical Counterparts

A Basic Theory Explaining Voluntary Job

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