Business Research Methods

Assignment: Exploratory study Descriptive study Causal study Case study

Submitted to: Maam Sara Yaqoob

Submitted by: Waseem Akram (F-42012) BBA-21(v)

Submission Date October 10th, 2011

Exploratory Study Exploratory study is a type of study conducted for a problem that has not been clearly defined. Exploratory study helps determine the best research design, data collection method and selection of subjects. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Given its fundamental nature, exploratory research often concludes that a perceived problem does not actually exist. An exploratory study is undertaken when not much is known about the situation at hand or no information is available on how similar problem or research issues have been solved in the past. In such cases, extensive preliminary work needs to be done to gain familiarity with the phenomenon in the situation and understand what is occurring before we develop a model and set up a rigorous design for comprehensive investigation. In essence exploratory studies are undertaken to better comprehend the nature of the problem since very few studies might have been considered in that area. Extensive interviews with many people might have been undertaken to get a handle on the situation and understand the phenomena. More rigorous research could then proceed. Some qualitative studies where data are collected through observation or interviews are exploratory in nature. When the data reveal some pattern regarding the phenomena of interest theories are developed and hypothesis formulated for subsequent testing. Exploratory studies are also necessary when some facts are known but more information is needed for developing a viable theoretical framework. When we want to get at the important factors that influence the advancement of women in organizations previous studies might indicate that women are increasingly taking on qualities such as assertiveness, competitiveness and independence. Descriptive Study

Descriptive epidemiologic studies examine differences in disease rates among populations in relation to age, gender, race, and differences in temporal or environmental conditions. In general, these studies can only identify patterns or trends in disease occurrence over time or in different geographical locations but cannot ascertain the causal agent or degree of exposure. These studies are often very useful for generating hypotheses for further research. Descriptive studies include case reports or case series, surveillance systems, correlation (sometimes called ecologic studies), cross-sectional studies, and cluster investigations. Descriptive studies are observational studies which describe the patterns of disease occurrence in relation to variables such as person, place and time. They are often the first step or initial enquiry into a new topic, event, disease or condition. Descriptive studies can be divided into two roles those studies that emphasize features of a new condition and those which describe the health status of communities or populations. Case reports, case-series reports, before-and-after studies, cross-sectional studies and surveillance studies deal with individuals. Ecological Studies examine populations. Common misuses of descriptive studies involve a lack of a clear, specific and reproducible case definition and establishing a casual relationship which the data cannot support. Whilst descriptive studies can highlight associations between variables or between exposure and outcome variables, they cannot establish causality. Descriptive studies do not have a comparison (control) group which means that they do not allow for inferences to be drawn about associations, casual or otherwise. However, they can suggest hypotheses which can be tested in analytical observational studies.

Uses of Descriptive Studies

1. Health care planning: Descriptive studies provide knowledge about which populations or subgroups are most or least affected by disease. 2. Hypothesis generation: Descriptive studies identify descriptive characteristics which frequently constitutes an important first step in the search for determinants or risk factors that can be altered or eliminated to reduce or prevent disease. 3. Trend Analysis Types of Descriptive Studies Case reports: Case reports describe the experience of a single patient or a group of patients with a similar diagnosis. These types of studies typically depict an observant clinician identifying an unusual feature of a disease or a patient's history. Case Series: A case series is a report on a series of patients with an outcome of interest. No control group is involved. Another way of defining a case series is that case series are collections of individual case reports which may occur within a fairly short period of time and these are aggregated into one publication. Cross-sectional (Prevalence) Study: This is the observation of a defined population at a single point in time or time interval. Exposure and outcome are determined simultaneously. This means that costs are small and loss to follow up is not a problem. Ecological Correlation Study: Ecological correlation studies look for associations between exposures and outcomes in populations rather than in individuals. They use data that has already been collected. Causal study:-

Causal Research explores the effect of one thing on another and more specifically, the effect of one variable on another. The research is used to measure what impact a specific change will have on existing norms and allows market researchers to predict hypothetical scenarios upon which a company can base its business plan. For example, if a clothing company currently sells blue denim jeans, causal research can measure the impact of the company changing the product design to the color white. Following the research, company bosses will be able to decide whether changing the color of the jeans to white would be profitable. To summarize, causal research is a way of seeing how actions now will affect a business in the future. If the objective is to determine which variable might be causing certain behavior, i.e. whether there is a cause and effect relationship between variables, causal research must be undertaken. In order to determine causality, it is important to hold the variable that is assumed to cause the change in the other variable(s) constant and then measure the changes in the other variable(s). This type of research is very complex and the researcher can never be completely certain that there are not other factors influencing the causal relationship, especially when dealing with peoples attitudes and motivations.

Case study:-

A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit (e.g., a person, group, or event) stressing developmental factors in relation to context. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The latter type is used to explore causation in order to find underlying principles. They may be prospective, in which criteria are established and cases fitting the criteria are included as they become available, or retrospective, in which criteria are established for selecting cases from historical records for inclusion in the study. Thomas offers the following definition of case study: "Case studies are analyses of persons, events, decisions, periods, projects, policies, institutions, or other systems that are studied holistically by one or more methods. The case that is the subject of the inquiry will be an instance of a class of phenomena that provides an analytical frame an object within which the study is conducted and which the case illuminates and explicates." Rather than using samples and following a rigid protocol (strict set of rules) to examine limited number of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal (over a long period of time) examination of a single instance or event: a case. They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. As a result the researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might become important to look at more extensively in future research. Case studies lend themselves to both generating and testing hypotheses.