By Vajid Khan Sem-II

Introduction to Research
What is research?

Research is the process of finding

solutions to a problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors.

What is business research?

Research provides the needed information

that guides managers to make informed decisions to successfully deal with problems. The information provided could be the result of a careful analysis of data gathered firsthand or of data that are already available (in the company).

Introduction to business research

Scope of business research

- for-profit, non-profit business - business functions (production, finance, management, marketing)

A definition of business research:

gathering and analyzing data in a systematic manner to aid business decisions

objectivity and business research

Introduction to business research

Basic research aims at expanding the boundaries of our knowledge or verifying the acceptability of a given theory.
There is nothing so practical as a good theory.

Applied research is related to a specific problem to be solved.

Scientific method

- set of techniques and procedures - systematic analysis and logical interpretation of evidence
The scientific method is the essence of research.

Types of Business research.

1.Applied research Is to solve a current problem faced by the manager in

the work setting,demanding a timely solution. 2.Basic research (fundamental, pure)

Is to generate a body of knowledge by trying to

comprehend how certain problems that occur in organizations can be solved.

The findings of such research contribute to the

building of knowledge in the various functional areas of business.

Why is it important for managers to know about research?

Solve problems
Decision making tool Competition

Risk
Investment

Hire researchers and consultants more

effectively

2 Scientific Investigation

1 Observation 2 Identification of problem area 3 Theoretical framework 4 Hypotheses 5 Research design 6 Data collection 7 Data analysis 8 Data interpretation 9 Implementation

The seven-step process in the HypotheticoDeductive method

1 Observation 2 Problem identification preliminary information gathering 3 Theoretical framework theory formulation 4 Hypothesizing 5 Research design further scientific data collection 6 logical analysis 7 Deduction

The seven-step process

problem statement is a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution. Theoretical framework is the foundation on which the entire research project is based.It is logically developed,described,and elaborated network of associations among the variables relevant to the problem situation. A hypothesis is a tentative statement that proposes a possible explanation to some phenomenon or event. A useful hypothesis is a testable statement which may include a prediction. A hypotheses should not be confused with a theory.

Data analysis: the data gathered are statistically analyzed to see if the
hypotheses that were generated have been supported.

Measurement is the process observing and recording the observations that are collected as part of a research effort.

Deduction is the process of arriving at conclusions by interpreting the meaning

of the data analysis results.

Problem Formulation
"Well begun is half done" --Aristotle, quoting an

old proverb
Where do research topics come from? The idea for a research project? one of the most common sources of research ideas is

the experience of practical problems in the field? The Literature Review

The Research Cycle

The Research Cycle

QUESTIONING PLANNING GATHERING SORTING & SIFTING SYNTHESIZING EVALUATING REPORTING*

Information needs in business Almost every organization has to engage in research at

some level to stay competitive. Companies gather data both from within and outside the organization. The methods used to gather,analyze,and synthesize information from the external and internal environments are becoming increasingly sophisticated to the immense scope of computer technology.

The research process

1 Observation 2 Data gathering 3 Problem definition 4 Theoretical framework (variables identified) 5 Hypotheses 6 Research design 7 Data collection,analysis,interpretation 8 Deduction 9 Report writing 10 Report presentation 11 Managerial decision making

Research design Purpose of the study:

Exploratory study

Is undertaken when no information is available on how similar problems or research issues have been solved in the past Is to able to describe the characteristics of the variables of interest in a situation. Is undertaken to explain the variance in the dependent variable or to predict organizational outcomes.

Descriptive study

Hypotheses testing

Case studies

Research design can be thought of as the structure of research --

it is the "glue" that holds all of the elements in a research project together

Measurement
The rating scale Have several response catagories Likert scale is designed o exermine how strongly subject agree or disagree with statements on a 5-point scale Ranking scale Are used to tap preferences between two or more objects or items Goodness of measure : reliability,validity

Data collection methods

Data can be collected in a variety ways ,data sources

can be primary or secondary. Data collection methods such as: interview(face-to-face,telephone,computer-assisted interviews),
Questionaires Observation Motivational techniques

Sampling
A sample is a subset of the population. Sample is the process of selecting a sufficient number of

elements from the population. Studying a sample rather the entire population is sometimes to lead to more reliable results, mostly because fatigue is reduced,resulting in fewer errors on collection data. (time, cost,human resources) Surveys are useful and powerful in finding answers to research question but if data are not collected from the people or objects that can provide the correct answers to solve the problem, the survey will be in vain.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

The data analysis involves three major steps, done in

roughly this order:

Cleaning and organizing the data for analysis Describing the data Testing Hypotheses and Models

The Research Report

Researh proposal
Research report Research presentation

Summary
Business research:

- reduces uncertainty by providing information on a given subject

A classification of business research on the basis of its

function (purpose)

1. Exploratory research - initial research conducted to clarify and define the nature of a problem - sometimes the general problem is realized but a better understanding is needed before a detailed research Examples: Absenteeism is increasing and we dont know why would people be interested in our new product idea? - methods: interviews, basic statistical calculations

Summary
2. Descriptive research - research designed to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon - who? what? when? where? how? Examples: What kind of people prefer Big Mac hamburgers? What are the characteristics of students in this class? - methods: surveys, analysis of already existing data 3. Causal research - research conducted to identify cause-and-effect relationships among variables Examples: the influence of price and advertising on sales Which of two training programs is more effective? - methods: experiments, econometric analyses

Citations related to the topic

I keep six honest serving men, (they taught me all I knew). Their names are What, and Why, and When, and How, and Where, and Who. (R. Kipling)

The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution. (A. Einstein)

Thank You