Statement of Research

Objectives
and
Research in Management

Sasmita Mishra
 What is research
Objective?
The objective of a research is like a torch
bearer for the researcher.
Formulation of objectives is of basic
importance because it determines the
data which are to be collected, the
characteristics of data which are
relevant, relations which are to be
explored, the choice of techniques to be
used in these explorations and the form
of final report….. W.A.Neiswanger.
 Problem vs. Objectives
 Problem is the difficulty faced by the
researcher or a gap in the literature.
 Objective is the mission statement to
sole that difficulty or fill the gap in the
literature.
Ex. –
Prob: Why apple is falling from the tree?
Objective: To examine why apple is falling
from the tree.
Or to find out the possible cause (s) of this
phenomena.
 Types of Objectives pg.1
Quantitative: It aims to optimize
certain measures of performances
of the system of study.
Ex. _ A study on advertising budget
aims to plan allocation of
advertising fund in relation to
other expenditure so that the
incremental sales revenue is
maximized.
 Types of Objectives pg.2
Qualitative:It aims to test the
significance of hypotheses of a
study of importance
Ex. – A study on testing the effect of
the level of education of sales
force of a company on its sales
revenue.
Identifying the Objectives

In the process of identifying the

objectives of the research, the
researcher must finalize the
following..
 Research questions
 Hypotheses
 Boundary of the study
 Research Questions
 Research questions are the problems
not solved till date. One should ask
question relating to the
 Purpose: What is the purpose of the
study
 Place: Where does the study take place?
 Present state: What is the present state
of the research issue?
 Means: How is the purpose achieved?
Why that particular method?
These questions helps in crystallizing the
 Hypothesis
 Hypothesis are intelligent or
educated guess which can be put
to test to determine its validity.
 It is a tentative supposition about
the outcomes of a research.
Ex. Age has no influence over
achieving sales target of a sales
person.
 Boundary of the study
 Studying the whole universe is
beneficial but it may become
infeasible because of its size,
complexities and constraints.
Hence the boundary of the study is
should be properly defined.
Research in management
Business executives in each of the
functional areas of management,
viz., marketing, production, finance and
personnel are confronted with several
interactions decision-making problems
in their day-to-day operation.

Many of these problems demand a

systematic research which will aid the
executives to take optimal and effective
decision.
 Research Problems in
Marketing
 Product identification
 Demand estimation
 Demand supply analysis
 Product development
 Marketing segmentation
 Media mix
 Sales promotion programme
 Product launching design and
distribution channel
 Pricing Marketing strategy formulation
 Buying behaviour, etc.
 Research Problems in
Production
 Plant location
 Plant layout
 Materials equipments planning
 Single machine scheduling
 Quality control
 Work design
 Modern production system design, like
JIT, CAM, TQM, etc.
 Research Problems in
Finance
 Economic evaluation of alternatives
 Study of financial parameters of
organisations
 Portfolio management
 Secondary market study
 Balance of payment
 Inflation
 Deflation
 Economic growth models.
 Research Problems in
Personnel
 Manpower planning
 Performance appraisal system
 Conflict management
 Study of organizational climate
 Design of incentive plans
 Leadership styles
 Training methods
 Change management
 Negotiation and wage settlement
 Labour welfare study