Chapter 5

Clarifying the Research

Question through Secondary
Data and Exploration

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives
Understand...
The purpose and process of exploratory research.
The two types and three levels of management
decision-related secondary sources.
The five types of external information and the
factors for evaluating the value of a source and
its content.

5-2

Learning Objectives
Understand . . .
The process of using exploratory research to
understand the management dilemma and work
through the stages of analysis necessary to
formulate the research question (and,
ultimately, investigative questions and
measurement questions).
What is involved in internal data mining and how
internal data-mining techniques differ from
literature searches.
5-3

Clarifying the Research Question

Reduces Information Overload
Companies are certainly aware of data
mining, but most companies are not making
effective use of the data collected. They
are not so good at analyzing it or applying
these insights to the business.
Gregory Piatetsky-Shapiro
president
Kdnuggets
5-4

PulsePoint:
Research Revelation

33

The percent of financial executives

who have full confidence in their
current risk strategies.

5-5

Exploratory Phase
Search Strategy
Discovery/ Analysis
Secondary Sources

Expert
Interview

Search
Strategy

Group
Discussions

Individual
Depth Interviews
5-6

Integration of Secondary Data

into the Research Process

5-7

Objectives of Secondary
Searches
Expand understanding of management
dilemma
Gather background information
Identify information to gather
Identify sources for and actual questions
Identify sources for and actual sample
frames

5-8

Conducting a
Literature Search
Define
Define management
management dilemma
dilemma
Consult
Consult books
books for
for relevant
relevant terms
terms
Use
Use terms
terms to
to search
search
Locate/review
Locate/review secondary
secondary sources
sources
Evaluate
Evaluate value
value of
of each
each source
source
and
and content
content
5-9

Whiteboard technology makes an easier

discussion of symptoms relevant to the
management-research question hierarchy
5-10

Levels of Information

Primary
Sources:
Memos
Letters
Interviews
Speeches
Laws
Internal records

Secondary
Sources:
Encyclopedias
Textbooks
Handbooks
Magazines
Newspapers
Newscasts

Tertiary
Sources:
Indexes
Bibliographies
Internet
search engines

5-11

Integrating Secondary Data

5-12

The
U.S. Government
is the
worlds largest
source of data

5-13

Information Sources
Indexes/
Bibliographies

Directories
Directories

Dictionaries
Dictionaries

Types
Types
Handbooks
Handbooks

Encyclopedias

5-14

Evaluating Information Sources

Purpose

Format
Format

Scope
Scope

Evaluation
Evaluation
Factors
Factors
Audience
Audience

Authority

5-15

The Evolution of Data Mining

Evolutionary Step

Investigative Question

Enabling Technologies

Characteristics

Data collection
(1960s)

What was my
average total revenue
over the last five
years?

Computers, tapes,
disks

Retrospective, static
data delivery

Data access (1980s)

What were unit sales

in California last
December?

Relational databases
(RDBMS), structured
query language
(SQL), ODBC

Retrospective,
dynamic data delivery
at record level

Data navigation
(1990s)

What were unit sales

in California last
December? Drill down
to Sacramento.

Online analytic
processing (OLAP),
multidimensional
databases, data
warehouses

Retrospective,
dynamic data delivery
at multiple levels

Data mining (2000)

Whats likely to
happen to
Sacramento unit sales
next month? Why?

Advanced algorithms,
multiprocessor
computers, massive
databases

Prospective, proactive
information delivery

5-16

Data Mining in Business

5-17

Data-Mining Process

5-18

Business Research Process

5-19

Stage 1: Clarifying the Research

Question

Management-research question hierarchy begins by

identifying the management dilemma
5-20

Management-Research Question
Hierarchy

5-21

SalePros Hierarchy

5-22

Formulating the
Research Question

5-23

Types of
Management Questions

5-24

The Research Question

Break
Break
questions
questions
down
down

Examine
Examine
variables
variables
Determine
Determine
necessary
necessary
evidence
evidence

Fine-Tuning
Fine-Tuning

Set
Set
scope
scope of
of
study
study

Evaluate
Evaluate
hypotheses
hypotheses
5-25

Investigative Questions

Performance
Performance Considerations
Considerations

Attitudinal
Attitudinal Issues
Issues

Behavioral
Behavioral Issues
Issues

5-26

Harris Interactive
answers Why?
for its research
clients

5-27

Gantt Chart
MindWriter Project Plan

5-28

Key Terms
Bibliography
Bibliographic Database
Data Mart
Data Mining
Data Visualization
Data Warehouse
Dictionary
Directory
Encyclopedia
Expert interview
Exploratory research
Handbook
Index
Individual depth interview

Investigative questions
Literature search
Management question
Measurement question
Custom-designed
Predesigned

Primary sources
Research questions
Secondary sources
Source evaluation

Purpose
Scope
Authority
Audience
Format

Tertiary sources

5-29

Appendix
5a
Bibliographic
Database Searches

Appendices
5b
Advanced Searches
5-30

Searching Databases vs. the

Web

5-31

Advanced Searching Process

5-32

Review of Advanced Search

Options

5-33