chapter 1 understanding research

7/26/2019 Chapter 1 Understanding Research

1/23

Business Research: A practicalguide for undergraduate and

postgraduate student

Chapter 1:

Understanding ResearchJill Husey and Roger Husey


2/23

Outline

Definition and purpose of research

Qualities of good researcher

Type of research

The research process

Characteristics of a good research project


3/23

Definition

Process of enquiry and investigation (thoroughand rigorous !" organi#ed

$yste%atical and %ethodical (coherent andlogical route !" using appropriate %ethod tocollect data and analy#e

&ncrease 'noledge !" address specific pro)le%* research pro)le%


4/23

Purpose

To revie and synthesi#e e+isting 'noledge

To investigate so%e e+isting situation or pro)le%

To provide solutions to a pro)le%

To e+plore and analyses %ore general issues

To construct or create a ne procedure or syste%

To e+plain a ne pheno%enon To generate ne 'noledge

, co%)ination of any or a)ove


5/23

Qualities of a good researcher

Perseverance


6/23

1. Communication Sills

,)ility to co%%unicate (ritten and ver)allyyour understanding of the research area

-+a%ple. discussing your project ith yoursupervisor/ negotiating access to sources of data/conducting intervies/ designing a

questionnaires/ leading a focus group/ ritingand presenting report


7/23

!. "ntellectual Sills

0noledge. a)ility to recall facts/ no%enclature/ practical techniques/las/ theories/ co%putation

Co%prehension. a)ility to translate fro% one for% to another1 tointerpret or deduce the significant of data/ to solve si%ple pro)le%srelying on those a)ilities

,pplication. a)ility to apply 'noledge/ e+perience/ and s'ill to ane situation presented in a novel %anner

,nalysis. a)ility to )rea' don infor%ation into its various parts

$ynthesis. a)ility to )uild up infor%ation fro% other infor%ation

-valuation. a)ility to %a'e quantitative or qualitative judg%ent1 toset out a reasoned argu%ent through a series of steps/ usually of gradually

increasing difficulty1 to critici#e constructively


8/23

#. "nformation technolog$ sills

,ccess to co%puter

,)ility of )asic &T s'ills (ord processing/ e+cel/

statistical pac'ages/ data)ase %anage%ent/access to internet for references/ -nd 2ote


9/23

%. Organi&ational sills

Ti%e %anage%ent !" ti%e ta)les of research


10/23

'. (oti)ation

3aintaining and increasing interest in yourresearch


11/23

*. "ndependence

-%poered

$elf %otivated

Highly independent


12/23

Personal strengths and +eanesses

,areness of on strengths/ ea'ness andvalues

Clarity of thought

$ensitivity of events and feelings

-%otional resilience

4le+i)ility Creativity


13/23


14/23

"ndi)idual Assessment on

Qualities of ,ood researcher


15/23

-$pes of Research

Purpose * reason hy

Process * ay in hich you collect and analy#edata

5ogic * general to specific or vice versa

6utco%e * solve particular pro)le% or %a'e

contri)ution to 'noledge


16/23

Purpose of research

78 -+ploratory.

Conduct a research pro)le% or issue here there arevery fe or no earlier studies8

,i% to loo' for pattern/ ideas or hypotheses (notconfir%ing or testing !" through cases studies/o)servation or e+perience

Hypotheses. idea or proposition hich can )e testedfor causality or association )y deducing logicalconsequences hich can )e tested against e%pirical

evidence (data


17/23

98 Descriptive

Descri)e pheno%ena as they e+ist to identify oro)tain infor%ation on the characteristics of a

particular issue or pro)le%8 :sing quantitative or qualitative statisticaltechniques

;oes further in e+a%ining a pro)le% than

e+ploratory research as to ascertain and descri)esignificant issue


18/23

8 Predictive

,i% to generali#e fro% the analysis )y predicting

certain pheno%ena on the )asis of hypothesi#edgeneral relationships

Provides ho/ hy/ and here ansers to current

events and also si%ilar events in the future


19/23

Process of research

Quantitative

6)jective in nature

Concentrates on %easuring pheno%ena

(collecting/ analy#ing nu%erical data andapplying statistical tests

Qualitative

$u)jective in nature

-+a%ining/ reflecting on perception to gain andunderstanding of social and hu%an activities


20/23

ogic of research

Deductive

a study hich a conceptual and theoreticalstructure is developed and then tested )y

e%pirical o)servation !" particular instances arededuced fro% general inferences (general toparticular

&nductive

a study in hich theory is developed fro% theo)servation of e%pirical reality !" generalinferences are induced fro% particular instances(specific to general


21/23

Outcome of research

?asic

4unda%ental=pure research

Research pro)le% is less specific nature

Conducted to i%prove our understanding ofgeneral issues ithout e%phasis on itsi%%ediate application

,pplied

Design to apply its findings to solving a specific/e+isting pro)le%


22/23

-he Research Process&dentify research

topic

Define researchpro)le%

Deter%ine ho toconduct research

Collect research data

,nalyse and interpretresearch data

@ritedissertation=thesis


23/23

Characteristics of a good research pro/ect

;ood literature revie

$ound pri%ary research

5ogical structure,nalytical

Theory integrated

:nderpinned )y conceptual fra%eor' &ntegration )eteen %ethodology/ literature/

analysis/ conclusions/ etc

chapter 1 understanding research

Documents