Research Design and Formulation of problem

Why Research is Needed in Business

Decision-Making is the process of resolving a problem or choosing amongst alternative opportunities

What is the problem or opportunity? How much Information is available? What Information is needed

How to select research problem Novel–one which has not been investigated before. - Inject originality in it by coming up with another research

design, - Interesting-Relevant Will the results add knowledge to information already

available in the field?

• Is the topic too broad?

• Can the problem really be investigated? What costs and time are involved in the analysis? Researchable Can the data be analyzed? Ethical

Literature Review Why - Broaden Knowledge Base

- Ensuring originality in the conduct of one’s research;

- Clarity and focus- Gaps : findings and conclusions of past

studies- Formulating the theoretical and conceptual

framework

How Search for existing literature Prepare a working bibliography Write in index cards; group together

references from a. booksb. journals and periodicalsc. unpublished material

3. Examine each material, then decide which ones will actually be included in your review

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Review should be brief and to the point.

A plan to present the review Emphasize relatedness Don’t reproduce it

Research Design

The research design is the master plan specifying the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information.

Three traditional categories of research design: Exploratory Descriptive Causal

The overall research design for a project may include one or more of these three designs as part's of it.

Further, if more than one design is to be used, typically we progress from Exploratory toward Causal.

Research Objective Appropriate Design

To gain background information, to define terms, to clarify Exploratoryproblems and develop hypotheses, to establish research priorities, to develop questions to be answeredTo describe and measure phenomena at a point Descriptivein timeTo determine causality, test hypotheses, to make “if-then” Causalstatements, to answer questions

Basic Research Objectives and Research Design

Research Design: Exploratory Research

Exploratory research is most commonly unstructured, “informal” research that is undertaken to gain background information about the general nature of the research problem.

Exploratory research is usually conducted when the researcher does not know much about the problem and needs additional information or desires new or more recent information.

Undertaken with the aim of clarifying ambiguous problems

General problems usually known but not sufficiently understood

The purpose is to get more information, not to uncover specific courses of action (subsequent research)

Example: Child-Care support programme for employees

Methods for Exploratory Research

A variety of methods are available to conduct exploratory research: Secondary Data Analysis Experience Surveys Case Analysis Focus Groups Projective Techniques

Research Design: Descriptive Research

Descriptive research is undertaken to provide answers to questions of who, what, where, when, and how – but not why.

Some examples: What is the prevailing organizational culture in

broadcast networks?- Who are the main consumers of organic foods?- How many students read the prescribed course

literature?

Two basic classifications: Cross-sectional studies Longitudinal studies

Research Design: Descriptive ResearchCross-sectional Studies

Cross-sectional studies measure units from a sample of the population at only one point in time.

Sample surveys are cross-sectional studies whose samples are drawn in such a way as to be representative of a specific population.

On-line survey research is being used to collect data for cross-sectional surveys at a faster rate of speed.

Research Design: Descriptive ResearchLongitudinal Studies

Longitudinal studies repeatedly draw sample units of a population over time.

One method is to draw different units from the same sampling frame.

A second method is to use a “panel” where the same people are asked to respond periodically.

On-line survey research firms recruit panel members to respond to online queries.

Research Design: Descriptive ResearchLongitudinal Studies

Two types of panels: Continuous panels ask panel members the

same questions on each panel measurement.

Discontinuous (Omnibus) panels vary questions from one time to the next.

Longitudinal data used for: Market tracking Brand-switching Attitude and image checks

Causal Research:

Undertaken with the aim of identifying cause and effect relationships amongst variables

Are normally preceeded by exploratory and descriptive research studies

Often difficult to determine because of the influence of other variables (concommitant Variation and the presence of other hidden variables)

Example: Higher ice-cream consumption causes more people to drown (indicative of a causal relationship (?))

Causal Research Types of variables: Independent variables – the cause supposed

to be responsible for the bringing about change in a phenomenon or situation.

Dependent variables – the outcome of change brought about by change in the independent variable

Intervening variable – a variable whose existence is inferred but cannot be manipulated or controlled

Moderator variable – a variable that may or may not be controlled but has an effect on the research situation/phenomenon

Causal Research For example:

Does a commitment to ethics among media practitioners depend on their educational or professional training?

Independent variable: educational attainment of journalist.

Dependent variables: ethical behavior, knowledge of Code of Ethics

Intervening variable: newsroom policies Moderator variables: civil status, age, years of

work experience

Experiments An experiment is defined as manipulating (changing

values/situations) one or more independent variables to see how the dependent variable(s) is/are affected, while also controlling the affects of additional extraneous variables. Independent variables: those over which the researcher

has control and wishes to manipulate i.e. package size, ad copy, price.

Dependent variables: those over which the researcher has little to no direct control, but has a strong interest in testing i.e. sales, profit, market share.

Extraneous variables: those that may effect a dependent variable but are not independent variables.

Experimental Design

An experimental design is a procedure for devising an experimental setting such that a change in the dependent variable may be solely attributed to a change in an independent variable.

Symbols of an experimental design: O = measurement of a dependent variable X = manipulation, or change, of an independent

variable R = random assignment of subjects to

experimental and control groups E = experimental effect

Stages in the Research Process

DefineProblem

Planning a Research Design

Planninga Sample

Gatheringthe Data

Processing andAnalysing the Data

Conclusionsand Report

Flowcharting the Research Process (1)

Problem Discovery

Secondary (historical) dataPilot Study

Experience SurveyCase Study

Problem Definition(Statement of research objectives)

Selection of exploratory

research technique

Selection of basic research

method

Survey (Interview, Questionnaire)Experiment (Laboratory, Field)

Secondary Data StudyObservation

Flowcharting the Research Process (2)

Survey (Interview, Questionnaire)Experiment (Laboratory, Field)

Secondary Data StudyObservation

Sample Design

ProbabilitySampling

Non-ProbabilitySampling

Collection of Data (Fieldwork)

Editing and Coding Data

Data Processing and Analysis

Interpretation of Findings

Report