research method for business chapter 3

Research Methods for Business

Khalid Javaid Anwer

KJAN

Welcome

Chapter 3

The Research Process

The broad problem area

Preliminary data gathering

Literature review

Problem definition

The research proposal

Managerial implications

Ethical issues

The Research Process;

TOPICS

OBSERVATIONBroad area of research

interest identified

PRELIMINARYDATA GATHERING

InterviewingLiterature survey

NO

PROBLEMDEFINITION

ResearchProblem

delineated

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Variables clearlyIdentified and

labeled

GENERATION OF

HYPOTHESES

SCIENTIFICRESEARCH

DESIGN

DATA COLLECTION,ANALYSIS, AND

INTERPRETATION

DEDUCTIONHypotheses

Substantiated?Research question

answered?

Yes

ManagerialDecisionMaking

ReportPresentation

ReportWriting

1

119

8

10

765

43

2

The Research Process for A & B Research

The broad problem area refers to the entire situation

where there is a possible need for research and problem

solving. The specific issue might pertain to

1) Problems currently existing in an organizational

setting that need to be solved,

2) Areas that a manager believes need to be improved,

3) Conceptual or theoretical issue that needs to be

researched to understand certain phenomena, and

4) Some research questions that a basic researcher

wants to answer empirically.


Broad Problem Area

Example 1: Problem Currently Existing:

A General Manager receives complaints from Supervisory Managers that their subordinate staff is not punctual in attending office. From such statements the General Manager becomes aware that a punctuality-related problem exists.

• Poor punctuality is a symptom, whereas the true underlying problem may not be known. Research investigation is required to identify the problem and then fix it.


Examples; (headach)

Example 2: Situation Requiring Improvement:

If the company has already implemented measures to ensure punctuality, and some complaints of poor punctuality continue to come in, then it is obvious that the policies are not bringing the full results.

• Through research, such policies and procedures need to be redefined.


Examples;

Example 3: Conceptual Issue that Needs to be

Researched:

A researcher may undertake basic research to study

the phenomenon of punctuality so as to define that

concept in precise terms.


Examples;

Example 4: Empirical Answers:

A researcher may want to find answers empirically to

the issue of perceived punctuality versus the actual

punctuality and its impact on the consequences for

the individuals (psychological stress) and for

organizations (poor performance).

Such research is done by gathering data and testing

the relationships between variables.


Examples;

1. Training programs are perhaps not as effective as anticipated.

2. The sales volume of a product is not picking up.

3. Minority group members in firm are not advancing in their

careers.

4. The newly installed info. system is not being used by the

managers.

5. The introduction of flexible work hours has created more

problems.

6. Inventory control is not effective.


Further Examples; Broad Problem Area:

Nature of information to be gathered

Preliminary information helps to narrow down the broad

problem area & to define a specific problem statement

The nature of information needed by the researchers may be

broadly classified as:

1. Background information of the organization—that is, the

contextual factors.

2. Prevailing knowledge on the topic – that is, relevant

findings from previous research


Preliminary Data/information gathering

Secondary data;

The data that already exist and include;

1. Statistical bulletins

2. Government publications

3. Information published or unpublished and available

from either within or outside the organization

4. Data available from previous research

5. Case studies and library records

6. Online data, web sites, and the internet.


Types of the Data:

Primary Data;

The data collected first-hand by the researcher. It includes

1. Gathering such information as the perceptions and

attitudes of employees by talking to them

2. By observing events, people, and objects

3. By administering questionnaires to individuals.


Types of the Data:

a. Background Information; It includes the contextual factors:

1. The origin and history of the company.

2. Size in terms of employees, assets, etc.

3. Charter—purpose and ideology.

4. Location—regional, national, or other.

5. Resources—human and other.

6. Interdependent relationships with other institutions and the

external environment.

7. Financial position during the previous 5 to 10 years, and

relevant financial data.


Background Information on the Organization:

b. Prevailing knowledge on the topic;

Literature review helps to identify the important variables

related to the problem

Literature review helps the research – true reasons for the

problem may not be unidentified even at the end of the research


Background Information on the Organization:

Step-by-step process to identify the published and

unpublished work from secondary data sources on the

topic of interest

Evaluation of this work and the documentation of this work

Helps not to re-invent the wheel again

Helps to avoid the wastages of resources


Literature review

1. Important variables that are likely to influence the problem

situation are not left out.

2. What variables are important to consider (parsimony), why

they are considered important, and how they should be

investigated to solve the problem.

3. The Problem Statement can be made with precision and

clarity and Testability and Replicability of the findings of the

current research are enhanced.

4. Efforts are not wasted in rediscovering something that is

already known and the problem investigated is perceived by

the scientific community as relevant and significant.

A good literature ensures that; (benefits)


The first step

Identify the various published & unpublished materials

Data sources

Text books

Journals

Ph.D thesis

Conference proceeding

Reports

Newspapers

The internet

.

Conducting the Literature Survey;


Searching for literature

Previously one had to manually go through bibliographical

indexes that compiled periodically

With modern technology it is easier to locate sources related to

the topic of interest

Computerized databases provide the following advantages;

1) Save plenty of time

2) Comprehensive in their listing and review references

3) Gaining access to them is relatively inexpensive

.



Research Methods: Chapter 3

Arcidiacono, P., Cooley, J., & Hussey, A. (2008).The economic returns to an MBA. InternationalEconomic Review, vol. 49(3), 873-899.

Bennis W., O Toole, J. (2005). How business schools lost their way, Harvard Business Review, vol.83, 96-104.

Bruce, G. (2010). Exploring the value of MBA degrees, Journal of Education for Business, pp.85,38-44

Bruce, G. (2010). Exploring the value of MBA degrees: students' experiences in full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programs.Journal of Education for Business, 85, 38-44.

Burke, G.D., Edgington, R., & Olkin, J.M., (2003). Apply & demand: how the economy affectsgraduates' career choices, Selections, 5-11

Chiu, R. (1999). Relationships between motivators and criteria in the selection of a distancelearning MBA program in Hong Kong, Career Development International,Vol. 4 (1), 26-33.

Cornuke, B. (2000, March 28). Facing a murky job market.Business Week Online/ Dawn

Davies, A., & Cline T.W. (2005). The ROI on the MBA, BizEd, pp. 42-45

Dohm, A. & Shniper, L. (2007).Occupational employment projections to 2016.Monthly LaborReview, pp. 87-125.


Electronic journals

Your library is probably subscribed to journals that are

available online

Full-text databases

Full-text of the articles

Bibliographical databases

B. databases display the bibliographic citations;

Research Methods 5th Edition by Uma Sekaran. P-450



Basically, three forms of databases are used when evaluating the

literature:

Bibliographic Databases

Display only the bibliographic citations, that is, the name of the

author, the title of the article (or book), source of publication,

year, volume, and page numbers.

Abstract Databases

Provide an abstract or summary or overview of the study

purpose.

Full-text Databases

Provide the full text of the articles.




Concepts and constructs are both abstraction. Man, table, tree,

insect, etc are abstractions and so are ideas of motivation, beauty,

attitude, etc.

The difference lies in the nature of "objects" the abstractions are

made from: The existence of the objects from which the

abstractions are made may be factual or hypothetical.

Where factual, the abstraction is a concept (e.g., table) and

Where the object is hypothetical or inferential, the abstraction is a

construct (e.g., motivation).



The above answer is correct and well explained.

Kaplan explains that constructs are theoretical concepts that are

based on observations that cannot be observed directly or

indirectly (e.g. IQ, or motivation in the definition above).

Calling a construct real is a reification.



Documenting the Literature Review

The documentation of the relevant studies citing the author and

the year of the study is called literature review or literature

survey.

The literature survey is a clear & logical presentation of the

relevant research work done in the area of investigation

The literature survey should bring together all relevant

information in a clear and logical manner instead of presenting

all the studies in chronological order.

A good literature survey also leads to a good problem

statement.

There are several accepted methods of citing references in the

literature survey. Page 44



Documenting the Literature Review

There are several accepted methods of citing references in the

literature survey. Page 44

The publication manual of the American Psychological

Association (2001)

Offers detailed information regarding citations, quotations,

references and so on….and one of the accepted styles of

referencing in the management area.

The Chicago Manual of style (2003)

Turabian’s Manual for Writers (2007)



What makes a good problem statement?

The problem statement introduces the key problem that is

addressed in the research project

A “problem” could simply indicate an interest in an issue

where finding the right answers might help to improve an

existing situation.

It is very important that symptoms of problems are not

defined as the real problem.


Defining the Problem statement;

A clear, precise, and concise statement of the question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution.

As mentioned earlier, problem definitions could pertain to;

1. Existing business problems where a manager is looking for a solution,

2. Situations that may not pose any current problem but which the manager feels have scope for improvement,

3. Areas where some conceptual clarity is needed for better theory building, or

4. Situations in which a researcher is trying to answer a research question empirically because of interest in the topic.


Defining the Problem Statement;

1. How has the new packaging affected the sales of the product?

2. Has the new advertising message resulted in enhanced recall?

3. How do price and quality rate on consumers’ evaluation of

products?

4. What are the effects of downsizing on the long-range growth

patterns of companies?

5. What are the specific factors to be considered in creating a data

warehouse for a manufacturing company?

6. Why accidents used to be happened at Motorway?


Examples Problem Statements;

1. Before any research study is undertaken, there should be an

agreement between the parties about; (Researcher and sponsor)

1. As the problem to be investigated

2. The methodology to be used

3. The duration of the study

4. The resources required for the study

5. Ensure there are no misunderstandings

This is accomplished through a research proposal, researcher

submits and get approved by the sponsor to proceed with the

study.


The Research Proposal;

1) The purpose of the study

2) The specific problem to be investigated

3) The scope of the study

4) The relevance of the study

5) The research design offering details on;

a) The sampling design

b) Data collection methods

c) Data analysis

6) Time frame of the study (written report timeline)

7) The budget details

8) Selected bibliography


The research proposal contains the followings;

It is very important that symptoms of problems are not

defined as the real problem.

Example;

Headache

Declined Sales


Managerial Implications;

Ethics in business research refers to a code of

conduct of behavior while conducting research.

Ethical conduct applies to the organization and the

members that sponsor the research, the researchers

who undertake the research, and the respondents

who provide them with the necessary data.

Ethical issues;

Ethics


The members that sponsor the research should do it in

good faith, pay attention to what the results indicate, and

pursue organizational interest.

Ethical conduct should be reflected in the behavior of;

The researchers who conduct the investigation

The participants who provide the data

The analysts who provide the results

The entire research team that presents the interpretation of

the results and suggests alternative solutions.

Ethical issues;

Ethics


Chapter 3 Finished

Thanks……………..