Business Research : Nature and

Scope

Dr. Sasmita Mishra

 What is Research?

Research is a scientific and systematic search

for pertinent information on a specific topic.

It is a careful investigation or enquiry specially

through search for knowledge.
It is a movement from known to unknown.
 Objectives of Research
 To gain familiarity with a phenomenon to achieve
new insights into it - Exploratory/formulative
research.
 To portray accurately the characteristics of a
particular individual, situation or a group -
Descriptive research.
 To determine the frequency with which something
occurs or with which it is associated with
something else - Diagnostic research.
 To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship
between variables – hypothesis testing research
 The Field of Management Research

Discipline base

Psychology Sociology Anthropology Economics

Organisational Sub Fields Operational

Behaviour Research

Human Resource Accounting

Management & Finance
Industrial
Relations Strategy

Marketing
 Nature of Business Research

 involves:
 academics
 policy-makers

 practitioners

 trans-disciplinarily
 related to context
 not easily replicated
 more emphasis on dissemination &
exploitation
 Research Classifications

• Exploratory/descriptive

• Analytical/critical

• Predictive/confirmatory

• Action/applied
 The Process of Deduction
 Theory

 Hypothesis

 Data collection

 Findings

 Hypotheses confirmed or rejected

 Revision of theory
 The Process of Induction
 Compare theory

 Develop theory

 Look for patterns

 Form Categories

 Ask Questions

 Gather information
 Research Approaches

Quantitative Qualitative

Inferential Experimental Simulation

Methods: Focus group discussions,

projective techniques, and depth
interviews.
 Significance of Research

 Research Provides the basis for nearly all

government policies in our economic system
 It solves various operational and planning
problems of business industry
 It is important for social scientists in study in
social relationships and in seeking answers to
various social problem.