Research Methodology

Attempt the end and never stand to doubt;

Nothing's so hard, but search will find it out.
-Ms. Gurpreet Attal

- Dhirubhai
Ambani

-Ms. Gurpreet Attal

I keep Six honest serving men,( they

taught me all I knew), their names
are
What,
and Why,
and when,
and How,
and Where,
and Who,

- Rudyard
Kipling

Ms. Gurpreet Attal

What is Research?
The word research is composed of
two syllables;
Research
Re is a prefix meaning again
,anew or over again
Search is a verb meaning to
examine closely and carefully or
to test & try

Ms. Gurpreet Attal

 Together (i.e. Re+search=

Research) they form a Noun
describing,
A careful, systematic, patient
study & investigation in some field
of knowledge, undertaken to
establish facts or theories
Research is the systematic
investigation into existing or new
Knowledge
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

In Short Research is...........

Finding answers to the questions
It is systematic search for truth.
Through research, new and
original information, ideas about
the world we live in are obtained
Research is search for Knowledge

Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Which of this can be classified as

Research?
Samad prepared a paper on Computer usage in
secondary school after reviewing literature on
the subject available in the university library
Manoj says that he has researched and
completed a document which gives information
about the age of his students , their results ,
their parents income and distance of their
schools from the district office
Kim participated in a workshop on curriculum
development and prepares what he calls , a
report on the curriculum of Management Science
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

None of the above examples

can be classified under the
name research

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Consider the following case which is an example of Research

A General Manager of a car producing company was
concerned with a complaint s received from the car
users that the car they produced have some problem s
with sound at the dash board and the rare passenger
seat after few thousand kilometres of driving .
He obtained information from the company workers to
identify the various factors influencing the problem
He then formulated the problem and generated guesses
(hypothesis)
He constructed a checklist and obtained a requisite
information from a representative sample of car
He analysed the collected data , interpreted the results
in the lights of his hypothesis and reached conclusion
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What is Research
Methodology?

Firstly lets us see what is

Methodology?
Methodology is the system of
methods and principles used in
particular discipline
or
The system of methods followed
in particular discipline
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

What is Research
Methodology?

It may be understood as a science

of studying how research is done
scientifically.
In it we study the various steps
that are generally adopted by a
researcher in studying his
research problem along with the
logic behind them

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 Does Research Method

and Research
Methodology means the
some?
NO!

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Research Method V/S Research Methodology

Research Method
Research methods are
the methods by which
you conduct research
into a subject or topic
Research methods

involve conduct of
experiments, tests,
surveys & the like

Research Methodology
RM explains the methods by
which you proceed with your
research

Research methodology involves

the learning of various
techniques that cab be used in
the conduct of research & in the
conduct of test, experiments,
surveys and critical studies
search
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Research Method V/S Research Methodology

Research Method

Research method aims

at finding solution to
research problems

Research Methodology

RM aims at the
employment of the
correct procedure to
find out solutions

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Role of Research in Management

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Value of Business Research for Managers

For Managers,
Research is the systematic inquiry whose
objective is to provide information to solve
managerial Problems
Business Research can be employed in each
of the following four stages:
1. Identification of problems/ or opportunities
2. Diagnosing and Assessment of problems
/or opportunities
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Value of Business Research for Managers

3. Selection and implementation of courses
of action
4. Evaluating the course of Action

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Selected
Selected Examples
Examples of
of Real-life
Real-life Situations
Situations in
in which
which Business
Business Research
Research
Methods
Methods are
are used:
used:

A firm wants to produce and market a new product but

first wants to ascertain if there is a potential consumer
demand for this product in Market X,Y and Z
A multinational firm wants to establish a production
facility in another country after determining its technical
and economical feasibility
A financial institution wants to invest in commodities and
commissions a study to determine the past trends and
forecast future returns in a portfolio of commodities
A govt. Agency wants to ascertain the satisfaction level
of its employees, the causes for any possible discontent,
and propose a scheme for enhancing this level
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Fields where Research is often used

General Business Conditions
and Corporate Research

Short term & long term

forecasting
Business and Industry
trends
Global Environments
Inflation and Pricing
Plant and warehouse
location
Acquisitions

Management and
Organizational Behaviour

Total Quality Management

Morale and Satisfaction
Leadership Style
Employee Productivity
Organizational Effectiveness
Structural issues
Absenteeism and Turnover
Organizational climate

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Fields where Research is often used

Financial and Accounting
Research

Forecasts of financial
interest rates trends
Capital formation
alternatives
Risk-return trade off
Impact of taxes
Expected rate of
return etc.

Sales and Marketing

Research
Market potentials
Market share
Market segmentation
Market characteristic
Sales Analysis
Distribution channels
Advertising

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Fields where Research is often used

Information System
Research
Knowledge and
information need
assessment
Database analysis
Technical support
satisfaction
Enterprise resource
planning

Corporate Responsibility
Research
Ecological impact
Gender, age and racial
discrimination
Social values and
ethics

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Types of Research
Descriptive vs. Analytical research
Applied vs. Fundamental research
Quantitative vs. Qualitative research
Conceptual vs. Empirical research
Other research

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Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research
Other research

Descriptive Research:

used to describe characteristics of a

population or a phenomenon being
studied
It does not answer questions about
how/when/why the characteristic occurred
Rather it addresses the what question
i.e. What are the characteristics of the
population being studied
E.g. Finding the most frequent
disease that affect the children of
the town
E.g. Do teacher hold favourable
attitude towards using computers in
school
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research
Other research

Analytical Research:
It is a type of research that utilises
critical thinking to find out facts about a
given topic
And from the answer obtained develop
new and useful way of doing things
analytical research attempts to
establish why and How
usually concerns itself with cause-effect
relationships
E.g. Why and how the disease
affect the children of the town
E.g. Why and how favourable
attitude can be developed in
teachers for using computers in
school
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental
research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research

Applied Research:
it aims at finding a solution for an
immediate problem facing society
or an industry or an organization
E.g. Improve agricultural crop
production
E.g. Treat or cure specific
disease

Other research
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental
research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research

Fundamental Research:
It is mainly concerned with
generalisation and with the
formulation of theory
In other words gathering
knowledge for the sake of
knowledge
E.g. The study of the relationship
between the amount of automobile
emission gases in the atmosphere
E.g. How did the universe began?

Other research
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research
Other research

Quantitative and Qualitative

Research:
Quantitative research is based on the
quantitative measurement of some
characteristics . It is applicable to a
phenomena that can be expressed in
terms of quantities
Qualitative research, on the other
hand , is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon i.e involving quality or kind
E.g. Research about beliefs, values,
motivation etc.
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research
Other research

Conceptual vs. Empirical

Research:
Conceptual research focuses on
developing a theory or concept to
explain particular phenomenon or
behaviour
Whereas, Empirical Research
relies on experience and
observation alone
E.g.
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research

Other Research:
From the point of view of Time,
Research can be One time
research or longitudinal research
Depending upon environment in
which it is carried out, Research can
be
Field-setting
Laboratory
Simulation Research

Other research
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Types of
Research
Descriptive vs.
Analytical research
Applied vs.
Fundamental research
Quantitative vs.
Qualitative research
Conceptual vs.
Empirical research

Other Research:
On the basis of Objective,
research can be Exploratory or
Formalised research
Research can also be classified as ,
Conclusion oriented
Decision Oriented
Research can also be Historical

Other research
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Nature of Research
It strives to be objective and logical
It is based on observable experience or empirical
evidence
It is characterised by patience and unhurried
activities
It demands accurate observation and description
It is directed towards the solution of the problem
It requires expertise
It requires gathering new data from primary or first
hand source or using existing data for new purpose
Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Objectives of Research
To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve
new insight into it ( termed as exploratory or
formulative research)
To portray accurately the characteristics of a
particular individual, situation or a group (termed as
descriptive study)
To determine the frequency with which something
occurs (termed as diagnostic research)
To test the hypothesis of a casual relationship
between variables (known as hypothesis testing
research)

Significance of Research
Research provides basis for nearly all
government policies in our economic
system
Solving operational and planning problems
of industry and business
For studying social relationships and for
seeking answer to various social problems.

Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Qualities of Good Research

Good
Good
Good
Good

Research
Research
Research
Research

is
is
is
is

Systematic
Logical
Empirical
Replicable

Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Research Process
FF

Define
Resear
ch
Proble
m

Review
Concep
ts
And
theorie
s
Review
previou
s
researc
h
finding
s

FF

Formula
te
Hypoth
esis

Design
Researc
h

Colle
ct
Data

Analy
se
Data

Interpr
et and
Report

F
F = Feedback, FF = Feed forward

Ms. Gurpreet Attal

Assignment Questions
Briefly describe the different steps involved in a research
process.
Research is much concerned with proper fact finding,
analysis and evaluation. Do you agree with this
statement ? Give reasons in support of your answer.
What do you mean by research? Explain its significance in
modern times.
Distinguish between Research methods and Research
Methodology.
Write short notes on
1. Objectives of research
2. Criteria if good research
Ms. Gurpreet Attal