UNIT I

Introduction of
Research
 Definition
• Sekaran
Research is an organized, systematic, data-based,
critical, scientific inquiry or investigation into a
specific problem. Undertaken with the objective of
finding answers or solution to it.
• Kerlinger
Research is a systematic, controlled, empirical and
critical investigation of hypothetical proposition
about the pre-assumed relations among natural
phenomena.
Fundamental Research (pure or basic)
• Fundamental Research; Systematic enquiry directed towards
the acquisition of new knowledge, without any particular
useful application in view.
• It is undertaken to improve the level of understanding of
certain problem that commonly exists within organization.
• It is not used to solve an immediate problem but is used to
generate more knowledge and understanding.
• This is used to build theories based on the results.
• Research conducted without a specific decision in mind that
usually does not address the needs of a specific organization.
• For instance, a great deal of basic research addresses
employee motivation. How can managers best encourage
workers to dedicate themselves toward the organization’s
goals?
Applied Research
• Applied Research: Systematic enquiry directed towards
the acquisition, conversion or extension of knowledge for
use in particular applications.
• In general the research in science are categorized as
Applied Research.
• The main objective of the applied research is to answer
practical and useful question about policies, programs,
projects, procedures, or organizations.
• Applied Research may or may not result in inventions and
discoveries of any significance, and its findings may or may
not be widely generalizable.
• Therefore, Applied business research is conducted to
address a specific business decision for a specific firm or
organization.
Difference between pure and applied research
Basic
Purpose
• expand knowledge of process of
B&M
• results in universal principles
relating to the process and its
relationship to outcomes
• findings of significance and value to
society in general
Context
• undertaken by people based in
universities/ research institutes
• choice of topic and objectives
determined by researcher
• flexible timescales
Applied
Purpose
• improve understanding of particular
B&M problem
• results in solution to problem
• new knowledge limited to problem
• findings of practical relevance and
value to manager/s in organization/s
Context
• undertaken by people based in a
variety of settings including
organizations
• objectives negotiated with originator
• tight timescales
 Action Research
• Systematic investigation through practical action
calculated to devise or test new information, ideas, forms
or procedures and to produce communicable knowledge
• Action Research is often conducted by practitioners of one
or other of the useful arts, such as medicine, teaching or
business, or, indeed, of any of the other disciplines
embraced by design education.
• Action research involves the process of actively
participating in an organization change situation whilst
conducting research.
• It involves a continuous gathering and analyzing of
research data during the normal on-going operations of an
organization.
• Pure (fundamental, basic)
–discovery
–invention
–reflection
• Applied
–solution of problems
–evaluation
• Action
–should lead to change
Scientific Research
A method of inquiry that is based on empirical and
measurable evidence subject to specific principles of
reasoning.
The chief characteristic which distinguishes the scientific
method from other methods of acquiring knowledge is
that scientists seek to let reality speak for itself.
Scientific inquiry is generally intended to be as objective
as possible in order to reduce biased interpretations of
results.
Scientific researcher propose hypotheses as explanations
of phenomena and design experimental studies to test
these hypotheses via predictions which can be derived
from them.
Features of Scientific Research
Rational – based on logic
Empirical – based on data
Testable – rational theories and hypotheses are testable
Parsimonious – the simplest explanation is most likely
true
General – theories should account for broad
phenomena
Tentative – explanations are never proved, they may
always be improved (skeptical)
Rigorously Evaluated – replicate, replicate, replicate
Self-correcting – theories that are disproven are refined
or abandoned
Scientific Research Process
• Problem realization
• Problem Identification
• Literature Review
• Hypothesis formulation (if necessary)
• Research design
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Interpretation of Data
• Conclusion
• Recommendation
 Approaches to Research
• Qualitative
Qualitative research studies are focused on differences in quality,
rather than differences in quantity. Results are in words or pictures
rather than numbers. Qualitative studies usually have fewer
participants than quantitative studies because the depth of the
data collection does not allow for large numbers of participants.
• Quantitative
Quantitative research focuses on numbers or quantities. Quantitative
studies have results that are based on numeric analysis and
statistics. Often, these studies have many participants. It is not
unusual for there to be over a thousand people in a quantitative
research study. It is ideal to have a large number of participants
because this gives analysis more statistical power.
• Mixed
– Combination of both approaches
Relationship between Qualitative and Quantitative research
• In general, qualitative research generates rich, detailed and valid
(process) data that contribute to in-depth understanding of the
context. Quantitative research generates reliable population
based and generalizable data and is well suited to establishing
cause-and-effect relationships.
• The decision of whether to choose a quantitative or a qualitative
design is a philosophical question.
• Which methods to choose will depend on the nature of the
project, the type of information needed the context of the study
and the availability of recourses (time, money, and human).
• Qualitative research is based on the fact that knowledge about
reality can only be obtained through ‘the eyes of someone else’. It
is common to call this the “actor approach”
• Quantitative research is based on the basic approach that
knowledge about reality can be obtained ‘through the eyes of the
researcher’. It is common to call this the “expert approach”.
Mixed Method
• These two approaches (qualitative and
quantitative) are different but not necessarily
polar opposites.
• In fact, elements of both designs can be used
together in mixed-methods studies.
• Combining of qualitative and quantitative
research is becoming more and more common.
Paradigm in Research
A paradigm refers to a body of literature that shares
fundamental assumptions about what the world is like
and how we should research it, but also, and more
specifically, about what the key objects of analysis
should be, and the role of researcher within wider
society.
Thus, it is shared understandings of reality.
A paradigm is a “worldview” or a set of assumptions about
how things work.
Quantitative and qualitative research methods involve
very different assumptions about how research should
be conducted and the role of the researcher.
Paradigm Shift: Positivist vs. Interpretive
Positivism
The philosophical system recognizing only that which can be
scientifically verified or which is capable of logical or
mathematical proof.
Positivism means scientific and it argue that it is possible and
desirable to study social behavior in the way similar to those
used by natural scientists to study the behavior in the natural
world.
Working with an observable social reality and that the end
product of such research can be law-like generalizations similar
to those produced by the physical and natural scientists.
Key Features: Scientific , Objective, Robust, Involves identifying
causes, Tests hypotheses. Uses methods of natural sciences
Interpretivism
Interpretivism refers to approaches emphasizing the
meaningful nature of people's participation in social and
cultural life.
The methods of natural science are seen as inappropriate
for such investigation.
Researchers working within this tradition analyze the
meanings people confer upon their own and others'
actions.
Key Features: Social action has meanings, the researcher
job is to interpret the social action, subjective and
constructed reality, relative truths, need to explore,
explain and understand reality, qualitative
 Difference between positivism and Interpretivism
Assumptions Positivism Interpretivism
Nature of reality Objective, tangible, single Socially constructed,
multiple

Goal of research Explanation, strong Understanding, weak

prediction prediction

Focus of interest What is general, average and What is specific, unique, and
representative deviant

Knowledge generated Laws Meanings

Absolute (time, context, and Relative (time, context,
value free) culture, value bound)

Subject/Researcher Rigid separation Interactive, cooperative,

relationship participative

Desired information How many people think and What some people think and
do a specific thing, or have a do, what kind of problems
specific problem they are confronted with,
and how they deal with
them
Management Research-Definition
According to Zikmund,
The systematic and objective process of
gathering, recording, and analyzing data for aid in
making business decision.
• Therefore, the application of the scientific
method in searching for the truth about business
phenomena.
• These activities include defining business
opportunities and problems, generating and
evaluating ideas, monitoring performance, and
understanding the business process.
Nature of Business Research
• Practical: Business and management research not only needs
to provide findings and that advance knowledge and
understanding, it also needs to address business issues and
practical managerial problems.
• Solution Oriented: The purpose and the context of
management research project can differ considerably, since
business issues and solving managerial problems are quite
different.
• Interdisciplinary: All business and management research
projects can be placed on a series of connected events
(economic, political social, legal, technological, and
competitive factors).
• Applied: Marketing is one of the emerging areas in
management research, which helps managers to determine
the best competitive strategy is to be adopted.
• Formulation of Policy: Business research is not only
important in marketing but important for strategy
formulation, organizational structure, staff policy,
rules and regulations and management as well.
• Estimation: In finance and accounting areas, the
issues such as; operation of branches, portfolio
management, sources of funds and uses, inventory
costing are also determined through an appropriate
research.
• Operation research: Operation research, which is
one of the important concerns in management and
business, helps to determine the optimal use of
resources based on available resources and
limitations.
Managerial Value of Business Research
• It is universal that research facilitates effective
management.
• The prime managerial value of business research is that
it reduces uncertainty by providing information that
improves the decision-making process.
• The decision making process associated with the
development and implementation of a strategy involves
four interrelated stages.
– Identifying problems or opportunities
– Diagnosing and assessing problems or opportunities
– Selecting and implementing a course of action.
– Evaluating the course of action
 I. Identifying problems or opportunities
Before any strategy can be developed, an organization
must determine where it wants to go and how it will get
there. Business research can help managers plan
strategies by determining the nature of situations by
identifying the existence of problems or opportunities
present in the organization.
Business research may be used as a diagnostic activity to
provide information about what is occurring within an
organization or in its environment.
The comparative description of some social or economic
activity may familiarize managers with organizational
and environmental occurrences and help them
understand a situation.
II. Diagnosing and assessing problems or opportunities
After an organization recognizes a problem or
identifies a potential opportunity, business
research can help clarify the situation.
Managers need to gain insight about the
underlying factors causing the situation. If there
is a problem, they need to specify what
happened and why.
If an opportunity exists, they may need to explore,
refine, and quantity the opportunity. If multiple
opportunities exist, research may be conducted
to set priorities.
III. Selecting and implementing a course of action
After the alternative courses of action have been
clearly identified, business research is often
conducted to obtain specific information that
will aid in evaluating the alternatives and in
selecting the best course of action.
Opportunities may be evaluated through the use
of various performance criteria. For example,
estimates of market potential allow managers to
evaluate the revenue that will be generated by
each of the possible opportunities.
IV. Evaluating the course of action
After a course of action has been implemented,
business research may serve as a tool to tell
managers whether or not planned activities were
properly executed and if they accomplished what
they were expected to accomplish.
In other words, managers may use evaluation
research to provide feedback for evaluation and
control of strategies and tactics.
 Ethical Issues in Business Research
Ethics in business research refers to a code of
conduct or expected societal norm 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.
The observance of ethics begins with the person
instituting the research, who should do so in good
faith, pay attention to what the results indicate, and
surrendering the ego, pursue organizational rather
than self-interests.
Ethical conduct should also be reflected in the
behavior of the researchers who conduct the
investigation, the participants who provide the
data, the analysts who provide the results, and
the entire research team that presents the
interpretation of the results and suggests
alternative solutions.
Stakeholders in Ethical Issues
Sponsor
Researchers
Enumerators
Respondents
Dimensions of Ethical Concerns in Research
Rights to Quality Research
Right to privacy
Confidentiality
Right to confidentiality
Issues in ethical Concern in Research
Sponsor should be responsible for
• Quality research
• Confidentiality
• Rights to safety
• Not changing the data presentation or
interpretations (no manipulation)
• No illegal work
• Omitting sections of data analysis and conclusions.
• Making recommendations beyond the scope of the
data collected.
Researchers and team Members should be
responsible for
• Maintaining the confidentiality of information
• Right to safety
• Ethical behavior of assistants
– to carry out the sampling plan, to interview or observe
participants without bias;
– To accurately record all necessary data.
– to avoid filling in an interview sheet without having asked
the participant the questions.
– Remain under direct control of the responsible researcher or
field supervisors.
– Ethically behave with participants.
• Protection of anonymity
Participants (respondents)
• Explain study results
• Explain participant rights and protections./
don’t deceive the participants (deception
occurs when the participants are told only
part of the truth or when the truth is fully
compromised.)
• Obtain informed consent.
• Right to privacy
• Right to confidentiality
• Respect the patent or intellectual property
right