RESEARCH

CHARACTERISTICS
 Criteria of Good Research
1. the purpose of the research should be clearly defined-A
research study with clearly defined purpose finds a wider
acceptance and acknowledgement within the research
community.

2. the research method should be defined in a clear manner

with sufficient detail. This will allow the repetition of the
study in future for further advancement, while maintaining the
continuity of what has been done in the past.

3. any limitations and assumptions made by the researcher

during the course of the study should be clearly highlighted
in the research. This will support the findings of the research
study, in case someone tries to validate the study findings.
 Criteria of Good Research
4. The research design should be planned in a way
that the results generated are as objective as
possible. This will provide an easier understanding
about the findings of the research.
5. There should be sufficient data to investigate the
research topic. And the researcher should carefully
check the reliability and validity of the data.
6. A researcher should confine the conclusions to those
justified by the data.
7. A good research depends a great deal on the
integrity and commitment of the researcher.
Problems Encountered by Researchers
in India
 The lack of a scientific training in the methodology
of research.
 There is insufficient interaction between the
university research departments on one sideband
business establishments, government departments
and research institutions on the other side.
 Reluctant in supplying the needed information to
researchers.
 duplication and fritters away resources.
Problems Encountered by Researchers
in India
 Lack of code of conduct for researchers.
 Difficulty of adequate and timely secretarial
assistance, including computer assistance.
 Library management and functioning is not
satisfactory.
 There is also the problem that many of our libraries
are not able to get copies of old and new
acts/rules, reports and other government
publications in time.
 Difficulty of timely availability of published data
The Research Problem

Definition
 A research problem is a statement about an area of
concern, a condition to be improved, a difficulty to be
eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in
scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points
to the need for meaningful understanding and
deliberate investigation.
 In some social science disciplines the research problem is
typically posed in the form of a question.
 A research problem does not state how to do
something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or
present a value question.
Introduction

 problem definition is the first step in research, a

complete understanding of all its elements is
imperative for making the right decision. A
complete problem definition must specify the
following:

1) Unit of analysis
2) Time and space boundaries
3) Characteristics of interest
4) Specific environmental conditions
 UNITS OF ANALYSIS
 The individuals or objects whose characteristics are to be
measured are called the units of analysis.
o Persons,
o Groups of persons,
o Business establishments,
o Inanimate objects,
o Transactions,
o Monetary units,
o Or just about objects or activity a person can name.
o Some very interesting communication studies have even used
words as the units of analysis.
o Basically, the units answer the question, "what objects am i
interested in?"
 TIME AND SPACE COORDINATES

 The time dimension of a decision problem is always the

future. Look at the following questions.

 What should we do the first of next month in order to produce the desired
effect the following month?
 What will consumer response be to our contemplated promotion for the month
of November?
 These questions indicate the futurity aspect of the time
dimension of a decision problem.
 Managers continually run the risk of making the right
decision at the wrong time.
 The space coordinates
 The space coordinates supply the geographic boundaries within which
the action is to be taken.
 In the problem definition, these lines are rarely neat political divisions or
subdivisions.
 Advertising media do not stop abruptly at city or state lines.
 Retailers and wholesalers usually welcome customers regardless of where
the customers reside. Sales territories may, however, be established along
country or state lines.
 In a similar way, licensing by governmental units may determine the
appropriate space coordinates.
 In the absence of such externally imposed constraints, the problem
definition, in theory, often includes the whole earth or the total of India.
 Recognition of this fact in the problem definition will help evaluate the
utility of a research universe that is considerably smaller.
CHARACTERISTICS OF INTEREST
 The characteristics of interest identify what
there is about the units that is of concern to the
decision maker. These characteristics fall into
two categories:

 The dependent variables

 Independent variables
THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES

 The dependent variables are those of interest for

their own sake.
 For example, in marketing, they often refer to
behaviour or attitude towards a firm's offering.
Examples are purchases, awareness, opinions, or
profits associated with consumer behaviour
attitudes.
THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

 The independent variables included in the problem definition

are those characteristics thought to be related to the
dependent variables.
 These variables may either be within the control of the firm
(endogenous) -such as advertising, pricing or personnel
changes -or beyond the control of the firm (exogenous).
 Exogenous variables of potential interest cover a multitude of
possibilities, varying from competitor and government actions
to economic conditions to individual consumer characteristics.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

 Environmental conditions fall within the category of relevant characteristics, but they
comprise a special type of relevant characteristic.
 The characteristics of interest are the target variables.
 The research is undertaken in order to discover their values. Environmental
conditions, however, are of concern because of their possible relationship with the
characteristics of interest.
 What would sales be if prices were Rs. 169 ? Rs. 149 ? What would competitor do
if we increased our advertising by 25%? or decreased it by 25% ? How would A's
action affect our sales and profits ?
 What would happen to the supply of oil if the depletion allowance were cut in
half/ were removed completely ?
 The Components Of A Research Problem As Under:

1. There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or

the problem.
2. There must be some objective(s) to be attained at. If one wants
nothing, one cannot have a problem.
3. There must be alternative means (or the courses of action) for
obtaining the objective(s) one wishes to attain. This means that there
must be at least two means available to a researcher for if he has no
choice of means, he cannot have a problem.
4. There must remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher with
regard to the selection of alternatives. This means that research must
answer the question concerning the relative efficiency of the possible
alternatives.
5. There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains.
SELECTING THE PROBLEM

I. Subject which is overdone should not be normally

chosen, for it will be a difficult task to throw any new
light in such a case.
II. Controversial subject should not become the choice of
an average researcher.
III. Too narrow or too vague problems should be
avoided.
IV. The subject selected for research should be familiar
and feasible so that the related research material or
sources of research are within one’s reach.
V. The importance of the subject, the qualifications and
the training of a researcher, the costs involved, the
time factor are few other criteria that must also be
considered in selecting a problem. In other words,
before the final selection of a problem is done, a
researcher must ask himself the following questions:
(a) Whether he is well equipped in terms of his background to
carry out the research?
(b) Whether the study falls within the budget he can afford?
(c) Whether the necessary cooperation can be obtained from
those who must participate in research as subjects?
VI. The selection of a problem must be preceded by
a preliminary study.
This may not be necessary when the problem
requires the conduct of a research closely similar to
one that has already been done. But when the field
of inquiry is relatively new and does not have
available a set of well developed techniques, a
brief feasibility study must always be undertaken.
The Purpose Of A Problem Statement
Is To:
 Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic
being studied.
 The reader is oriented to the significance of the study
and the research questions or hypotheses to follow.
 Places the problem into a particular context that
defines the parameters of what is to be investigated.
 Provides the framework for reporting the results and
indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the
study and explain how the findings will present this
information.
Technique Involved in Defining a
Research Problem
1. State the problem in a general way
2. Understand the nature of the problem:
3. Survey the available literature
4. Go for discussions for developing ideas
5. Rephrase the research problem into a working
proposition