PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TOWARD THE PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (HONOURS)

PROJECT REPORT
ON
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR COMMERCE LAB PROJECT REPORT
BATCH: 2022-2025
Submitted By: PROJECT GUIDE:
Name: Prachi Sahrma Name: Dr. P.K NAYAK

Enrollment No: 00119588822 Designation: Associate Professor

Don Bosco Institute of Technology

Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi

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 CERTIFICATE

TO WHOM SO EVER IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that the project work “RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR COMMERCE
LAB PROJECT REPORT” made by Prachi sharma, B.Com(H), 00119588822 is an
authentic work carried out by him under the guidance and supervision of dr. Pramod Kumar
Nayak .

The submitted project report has been found satisfactory for the partial fulfilment of the
Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree.

Project Supervisor

Name: DR. P.K Nayak

Signature:

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is in particular that I am acknowledging my sincere feeling towards my

mentors who graciously gave me their time and expertise.

They have provided me with valuable guidance, sustained efforts, and a friendly
approach. It would have been difficult to achieve the results in such a short
period without their help.

I deem it my duty to record my gratitude towards the Project supervisor

Dr. P.K NAYAK who devoted his precious time to interact, guiding, and giving
me the right approach to accomplish the task and also helped me to enhance my
knowledge and understanding of the project.

Signature:

Name of Student: Prachi Sharman

Enrol. No:00119588822

Course: B.com(H)

Semester: 3 rd Sem.

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 DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the following documented project report titled “RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY LAB FOR COMMERCE” is an original and authentic work done by
me for the partial fulfilment of the BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (HONOURS) degree
program.

I hereby certify that all the Endeavour put in the fulfilment of the task are genuine and
original to the best of my knowledge & I have not submitted it earlier elsewhere.

Signature:

Name of Student: Prachi Sharma

Enrolment No. :00119588822

Course: B.COM(H)

Semester: 3rd Sem

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 1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
Literally, research means to ‘search again’. It signifies patient study and scientific
investigation wherein the researcher takes another, more careful look at data to discover
all that can be known about the subject of study.

Research is the process of finding the unknown which could be the solution to a problem
or exploring a new area which world result in the construction of new theory or
application of existing theory in a new context.

2.1MEANING OF RESEARCH

a) Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge,
including knowledge of humans, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge
to devise new applications or in other hand.

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b) It is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our
understanding of a topic or issue.

c) It begins with a problem in the form of a question in the mind of researcher.

d) It requires a plan and deals with facts and their meaning.

e) It is circular in nature.

f) At a general level, research consists of three steps:

• Pose a question.
• Collect data to answer the question.
• Present an answer to the question. This should be a familiar process.
• You engage in solving problems every day and you start with a question, collect some
information, and then form an answer

g) Research is important for three reasons:-

• Research adds to our knowledge: Adding to knowledge means that educators

undertake research to contribute to existing information about issues
• Research improves practice: Research is also important because it suggests
improvements for practice. Armed with research results, teachers and other educators
become more effective professionals.
• Research informs policy debates: research also provides information to policy makers
when they research and debate educational topics.

2.2 RESEARCH TYPES

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• fundamental research: A fundamental research definition is data collected to enhance
knowledge. The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It is a non-commercial research
that doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing anything. For example: an experiment to
determine a simple fact.

• Applied research: Applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life problems.
This type refers to the study that helps solve practical problems using scientific methods.
Studies play an important role in solving issues that impact the overall well-being of humans.
For example: finding a specific cure for a disease.

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• Problem oriented research: As the name suggests, problem-oriented research is conducted
to understand the exact nature of a problem to find out relevant solutions. The term
“problem” refers to multiple choices or issues when analyzing a situation. For example,
revenue of a car company has decreased by 12% in the last year. The following could be the
probable causes: there is no optimum production, poor quality of a product, no advertising, or
economic conditions.

• Problem solving research: This type of research is conducted by companies to understand

and resolve their own problems. The problem-solving method uses applied research to find
solutions to the existing problems.

• Exploratory: As the name suggests, exploratory research is conducted to explore a group

of questions. The answers and analytics may not offer a final conclusion to the perceived
problem. It is conducted to handle new problem areas which haven’t been explored before.
This exploratory process lays the foundation for more conclusive research and data
collection.

• Descriptive: Descriptive research focuses on expanding knowledge on current issues

through a process of data collection. Descriptive studies are used to describe the behavior of a
sample population. In a descriptive study, only one variable is required to conduct the study.
The three main purposes of descriptive research are describing, explaining, and validating the
findings. For example, a study conducted to know if top-level management leaders in the 21st
century possess the moral right to receive a huge sum of money from the company profit.

• Explanatory: Explanatory research or causal research is conducted to understand the

impact of certain changes in existing standard procedures. Conducting experiments is the
most popular form of casual research. For example, a study conducted to understand the
effect of rebranding on customer loyalty.

2.3 TYPES OF DATA

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QUALITATIVE METHODS

a) Qualitative Research is a method that collects data using conversational methods.

b) Participants are asked open-ended questions.

c) The responses collected are essentially non-numerical.

d) This method not only helps a researcher understand what participants think but also why
they think in a particular way

Types of qualitative methods include:-

1) One-to-one Interview: This interview is conducted with one participant at a given point in
time. One-to-one interviews need a researcher to prepare questions in advance. The
researcher asks only the most important questions to the participant. This type of interview
lasts anywhere between 20 minutes to half an hour. During this time the researcher collects as
many meaningful answers as possible from the participants to draw inferences.

2) Focus Groups: Focus groups are small groups comprising of around 6-10 participants who
are usually experts in the subject matter. A moderator is assigned to a focus group that
facilitates the discussion amongst the group members. A moderator’s experience in
conducting the focus group plays an important role. An experienced moderator can probe the

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participants by asking the correct questions that will help them collect a sizable amount of
information related to the research.

3) Ethnographic Research: Ethnographic research is an in-depth form of research where

people are observed in their natural environment without this method is demanding due to the
necessity of a researcher entering a natural environment of other people. Geographic
locations can be a constraint as well. Instead of conducting interviews, a researcher
experiences the normal setting and daily life of a group of people.

4) Text Analysis: Text analysis is a little different from other qualitative methods as it is used
to analyze social constructs by decoding words through any available form of documentation.
The researcher studies and understands the context in which the documents are written and
then tries to draw meaningful inferences from it. Researchers today follow activities on a
social media platform to try and understand patterns of thoughts.

5) Case Study: Case study research is used to study an organization or an entity. This method
is one of the most valuable options for modern this type of research is used in fields like the
education sector, philosophical studies, and psychological studies. This method involves a
deep dive into ongoing research and collecting data.

QUANTITATIVE METHODS

a) Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. b) It uses a systematic way
of investigating events or data.

c) It is used to answer questions in terms of justifying relationships with measurable variables

to either explain, predict, or control a phenomenon.

There are three methods that are often used by researchers:-

1) Survey Research: The ultimate goal of survey research is to learn about a large
population by deploying a survey. Today, online surveys are popular as they are
convenient and can be sent in an email or made available on the Internet. In this
method, a researcher designs a survey with the most relevant survey questions and
distributes the survey. Once the researcher receives responses, they summarize them
to tabulate meaningful findings and data.
2) Descriptive Research: Descriptive research is a method which identifies the
characteristics of an observed phenomenon and collects more information. This

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 method is designed to depict the participants in a very systematic and accurate
manner. In simple words, descriptive research is all about describing the phenomenon,
observing it, and drawing conclusions from it.
3) Correlation Research: Correlation research examines the relationship between two or
more variables. Consider a researcher is studying a correlation between cancer and
married. Married women have a negative correlation with cancer. In this example,
there are two variables: cancer and married women. When we say negative
correlation, it means women who are married are less likely to develop cancer.
However, it doesn’t mean that marriage directly avoids cancer.

2.4 Methods for collecting data

Qualitative vs. quantitative: Will your data take the form of words or numbers?

• Qualitative research: Qualitative research is a process that is about inquiry. It helps create
in-depth understanding of problems or issues in their natural settings. This is a non-statistical
method. Qualitative research is heavily dependent on the experience of the researchers and
the questions used to probe the sample. The sample size is usually restricted to 6-10 people.
Open ended questions are asked in a manner that encourages answers that lead to another
question or group of questions. The purpose of asking open-ended questions is to gather as
much information as possible from the sample.

• Quantitative research: Qualitative research is a structured way of collecting data and

analyzing it to draw conclusions. Unlike qualitative methods, this method uses a
computational and statistical process to collect and analyze data. Quantitative data is all about
numbers. Quantitative research involves a larger population — more people mean more data.
With more data to analyze, you can obtain more accurate results. This method uses close-
ended questions because the researchers are typically looking to gather statistical data.

Primary vs. secondary: Will you collect original data yourself, or will you use data that has
already been collected by someone else?

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Primary research is any original data that you collect yourself for the purposes of answering
your research question (e.g. through survey observations and experements). Secondary
researcjh is data that has already been collected by other researchers (e.g. in a government
census or previous scientific studies).

If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to collect primary data
But if you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical trends, or identify
patterns on a large scale, secondary data might be a better choice.

Descriptive vs. experimental: Will you take measurements of something as it is, or will you
perform an experiment?

In the descriptive method, you collect data about your study subject without intervening.
The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method

In experimental research you systematically intervene in a process and measure the outcome.
The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design

To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent variables precisely
measure your dependent variable, and control for confounding variable If it’s practically and
ethically possible, this method is the best choice for answering questions about cause and
effect.

design and development methodologies, and a final summary of the methodology. The
description of the methodology consists of literature review related to methodologies, data
collection, data analysis, system analysis, system design, system implementation, system
testing, and conclusions and recommendations

2.5 variables

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In Research, Variables refer to characteristics or attributes that can be measured,
manipulated, or controlled. They are the factors that researchers observe or manipulate to
understand the relationship between them and the outcomes of interest.

Types of Variables in Research

Types of Variables in Research are as follows:

Independent Variable

This is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher. It is also known as the predictor
variable, as it is used to predict changes in the dependent variable. Examples of independent
variables include age, gender, dosage, and treatment type.

Dependent Variable

This is the variable that is measured or observed to determine the effects of the independent
variable. It is also known as the outcome variable, as it is the variable that is affected by the
independent variable. Examples of dependent variables include blood pressure, test scores,
and reaction time.

Confounding Variable

This is a variable that can affect the relationship between the independent variable and the
dependent variable. It is a variable that is not being studied but could impact the results of the

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study. For example, in a study on the effects of a new drug on a disease, a confounding
variable could be the patient’s age, as older patients may have more severe symptoms.

Mediating Variable

This is a variable that explains the relationship between the independent variable and the
dependent variable. It is a variable that comes in between the independent and dependent
variables and is affected by the independent variable, which then affects the dependent
variable. For example, in a study on the relationship between exercise and weight loss, the
mediating variable could be metabolism, as exercise can increase metabolism, which can then
lead to weight loss.

Moderator Variable

This is a variable that affects the strength or direction of the relationship between the
independent variable and the dependent variable. It is a variable that influences the effect of
the independent variable on the dependent variable. For example, in a study on the effects of
caffeine on cognitive performance, the moderator variable could be age, as older adults may
be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than younger adults.

Control Variable

This is a variable that is held constant or controlled by the researcher to ensure that it does not
affect the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. Control
variables are important to ensure that any observed effects are due to the independent variable
and not to other factors. For example, in a study on the effects of a new teaching method on
student performance, the control variables could include class size, teacher experience, and
student demographics.

Continuous Variable

This is a variable that can take on any value within a certain range. Continuous variables can
be measured on a scale and are often used in statistical analyses. Examples of continuous
variables include height, weight, and temperature.

Categorical Variable

This is a variable that can take on a limited number of values or categories. Categorical
variables can be nominal or ordinal. Nominal variables have no inherent order, while ordinal

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variables have a natural order. Examples of categorical variables include gender, race, and
educational level.

Discrete Variable

This is a variable that can only take on specific values. Discrete variables are often used in
counting or frequency analyses. Examples of discrete variables include the number of
siblings a person has, the number of times a person exercises in a week, and the number of
students in a classroom.

Dummy Variable

This is a variable that takes on only two values, typically 0 and 1, and is used to represent
categorical variables in statistical analyses. Dummy variables are often used when a
categorical variable cannot be used directly in an analysis. For example, in a study on the
effects of gender on income, a dummy variable could be created, with 0 representing female
and 1 representing male.

Extraneous Variable

This is a variable that has no relationship with the independent or dependent variable but can
affect the outcome of the study. Extraneous variables can lead to erroneous conclusions and
can be controlled through random assignment or statistical techniques.

Latent Variable

This is a variable that cannot be directly observed or measured, but is inferred from other
variables. Latent variables are often used in psychological or social research to represent
constructs such as personality traits, attitudes, or beliefs.

Moderator-mediator Variable

This is a variable that acts both as a moderator and a mediator. It can moderate the
relationship between the independent and dependent variables and also mediate the
relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Moderator-mediator variables
are often used in complex statistical analyses

2.6 Hypothesis

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A hypothesis is an educated guess or proposed explanation for a phenomenon, based on some
initial observations or data. It is a tentative statement that can be tested and potentially proven
or disproven through further investigation and experimentation.

A hypothesis is often used in scientific research to guide the design of experiments and the
collection and analysis of data. It is an essential element of the scientific method, as it allows
researchers to make predictions about the outcome of their experiments and to test those
predictions to determine their accuracy.

Types of Hypothesis

Types of Hypothesis are as follows:

Research Hypothesis

A research hypothesis is a statement that predicts a relationship between variables. It is

usually formulated as a specific statement that can be tested through research, and it is often
used in scientific research to guide the design of experiments.

Null Hypothesis

The null hypothesis is a statement that assumes there is no significant difference or

relationship between variables. It is often used as a starting point for testing the research
hypothesis, and if the results of the study reject the null hypothesis, it suggests that there is a
significant difference or relationship between variables.

Alternative Hypothesis

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An alternative hypothesis is a statement that assumes there is a significant difference or
relationship between variables. It is often used as an alternative to the null hypothesis and is
tested against the null hypothesis to determine which statement is more accurate.

2.7 Questionnaire

A Questionnaire is a research tool or survey instrument that consists of a set of questions or

prompts designed to gather information from individuals or groups of people.

It is a standardized way of collecting data from a large number of people by asking them a
series of questions related to a specific topic or research objective. The questions may be
open-ended or closed-ended, and the responses can be quantitative or qualitative.
Questionnaires are widely used in research, marketing, social sciences, healthcare, and many
other fields to collect data and insights from a target population.

Types of Questionnaire

Types of Questionnaires are as follows:

Structured Questionnaire

This type of questionnaire has a fixed format with predetermined questions that the
respondent must answer. The questions are usually closed-ended, which means that the
respondent must select a response from a list of options.

Unstructured Questionnaire

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An unstructured questionnaire does not have a fixed format or predetermined questions.
Instead, the interviewer or researcher can ask open-ended questions to the respondent and let
them provide their own answers.

Open-ended Questionnaire

An open-ended questionnaire allows the respondent to answer the question in their own
words, without any pre-determined response options. The questions usually start with phrases
like “how,” “why,” or “what,” and encourage the respondent to provide more detailed and
personalized answers.

Close-ended Questionnaire

In a closed-ended questionnaire, the respondent is given a set of predetermined response

options to choose from. This type of questionnaire is easier to analyze and summarize, but
may not provide as much insight into the respondent’s opinions or attitudes.

Mixed Questionnaire

A mixed questionnaire is a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions. This type

of questionnaire allows for more flexibility in terms of the questions that can be asked, and
can provide both quantitative and qualitative data.

Pictorial Questionnaire:

In a pictorial questionnaire, instead of using words to ask questions, the questions are
presented in the form of pictures, diagrams or images. This can be particularly useful for
respondents who have low literacy skills, or for situations where language barriers exist.
Pictorial questionnaires can also be useful in cross-cultural research where respondents may
come from different language backgrounds.

2.7 Coding

Coding is a process of analyzing data by categorizing it to facilitate its analysis. In qualitative

research, coding involves identifying concepts from various data items, finding relationships
between them, and describing them with short words or phrases, known as codes. This helps
to quantify qualitative data and give meaning to raw data.

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There are two different approaches to analyzing qualitative data - inductive and deductive
coding. Inductive coding involves creating codes and themes based on the data itself, without
any prior assumptions or theories. Deductive coding, on the other hand, involves applying
pre-established codes and themes to the data, based on existing theories, hypotheses, or
research questions. Some researchers use a blended approach that combines both inductive
and deductive coding.

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY LAB

3.A. Hardware Requirement

• Laptops or a computer desktop ( monitor, CPU, keyboard, mouse)

• Processor with 2 GHz or higher

• 4 GB Ram or more, for 64- Bit Clients at least 8 GB

• 2 GB free space on the hard disk

• If you install more than one language, you must be aware that each additional language
requires 60-70 MB disk space

• Printer to get external, tangible copies of the work done in the computer.

3.B. Software requirement

Nowadays, computer-assisted data analysis (CADAS) packages have become the norm for
researchers. Data analysis software is used in all academic fields, such as sociology,
psychology, philosophy, and medicine. They are merely efficient and effective in their work
processes. They are less time-consuming and insightful.

Computer-assisted data analysis software imparts insights into data sets without suggesting
interpretations. They help a researcher gain those insights which he/she might have missed.
Content analysis can help the researcher in drawing conclusions about the respective object
of research (e.g. interview data). Software tools allow for easy sorting, structuring, and
analyzing large amounts of text or other data and facilitate management of the resulting
interpretations and evaluations.

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Software packages are available for the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data.
Each package has different features and the researcher needs to be cautious while choosing
them. The packages can save time, but there is still a great deal of time required to set them,
input data and check through the process.

• SAS for Windows & Linux.

• Version: 9.3 & 9.4. Education Analytical Suite.

• IBM SPSS for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

• Version(s) available: SPSS 23, 24, & 25.

• Supported Operating Systems (O/S) for SPSS 23, 24 & 25.

4. Introduction to Statistical Software ‘R’ for Data Analysis

R is a language and environment used for statistical computing and graphics. It is a free and
open-source software that offers a wide range of statistical and graphical techniques. R is also
highly extensible and has many add-on packages that provide additional functionality for data
analysis.

R programming language is a language and free software environment, available under

GNU license, supported by R Foundation for Statistical Computing. The language is most
widely known for its powerful statistical and data interpretation capabilities.

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To use R language, you need the R environment to be installed on your machine, and an
IDE (Integrated development environment) to run the language (can also be run using CMD
on Windows or Terminal on Linux).

To get started with R, you need to install the base system and some add-on packages on your
computer. You can download the latest version of R from the official website. You can also
find manuals, documentation, and tutorials on how to use R on the same website. Some of the
recommended add-on packages for data analysis are tidyverse, ggplot2, dplyr, caret, and
rmarkdown. You can install these packages using the install.packages() function in R.

4a. Installing R Studio on Window

Step 1: First, you need to set up an R environment in your local machine. You can
download the same from r-project.org.

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Step 2: After downloading R for the Windows platform, install it by double-clicking it.

Step 3: Download R Studio from their official page. Note: It is free of cost (under AGPL
licensing).

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Step 4: After downloading, you will get a file named “RStudio-1.x.xxxx.exe” in your
Downloads folder.
Step 5: Double-click the installer, and install the software.
Step 6: Test the R Studio installation
• Search for RStudio in the Window search bar on Taskbar.

• Start the application.

• Insert the following code in the console.
• Input : print('Hello world!')
• Output : [1] "Hello world!"

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Step 7: Your installation is successful.

Features Of R Programming
• Data visualization: R allows users to clean, organize, analyze, visualize, and report
data.

• Data handling: R is a leading tool for machine learning, statistics, and data analysis.

• Importing data: R is an interpreted language, so it doesn't need a compiler to

compile code into an executable program.

• File handling: Functions in R accept input arguments and produce output by

executing valid R commands.

• R variables: Variables are used to store data.

• Data science: R provides CARET and mlr for data science and machine learning.

• Machine learning: R includes machine learning algorithms, linear regression, time

series, and statistical inference.

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 • Object-oriented programming: R supports both procedural programming and
object-oriented programming.

Operators

Operators are the symbols directing the compiler to perform various kinds of operations
between the operands. Operators simulate the various mathematical, logical, and decision
operations performed on a set of Complex Numbers, Integers, and Numericals as input
operands.

Types of the operator in R language

• Arithmetic Operators
• Logical Operators
• Relational Operators
• Assignment Operators

• Miscellaneous Operator

Functions in R Programming

Functions are useful when you want to perform a certain task multiple times. A function
accepts input arguments and produces the output by executing valid R commands that are
inside the function.

when you are creating a function the function name and the file in which you are creating
the function need not be the same and you can have one or more functions in R. Functions
are created in R by using the command function().

Types of Function in R Language

1. Built-in Function: Built-in functions in R are pre-defined functions that
are available in R programming language to perform common tasks or
operations.
2. User-defined Function: R language allows us to write our own
function.

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R Vectors

R vectors are the same as the arrays in C language which are used to hold multiple data
values of the same type. One major key point is that in R the indexing of the vector will
start from ‘1’ and not from ‘0’. We can create numeric vectors and character vectors as
well.

Types of R vectors
Vectors are of different types which are used in R. Following are some of the types of
vectors:

Numeric vectors: Numeric vectors are those which contain numeric values such as integer,
float, etc.
Character vectors: Character vectors in R contain alphanumeric values and special
characters.

Logical vectors: Logical vectors in R contain Boolean values such as TRUE, FALSE and
NA for Null values.

R – Matrix

Matrix is a rectangular arrangement of numbers in rows and columns. In a matrix, as we

know rows are the ones that run horizontally and columns are the ones that run vertically.
In R programming, matrices are two-dimensional, homogeneous data structures.

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R – Array

Arrays are essential data storage structures defined by a fixed number of

dimensions. Arrays are used for the allocation of space at contiguous

memory locations. Uni-dimensional arrays are called vectors with the length

being their only dimension. Two-dimensional arrays are called matrices,

consisting of fixed numbers of rows and columns. Arrays consist of all

elements of the same data type. Vectors are supplied as input to the

function and then create an array based on the number of dimensions.

Uni-Dimensional Array
A vector is a uni-dimensional array, which is specified by a single dimension, length. A
Vector can be created using ‘ c()‘ function. A list of values is passed to the c() function to
create a vector.
Example:
vec1 <- c(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

print (vec1)

Multi-Dimensional Array
A two-dimensional matrix is an array specified by a fixed number of rows and columns,
each containing the same data type. A matrix is created by using array() function to which
the values and the dimensions are passed.
arr = array(2:13, dim = c(2, 3, 2))

print(arr)

R – Lists

A list in R is a generic object consisting of an ordered collection of objects. Lists are one-
dimensional, heterogeneous data structures The list can be a list of vectros a list of
matrices, a list of characters and a list of functions, and so on.

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A list is a vector but with heterogeneous data elements. A list in R is created with the use
of list() function. R allows accessing elements of an R list with the use of the index value.
In R, the indexing of a list starts with 1 instead of 0 like in other programming languages.

R – Data Frames

R programming language is an open-source programming language that is widely used as a

statistical software and data analysis tool. Data Frames in R Language are generic data
objects of R that are used to store tabular data. Data frames can also be interpreted as
matrices where each column of a matrix can be of different data types. R DataFrame is
made up of three principal components, the data, rows, and columns.

Data Management (Import/Export)

The collection of facts is known as data. Data can be in different forms. To analyze data
using R programming language, data should be first imported in R which can be in different
formats like txt, CSV, or any other delimiter-separated files. After importing data then
manipulate, analyze, and report it.

Import Data from a File in R Programming Language

In this article, we are going to see how to import different files in R programming
Language.

Import CSV file into R

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Method 1: Using read.csv() methods.

Method 2: Using read.table()methods

Importing Data from a Text File

We can easily import or read .txt file using basic R function read.table(). read.table() is
used to read a file in table format. This function is easy to use and flexible.

Importing Data from a delimited file

R has a function read.delim() to read the delimited files into the list. The file is by default
separated by a tab which is represented by sep=””, that separated can be a comma(, ), dollar
symbol($), etc.

Importing SPSS sav File into R

Here we are going to read SPSS .sav File in R programming language. For this, we will use
the haven package. To read SPSS files in R we use the read_sav() function which is inside
the haven package.

Syntax: read_sav(“FileName.sav”)

Packages in R
Packages in R programming language are a set of R functions, compiled code, and sample
data. These are stored under a directory called “library” within the R environment. By
default, R installs a group of packages during installation. Once we start the R console,
only the default packages are available by default. Other packages that are already installed
need to be loaded explicitly to be utilized by the R program that’s getting to use them.

Install an R-Packages
There are multiple ways to install R Package, some of them are,
• Installing R Packages From CRAN: For installing R Package from CRAN we
need the name of the package and use the following command:

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 install.packages("package name")
• Installing Package from CRAN is the most common and easiest way as we just
have to use only one command. To install more than one package at a time, we
just have to write them as a character vector in the first argument of
the installation.packages() function:

5. Introduction to the Research Topic

Satisfaction of consumers through Online Food Services

Online food services refer to platforms or applications that allow users to order food and have
it delivered to their doorstep. These services have become increasingly popular in recent
years, particularly with the rise of smartphone usage and the convenience they offer. Online
food services range from restaurant-specific apps to third-party delivery services that partner
with various restaurants to offer a wider range of options.

Online food services typically require users to create an account, select their desired
restaurant or cuisine, browse the menu, place an order, and pay online. The order is then
processed by the restaurant or delivery service, and the food is prepared and delivered to the
user's location. Many online food services also offer features such as order tracking and
customer reviews to enhance the user experience.

Some popular online food services include Zomato,Swiggy,UberEats,Domino’s,Food Panda

etc. These services have revolutionized the way people order food, making it easier and more
convenient than ever before.

Online food services have become increasingly popular in recent years, especially during the
COVID-19 pandemic when many people were unable or reluctant to visit restaurants in person.
These platforms provide a convenient way for costumers to order food without having to leave
their homes or interact with others, and they also offer restaurants a way to reach new customers
and increase their revenue.

Analysis Of some of the most used Online food services platforms.

ZOMATO:

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Zomato is a food delivery and restaurant discovery platform based in India. Founded in 2008
by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, the company began as an online restaurant discovery
guide for users in Delhi. Since then, Zomato has expanded its operations to over 25 countries,
including India, the United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and Australia.

Zomato offers a range of services to both restaurants and consumers. For restaurants, it
provides an online platform to list their menus, prices, photos, and other information to attract
customers. Zomato also offers marketing and promotional tools to help restaurants reach a
wider audience and increase their revenue.

For consumers, Zomato provides a comprehensive platform for finding and ordering food from
local restaurants. Users can search for restaurants by location, cuisine, price range, and other
factors, and can read reviews and ratings from other users to help them make informed
decisions. Zomato also offers online ordering and delivery services, as well as reservation
booking at select restaurants.

In addition to its core services, Zomato has also expanded into other areas of the food industry,
such as cloud kitchens and grocery delivery. With its strong brand recognition and user base,
Zomato has become a leading player in the food delivery and restaurant discovery market in
India and other countries.

Historical Background
Zomato is an Indian multinational food delivery company that provides information and
reviews on restaurants, cafes, and bars in various cities around the world. The company was
founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah in Delhi, India, as a restaurant
discovery platform called Foodiebay.

Initially, Foodiebay was created as an online platform to help users find and review restaurants
in Delhi NCR. The platform soon gained popularity, and the founders expanded its operations
to other cities in India. In 2010, the company changed its name to Zomato, and by 2012, it had

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expanded to international markets, including the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Qatar, and
the United Kingdom.

Over the years, Zomato has grown rapidly, with a focus on technology and innovation. The
company has launched various services and features, including food ordering and delivery,
table reservations, and online ordering for restaurants. In 2015, Zomato acquired Urbanspoon,
a popular restaurant review platform in the United States, to expand its presence in North
America.

Zomato has also raised significant funding over the years, with investments from various
venture capital firms, including Sequoia Capital, Info Edge, and Temasek. In 2021, Zomato
went public and raised over $1 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) on the Indian stock
exchanges. Today, Zomato operates in over 25 countries and has a network of over 1.5 million
restaurants on its platform, making it one of the largest food delivery companies in the world.
Conceptual Background

Zomato is an Indian restaurant aggregator and food delivery company founded in 2008. It is
headquartered in Gurugram, India, and operates in over 25 countries. Zomato's platform allows
users to search for and discover restaurants, read reviews, and order food delivery online.

The company was started by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, who were employees of
Bain & Company at the time. The idea for Zomato came about when the two were looking for
restaurant menus online and found the process difficult. They realized that there was a need for
a comprehensive database of restaurant information and menus, which led to the creation of
Zomato.

Zomato's success is built on its user-friendly platform and comprehensive database of

restaurant information. The company uses a crowdsourcing model to collect information about
restaurants, menus, and reviews, which allows it to offer a wide range of information to users.

In addition to its restaurant discovery platform, Zomato has also expanded into the food
delivery business. The company's food delivery service, Zomato Order, allows users to order
food online from restaurants that don't offer delivery themselves.

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Zomato has grown rapidly since its founding, and in 2021, it went public with an initial public
offering (IPO) on the Indian stock market. The company's IPO was one of the largest in India's
history, and it was seen as a significant milestone for the Indian startup ecosystem.

6. Research objective

Research on online food services may have various objectives depending on the specific
research questions being investigated. Some possible objectives of research on online food
services include:

1. Understanding consumer behavior: Research can explore consumer attitudes,

preferences, and behaviors related to online food services, such as their reasons for
using these services, how often they use them, and what factors influence their decision-
making.
2. Evaluating the effectiveness of marketing strategies: Research can evaluate the
effectiveness of different marketing strategies used by online food services, such as
promotions, discounts, and social media campaigns, and determine which strategies are
most effective in attracting and retaining customers.
3. Identifying opportunities for innovation: Research can identify areas where online
food services can improve their offerings, such as by introducing new products,
improving delivery times, or enhancing the user experience on their website or app.
4. Assessing the impact of online food services on the food industry: Research can
explore the impact of online food services on the traditional food industry, such as how
they affect the market for traditional restaurants and food delivery services, and how
they influence consumer dining habits.
5. Analyzing the competitive landscape: Research can analyze the competitive
landscape of online food services, such as by comparing the offerings, pricing, and
customer service of different services, and identifying areas where new entrants can
differentiate themselves from established players.
OBJECTIVE:-
➢ To observe the most preferred food service among all.
➢ To identify the market share of the prominent market player.

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 ➢ To find the purchase behaviour of a product that what influences the customer to buy
a product again and again.

6.1 Hypothesis
• 1st Objective: Null Hypothesis(H0): There are no different among brands.
Alternate Hypothesis(H1): customers are indifferent among various brands.

• 2nd Objective: Null Hypothesis(H0): market share is equal.

Alternate Hypothesis(H1): market share is not equal.

• 3rd Objective: Null Hypothesis(H0): consumers are not influenced by any factor
Alternate Hypothesis(H1): consumer is influenced by advertisement and other factors

Data collection: Conduct a survey of a random sample of consumers who have purchased
men’s formal wear in the past year and ask their experience.

Data analysis: Use a t-test to compare the mean satisfaction scores of brand A and brand
B and calculate the p-value.

Decision rule: If the p-value is less than 0.05, reject the null hypothesis and conclude that
there is a difference in consumer preference between brands. If the p-value is greater than
or equal to 0.05, fail to reject the null hypothesis and conclude that there is no difference
in consumer preference among brands.

Data Collections

Data collection for research on online food services can involve a variety of methods depending
on the specific research questions and methodology. Here are some possible data collection
methods:

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 1. Online surveys: Online surveys can be used to gather information from a large number
of customers of online food services. The surveys can include questions about customer
satisfaction, ordering behavior, delivery time, quality of food, and other factors that
influence their experience with online food services.
2. Interviews: Interviews can be conducted with customers, restaurant owners, and
delivery drivers to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences and perspectives
on online food services. Interviews can be conducted over the phone, via email, or
through video conferencing.
3. Reviews and ratings: Online food services such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash
collect a large number of reviews and ratings from customers. Researchers can analyze
this data to identify patterns and trends in customer satisfaction, as well as to gain
insight into the factors that influence customers' decisions to use online food services.
4. Observations: Researchers can observe the behavior of customers and delivery drivers
using online food services, such as how they interact with the app, how long they wait
for their orders, and how they rate the service. Observations can be conducted in person
or remotely through video recording.
5. Social media analysis: Researchers can analyze social media data to identify trends
and patterns in customer behavior and sentiment towards online food services. This can
involve analyzing hashtags, mentions, and comments on social media platforms such
as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
6. Secondary data analysis: Researchers can analyze existing data sources, such as
reports and statistics from online food service providers or industry associations, to gain
insights into the market and customer behavior.

When collecting data for research on online food services, it is important to consider ethical
considerations, such as obtaining informed consent from participants and ensuring that their
data is kept confidential and secure. It is also important to ensure that the data collected is
representative of the target population and that any potential biases or limitations in the study
are documented and addressed.

7. DATA PREPARATION

7.1 Preparation Of Questionnaire

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Questions that were asked in survey for product assessment

Q1. How frequently do you order food online?

Q2. What online food delivery platforms have you used in the past?
Q3. How satisfied are you with the quality of food delivered by online food delivery platforms?
Q4. Have you ever experienced poor customer services while ordering food online?
Q5. Would you be willing to pay a premium for faster delivery times?
Q6. Do you think that the rapid expansion of online food services is going to contribute
negatively towards a healthy lifestyle in the future?
Q7. How likely are you to recommend online food delivery platforms to your friends and
family?
Q8. How satisfied are you with the prices asked to pay alongwith the delivery charges?
Q9.At what time mostly do you order food online?
Q10. How satisfied are you with the packaging of the food delivered to you through Online
food service platforms?

CODING OF A QUESTIONNAIRE

a) Coding means it is the process of assigning a cod to something for classification or

identification.

b) If the answers to a question are represented on the questionnaire as points on a scale from 1
to 5, usually you will enter these numbers directly into the grid.

c) If the answers take a different form, you may wish to translate them into a numerical scale.
For example, if students are asked to note their gender as male/female, you may ascribe a value
of 1 to every male response and 0 to female responses – this will be helpful when it comes to
computing summary statistics and necessary if you are interested in exploring correlations in
the data.

d) It will make it much easier to analyse the data if there is an entry for all questions.

Question 1 : AGE GROUP?

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 AGE 15-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 35 & Above
GROUP
RESPONSE 68.3% 27% 1% 3.7% -
S

Q2-GENDER?

MALE 60.3%
FEMALE 39.7%
PREFER NOT TO SAY -

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Q3 How frequently do you order food online?

DAILY 3.0 %
WEEKLY 39.7%
MONTHLY 28.6%
VERY RARELY 25.4%
NEVER 3.3%

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Q4-What online food delivery platforms have you used in the past?

FOOD RESPONSES(IN RESPONSES(IN NUMBERS)

DELIVERY PERCENTAGE)
PLATFORM
ZOMATO 79.4% 50
SWIGGY 65.1% 41
UBEREATS 4.8% 3
DOMINOS 36.5% 23
OTHER 6.3% 4

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Q5- How satisfied are you with the quality of food delivered by online food delivery
platforms?

VERY SATISFIED 12.7%

SATISFIED 60.3%
NEUTRAL 25.4%
DISSATISFIED -
VERY DISSATISFIED 1.6%

Q6-Have you ever experienced poor customer services while ordering food online?

CHOICES: RESPONSES
YES 31.7%
NO 31.7%

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 MAYBE 36.5%

Q7-Would you be willing to pay a premium for faster delivery times?

CHOICES: RESPONSES
YES 23.8%
NO 63.5%
MAYBE 12.7%

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Q8- Do you think the rapid expansion of online food services is going to contribute
negatively towards a healthy lifestyle in the future?

CHOICES RESPONSES
AGREE 33.3%
STRONGLY AGREE 25.4%
NEUTRAL 28.6%
STRONGLY DISAGREE 3.2%
DISAGREE 9.5%

Q9- How likely are you to recommend online food delivery platforms to your friends and
family?

SCALE RESPONSES
1(Less recommended) 12.7%
2 11.1%
3(Neutral) 44.4%
4 25.4%
5(Highly recommended) 6.3%

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Q10- How satisfied are you with the prices asked to pay along with the delivery charges?

VERY SATISFIED -
SATISFIED 17.5%
NEUTRAL 46%
DISSATISFIED 30.2%
VERY DISSATISFIED 6.3%

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Q11- At what time mostly do you order food online?

TIME CHOICES RESPONSES

In Normal hours of the day 34.9%
During odd hours of the day 38.1%
During work hours 4.8%
Some other time 22.2%

Q12- How satisfied are you with the packaging of the food delivered to you through
Online Food Service Platforms?

CHOICES RESPONSES
VERY SATISFIED 14.3%
SATISFIED 54%

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8.a.ii)MEAN, MEDIAN , MAX , MIN ANALYSIS

The mean is the average of all numbers and is sometimes called the arithmetic mean. To
calculate mean, add together all of the numbers in a set and then divide the sum by the total
count of numbers

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8.b)INFERENTIAL STATISTICS

Statistical inference is a method of testing assumptions on sample data drawn from a

population with the objective of inferring or estimating information about the population. It
uses a random sample of data taken from a population to describe and make inferences about
the entire population. Inferential statistics come in handy when it is not feasible or possible to
examine each member of the population. For instance, measuring the diameter of each nail
manufactured in a mill is impractical. However, you can measure the diameters of a
representative random sample of nails.

The information obtained from the sample can then be used to make generalizations about the
diameters of all the nails. Inferential Statistics Types Inferential statistics can be broadly
categorized into two types: parametric and nonparametric. The selection of type depends on
the nature of the data and the purpose of the analysis.

Parametric Inferential Statistics These are statistical methods that assume data comes from a
type of probability distribution and makes inferences about the parameters of the distribution.
Common parametric methods include:

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➢ T-tests: Used when comparing the means of two groups to see if they’re significantly
different.

➢ Analysis of Variance (ANOVA): Used to compare the means of more than two groups.

➢ Regression Analysis: Used to predict the value of one variable (dependent) based on the
value of another variable (independent).

➢ Chi-square test for independence: Used to test if there is a significant association

between two categorical variables.

➢ Pearson’s correlation: Used to test if there is a significant linear relationship between

two continuous variables.

T-TEST

• 1st Objective: Null Hypothesis(H0): market share is equal of all food delivery
platform is equal.
Alternate Hypothesis(H1): market share is not equal.

The independent two-sample t-test was conducted to compare age group with different food
delivery platform. The mean of 1st was found to be 25 , and the mean of 38.42. The t-value
was -0.61877, with a corresponding p-value of 0.5562.

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Given the small p-value of 0.5562 which is less than the conventional significance level of
0.05, we reject the null hypothesis.

• 2nd Objective: Null Hypothesis(H0): consumers are not influenced by any factor
Alternate Hypothesis(H1): consumer is influenced by discounts and other factors

The independent two-sample t-test was conducted to assess whether there is a significant diff
erence in the Likelihood to Recommend scores between respondents who rated their likelihoo
d on a scale from 1 (Less recommended) to 5 (Highly recommended) and those who provided
percentages corresponding to each Likelihood category. The t-test revealed a statistically sign
ificant difference in Likelihood to Recommend scores between the two groups (t = -2.030, df
= 2.0056, p-value < 0.179).

The significant t-value suggests that the Likelihood to Recommend scores significantly differ
between these two response formats.

The mean Willingness to Pay Premium score for respondents who used the scale was
[mean1], and for those who provided percentage ratings, it was [mean2]. This significant
result implies a notable difference in the reported willingness to pay a premium for faster
delivery times based on the response format.

ANNOVA
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ANOVA, short for Analysis of Variance, is a statistical method utilized for comparing
means between various groups. It evaluates whether the means of a dependent variable (also
known as the response variable) are equivalent across different levels of one or more
independent variables (factors). In essence, ANOVA can help establish whether there are any
noteworthy differences in the means of three or more groups. In relation to your survey,
ANOVA could be used to identify whether there are significant variations in satisfaction
levels (e.g., Satisfaction_Quality) based on different factors such as Age, Employment,
Annual Income, and so on.

CORRELATIONAL ANAYLSIS

Correlational analysis is a valuable statistical tool that enables us to assess the strength and
direction of linear relationships between multiple variables. This method provides insight into
how changes in one variable correspond to changes in another, allowing us to better
understand how various aspects or responses from participants are interconnected. For
instance, you could use correlational analysis to evaluate whether there is a correlation
between satisfaction with the quality of clothing and the probability of recommending a
fashion brand.

REGRESSION ANALYSIS

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Regression analysis is a statistical technique used to explore and model the relationship
between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. The main goal is to
understand the nature of the relationship and make predictions. Regression analysis is widely
used in various fields, including economics, finance, biology, psychology, and social
sciences, to analyze and model relationships between variables and make predictions based
on those relationships. In R Studio, the lm() function is commonly used for fitting linear
regression models.

FINDINGS
Without the specific research project and methodology used, it is difficult to provide specific
findings. However, here are some potential findings for a research project on online food
services:

1 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 68.3% of the total responses were from the age group of 15-20
and the online food delivery services are used by these age group.

2 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 60.3% of the responses were male responses which shows that
the males use online food delivery services more often than females.

3 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e.39.7% of the food ordered online is done on a weekly basis by
the people.

4 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage i.e. 79.4% people prefer ZOMATO as their first preference for ordering food
Online.

5 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 60.3% of the people are satisfied with the quality of the food
delivered to them.

6 According to the data of the questionnaire it can be seen that people may have experienced
poor customer services while ordering food Online i.e 36.5% of the total responses.

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7 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 63.5% are not willing to pay any premium charges for faster
delivery times.

8 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 33.3% are agreeing to the fact that rapid expansion of online
food service will have a negative impact on a healthy lifestyle in future.

9 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage i.e. 44.4% of the people are neutral about suggesting online food delivery
services to their friends and family.

10 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 46% are neutral about the satisfaction from the prices asked to
pay alongwith the delivery charges which means they are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

11 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 38.1% of the people order food online during odd hours of the
day.

12 According to the research done on online food services , it can be seen that the maximum
percentage of responses i.e. 54% of the people are satisfied with the packaging provided to
them through online food delivery services platforms.

Conclusion
• In conclusion, this research project has provided valuable insights into the online food
service industry, identifying key trends, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, we were able
to gain a deeper understanding of customer preferences, restaurant participation,
delivery and service quality, and environmental impact.

• Our research findings indicate that while online food services are growing in popularity,
there are still several limitations and challenges that need to be addressed. These include

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 issues with delivery time and quality, limited menu options, additional fees, customer
service, and environmental concerns.

• Based on our findings, we recommend that online food service providers focus on
improving delivery times and quality, increasing restaurant participation and menu
options, providing transparent pricing, improving customer service, and implementing
more sustainable delivery and packaging practices. These recommendations are
practical and feasible, and can help to improve the overall customer experience and
drive growth in the industry.

• Additionally, there are several areas for future research, including further exploration
of customer preferences, analysis of the impact of emerging technologies, and
examination of the regulatory landscape for online food services.

• Overall, this research project provides valuable insights into the online food service
industry and identifies opportunities for improvement that can help to drive growth and
enhance the customer experience.

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