Business Research
IBC464 International College
1 Introduction to Research
1.1What is research?
Research is the process of finding
solutions to a problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors.
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1.2.What is business research?
Research provides the needed information that guides
managers to make informed decisions to successfully deal
with problems.
The information provided could be the result of a careful
analysis of data gathered firsthand or of data that are already available (in the company).
1.3.Types of Business research.
1.Applied research Is to solve a current problem faced by the manager in the work
setting,demanding a timely solution.
2.Basic research (fundamental, pure)
Is to generate a body of knowledge by trying to comprehend how
certain problems that occur in organizations can be solved.
The findings of such research contribute to the building of
knowledge in the various functional areas of business.
1.4. Why is it important for managers to know
about research?
Solve problems Decision making tool Competition
Risk
Investment Hire researchers and consultants more effectively
The seven-step process in the Hypothetico-Deductive method
1 Observation 2 Problem identification
preliminary information gathering
3 Theoretical framework
theory formulation
4 Hypothesizing 5 Research design
further scientific data collection
6 Logical analysis
7 Deduction
The seven-step process
2.
Problem statement is a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution. Theoretical framework is the foundation on which the entire research project is based.It is logically developed,described,and elaborated network of associations among the variables relevant to the problem situation. A hypothesis is a tentative statement that proposes a possible explanation to some phenomenon or event. A useful hypothesis is a testable statement which may include a prediction. A hypotheses should not be confused with a theory. Data analysis: the data gathered are statistically analyzed to see if the hypotheses that were generated have been supported.
3.
4.
5.
The seven-step process- contd.
6. Measurement is the process observing and
recording the observations that are collected as part of a research effort.
7. Deduction is the process of arriving at
conclusions by interpreting the meaning of the data analysis results.
Problem Formulation
"Well begun is half done" --Aristotle,
quoting an old proverb
Where do research topics come from? The idea for a research project? one of the most common sources of research
ideas is the experience of practical problems in the field? The Literature Review
Information needs in business
Almost every organization has to engage in research at some
level to stay competitive.
Companies gather data both from within and outside the
organization.
The methods used to gather,analyze,and synthesize information
from the external and internal environments are becoming increasingly sophisticated to the immense scope of computer technology.
The research process
1 Observation 2 Data gathering 3 Problem definition 4 Theoretical framework (variables identified) 5 Hypotheses
6 Research design 7 Data collection,analysis,interpretation
8 Deduction 9 Report writing 10 Report presentation 11 Managerial decision making
Research design
Purpose of the study:
1. Exploratory study
Is undertaken when no information is available on how similar problems or research issues have been solved in the past
2. Conclusive Study i) Descriptive study
Is to able to describe the characteristics of the variables of interest in a situation. ii) Conclusive Study
Is undertaken to explain the variance in the dependent variable or to predict organizational outcomes.
Hypotheses testing
Case studies Research design can be thought of as the structure of research -- it is the "glue" that holds all of the elements in a research project together
Data collection methods
Data can be collected in a variety ways ,data
sources can be primary or secondary. Data collection methods such as: interview(face-to-face,telephone,computerassisted interviews),
Questionaires Observation Motivational techniques
Sampling
A sample is a subset of the population. Sample is the process of selecting a sufficient number of elements from
the population.
Studying a sample rather the entire population is sometimes to lead to
more reliable results, mostly because fatigue is reduced, resulting in fewer errors on collection data. (time, cost,human resources)
Surveys are useful and powerful in finding answers to research
question but if data are not collected from the people or objects that can provide the correct answers to solve the problem, the survey will be in vain.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
The data analysis involves three major steps, done in
roughly this order:
Cleaning and organizing the data for analysis (Data
Preparation) Describing the data (Descriptive Statistics) http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/statdesc.php
Testing Hypotheses and Models (Inferential Statistics)
The Research Report
Research proposal Research report Research presentation
Research report articles vary in how they are organized, :
1. 2.
Abstract - Brief summary of the contents of the article Introduction - A explanation of the purpose of the study, a statement of the research question(s) the study intends to address
3.
Literature review - A critical assessment of the work done so far on this topic, to show how the current study relates to what has already been done
4.
Methods - How the study was carried out (e.g. instruments or equipment, procedures, methods to gather and analyze data)
5.
Results - What was found in the course of the study
6.
7.
Discussion - What do the results mean
Conclusion - State the conclusions and implications of the results,
Research Proposal
Title Page Abstract (on a separate single page) The Body (no page breaks between sections in the body)
Introduction (2-3 pages) Methods (7-10 pages) Sample (1 page) Measures (2-3 pages) Design (2-3 pages) Procedures (2-3 pages) Results (2-3 pages) Conclusions (1-2 pages)
References Tables (one to a page) Figures (one to a page) Appendices
Sample Paper http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampaper.php http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/guideelements.php Formatting http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/formatting.php
