Business Research

1. The Research Design

2. The Research Process for Basic
& Applied Research
1. Observation
Broad area of
research interest
identified
3. Problem
Definition
Research problem
delineated
2. Preliminary
Data Gathering
Interviewing
Literature survey
4.
Theoretical
Framework
Variables
clearly
identified
and
labelled
5.
Generation
of
Hypothesis
7. Data Collection
Analysis, and
Interpretation
8. Deduction
Hypotheses substantiated?
Research question answered?
No
Yes
9. Report
Writing
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6.
Scientific
Research
Design
10. Report
Presentation
11.
Managerial
Decision
Making
2

3. The Research Design
Details of Study
Purpose of
the study
•Exploration
•Description
•Hypothesis
Testing
Types of
investigation
Establishing:
•Causal
relationships
•Correlations
Population
to be studied
Sampling
design
•Individuals
•Groups
•Companies
•Machines
etc…
•Probability/
Nonprobability
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•Sample
size (n)
Measurement
Extent of
researcher
interference
•Minimal: Studying
events as they
normally occur
•Manipulation
Time
horizon
•One-short
•Longitudinal
Study
setting
•Contrived
•Noncontrived
Measurement
& Measures
Operational
definition:
•Items
•Scaling
•Categorizing
•Coding
Data collection
method
•Observation
•Interview
•Questionnaire
•Physical
measurement
•Unobtrusive
Data
Analysis
1. Feel
for
data
2. Goodness
of data
3. Hypothesis
testing
3

4. RESEARCH DESIGN OUTLINE
 PURPOSE OF STUDY
 TYPE OF INVESTIGATION
 RESEARCHER INTERFERENCE
 STUDY SETTING
 UNITS OF ANALYSIS
 TIME HORIZON

5. 1. PURPOSE OF STUDY
• EXPLORATORY Study
– Situation unknown
– Preliminary Information for comprehensive study
– Example: Ethical values of different Cultures to
manage workforce diversity
– Focus groups and comprehensive interviews are
appropriate

6. 1. PURPOSE OF STUDY
• DESCRIPTIVE STUDY:
to describe features of a variable
Goal is to offer a profile of the relevant aspects of the
phenomena of interest from an individual, organizational,
industry oriented or other perspective.
Understand characteristics
Think systematically
offer ideas for further probe and research
helps in decision making
Quantitative data in terms of frequencies, means, percentages
and standard deviations are necessary.
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7. 1. PURPOSE OF STUDY
• TESTING HYPOTHESIS
– explain nature of relationships, differences and
interdependences among factors
– e.g: sales volume –promotion efforts
• CASE STUDY
– conceptual analysis of similar situations for
generalization
– Difficult to find same type of problem in
comparable setting.

8. 2. TYPE OF INVESTIGATION
• CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP:
– establish definite cause of a problem
– e.g: does smoking causes cancer?
• CORELATION:
identify important factors associated with problem
e.g.: are smoking and cancer related?

9. 3.RESEARCHER INTERFERENCE
• minimal if study in natural setting e.g: training
effectiveness based on data
• manipulation, control or simulation: analyst
controls variables e.g.effect of light on worker
output

10. 4.STUDY SETTING
• NON CONTRIVED
– natural setting-field experiment
– e.g are the rates of interest related to extent of deposits?
• CONTRIVED
– Controlled settings
– independent variable changed to see effect on dependant
–lab experiment e.g.to study relationship of rate of interest
on inclination to save the rates of interest in various
branches are changed

11. 4.STUDY SETTING
• Field Study
– Non-contrived setting as no changes were made
• Field Experiment
– Some factors are manipulated
• Lab Experiment
– Contrived settings and maximum interferences
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12. 5. UNITS OF ANALYSIS
• INDIVIDUALS:
e.g: study motivation of employees
• DYADS:
interaction of supervisor-subordinate pair
• GROUP:
e.g: pattern of misuse by various departments
• ORGANIZATIONS:
e.g: Differnces among functions of management in
various organizations
• CULTURES:
e.g. nations as unit of analysis

13. 6. TIME HORIZON
• CROSS SECTIONAL:
one shot study-one time or period e.g data
study of stock market april-june
• LONGITUDINAL:
study of information at more than one period of
time e.g: change in behavior of employees
before and after management change