This document provides a framework for conducting thorough research for MBA students. It recommends beginning with outlining main points, using Wikipedia for cross-references, searching Google advanced with keyword combinations, and leveraging standard data sources from government and industry reports. It also suggests accessing published research through libraries and Google Scholar, and presenting conclusions or solutions from the research.

1. PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RESEARCH FOR MBA STUDENTS
While writing reports, presentations, white papers, articles etc, mere opinions are not
enough unless they are backed up by facts, numbers or references. These add credibility to
the argument and differentiate quality work from the the copy-paste/hasty work. While
there are umpteen ways to do quality research, I have found the below framework useful.
Let me make it concrete by giving example on context of an article on “Impact of Global
Recession on India”
1. Write the outline/main points:- Always identify the key points even before you start
writing. This gives you a base on which to start writing. Ideally, a mind map is the
best way to explore relationships between words, but this can be done using bullets
in Word. In this example, outline could be introduction, global recession statistics,
India dependence on globe, affected sectors, decoupling theory, domestic demand
substituting exports?
2. Go to Wikipedia:- Chances are whatever the topic, it will be on Wikipedia. And
Wikipedia has excellent hyperlinks, so chances are you will get cross references and
stumble upon something interesting, to also augment keywords/points/outline.
3. Use Google ADVANCED SEARCH:-Most people make the mistake of typing in vague
keywords, getting in hundreds of search result pages, and giving up very early after
hardly seeing 20-30 results. Like anything else, getting quality data needs effort &
smart work. So go to Google-Select Advanced Search-Filter ‘English Language Results’
and ‘100 Results per Page’. Also, use “inverted quotes” for keywords which you
have identified earlier. And use combinations of keywords. The best investment in
your entire MBA life is probably understanding the features of Google Search-
including Image Search etc. Learn useful features like limiting results from India only,
filtering results etc. For example, on the above article, some search strings could be
“Decoupling Theory”+India
4. Know the standard data sources:- There are certain free reliable current sources:-
o Country/Global Data:-Use Google Public Data explorer for getting nice
graphs for any mix of countries. Else, IMF/World Bank/WTO sites/CIA
FactBook(really great) are good starters for cross national data/comparisons.
o Economic Data-Indian Budget/Economic Survey(they have a lot of statistical
data). RBI also releases annual reports & periodic data on the economy.
o Demographic Data:- This is mostly needed for marketing courses. So go to
India Census-the 2011 Census data is out there, and take the new original
data from there. Items like literacy, age sex ratio, population, age mix .
o Industry Specific Data:- Almost all industries come under a specific Ministry
of the Indian Government(like coal, power, energy, finance, railway). That
Ministry usually has data on that sector, accompanied by its annual report.

2. o Annual Reports of Good companies:- The Nifty companies typically give a
detailed Industry analysis in their Management Discussion & Analysis(MD&A)
section. So if you need reliable data at a glance, identify the market
leaders/prominent companies in that industry, and download their annual
reports from either the company website, or the BSEINDIA site. Then read
their MD&A section. Usually, IT/Pharma/FMCG/Banks have very good
MD&As. Investor Relations PPT/Conference Call Transcripts help too.
o Share Market Data:-You may want to show that the share
market(overall/few sectors/stocks) have underperformed/overperformed.
Go to the BSE/NSE India sites and select the unit(stocks, sector index, market
index) for which you want data. The sites generally let you download data for
atleast 2-3 years. So suppose you want to compare IT sector performance
versus overall stock market, download the data of the IT Index and the BSE
Sensex. Then use Excel to plot a graph and paste that in your report.
o Quickly understand competitors/players in an industry:- If you just want to
understand the sector aggregate(total sector sales, profits, assets, competitor
analysis), then go to moneycontrol.com, type in any company name, and
then select “Peers” from the right hand side bar. That allows you to rank the
sector companies on sales/assets/profits.
o Understanding Business Models in detail:- Want to know how XYZ Industry
makes money? Even the MD&A section may fall short. Then go to the SEBI
website and look in the draft prospectus section. Chances are you will find a
company from that sector which has filed for an IPO. If not IPO, then see
Rights Issue Letter of Offer section. These documents are HUGE(300+pages)
but contain business understanding, recent report extracts
o Consultant Reports/Special Equity Research Reports:-These are often not
publicly available, so ask your college Consult Club or friends who work in
equity research/consulting. They may have these reports.
5. Laying your hands on published research:- Online/Print Subscriptions to journals are
expensive, and your college may not have them all. So one good option is to use the
free service Google Scholar. This permits you to view research, and impress the
professor by citing stuff. This will also ensure that you are standing on the shoulders
of giants and NOT merely reinventing the wheel. Ignorance is not bliss here!
6. Know your library resources:- Libraries often subscribe to services like Data
Monitor/CMIE Prowess/IndiaStats etc. Understand how to use them, they often
have data not easily available elsewhere & can save formatting time.
7. Try to present a solution/action point:-If your article is devoid of any use/just has a
research view, it is of little use. Try to present your views to have a definite
conclusion/recommendation. Tabular form(Issue/Impact/Solution) often helps.
8. Style/ Referencing:- Writing format and style should be different each for research
papers (academic style), articles (personal style) and white papers.