The document discusses developing a well-defined research problem. It covers defining the management decision problem versus the research problem, developing research questions, and identifying the components of a research problem such as the unit of analysis, research variables, theoretical framework, and hypotheses. Key points include:
- The management decision problem asks what needs to be done, while the research problem asks what information is needed and how to obtain it.
- Important to define the unit(s) of analysis, such as individuals, groups, organizations, or industries.
- Research variables could include independent, dependent, moderating, mediating, and control variables.
- The theoretical framework models relationships between variables based on literature and theories.
2. MANAGEMENT DECISION
PROBLEM
RESEARCH PROBLEM
Asks what the decision maker
need to do ?
Asks what information is needed
and how it should be obtained
Action oriented Information oriented
Focuses on symptoms Focuses to the underlying causes
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
3. DEFINING THE PROBLEM- WALMART
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
DM: We have seen a decline in patronage of our store
R: How do you know that?
DM: Well it is reflected in our sales and market shares
R: Why do you think your patronage has declined?
DM: I suspect we are better than competitions on some factors and
worse on others
R: How do customers view your store?
DM: I think most of them view it positively, although we may have a
weak area or two.
4. MANAGEMENT DECISION PROBLEM & RESEARCH PROBLEM
MANAGEMENT DECISION PROBLEM
What are factors that are leading to drop in patronage of Walmart?
RESARCH PROBLEMS
Factors that determine the preferences of a customer for a department stores?
The strengths and weaknesses of Walmart vis-a-vis its competitors
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What criterion do households use while selecting department stores?
How do households evaluate Walmart and competing stores in terms of choice criteria?
Which stores are patronized when shopping for specific product categories?
What is the market share of Walmart and its competitors on specific product categories?
What is the demographic and psychographic profiles of competing stores?
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
6. COMPONENTS OF WELL DEFINED RESEARCH PROBLEM
UNIT OF ANALYSIS
RESEARCH VARIABLES
THEORETICAL FORMULATION AND MODEL BUILDING
FORMULATION OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
7. UNIT OF ANALYSIS- ONBOARDING EMPLOYEES
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Gupta, P. D., Bhattacharya, S., Sheorey, P., & Coelho, P. (2018). Relationship
between onboarding experience and turnover intention: intervening role of locus
of control and self-efficacy. Industrial and Commercial Training.
8. UNIT OF ANALYSIS-INDUSTRY
Sharma, D., Bhattacharya, S., & Thukral, S. (2019). Resource-based view on corporate sustainable financial
reporting and firm performance: evidences from emerging Indian economy. International Journal of
Business Governance and Ethics, 13(4), 323-344.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
ESG Disclosure Reporting
• Environmental Reporting
• Sustainability Reporting
• Governance Reporting
Firm Performance
• Return on Asset
• Tobin’ Q
9. UNIT OF ANALYSIS: GROUP & TEAM
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Neelam, N., Sheorey, P., Bhattacharya, S., & Kunte, M. (2020). Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines for learning
organization in higher education and its impact on lifelong learning–evidence from Indian business schools. VINE Journal of Information and
Knowledge Management Systems.
Lifelong Learning
Attitude
Learning
Organization
Perceived Quality of
Learning Process
H1
H2a
H2b
H2c
10. UNIT OF ANALYSIS: TRIAD
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Psychological
Ownership
Territoriality
Knowledge
Hiding
Workplace Deviant
Behaviour
Research Scientist
Subordinate
Supervisor
11. RESEARCH VARIABLE
Any symbol or word to which we assign numeric value
Types of Variables
Independent Variables
Dependent Variables
Control Variables
Moderating Variables
Mediating Variables
Intervening Variables
Cofounding Variables
Exogenous and Endogenous variables
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
12. DEPENDENT VARIABLE (DV)
The most important variable
Variable under study
A dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the
experiment. The dependent variable responds to the independent variable. It is called dependent
because it "depends" on the independent variable.
Example: Turnover Intention, Job Performance, Firm Performance, Purchase Intention, Productivity,
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
13. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (IV)
The independent variable is the variable the experimenter changes or controls and is assumed to have a
direct effect on the dependent variable.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
ESG Disclosure Reporting
• Environmental Reporting
• Sustainability Reporting
• Governance Reporting
Firm Performance
• Return on Asset
• Tobin’ Q
Independent Variable Dependent Variable
Onboarding Experience
Early Turnover
Intention
14. MODERATING VARIABLE (MV)
Has a strong contingent effect on the
relationship between Independent and
Dependent Variable
It changes the strength or direction of an effect
between independent and dependent variable.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
OBPO
Gupta, P., Bhattacharya, S., Neelam, N., & Kunte,
M. (2016). Boomers like to confront, generation Y
is okay with withdrawal, but they all love to
negotiate in India. Conflict Resolution Quarterly,
33(4), 403-435.
15. INTERVENING VARIABLE AND MEDIATING VARIABLE
An intervening variable has a temporal
connotation
Factor which theoretically affects the observed
phenomena but cannot be seen or measured or
manipulated
A mediating variable is a variable that links
the independent and the dependent variables,
and whose existence explains the relationship
between the other two variables.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Onboarding
Experience
Early
Turnover
Intention
Job satisfaction can be the intervening variable
16. EXTRANEOUS VARIABLE AND CONTROL VARIABLE
Extraneous variable are those that might exist
and might affect defined relationship and are of
not prime interest. They may cause chance
variations observed in research investigation
In case the impact is too much the researcher may
want to block or the control the variable by using a
control variable
The term control variable refers to variables that
are not of primary interest (i.e., neither the
exposure nor the outcome of interest) and thus
constitute an extraneous or third factor whose
influence is to be controlled or eliminated.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Psychologic
al
Ownership
Territoriality
Knowledge
Hiding
Workplace
Deviant
Behaviour
Age
Gender
Tenure in
Organizatio
n
Control Variable
17. CONFOUNDING VARIABLE
In statistics, a confounder is a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent
variable, causing a spurious association. Confounding is a causal concept, and as such, cannot be
described in terms of correlations or associations.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
18. EXOGENOUS AND ENDOGENOUS VARIABLES
An endogenous variable is one that is explained by a model. So if you have a set of simultaneous
equations, those equations (the simultaneous equation model) should explain the behavior of any
endogenous variable.
On the other hand, if the model doesn’t explain the behavior of certain variable, then those variables are
exogenous.
An exogenous variable is a variable that is not affected by other variables in the system. For example,
take a simple causal system like farming
Y=a+b *x+c*z+d* r+error1
X= c*z+ error2
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
19. AN EXAMPLE
Self Efficacy(MeV)) mediates the relationship between
Locus of Control (IV) and Onboarding Experience (DV)
Onboarding Experience (MeV) mediates the relationship
between Self Efficacy (IV) and Turnover Intention(DV)
Self Efficacy (M) moderates the relationship between
onboarding experience and Turnover Intention
Industry is confounding variable impacting both Turnover
Intention and Onboarding Experience
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
20. THEORETICAL FORMULATION AND MODEL BUILDING
Operationalizing theoretical Interrelationship
between various variables
TI= function of (LC, SE, OE, I)
OE =function of (LC, SE, I)
SE= function of (LC)
Where
LC= Locus of Control
SE= Self –Efficacy
OE= Onboarding Experience
TI = Turnover Intention
I= Infustry
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
21. FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS
A hypothesis is a declarative mode.
A conjectural statement about the relationship between two or more variables (Kerlinger, 1986) based
on literature, theories and gut feeling
A hypothesis is written in such a way that it can be proven or disproven through valid and reliable data
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Hypothesis
Descriptive
Attrition rate is 10%
Primary- Enrolment Ratio is 90%
Relational
22. AN EXAMPLE
H1: OE has inverse relationship with TI
H2: Some dimensions of self-efficacy will moderate the
inverse relationship between OE and TI.
H3: The relationship between certain dimensions of
self-efficacy and TI is mediated through newcomer’s OE.
H4: OE mediates the relationship between locus of
control and TI, with the existence of a negative
association between internal locus of control and a
positive association between external locus of control
and TI.
H5: There will be industry wise differences in TI and OE.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
23. MODELING IN WALMART CASE
Verbal Model
A consumer first becomes aware of
a department store. That person
then gains an understanding of the
store by evaluating the store in
terms of the factors comprising the
choice criteria, Based on the
evaluation. the consumer forms a
degree of preference for the store. If
preference is strong enough. the
consumer will patronize the store
Awareness
Evaluation
s
Preference Patronage
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
Graphical Model
25. RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHESIS TESTING
RQI: What foods are considered to be comfort foods?
HI: Potato chips are considered comfort food.
H2: Ice cream is considered comfort food.
RQ2: When do people eat comfort foods?
H3: People eat comfort foods when they are in a good mood.
H4: People eat comfort foods when they are in a bad mood.
RQ3: How do people become attached to comfort foods?
H5: People are artached to comfort foods that are consistent with their personality.
SONALI BHATTACHARYA
A hypothesis (H) is an unproven
statement or proposition about a
factor or phenomenon that is of
interest to the researcher. It may,
for example, be a tentative
statement about
relationships between two or
more variables as stipulated by
the theoretical framework or the
analytical model.