Research is defined as a step-by-step process involving collecting, recording, analyzing, and interpreting information. It involves observing a problem again and again to find a conclusion. Good research aims to influence the human condition by addressing topics with available information at an appropriate scope. The scientific method involves collecting and analyzing data to write a report that conveys findings to an audience. A research method describes specific steps taken, while research methodology explains why those steps were chosen and should provide meaningful results.

1. Chapter 1:
Fundamentals of Research

2. What is Research
• The term “Research” comes from the French word “Recerchier” that meant to
“Search Again”
Research= Re + Search
• ‘Re’ means again and again and ‘Search’ means to find out something.
• Researcher Research problem Conclusion
observes
again & again
collection of data
analysis of data

3. What is Research
“step-by-step process that involves the collecting,
recording, analyzing, and interpreting the
information”

4. Examples of Research
• A farmer is planting two varieties of rice side by side to compare yields.
• A sociologist is examining the social consequence of divorce.
• An economist is looking at the interdependence of inflation and foreign direct
investment.
• A business enterprise is trying to examine the effects of advertisement of their
products on the volume of sales.

5. What is Good Research
“When it comes to social science in general and
management research in particular, good research is
research that can influence the human condition
whether in society at large or individual
organizations where people spend many of their
working hours”

6. When Research should be avoided???
• Topics with no available information
• Topics that are too technical
• Topics that are too narrow
• Topics that are too broad
• Personal Stories and information

7. Scientific Research
• The Chief characteristics which distinguish the scientific method from other
methods of acquiring knowledge is that scientist seek to let reality speak for
itself, supporting a theory when a theory’s predictions are confirmed and
challenging a theory when its predictions prove false.
• Scientific research in any field of inquiry involves three basic operations:
1. Data Collection: Data collection refers to observing, measuring and
recording data or information.
2. Data Analysis: Data analysis refers to arranging and organizing the collected
data so that we may be able to find out what their significance is and generalize
about them.
3. Report Writing: Report writing is the ultimate step of the study. Its purpose
is to convey information contained in it to the readers or audience.

8. “Method versus Methodology”
• Research methods and Research Methodology are the two terms that are often
confused as one and the same. Strictly speaking, they are not so and they
show differences between them. If we zone in on the etymology of the word
“methodology”, it refers to “method”+ “ology”. ‘Ology’ typically means a
discipline of study or a branch of knowledge. Thus technically speaking,
methodology is considered to be a study of methods.
• Method is what you actually did. It is a simple description. You selected, for
example, 100 rats and measured their weights. You fed some rats X and some
not. A week later you measured their weights again. Methodology is why that
should give you a meaningful result and why you used some specified method
and not some other one. This would in particular include the way you have
controlled for errors, e.g. why you fed the rats for a week rather than a month
and why 100 rats you thought were enough.