The document discusses research methods and processes. It defines research as a systematic process of investigating problems through applying scientific principles. The key objectives of research are to gain new knowledge and solve problems. Research involves carefully planning and designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing logical conclusions supported by evidence. The overall goal is to increase understanding of the topic being researched.

2.  Hunger of knowledge paved a way for
searching information in a systematic way
to get answers to questions
 Purpose of information search may be for
satisfying the thirst for knowledge or for
solving problems or to test validity of
existing knowledge

3.  Research is an endeavor to discover answers
to intellectual and practical problems through
the application of scientific method.
 “Researchis a systematized effort to gain
new knowledge”.
-Redman and Mory.
 Research is the systematic process of
collecting and analyzing information (data) in
order to increase our understanding of the
phenomenon about which we are concerned
or interested.

4.  When search for information is to solve
business problems
 Business Research is a Systematic and
objective process of gathering, recording
and analyzing data for supporting
business decisions

5.  It extends to all the activities of a business
organization
 It covers areas like sales, consumer
behaviour, customer retention, customer
satisfaction, marketing channel decisions,
product research, customer relation,
productivity, machine efficiency, return on
investment, profitability, expansion etc

6. Business Intelligence:
 Itis designed to provide the manager
with ongoing information about
events and trends in the
technological, economic, political &
legal, demographic, cultural, social
and competitive arenas

7. 1-7
Government/
Competitive
Regulatory
Demographic Economic
Business
Intelligence
Technological Cultural/
Social

8. Strategy:
 The general approach an organization will
follow to achieve its goals
 A firm may implement more than one
strategy at a time
Tactics:
 Specific and timed activities that execute a
strategy

9. Visionaries
Standardized
Decision Makers
Intuitive Decision Makers
Intuitive Decision Makers
1-9

10. Visionaries
Standardized
Decision Makers
Intuitive Decision Makers
1-10

11. Visionaries
Visionaries
Standardized
Decision Makers
Intuitive Decision Makers
1-11

13.  Classification on the basis of Application
◦ Pure/Basic Research
◦ Applied Research
 Classification on the basis of Objectives
◦ Descriptive Research
◦ Explanatory Research
◦ Exploratory Research
◦ Correlational Research
 Classification on the basis of Inquiry Mode
◦ Quantitative Research
◦ Qualitative Research

14.  The purpose of research is to discover answers
through the application of scientific procedures.
 The objectives are:
 To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve
new insights into it
 To portray accurately the characteristics of a
particular individual, situation or a group
 To determine the frequency with which something
occurs or with which it is associated with something
else
 To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between
variables

15.  Research is directed towards the solution of a
problem
 Research is based upon observable experience or
empirical evidence
 Research demands accurate observation and
description
 Research involves gathering new data from
primary sources or using existing data for a new
purpose

16.  Research activities are characterized by
carefully designed procedures
 Research requires expertise i.e., skill necessary
to carryout investigation, search the related
literature and to understand and analyze the
data gathered
 Research is objective and logical – applying
every possible test to validate the data collected
and conclusions reached
 Research is carefully recorded and reported.

17. Clearly defined purpose
Detailed research process
Thoroughly planned design
High ethical standards
Limitations addressed
Adequate analysis
Unambiguous presentation
Conclusions justified
Credentials

18.  Help in decision-making and is not a substitute of
Decision-Making
 Provide a number of facts rather than actionable
results
 All problems cannot be researched
 Provide a set-of guidelines
 Many a times rely more on intuition and judgment
 Time and budgetary constraints

19.  Manager requires information to make day
to day business decisions
 Features of Information gathered:
◦ Relevant
◦ Up-to-date
◦ Accurate
◦ Meet needs of the user
◦ Easy to use and understand
◦ Economic
◦ Reliable

20. Induction and
Concepts Constructs
deduction
Operational
Models
definitions
Terms used
in research
Theory Variables
Propositions/
Hypotheses

21. Concepts:
 Collection of meanings or characteristics
which are associated with events, objects,
behaviours, situations, condition etc.
 Ex: Running, Walking, Talking,
Identifying a male or female or a horse

22. Construct:
 An abstract concept
 It can be built up by combining the
simpler and concrete concepts
 Ex: motivation, personality, satisfaction

23. Deduction:
 Premises are given and from that we draw
conclusion
 It works from the more general to more
specific
 Also called top-down approach
 Ex: 1) all men are mortal (premise 1)
2) Shyam is a man (premise 2)
So we can conclude that, Shyam is mortal
 False premises will lead to false
conclusions

24. Induction:
 Specific to general
 Conclusion is drawn from facts or pieces of
evidences
Ex: this ice cube is cold.
Through experiences, we know that all ice
cubes are cold
 The conclusion explains the facts and the
facts support the conclusion
 The nature of Induction is that, the
conclusion is only a hypothesis

25.  A variable is a symbol of an event, act,
characteristic, trait or attribute that can be
measured and to which we assign categorical
values
 Variables can be of three types :
◦ Dichotomous variable
◦ Continuous variable
◦ Discrete variable

26. Dependent Variable
 What we measure in the experiment and
what is affected during the experiment
Independent Variable
 A factor that can be varied or manipulated
in an experiment and it will affect the
dependent variable
Ex: Sales(DV) and Advertising Expenses(IV)

27. Moderating Variable
 It affects the relationship between IV and DV
Ex: commission from sales (IV) may lead to
increased sales productivity(DV), especially
into younger workers(MV)
Ex: loss of minning jobs (IV) leads to
acceptance of higher risk jobs like car racing
(DV) to earn a family supporting income,
especially due to the limited education of the
residents (MV)

28. Exraneous Variable
 Any variable other than independent
variable that could cause a change in the
dependent variable
Ex: Prior work experience (IV) and Grades
in classroom performance (DV)
 Here, grades can be affected by some other
variables like family history of a student,
education of parents, interest in the class
topic, intelligence of a student etc.

29. Intervening Variable
 The factor which theoretically affects the
observed phenomenon but cannot be seen,
measured or manipulated
 Motivation, job satisfaction
 Ex: A promotional campaign (IV) will
increase savings activity (DV), this result
comes from enhancing the motivation to
save

30.  Proposition is a statement about
observable phenomena (concept) that
may be judged as true of false

31. Hypothesis:
 Proposition or question
formulated for empirical
testing
◦ The effect of the independent
variable on the dependent
variable
 An unproven proposition
 A possible solution to a
problem

32.  Types of Hypotheses:
◦ Descriptive Hypothesis
◦ Relational Hypothesis
 Correlational Hypothesis
 Causal or Explanatory
Hypothesis

33. The Role of the Hypothesis
 It guides the direction of the study
 It defines facts that are relevant and those
that are not
 It suggests which form of research design
is likely to be most appropriate
 It provides framework for organizing the
conclusion that result

34. Adequate
A
Strong
Testable
Hypothesis
Is
Better
than rivals

35. Theory:
 It is a set of systematically interrelated
concepts, definitions and propositions that
are used to explain and predict
phenomena(facts)
 Hypothesis helps in development of theory
Models:
 A representation of a system that is
constructed to study some aspect of that
system or the system as a whole
 Models can be descriptive, predictive or
normative