This will teach you some concepts research in business communication.

1. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 1
Finding, Evaluating, and
Processing Information

2. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 2
The Research Process
1. Make a Research Plan
2. Find Data/Information
3. Process Data/Information
4. Apply Your Findings
5. Manage the Information

3. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 3
Plan Your Research
Learn About the Subject
Target Information Gaps
Prioritize Research Needs

4. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 4
Ethics and Etiquette in
Business Research
• Don’t force a specific outcome
• Respect privacy of participants
• Document and credit your sources
• Respect intellectual property rights
• Don’t misquote your sources
• Don’t misrepresent your intentions

5. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 5
Learn About the Subject
Industry Publications
Competitors’ Websites
Interviews with Experts

6. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 6
Learn About the Subject
Online Resources
Books and Indexes
Problem Statement

7. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 7
Identify Information Gaps
1. Clarify the decision or conclusion
2. Identify subquestions
3. Clarify information requirements
4. Locate existing information
5. Assess the information gap

8. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 8
Prioritize Research Needs
Constraints Information
Limited Time
Limited Resources
“Need to Know”
“Nice to Know”

9. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 9
Data and Information
Primary
Research
Secondary
Research

10. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 10
Purpose of
the Material
Independent
Verification
Logic and
Good Sense
Honesty and
Reliability
The Author’s
Credibility
Timeliness
Potential
Bias
Data Collection
Methods
Completeness
Evaluating Sources

11. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 11
Secondary Research
Inside
the Company
Outside
the Company
Company Documents
Knowledge Management
Systems
Hardcopy Resources
Online Resources

12. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 12
Finding Information
at the Library
Business
Books
Electronic
Databases
Newspapers Periodicals
Directories Almanacs
Statistical
Resources
Government
Publications

13. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 13
Finding Information Online
Search Engines
Web
Directories
Meta-Search
Engines
Online
Databases

14. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 14
Search Techniques
Keyword Searches
Boolean Operators
Natural Language
Forms-Based Searches

15. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 15
Fine Tune Search Methods
Read instructions
Observe details
Review options
Vary search terms
Adjust search scope

16. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 16
Innovative Research
Technologies
Desktop Search Engines Enterprise Search Engines
Research Managers Content Managers
Social Bookmarking Sites Newsfeeds

17. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 17
Documenting Sources
Direct
Quotes
Paraphrased
Material
Common
Knowledge
Copyright
Law
Specialized
Knowledge
Fair Use
Doctrine
Credit Your Sources
Help Your Readers
Support Your Message

18. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 18
Primary Information
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Experiments
• Observations

19. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 19
Conducting Surveys
Effective
Questions
Representative
Sample

20. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 20
Adapt the
Survey
No Compound
Questions
Unambiguous
Questions
No Leading
Questions
Easy-to-Analyze
Questions
Short-Answer
Questions
Clear
Instructions
Effective Questionnaires

21. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 21
Effective Interviews
Compose
Questions
Understand
the Audience
Consider Ethical
Implications
Analyze Your
Purpose
Set Interview
Structure

22. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 22
Types of Questions
Open-Ended
Direct
Open-Ended Restatement Close-Ended
Information Quality
Interviewer Control
More
More
Less
Less

23. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 23
Preparing Questions
• Consider sequence
• Rate the questions
• Ask smart questions
• Limit the number
• Edit the questions

24. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 24
Processing
Data and Information
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Quoting

25. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 25
Analyzing
the Data
Mean, Median,
and Mode
Overall Trends
Cause
and Correlation
Cross-Tabulation

26. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 26
Minimizing Mistakes
and Misinterpretations
Avoid Faulty
Comparisons
Don’t Push
Research Results
Avoid Misleading
Presentations

27. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 27
Applying Your Findings
Unbiased Summary
Recommendations
Logical Conclusion

28. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9e Chapter 11 - 28
Managing Information
Knowledge Management
System
Technologies Procedures
Policies