BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS

1. CHAPTER-7
RESEARCH DESIGN
TEXT BOOK: ZIKMUND, W.G., BABIN,B.J.,
CARR,J.C., GRIFFIN,M., (2021) ,BUSINESS
RESEARCH METHODS, 9TH EDITION,
CENGAGE LEARNING

2. 7–2
QUALITATIVE “VERSUS” QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH
 Quantitative business research
• Descriptive and conclusive
Addresses research objectives through empirical assessments that
involve numerical measurement and statistical analysis.
 Qualitative business research
• Exploratory
 Uses small versus large samples
 Asks a broad range of questions versus structured questions
 Subjective interpretation versus statistical analysis

3. QUALITATIVE “VERSUS” QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH

4. TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGN
ResearchDesign
Exploratory Research Design Conclusive Research Design
Descriptive Research Causal Research
Cross-Sectional Design Longitudinal Design
Single Cross-Sectional Design Multiple Cross-Sectional Design

5. 7–5
WHAT IS QUALITATIVE RESEARCH?
 Qualitative business research
• Research that addresses business objectives through techniques that
allow the researcher to provide elaborate interpretations of
phenomena without depending on numerical measurement
 Its focus is on discovering true inner meanings and new
insights.

6. 7–6
USES OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 Qualitative research is useful when:
• It is difficult to develop specific and actionable decision statements
or research objectives.
• The research objective is to develop a detailed and in-depth
understanding of some phenomena.
• The research objective is to learn how a phenomenon occurs in its
natural setting or to learn how to express some concept in colloquial
terms.
• The behavior the researcher is studying is particularly context-
dependent.
• A fresh approach to studying the problem is needed.

7. TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGNS
 Exploratory research designs: are the simplest, most
flexible and most loosely structured designs. As the name
suggests, the basic objective of the study is to explore and
obtain clarity on the problem situation.
 Descriptive research designs: are more structured and formal
in nature. As the name implies the objective of these studies
is to provide a comprehensive and detailed explanation of
the phenomena under study.

8.  Exploratory research design – It is flexible in its approach and
involves a qualitative investigation and most loosely
structured
 The main aim of exploratory research is to explore and obtain
clarity about the problem situation
 It mostly involves a qualitative investigation
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN

9. It is used to
 Define and conceptualize the research problem to be
investigated
 Explore and evaluate the diverse and multiple research
opportunities
 Assist in the development and formulation of the research
hypothesis
 Operationalize and define the variables under study
 Identify the possible nature of relationship that might exist
between the variables under study
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN

10. EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN
TECHNIQUES/METHODS
 Secondary resource analysis: Secondary sources of data
give information –in terms of details of previously collected
findings in facts and figures – which has been
authenticated and published.
 Case method: it is intricately designed and reveals a
comprehensive and complete presentation of facts, as they
occur, in a single entity. This could be an individual, an
organisation or an entire country.

11.  Expert opinion survey: valuable insights obtained from
experts which might be based on their experience in the
field or based on academic work done on the concept.
 Personal/Depth interview: A one-on-one interview between a
professional researcher and a research respondent
conducted about some relevant business or social topic.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN
TECHNIQUES/METHODS

12. 7–12
CONVERSATIONS
 Conversations
• An informal qualitative data-gathering approach in which the
researcher engages a respondent in a discussion of the relevant
subject matter.
 Semi-structured interviews
• Written form and ask respondents for short essay responses to
specific open-ended questions.
• Advantages
 An ability to address more specific issues
 Responses are easier to interpret
 Without the presence of an interviewer, semi-structured interviews can be
relatively cost effective

13. 7–13
FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW
 Focus group discussions: a carefully selected representative
sub set of the larger respondent gather to discuss together,
in a short time frame, the subject/topic to be investigated.
 An unstructured, free-flowing interview with a small group (6-
10 people) led by a moderator who encourages dialogue
among respondents.
 Advantages:
1. Relatively fast
2. Easy to execute
3. Provide multiple perspectives
4. Flexibility to allow more detailed descriptions
5. High degree of scrutiny

14. 7–14
FOCUS GROUP RESPONDENTS
 Group Composition
 6 to 10 people
 Relatively homogeneous
 Similar lifestyles and
experiences

15. 7–15
THE FOCUS GROUP MODERATOR
 Moderator
 A person who leads a focus group interview and insures that
everyone gets a chance to speak and contribute to the discussion.
 Qualities of a good moderator:
 Develops rapport with the group
 Good listener
 Tries not to interject his or her own opinions
 Controls discussion without being overbearing

16.  It tests and authenticate the propositions revealed by
exploratory research. It is a quantitative research
 In comparison to exploratory research , these studies are
more structured and definite
CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH

17.  It provides a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the
phenomena under study
 It is conducted to describe business or market characteristics
 Descriptive researches are mainly used in segmenting and
targeting the market, to understand consumers perception
about any product or services, to understand the impact of
marketing efforts on sales etc
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

18.  Cross sectional research design involves the collection of
information from a sample of a population at any one point of
time i.e. only once
 Its applicability is most relevant for a specific period
CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES

19.  Single cross sectional design- It is a cross sectional design in
which one sample of respondents is drawn from the target
population and information is obtained from this sample once
 Multiple cross sectional design- A cross sectional design in
which there are two or more samples of respondents and
information from each sample is obtained once
CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGN

20.  Longitudinal study involves measurement of the same
population over a period of time
 A single sample of the identified population is studied over a
stretched period of time and often referred to as time series
analysis
 The study involves the selection of a representative panel or a
group of individuals that typically represents the population
under study
 It involves the repeated measurement of the group over fixed
intervals of time
 Once the sample is selected, it needs to stay constant over
the period of the study
LONGITUDINAL STUDY

21.  Structured interviews of large numbers*
 Observations with structured observation sheet
 Survey is the best method to get quantitative judgment
TECHNIQUES OF DESCRIPTIVE
RESEARCH DESIGN