The document discusses various aspects of business research methods. It defines business research as the systematic and objective process of generating information to aid in making business decisions. Some key points include: - Business research involves acquiring information and knowledge for professional or commercial purposes such as determining opportunities and goals for a business. - It must be conducted in an objective manner and be detached from bias. - There are different types of research including descriptive, analytical, applied, fundamental, quantitative, qualitative, conceptual, and empirical. - The business research process involves formulating the problem, conducting a literature review, developing hypotheses, designing the study, collecting and analyzing data, testing hypotheses, and reporting conclusions.

1. BUSINESS RESEARCH
METHODS

2. Search for knowledge
Scientific and systematic search for pertinent
information on a specific topic
Art of scientific investigation
It comprises of defining and redefining problems
It involves,
Formulating hypothesis
Suggest solutions
Collecting, Organising and evaluating data,
making conclusions
Research

3. Desire to get research degree
Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved
problems
Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative
work
Desire to serve the society
For respect
Directives of the government, employment
conditions, curiosity about new things, understand
causal relationship, social thinking etc
Why Research?

4. Business research is defined as the
systematic and objective process of
generating information for aid in
making business decisions
The definition of business research
involves acquiring information and
knowledge for professional or
commercial purposes such as
determining opportunities and goals for
a business.
Business Research Defined

5. Business Research
• Research information is neither intuitive nor
haphazardly gathered.
• Literally, research (re-search) -“search
again”
• Business research must be objective
• Detached and impersonal rather than biased
• It facilitates the managerial decision process
for all aspects of a business.

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• Information
• Reduces
• Uncertainty
I don’t know
if we
should
offer on-site
child care?

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Types of Research
• Descriptive vs Analytical
• Applied vs Fundamental
• Quantitative vs Qualitative
• Conceptual vs Empirical
• Some other types of Research

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Types of Research
Descriptive vs Analytical
Descriptive research
• Descriptive research is used to describe characteristics of a
population or phenomenon being studied.
• It does not answer questions about how/when/why the
characteristics occurred.
• Also called as ex post facto research, Researcher has no control
over the variables, reports only what is happening
For Ex. Frequency of shopping, preference of people,
purchasing pattern of buyers Methods used are survey method

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Analytical Research
• Involves critical thinking skills evaluation
of facts and information
• A variety of people including students,
doctors and psychologists
• In analytical research, facts/ information
that is already available is analyzed

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Applied vs Fundamental
Applied (action) research
• Aims at finding solutions to immediate
problems facing a society or industry
• Pure research is concerned with natural
phenomenon, mathematics, or human
behaviour
• Conducted when a decision must be made
about a specific real-life problem

11. Applied Research Examples
• Should McDonalds add Italian pasta dinners
to its menu?
• Business research told McDonald’s it should
not?
• Should Procter & Gamble add a high-priced
home teeth bleaching kit to its product line?
• Research showed Crest Whitestrips would
sell well at a retail price of $44

12. Basic Research /Fundamental
• Attempts to expand the limits of knowledge.
• Not directly involved in the solution to a
pragmatic problem.

13. Basic Research Example
• Is executive success correlated with high
need for achievement?
• Are members of highly cohesive work
groups more satisfied than members of less
cohesive work groups?
• Do consumers experience cognitive
dissonance in low-involvement situations?

14. Qualitative vs Quantitative
Qauntitative: in terms of numbers
Qualitative: Human behavior, motivation
research
Depth interview, focus group
Attitude, behavior, physcology
Sentence completion, story completion

15. Coneptual vs Empirical
Conceptual: philosophers and thinkers,
used to develop new concepts
Emperical relies on experience,
observation, experiment

16. Exploratory Research
• Conducted to resolve ambiguity
• Role is to give directions to sbsequent structured research
• A review of market opportunity for a business
• A informal survey conducted to identify the problem in
supply chain
• Less stuctured, more flexible, not conducted to test
preconcieved propositions
• It can lead to some testable hypothesis
• It is the first step of the researcher

17. Conclusive Research
• Carried out to test hypotheses
• More structure and definite
• Variables are clearly defined
• Research finding are of critical significance

18. Descriptive Research
• Undertaken to describe a stituation, community,
phenomena, programe
• Aim is to describe the data
• It is contemporary, topical and timebound
• A study to distinguish between the characteristics
of the customers who buy normal petrol and
premium petrol
• Is the consumption of organic food more in south
Delhi as compared to other parts of Delhi

19. Causal Research
• It explores the effect of one thing on another
• Or effect of one variable on another
• Highly structured, regid, sequential approach
• Other variables may have to controled
• To study the flexible work policies on turover
intentions
• In majority it is quantitative in nature

20. " The secret of success is to know something
nobody else knows. "
Aristotle Onassis

21. Top Reasearch Agencies
RESEARCH METHODS
Syllabus
Practical Components
Research
Why Research?
Business Research Defined
Business Research
Information
1 | IMRB International
2 | TNS India pvt Ltd.
3 | RNB Research
4 | Majestic MRSS
5 | Market Xcel Data Matrix
Pvt. Ltd.
6 | IDC
7 | Hansa Research
8 | Millward Brown
9 | Ipsos Indica Research
10 | The Nielsen

22. Business Research Process
• 1. Formulating the research problem
• 2. Extensive literature survey
• 3. Development of working hypotheses
• 4. Preparing the research design
• 5. Determing the sample size
• 6. Collecting the data
• 7. Execution of the project
• 8. Analysis of data
• 9. Hypothesis testing
• 10. Generalisation and interpretations
• 11. Preparation of the report ot the thesis

23. Formulating the research problem
• It is a statement about an area of concern, a
condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be
eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in
scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that
points to the need for meaningful understanding
and deliberate investigation.
• Intially in a broad way
• Aid of a collegue/ guide
• It is very important

24. Management Problem Research Problem
What should be done to increase the customer
base of organic products in the domestic markets?
What is the awareness and purchase intention
of health conscious consumers for organic
products?
How to reduce turnover rates in the BPO sector? What is the impact of shift duties on the work
exhaustion and turnover intentions of the BPO
employees?
How to improve the delivery process of Widex
hearing aids in India?
How does Widex/ industry leader manage its
supply chain in India?
Should the company continue with its existing
security services vendor or look at an alternative?
What is the satisfaction level of the company
with the existing vendor? Are there any gaps?
Can they be effectively handled by the

26. Extensive literature survey
• Journals
• Conference proceedings
• Goverment reports
• Library and e journals
http://www.emeraldinsight.com
http://www.search.proquest.com/

27. Development of working hypotheses
• It is a tentative assumption
• Should be very specific
• Discussion with experts and collegues
• Examination of records
• Review of similar studies
• Exploratory investigations

28. Preparing the research design
• It is blueprint, plan
• Means of obtaing the information
• Time available for research
• Cost factor

29. Determing the sample size
• Universe/ population
• Census
• Blood testing
• Probability and non probability sampling

30. Collecting the data
• By observation
• Personal interviews
• Telephonic interviews
• Mailing of questionnaires
• Schedules

31. Execution of the project
• Field checks
• As per plan
• Cooperation of respondents

32. Analysis of data
• Coding, tabulation
• Data to be condensed to meaningful groups
• Use of computers
• Percentage, statistical formula

33. Hypothesis testing
• Chi-square test, t-test, f – test
• Accepting or rejecting the hypotheses
Generalisation and Interpretations
• The acceptable Hypotheses is possible for researcher
to
arrival at the process of generalization or to make &
theory
• Some types of research has no Hypotheses for which
researcher depends upon on theory which is known as
interpretation.

34. Preparation of the report or the thesis
1. The preliminary pages
Title, acknowledgments and foreword, table of
contents
2. The main text
Introduction, Main report, findings, Conclusion
3. The end matter
Bibliography, appendices
Simple, concise, objective, no vague expressions
such as “it seems”. There may be”

35. Features of good research
• Purpose should be clearly defined
• Research procedure to be described clearly
• Carefully planned and executed
• Complete frankness
• Analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate
• Validity and reliability of data to be checked
• Experience and integrity of the researcher

36. Global Business Research
• General information about country -
economic conditions and political climate
• Cultural and consumer factors
• Market and competitive conditions -
demand estimation

37. Case Study Method
• Case studies involve analysis of small data sets,
such as one or two companies, that may lead the
researcher to gain some insights about trends in
relevant industries.
• For example, a case study about the Mitsubishi
car company might be used to generalise about
similar companies in the automobile industry.

38. • A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject,
such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or
phenomenon. Case studies are commonly used in
social, educational, clinical, and business research.
• A case study research design usually involves
qualitative methods, but quantitative methods are
sometimes also used. Case studies are good for
describing, comparing, evaluating and understanding
different aspects of a research problem.

39. Research problem formulation &
Case study analysis
Research Problem Formulation:
Research problem formulation is the first and crucial step
in the research process. It involves identifying and defining
a specific issue or question that needs to be addressed
through systematic investigation. The research problem
should be relevant, meaningful, and contribute to the
existing body of knowledge in the field.

40. Key Steps in Research Problem
Formulation:
• Identify the area of interest: Choose a subject or
field that you are interested in or have expertise in. It
could be related to a specific industry, technology, social
issue, or scientific domain.
• Review existing literature: Conduct a thorough
review of existing literature, research papers, and studies
related to your area of interest. This will help you
understand what has already been explored and identify
gaps in knowledge that need further investigation.

41. • Identify a gap in knowledge: Based on the literature
review, pinpoint a specific gap or unresolved issue that
warrants further research. This gap should be significant
enough to contribute something new to the field.
• Frame a research question: Formulate a clear and
concise research question that addresses the identified
gap in knowledge. A well-defined research question
should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and
time-bound (SMART).

42. • Consider feasibility: Assess the feasibility of
conducting research on the chosen problem.
Take into account factors like available
resources, data availability, time constraints,
and ethical considerations.
• Importance and relevance: Clearly state the
importance and relevance of your research
problem. Explain why addressing this problem is
essential and how it can potentially benefit the
field or society.

43. Case Study Analysis
A case study analysis is a research method used
to investigate a particular individual, group,
organization, or event in-depth. It involves a
comprehensive examination of the subject under
study to gain a deeper understanding of its
complexities, context, and unique aspects.

44. Key Steps in Case Study Analysis
• Selecting the case: Choose a specific case that is
relevant to your research problem and aligns with your
research objectives. The case could be an individual, a
company, a project, a community, or any other
identifiable unit of analysis.
• Data collection: Gather relevant data related to the
case through various sources such as interviews, surveys,
observations, documents, and archival records.
Triangulate the data to ensure reliability and validity.

45. • Data analysis: Analyze the collected data using
appropriate qualitative or quantitative methods,
depending on the nature of the research problem and
data. Identify patterns, themes, or trends that emerge
from the data.
• Contextual analysis: Understand the context
surrounding the case study, including its historical
background, social, cultural, and economic factors, and
any other relevant contextual information.

46. • Draw conclusions: Based on the analysis, draw
conclusions about the case and its implications for the
research problem. Relate the findings back to the
existing literature and theoretical frameworks.
• Discuss limitations: Acknowledge the limitations of
the case study, such as the potential for bias,
generalizability, or data collection constraints.
• Formulate recommendations: If applicable,
propose recommendations based on the insights gained
from the case study analysis. These recommendations
should be practical and actionable.

47. • Both research problem formulation and case
study analysis are vital components of the
research process and are used to contribute
new knowledge and insights to the respective
fields of study.

48. Important Questions
• What is research and what is business
research?
• What are the types of business research?
• Explain the business research process.
• What are the criteria of good research?
• To identify research problem and collect
relevant literatures for data analysis