MB0050-SLM-Unit01

Research Methodology Unit 1

Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 1

Unit 1 Introduction to ResearchStructure

1.1 IntroductionObjectives

1.2 What is Research?1.3 Types of Research

Exploratory researchConclusive research

1.4 The Process of Research1.5 Research Applications in Social and Business Sciences1.6 Features of a Good Research Study1.7 Case Study1.8 Summary1.9 Glossary

1.10 Terminal Questions1.11 Answers1.12 References

1.1 Introduction

You might have watched on TV the panel discussion that takes place before thestart of the cricket match. The facilitator asks the panel members questionslike:

Which side will win the match today? Will Sachin Tendulkar score a century? What will be the score that the batting side will pile?

You have noted that to answer these questions, the panel members quote factorssuch as the following:

The outcome of previous instances when the two sides met and the winningstreak of the teams at the venue

The number of centuries Tendulkar has scored on a particular groundand against the opposite side

Weather conditions, etc.What the panel members are doing is that they are using the existing

evidence or data systematically to make match predictions. In other words, wecould say that they are using research methodology to answer the questions.



Research methodology refers to the procedures used in making systematicobservations or otherwise obtaining data, evidence, or information as part of aresearch project or study. It defines what the activity of research is, how toproceed, how to measure progress, and what constitutes success. We will studymore about the various aspects of research methodology in the unit. First, letus understand what research is.

Research helps in decision making, especially in business. Effectivedecisions lead to managerial success, and this requires reducing the elementof risk and uncertainty. For example, let us say, an ice-cream company hascome up with a new flavour of ice-cream, which is a mixture of mango andvanilla. They are thinking of two names Aam Masti or Mango Mania. Theywould like to sell the ice-cream to children and are not sure which name hasmore appeal. One of the ways in which this can be done is by using the scientificmethod of enquiry and following a structured approach to collect and analyseinformation and then eventually subject it to the managers judgement. This isno magic mantra but a scientific and structured tool available to every manager,namely, research. Thus, research refers to a wide range activities involving asearch for information, which is used in various disciplines.

Research activities may range from a simple collection of facts (example,the number of MBA students who opt for higher studies abroad in a particularinstitute) to validation of information (for example, is the new diet cola morepopular among women?) to an exhaustive theory and model construction (forexample, constructing a model of Indias weather patterns in 2050 based onclimate change projections).

In this unit, we will discuss the meaning of research, the types of researchesavailable to the researcher and the process of a research study. We will alsodiscuss the application of research in different areas of management anddescribe the features of a good research study.

Objectives

After studying this unit, you should be able to: define the concept of research in management identify the types of researches available to a business researcher describe the complete process of a research study. explain the application of research in different domains of Management



identify the criteria needed to classify research as meaningful and goodresearch.

1.2 What is Research?

Different scholars have interpreted the term research in many ways. Forinstance, Fred Kerlinger (1986) stated that Scientific research is a systematic,controlled and critical investigation of propositions about various phenomena.Grinnell (1993) has simplified the debate and stated The word research iscomposed of two syllables, re and search.

The dictionary defines the former as a prefix meaning again, anew orover again. Search is defined as a verb meaning to examine closely andcarefully, to test and try, or to probe. Together, they form a noun describing acareful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge,undertaken to establish facts or principles.

Thus, drawing from the common threads of the above definitions, wederive that management research is an unbiased, structured, and sequentialmethod of enquiry, directed towards a clear implicit or explicit business objective.This enquiry might lead to proving existing theorems and models or arriving atnew theories and models. Let us now understand each part of the definition.

The most important and difficult task of a researcher is to be as objectiveand neutral as possible. Even though the researcher might have a lot ofknowledge about the topic, he/she must not try to deliberately get results in thedirection of the hypotheses.

The second thing to be remembered is that you follow a structured andsequential method of enquiry. For example, you may want to look at what arethe options that you can choose if you study abroad. And you search the internetand ask your relatives and friends about what are the options for studying abroad.This is search and not research. For research, there must be a structuredapproach that you need to follow, and then only will it be called scientific. Thus,you may do a background analysis of how many students go abroad to studyand based on this, form a hypotheses that 80 per cent of young Indians go touniversities in the USA for further study. Then, you conduct a small surveyamongst the students who are intending to go abroad for study. And based onthe data collected, you are able to prove or disprove the hypotheses. So, wecan state that you had conducted a research study. We will understand theprocess of research later in the Unit.



The last and most important aspect of our definition that needs to becarefully considered is the decision-assisting nature of business research. AsEasterby-Smith, et al. (2002) state, business research must have some practicalconsequences, either immediately, when it is conducted for solving an immediatebusiness problem or when the theory or model developed can be implementedand tested in a business setting. The world of business demands that managersand researchers work towards a goalwhether immediate or futuristic, elsethe research loses its significance in the field of management. The advantagewith doing research is that one is able to take a decision with more confidenceas one has tested it through research. For example, if you conduct a study ofyoung women professionals and see that they have a need for a night crchefacility when they need to go out of town on official duty. you can conduct asmall research to test what facilities they would like in this crche and howmuch would they be willing to pay for this facility.

In fact, it would not be wrong to say that without the tool of research therewould be no new business practices or methods, as no one would want to startsomething new (for example, launch a new product, enter a new market segment,etc) without testing it through research.

Self-Assessment Questions

1. The researcher who is conducting the research must be _______ andneutral in approach.

2. Research always requires a _________ and ________ method of enquiry3. Research is done for _______ existing theories or arriving at new _______4. An important aspect of business research is its ________ assisting nature.

1.3 Types of Research

Though every research conducted is unique, it is possible to categorize theresearch approach that you may decide to take. Figure 1.1 summarizes thetypes of research.



Causal ResearchDescriptive Research

Business Research

Applied ResearchBasic Research

Conclusive ResearchExploratory Research

Figure 1.1 Types of Research

Sometimes, research may be done for a purely academic reason of a need toknow. For example, studies on employee dissatisfaction and attrition led to thestudy of impact of fixed working hours on family life and responsibilities. Thisstudy led to the organizations realizing that they need to have flexible woringhours so that employees can better manage their work-life balance. The contextof this kind of study is vast and time period, flexible. This type of research istermed as fundamental or basic research. On the other hand, you have studiesthat are specific to a particular business decision. For example, you find thatdespite being such an affordable car the Tata Nano does not find a large numberof buyers. Thus, the study you undertake would be of practical value to thespecific organization. Secondly, it has implications for immediate action. Thisaction-oriented research is termed as applied research.

However, now we would like to advise you not to look at the two asopposites of each other. It may happen that the research which started as appliedmight lead to some fundamental and basic research, which expands the bodyof knowledge or vice versa. The process followed in both basic and appliedresearch is systematic and scientific; the difference between them could simplybe a matter of context and purpose.



Research studies can also be classified based on the nature of enquiry orobjectives. Based on the nature of enquiry or objectives, research can be of thefollowing types.

Exploratory research Conclusive research

1.3.1 Exploratory research

As the name suggests, exploratory research is used to gain a deeperunderstanding of the issue or problem that is troubling the decision maker. Theidea is to provide direction to subsequent and more structured and rigorousresearch. The following are some examples of exploratory research:

Let us say a diet food company wants to find out what kind of snackscustomers like to eat and where they generally buy health food from.

A reality show producer wants to make a show for children. He would liketo know what kind of shows children like to watch.

There is an investment bank that would like to know from its customersabout what kind of help they want from the bank while making theirinvestments.As can be seen, for the examples above an informal exploratory study

would be needed.Exploratory research studies are less structured, more flexiblein approach and sometimes could lead to some testable hypotheses. Exploratorystudies are also conducted to develop the research questionnaire. (These willbe discussed in detail in Unit 3.) The nature of the study being loosely structuredmeans the researchers skill in observing and recording all possible informationwill increase the accuracy of the findings.

1.3.2 Conclusive research

Conclusive research is carried out to test and validate the study hypotheses. Incontrast to exploratory research, these studies are more structured and definite.The variables and constructs in the research are clearly defined. For example,finding customer satisfaction levels of heavy consumers of different pizzas inthe Pizza Hut menu. Now, this needs clear definition of customer satisfaction;secondly, how we will identify heavy consumers. The timeframe of the studyand respondent selection are more formal and representative. The emphasis



on reliability and validity of the research findings are all the more significant, asthe results might need to be implemented.

Based on the nature of investigation required, conclusive research canfurther be divided into the following types:

Descriptive research Causal research

Descriptive research

The main goal of descriptive research is to describe the data and characteristicsabout what is being studied. The annual census carried out by the Governmentof India is an example of descriptive research. The census describes the numberof people living in a particular area. It also gives other related data about them.It is contemporary and time-bound. Some more examples of descriptive researchare as follows:

A study to distinguish between the characteristics of the customers whobuy normal petrol and those who buy premium petrol.

A study to find out the level of involvement of middle level versus seniorlevel managers in a companys stock-related decisions

As study on the organizational climate in different organizations.All the above research studies are conducted to test specific hypotheses

and trends. For example we might hypotheses that the level of involvement ofsenior level managers is higher than middle level managers in stock-relateddecisions. They are more structured and require a formal, specific and systematicapproach to sampling, collecting information and testing the data to verify theresearch hypotheses.

Causal research

Causal research studies explore the effect of one thing on another and morespecifically, the effect of one variable on another. For example, if a fast-foodoutlet currently sells vegetarian fare, what will be the impact on sales if the priceof the vegetarian food is increased by 10 per cent. Causal research studies arehighly structured and require a rigid sequential approach to sampling, datacollection and data analysis. This kind of research, like research in pure sciences,requires experimentation to establish causality. In majority of the situations, it isquantitative in nature and requires statistical testing of the information collected.




5. Applied research is the kind of research where one needs to apply specificstatistical procedures. (True/ false)

6. In basic research, the context is vast and the time period is flexible.(True/ false)

7. The research that is especially carried out to test and validate the studyhypotheses is termed

(a) Fundamental resaeach(b) Applied research(c) Conclusive research(d) Exploratory research

8. The research studies that explore the effect of one thing on another andmore specifically, the effect of one variable on another are known as

(a) Causal research(b) Applied research(c) Conclusive research(d) Exploratory research

1.4 The Process of Research

While conducting research, information is gathered through a sound and scientificresearch process. Each year, organizations spend enormous amounts of moneyon research and development in order to maintain their competitive edge. Thuswe propose a broad framework that can be easily be followed in most researches.The process of research is interlinked at every stage as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2 illustrates a model research process.



Management DilemmaBasic vs Applied

Defining the Research Problem

Formulating the Research Hypothesis

Developing the Research Proposal

The Research FrameworkResearch Design

Instrument Design

Pilot Testing

Data Collection Plan Sampling Plan

Data Collection

Data Refining and Preparation

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Research Reporting

Management/Research Decision

Figure 1.2 The Process of Research



In the following paragraphs we will briefly discuss the steps that, in general,any research study might follow:

The management dilemma

Any research starts with the need and desire to know more. This is essentiallythe management dilemma. It could be the researcher himself or herself or itcould be a business manager who gets the study by done by a researcher. Theneed might be purely academic (basic or fundamental research) or there mightbe an immediate business decision that requires an effective and workablesolution (applied research).

Defining the research problem

This is the first and the most critical step of the research journey. For example,a soft drink manufacturer who is making and selling aerated drinks now wantsto expand his business. He wants to know whether moving into bottled waterwould be a better idea or he should look at fruit juice based drinks. Thus, acomprehensive and detailed survey of the bottled water as well as the fruit juicemarket will have to be done. He will also have to decide whether he wants toknow consumer acceptance of a new drink. Thus, there has to be completeclarity in the mind of the researcher regarding the information he must collect.

Formulating the research hypotheses

In the model, we have drawn broken lines to link defining the research problemstage to the hypotheses formulation stage. The reason is that every researchstudy might not always begin with a hypothesis; in fact, the task of the studymight be to collect detailed data that might lead to, at the end of the study, someindicative hypotheses to be tested in subsequent research. For example, whilestudying the lifestyle and eating-out behavior of consumers at Pizza Hut, onemay find that the young student group consume more pizzas. This may lead to ahypotheses that young consumers consume more pizzas than older consumers.

Hypothesis is, in fact, the assumptions about the expected results of theresearch. For example, in the above example of work-life balance among womenprofessionals, we might start with a hypothesis that higher the work-family conflict,higher is the intention to leave the job. We will discuss the conversion of thedefined problem into working hypotheses in Unit 2.

Developing the research proposal

Once the management dilemma has been converted into a defined problemand a working hypothesis, the next step is to develop a plan of investigation.



This is called the research proposal. The reason for its placement before theother stages is that before you begin the actual research study in order to answerthe research question you need to spell out the research problem, the scopeand the objectives of the study and the operational plan for achieving this. Theproposal is a flexible contract about the proposed methodology and once it ismade and accepted, the research is ready to begin. The formulation of a researchproposal, its types and purpose will be explained in the next unit.

Research design formulation

Based on the orientation of the research, i.e., exploratory, descriptive or causal,the researcher has a number of techniques for addressing the stated objectives.These are termed in research as research designs. The main task of the designis to explain how the research problem will be investigated. There are differentkinds of designs available to you while doing a research. These will be discussedin detail in Unit 3.

Sampling design

It is not always possible to study the entire population. Thus, one goes aboutstudying a small and representative sub-group of the population. This sub-groupis referred to as the sample of the study. There are different techniques availablefor selecting the group based on certain assumptions. The most important criteriafor this selection would be the representativeness of the sample selected fromthe population under study.

Two categories of sampling designs available to the researcher areprobability and non-probability. In the probability sampling designs, the populationunder study is finite and one can calculate the probability of a person beingselected. On the other hand, in non-probability designs one cannot calculatethe probability of selection. The selection of one or the other depends on thenature of the research, degree of accuracy required (the probability samplingtechniques reveal more accurate results) and the time and financial resourcesavailable for the research. Another important decision the researcher needs totake is to determine the best sample size to be selected in order to obtainresults that can be considered as representative of the population under study.We will learn more about this in unit 7.

Planning and collecting the data for research

In the model (Figure 1.2), we have placed planning and collecting data forresearch as proceeding simultaneously with the sampling plan. The reason forthis is that the sampling plan helps in identifying the group to be studied and the



data collection plan helps in obtaining information from the specified population.The data collection methods may be classified into secondary and primary datamethods. Primary data is original and collected first hand for the problem understudy. There are a number of primary data methods available to the researcherlike interviews, focus group discussions, personal/telephonic interviews/mailsurveys and questionnaires.

Secondary data is information that has been collected and compiled earlierfor some other problem or purpose. For example, company records, magazinearticles, expert opinion surveys, sales records, customer feedback, governmentdata and previous researches done on the topic of interest. This step in theresearch process requires careful and rigorous quality checks to ensure thereliability and validity of the data collected.

Data refining and preparation for analysis

Once the data is collected, it must be refined and processed in order to answerthe research question(s) and test the formulated hypotheses (if any). This stagerequires editing of the data for any omissions and irregularities. Then it is codedand tabulated in a manner in which it can be subjected to statistical testing. Incase of data that is subjective and qualitative, the information collected has tobe post coded i.e. after the data has been collected.

Data analysis and interpretation of findings

This stage requires selecting the analytical tools for testing the obtainedinformation. There are a number of statistical techniques available to theresearcherfrequency analysis, percentages, arithmetic mean, t-test and chi-square analysis. These will be explained in the later units.

Once the data has been analysed and summarized, linking the resultswith the research objectives and stating clearly the implications of the study isthe most important task of the researcher.

The research report and implications for the managers dilemma

The report preparation, from the problem formulation to the interpretation, isthe final part of the research process. As we stated earlier, business researchis directed towards answering the question what are the implications for thecorporate world? Thus, in this step, the researchers expertise in analysing,interpreting and recommending, is very important. This report has to givecomplete details about everything that was done right from problem formulation,to the methodology followed to the conclusions inding of the study. The nature



of the report may be different depending on whether it is meant for a businessperson or is an academic report. This will be discussed in detail in Unit 13.


9. Every research study always begins with a hypothesis. (True/ false)10. The group of individuals from whom one needs to collect data for the

study is called the sample. (True/ false)11. The assumption about the expected result of a research is called the

________.12. The data collection methods may be classified into ________ and _______

data methods.

Activity 1A lot of business magazines conduct surveys, for example the bestmanagement schools in the country; the top ten banks in the country; thebest schools to study in, etc. What do you think of these studies? Wouldyou call them research? Why/ why not?

1.5 Research Applications in Social and Business Sciences

Research is a crucial element in the area of business. It helps the decisionmaker to identify new opportunities for business growth. Research providesinformation about various aspects of business, like product life cycle, consumerbehaviour, market opportunities and threats, technological changes, socialchanges, economic changes, environmental changes, and so on, which areimportant for any decision maker to run the business smoothly.Research is crucial in the following areas of business:

Marketing function - Research is the lifeline in the field of marketing,where it is carried out on a vast array of topics and is conducted both in-house by the organization itself and outsourced to external agencies.This could be related to the 4 Ps- product, price, place and promotions.

Personnel and human resource management - Human resources (HR)and organizational behaviour is an area which involves basic orfundamental research as a lot of academic, macro-level research may be



adapted and implemented by organizations into their policies andprogrammes.

Financial and accounting research - The area of financial andaccounting research is quite vast and includes asset pricing, corporatefinance and capital markets, market-based accounting research, modellingand forecasting in volatility, risk, etc.

Production and operations management - This area of managementis one in which research results are implemented, taking on huge costand process implications. Research in this area relates to operationplanning, demand forecasting, process planning, project management,supply chain management, quality assurance and management.Research in social science includes an in-depth study and evaluation of

human behavior by using scientific methods in either quantitative or qualitativemanner. As social science is concerned with the study of society and humanbehavior, it is important for a business organization in terms of understandingtheir customers, their taste, needs, preferences, lifestyle and their behaviour.New products or services are unlikely to succeed without proper consumerstudies and survey.


13. Marketing department of a business organization carries out researchesrelated to:

(a) Product(b) Pricing(c) Promotion(d) All the above

14. Demand forecasting, and quality assurance and management are part of(a) Personnel and human resource management(b) Marketing function(c) Financial and accounting research(d) Production and operations management



1.6 Features of a Good Research Study

In the above sections we learnt that research studies can vary from the looselystructured method based on observations and impressions to the strictly scientificand quantifiable methods. However, for a research to be of value, it must possessthe following characteristics:

(a) It must have a clearly stated purpose. This not only refers to the objectiveof the study, but also precise definition of the scope and domain of thestudy.

(b) It must follow a systematic and detailed plan for investigating the researchproblem. The systematic conduction also requires that all the steps in theresearch process are interlinked and follow a sequence.

(c) The selection of techniques of collecting information, sampling plans anddata analysis techniques must be supported by a logical justification aboutwhy the methods were selected.

(d) The results of the study must be presented in an unbiased, objective andneutral manner.

(e) The research at every stage and at any cost must maintain the highestethical standards.

(f) And lastly, the reason for a structured, ethical, justifiable and objectiveapproach is the fact that the research carried out by you must be replicable.This means that the process followed by you must be reliable, i.e., incase the study is carried out under similar conditions it should be able toreveal similar results.

Activity 2Give an example each of fundamental and applied research. You may referto newspapers, magazines, journals or the Internet to find out the examples.


15. The research study must follow a _________ plan for investigation.16. One of the most important aspects of a research study is that it must be

___________ if one follows similar conditions.



1.7 Case Study

Bharat Sports DailyMr Anil Mehra, a senior executive with a leading newspaper published fromDelhi, was frustrated with his job. His idea of launching an exclusive sportsdaily was not warmly received by the top management. Anil Mehra hadwritten a few notes explaining the need for launching such a daily. However,he was not able to convince his superior, Mr Ashok Kapoor. Mr Kapoor hadspecifically asked him the estimates of demand for such a paper in the firstyear of the launch, for which Mehra had no answers based on any scientificresearch. Kapoor had told him clearly that unless he convinced him aboutthe need for such a paper with the help of an empirical study, he would notbe able to help him out.

Anil Mehra was a graduate in English (Hons) from Delhi University andhad obtained a diploma in journalism in 1982. For the last 1213 years hehad worked with many newspapers and business magazines and it was hisknowledge which was inducing him to go for this type of a venture. He regrettednot having a business background, which would have helped him to carryout an MR study for which his boss had assured him sponsorship from thenewspaper. However, the amount for the research study was too small forhim to contact any marketing research (MR) agency for help. The total budgetfor the study was `50,000. Just as Anil thought of putting in his papers andstarting a sports daily on his own, he received a phone call from his friendProf. Ravi Sharma, who was working with one of the leading managementinstitutions of India. Prof. Sharma was on a visit to Delhi for a consultingassignment and thought of calling Anil. Anil was thrilled to receive the phonecall and fixed up a meeting with him for the next evening. Prof. Sharma wasaccompanied by one of his colleagues, Prof. Singh. The conversation whichwent between Anil, Prof. Sharma, and Prof. Singh is as follows:Prof. Sharma: Anil, Why do you look so upset? What is wrong with you?Any problem with the job?Anil: I feel I shouldnt have gone for journalism and should have opted formanagement as a career, like you.Prof. Singh: Mr Mehra, I dont think yours is a bad line. However, pleasetell us if we could be of any help to you.Anil: Prof. Singh, I want that we should come up with an exclusive sportsdaily (in English). I gave this idea to my boss. However, I am not able to



convince him as he feels that it is only my hunch that there exists a demandfor such a daily. He wants me to give specific estimates through ascientifically conducted research and I find myself totally at a loss.Prof. Sharma: Anil, suppose you bring out such a daily, who will be thebuyers?Anil: What do you mean by this?Prof. Sharma: I mean who are the people you think would be interested inreading such a sports daily, what are their age groups, education, profession,income, etc.?Prof. Singh: Further, how much do you think people would be ready to payfor such a sports daily?Anil: Well, Prof. Singh, let me tell you one thing that in this business, theprice of a newspaper is immaterial for us. In fact, things like the cost ofprinting is much higher than the price charged from the customer.Prof. Singh: How will it be a viable proposition?Anil: It becomes viable just because the money is recovered throughadvertisements and if the circulation is high, more and more companiesadvertise their products in the newspapers.Prof. Sharma: Anil, there is a sports section in all the newspapers. Whywould people go for another one?Anil: Ravi, you are right that all the newspapers have a sports section butI do not think that sports lovers are satisfied with the material coveredthere.Prof. Singh: I think there would be variations in the amount of satisfactionthe readers derive, depending upon which newspapers they read. Further,I feel that they can satisfy their love for sports by going through generalmagazines, sports coverage on TV, sports videos, sports coverage on radio,and sports magazines and if that is the case, I have my doubts that therewould be enough readership for such a sports daily.Anil: Well, Prof. Singh, you are right. The programmes on TV and coverageon radio is at a specific time and the sports lovers may not have time tospare during those hours. Further, general magazines and sports magazinesare usually quarterly or monthly and as such would be providing only stalematerial on sports.



Prof. Sharma: Prof. Singh, I think Anil has a point. However, it would beinteresting to know the interests of the sports lovers for specific games sothat one could know which games the sports daily should focus on. Further,what is the profile of the people who like some specific games.Prof. Singh: I have another question. At what time should the sports dailybe brought out? That is to say, should we bring it out in the morning or inthe afternoon or in the late evening hours?Anil: Look, Prof. Singh, these are all my problems and I have to convincemy boss on all these issues. Please help me get a study conducted withthe help of your students. I am sorry we have limited funds. We would beable to reimburse their travelling expenses plus give them a tokenhonorarium for their efforts.Prof. Singh: Mr Mehra, you do not have to worry about it. We would sendtwo of our intelligent, hardworking and dedicated students to yourorganization for their summer job when they would conduct the study foryou. Meanwhile, please tell me where would you like to launch this exclusivesports daily? Further, if you have any information you think would be relevantto this study, kindly hand it over to us.Anil: Naturally, the sports daily has to be launched in Delhi on a trial basis.We have no idea what other information you are looking for. If you couldspell out the same, I will try to supply it.

Discussion Questions

1. What type of research would you need to conduct for Mr. Anil Mehra?2. What are the steps that you will need to carry out in your study?3. What aspects (hint: for this refer to the section on features of a good

research study) would you take into account while designing the study?

1.8 Summary

Let us recapitulate the important concepts discussed in this unit: Research is a tool, of special significance in all areas of management. It

can be defined as an unbiased, structured, and sequential method ofenquiry, directed towards a clear implicit or explicit business objective.This enquiry might lead to proving existing postulates or arriving at newtheories and models.



Research may be done for a purely academic reason of a need to know(fundamental or basic research) or it could be undertaken as it would beof practical value to an organization with implications for immediate action(applied research).

Based on the nature of enquiry or the objective, research can beexploratory or conclusive research.

Conclusive research can be of two typesdescriptive or causal studies. A research study usually follows a structured sequence of steps:

o Developing and defining the research problemo Formulating the study hypothesiso Developing the study plan or proposalo Identifying the research designo Designing the sampling approacho Conceptualizing and developing the data collection plano Executing data analysiso Working out data inference and conclusionso Compiling and preparing the research report

Different kinds of studies are carried out in the area of business manage-ment such as marketing, finance, human resources and operations. Eachhaving their own orientation and approach.

For a research to be recognized as significant, it must follow some basiccriteria clearly stated purpose; a systematic and detailed plan; logicaljustification for the selection of techniques of collecting information,sampling plans and data analysis techniques; unbiased, objective andneutral results; ethical standards; sequential and replicable.

1.9 Glossary

Applied research: Studies that are related to specific problems and areconducted to find solutions.

Basic research: Studies that are conducted for academic reasons anddo not have immediate applicability.

Causal research: These studies need experimentation and study thecause and effect relationship.



Conclusive research: More structured studies conducted to test orvalidate the study hypotheses.

Descriptive research: Conclusive studies that describe the phenomena,group or situation under study.

Exploratory research: Loosely structured studies carried to gain a deeperunderstanding about something.

Hypothesis: A tentative assumption made in order to draw out and testits logical or empirical consequences; the assumptions about the expectedresults of a research.

Postulate: Something taken as true or factual and used as the startingpoint for a course of action.

1.10 Terminal Questions

1. How would you define business research? Illustrate with examples.2. What are the different types of researches that can be conducted by a

researcher?3. Distinguish between descriptive and causal research studies?4. Describe in details the steps to be carried out in a typical research study.5. Can research be carried out in all areas of business? Explain with

examples about the kind of studies that can be done.6. What are the features of a good research study?

1.11 Answers

Answers to Self-Assessment Questions1. Objective2. Structured, sequential3. Proving, models4. Decision5. False6. True7. (c) Conclusive research8. (a) Causal research9. False



10. True11. Hypothesis12. Primary, secondary13. (d) All the above14. (a) Production and operations management15. Sequential16. Replicable

Answers to Terminal Questions1. Research is a careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some

field of knowledge, undertaken to establish facts or principles. Refer tosection 1.2 for further details.

2. Research may be fundamental (or basic) or applied research. Based onthe nature of enquiry or the objective, research can be exploratory orconclusive. Refer to section 1.3 for further details.

3. Conclusive research can further be divided into descriptive and causalresearch. Refer to section 1.3.2 for further details.

4. A research study usually follows a structured sequence of steps. Refer tosection 1.4 for further details.

5. Different kinds of studies are carried out in the area of businessmanagement such as marketing, finance, human resources andoperations. Refer to section 1.5 for further details.

6. For a research to be recognized as significant, it must follow some basiccriteria. Refer to section 1.6 for further details.

1.12 References

Chawla D and Sondhi N. (2011). Research Methodology: Concepts andCases. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House.

Easterby-Smith, M, Thorpe, R and Lowe, A. (2002). ManagementResearch: An Introduction, 2nd edn. London: Sage.

Grinnell, Richard Jr (ed.). (1993). Social Work, Research and Evaluation4th edn. Itasca, Illinois: F E Peacock Publishers.

Kerlinger, Fred N. (1986). Foundations of Behavioural Research, 3rd edn.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

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