Business Research

2.  Business Research – Definition and
Significance – the research process – Types of
Research – Exploratory and causal Research –
Theoretical and empirical Research – Cross –
Sectional and time – series Research –
Research questions / Problems – Research
objectives – Research hypotheses –
characteristics – Research in an evolutionary
perspective – the role of theory in research.

3.  Research (“re-search”) means to “search
again”
 Research in common parlance refers to a
search for knowledge.
Meaning:-
Research means, a careful investigation (or)
inquiry specially through search for a new
facts in any branch of knowledge.

4.  According to Clifford Woody define, “Research is
organized systematic data-based scientific inquiry,
or investigation into a specific problem undertaken
with the purpose of findings answers or solutions
to it.”

5.  Identifying problems (or) opportunities
 Diagnosing and assessing problems (or)
opportunities
 Selecting and implementing a course of action
 Evaluating the course of action

6.  Basis for nearly all Govt Policies
 Helps in solving various operational and
planning problems
 Social Science studies

7. Problem Definition
Objectives of the Research
Research Design
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Interpretation of Result
Validation of Result

9. Based on
 Application
 Objectives
 Process

10.  Whether the expected outcome is the solution to a particular
problem or a more general contribution to knowledge.
 Basic research (Pure or fundamental
research)
 Applied Research (Action research)

11.  Undertaken out intellectual curiosity.
 It involves the process of collecting and analyzing
data/information to develop or enhance theory.
 Not intended to yield immediate commercial benefits
Example:
Scientific researches, Research conducted by Universities.

12.  Designed to apply its findings to solving a specific, existing
problem.
 Focuses on a real-life problem or situation with a view to
helping reach a decision how to deal with it
 It is the application of existing knowledge to improve
management practices and policies.

13. Means the reason for the conductions of particular research.
 Descriptive Research
 Explanatory/Casual Research
 Exploratory Research

14.  Describes data and characteristics about the population or
phenomenon being studied.
 Research cannot describe what caused a situation
 Gain a better understanding of a topic
 Used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations
Example:
What is the absentee rate in particular offices?
What type of packaging for a box of chocolates do consumers prefer?

15.  To analyzing and explaining why or how the phenomenon being
studied is happening.
 Test hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships
 Aims to understand phenomena by discovering and measuring
causal relations among them.
Example:
An analysis of any relationships between the rewards given to
the employees and their productivity levels.

16.  Important part of any marketing strategy
 Conducted into a research problem or issue when there are very
few or no earlier studies
 Focus is on the discovery of ideas and insights as opposed to
collecting statistically accurate data
 Management may have discovered general problems, but
research is needed to gain better understanding of the
dimensions of the problems

17.  Example:
In an organization considering a program to help employees
with childcare needs, exploratory research with a small
number of employees who have children might determine that
many of them have spouses who also work and that these
employees have positive reactions to the possibility of an on-
site child-care program. In such a case exploratory research
helps to crystallize a problem and identify information needs
for future research

18.  From the process adopted to find answer to research questions
– the two approaches are
 Quantitative research
 Qualitative research

19.  To quantify data and generalize To gain an understanding
about Results from sample underlying reason and
motivation of interest
 Generates numerical data Generates non-numerical data
Data collection technique
Structured; questionnaire, survey Unstructured; Depth interview
narratives , G D.,

20.  Ex post facto:
Ex post facto means ‘from what is done afterwards’. In the context
of social and educational research the phrase means ‘after the fact’ or
‘retrospectively’ and refers to those studies which investigate possible
cause-and-effect relationships
 Historical research:
The type of research that examines past events or combinations of
events to arrive at an account of what has happened in the past.

21.  A study can be done in which data are gathered
just once, perhaps over a period of days or weeks
or months, in order to answer a research
question.
 Time Series
 To study people or phenomena at more than one
point in time in order to answer the research
question

22.  Research Problem refers to some difficulty
which a researcher experiences in the context
of either a theoretical (or) practical situation
and want to obtain a solution for the same.

24.  Statement of the Problem in general way
 Understand the background of the Problem
 Isolate and Identify the Problem and not the
Symptoms
 Determine the unit of Analysis
 Rephrase the research problem

26.  Understand the background of the Problem
 Isolate and Identify the Problem and not the
Symptoms
 Determine the unit of Analysis

31.  It is the purpose of the research expressed in
measurable terms; the definition of what the
research should accomplish
◦ Derived from Problem Definition
◦ Must Specify the Information needed
◦ Number of Objectives should be limited

32.  It is a logically linked relationship between 2
or more variables expressed in the form of
testable statement
 TYPES
◦ Null Hypothesis
◦ Alternate Hypothesis

33.  Should be clear – otherwise reliable inferences can’t be
drawn
 Must be specific and testable
 Should be related to theory (or) theoretical orientation
 Tested within reasonable time

34.  State Null and Alternative Hypothesis
 Choose appropriate statistical test
 Determine the lack of significance
 Computation of performance
 Draw statistical decision

35. Logical Belief
Consideration
of Boundaries
Interrelation
among
Variables

36.  Conceptual model of how one theorizes or
makes logical sense of the relationships
among the several factors that have been
identified
 Discusses the interrelationships among the
variables that are deemed to be integral to the
dynamics of the situation

37.  Testable hypotheses can be developed to
examine whether the theory formulated is
valid or not.
 Offers the conceptual foundation to proceed
with the research