Long Q & Ans

1) What is a good research?

Ans: A good research design often possesses the qualities of being flexible,
suitable, efficient, economical and so on. Generally, a research design which
minimizes bias and maximizes the reliability of the data collected and analysed is
considered a good design. A research design which does not allow even the
smallest experimental error is said to be the best design for investigation. Further, a
research design that yields maximum information and provides an opportunity of
viewing the various dimensions of a research problem is considered to be the most
appropriate and efficient design. Thus, the question of a good design relates to the
purpose or objective and nature of the research problem studied. While a research
design may be good, it may not be equally suitable to all studies. In other words, it
may be lacking in one aspect or the other in the case of some other research
problems. Therefore, no single research design can be applied to all types of
research problems.
A research design suitable for a specific research problem would usually involve
the following considerations:
(i) the methods of gathering the information;
(ii) the skills and availability of the researcher and his/her staff, if any;
(iii) the objectives of the research problem being studied;
(iv) the nature of the research problem being studied; and
(v) the available monetary support and duration of time for the research work.

2) Give Account of Different types of research?

Ans: There are different types of research. The basic ones are as follows:
1 – Descriptive Versus Analytical
2 – Applied Versus Fundamental
3 – Quantitative Versus Qualitative
4 – Conceptual Versus Empirical

1) Descriptive versus Analytical:

Descriptive research consists of surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different
types. The main objective of descriptive research is describing the state of affairs
as it prevails at the time of study. The term ‘ex post facto research’ is quite often
used for descriptive research studies in social sciences and business research. The
most distinguishing feature of this method is that the researcher has no control over
the variables here. He/she has to only report what is happening or what has
happened. Majority of the ex post facto research projects are used for descriptive
studies in which the researcher attempts to examine phenomena, such as the
consumers’ preferences, frequency of purchases, shopping, etc. Despite the
inability of the researchers to control the variables, ex post facto studies may also
comprise attempts by them to discover the causes of the selected problem. The
methods of research adopted in conducting descriptive research are survey
methods of all kinds, including correlational and comparative methods.
Meanwhile in the Analytical research, the researcher has to use the already
available facts or information, and analyse them to make a critical evaluation of the
subject.

2) Applied versus Fundamental:

Research can also be applied or fundamental in nature. An attempt to find a
solution to an immediate problem encountered by a firm, an industry, a business
organisation, or the society is known as Applied Research. Researchers engaged in
such researches aim at drawing certain conclusions confronting a concrete social or
business problem.
On the other hand, Fundamental Research mainly concerns generalizations and
formulation of a theory. In other words, “Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s
sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research” (Young in Kothari, 1988). Researches
relating to pure mathematics or concerning some natural phenomenon are instances
of Fundamental Research. Likewise, studies focusing on human behaviour also fall
under the category of fundamental research.
Thus, while the principal objective of applied research is to find a solution to some
pressing practical problem, the objective of basic research is to find information
with a broad base of application and add to the already existing organized body of
scientific knowledge.

3) Quantitative versus Qualitative:

Quantitative research relates to aspects that can be quantified or can be expressed
in terms of quantity. It involves the measurement of quantity or amount. The
various available statistical and econometric methods are adopted for analysis in
such research. Some such includes correlation, regressions and time series analysis.
On the other hand, Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomena,
or more specifically, the aspects related to or involving quality or kind. For
example, an important type of qualitative research is ‘Motivation Research’, which
investigates into the reasons for human behaviour. The main aim of this type of
research is discovering the underlying motives and desires of human beings by
using in-depth interviews. The other techniques employed in such research are
story completion tests, sentence completion tests, word association tests, and other
similar projective methods. Qualitative research is particularly significant in the
context of behavioural sciences, which aim at discovering the underlying motives
of human behaviour. Such research helps to analyse the various factors that
motivate human beings to behave in a certain manner, besides contributing to an
understanding of what makes individuals like or dislike a particular thing.
However, it is worth noting that conducting qualitative research in practice is
considerably a difficult task. Hence, while undertaking such research, seeking
guidance from experienced expert researchers is important.

4) Conceptual versus Empirical:

The research related to some abstract idea or theory is known as Conceptual
Research. Generally, philosophers and thinkers use it for developing new concepts
or for reinterpreting the existing ones. Empirical Research, on the other hand,
exclusively relies on the observation or experience with hardly any regard for
theory and system. Such research is data based, which often comes up with
conclusions that can be verified through experiments or observation. Empirical
research is also known as experimental type of research, in which it is important to
first collect the facts and their sources, and actively take steps to stimulate the
production of desired information. In this type of research, the researcher first
formulates a working hypothesis, and then gathers sufficient facts to prove or
disprove the stated hypothesis. He/she formulates the experimental design, which
according to him/her would manipulate the variables, so as to obtain the desired
information. This type of research is thus characterized by the researcher’s control
over the variables under study. Empirical research is most appropriate when an
attempt is made to prove that certain variables influence the other variables in
some way. Therefore, the results obtained by using the experimental or empirical
studies are considered to be the most powerful evidences for a given hypothesis.
5) Other Types of Research:
The remaining types of research are variations of one or more of the afore-
mentioned methods. They vary in terms of the purpose of research, or the time
required to complete it, or may be based on some other similar factor. On the basis
of time, research may either be in the nature of one-time or longitudinal research.
While the research is restricted to a single time-period in the former case, it is
conducted over several time-periods in the latter case. Depending upon the
environment in which the research is to be conducted, it can also be laboratory
research or field-setting research, or simulation research, besides being diagnostic
or clinical in nature. Under such research, in-depth approaches or case study
method may be employed to analyse the basic causal relations. These studies
usually undertake a detailed in-depth analysis of the causes of certain events of
interest, and use very small samples and sharp data collecting methods. The
research may also be explanatory in nature. Formalized research studies consist of
substantial structure and specific hypotheses to be verified. As regards historical
research, sources like historical documents, remains, etc. are utilized to study past
events or ideas. It also includes philosophy of persons and groups of the past or
any remote point of time. Research has also been classified into decision-oriented
and conclusion-oriented categories. The Decision-oriented research is always
carried out as per the need of a decision maker and hence, the researcher has no
freedom to conduct the research according to his/her own desires. On the other
hand, in the case of Conclusion-oriented research, the researcher is free to choose
the problem, redesign the enquiry as it progresses and even change
conceptualization as he/she wishes to. Further, Operations research is a kind of
decision-oriented research, because it is a scientific method of providing the
departments, a quantitative basis for decision-making with respect to the activities
under their purview.

Short Q & Ans

1) Define Research?
Ans: Research in simple terms refers to search for knowledge. It is a scientific and
systematic search for information on a particular topic or issue. It is also known as
the art of scientific investigation.

2) What is Pure or Basic Research?

Ans: Basic research or fundamental research (sometimes pure research) is research
carried out to increase understanding of fundamental principles. Many times the
end results have no direct or immediate commercial benefits: basic research can be
thought of as arising out of curiosity. However, in the long term it is the basis for
many commercial products and applied research.
“Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research”

3) What are the objectives of research?

Ans: Although every research study has its own specific objectives, the research
objectives may be broadly grouped as follows:
1. To gain familiarity with new insights into a phenomenon (i.e., formulative
research studies);
2. To accurately portray the characteristics of a particular individual, group, or a
situation (i.e., descriptive research studies);
3. To analyze the frequency with which something occurs (i.e., diagnostic research
studies); and
4. To examine the hypothesis of a causal relationship between two variables (i.e.,
hypothesis-testing research studies).

4) Define Research Methodology?

Ans: Research Methodology is the way in which research problems are solved
systematically. It is a science of studying how research is conducted scientifically.
Under it, the researcher acquaints himself/herself with the various steps generally
adopted to study a research problem, along with the underlying logic behind them.
Hence, it is not only important for the researcher to know the research
techniques/methods, but also the scientific approach called methodology.

5) Define Research Scope?

Ans: Research scope refers to the areas to which research can be extended to.
These areas are unlimited and hence the research scope is wide. It starts right from
identifying the problem areas, establishing relationship between the variables, aid
in forecasting, managerial analysis, strategy, innovation etc.
6) What is Applied Research?
Ans: An attempt to find a solution to an immediate problem encountered by a firm,
an industry, a business organization, or the society is known as Applied Research.

7) What is Business Research?

Ans: Business research is a systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific
problem encountered in the work setting that needs a solution.
The research provides the needed information that guides managers to make
informed decisions to successfully deal with problems.

8) What is Research Proposal?

Ans: Research Proposal is an outline (usually in writing) of how marketing
research data could be collected and used to solve a specific problem. Proposals
are normally written by research suppliers and they usually are divided into the
following sections: background, objectives, methodology, costing, timings and
responsibilities.

9) What is a good hypothesis?

Ans: A good hypothesis is one which has the following characteristics:
a) It should be reasonable.
b) It should be stated in the simplest possible terms.
c) It must be adequate for its purpose.
d) It must be testable.
e) It should be consistent with known facts and theories.
f) It must be better than its rivals.

10) What is a research problem?

Ans: A research problem refers to an unanswered question that a researcher might
encounter in the context of either a theoretical or practical situation, which he/she
would like to answer or find a solution to.

11) What is a research Plan/Design?

Ans: A Research Plan/Design is a logical and systematic plan prepared for
directing a research study. It specifies the objectives of the study, the methodology
and the techniques to be adopted for achieving the objectives. It constitutes the
blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of data. In short, it is the
overall scheme or program of the research.

12) What is a Likert Scale?

Ans: A Likert scale is a psychometric scale commonly used in questionnaires, and
is the most widely used scale in survey research. When responding to a Likert
questionnaire item, respondents specify their level of agreement to a statement,
The common options given to the respondents in the likert scale are - Strongly
Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.

13) What is a Causal Research?

Ans: Causal Research is a type of research in which the major emphasis is on
determining a cause-and-effect relationship. i.e. the effect of one variable on
another. This research is used to measure impact of a change and allows research
to predict hypothetical events. It can be used to predict the events that can affect a
business in future.

14) What is a Variable?

Ans: A Variable is a function that may assume any given value or set of values.