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Defining Research

The document discusses defining research problems, developing a research approach, and contrasting decision and research problems. It provides examples of turning management problems into research problems and objectives. Key points include correctly diagnosing research problems, using a written research brief to guide the process, and stating research objectives in clear, actionable terms.

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Farooque Azam
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74 views18 pages

Defining Research

The document discusses defining research problems, developing a research approach, and contrasting decision and research problems. It provides examples of turning management problems into research problems and objectives. Key points include correctly diagnosing research problems, using a written research brief to guide the process, and stating research objectives in clear, actionable terms.

Uploaded by

Farooque Azam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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RESEARCH PROBLEM FORMULATION

Defining Research problem and developing a


research approach

The correct diagnosis of research problems cannot be


compromised.
Regardless of how well subsequent stages are conducted, the
whole process may be worthless if the diagnosis is weak.
The purpose of a written research brief

Helps the initiator to be more sure of how decision making will


be supported
Agreement among all parties who may benefit from research
Helps to plan and administer research
Helps to reduce disputes
Forms the basis for negotiation
Components of the research brief
MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS VS. RESEARCH
PROBLEMS

 Most management research problems manifest


themselves as Management Decision Problems
 Situation arises, management needs to make a
decision, requires research, starts the research
process
 No actionable guidance

 Simply a statement of the issue that management is


dealing with
 Must restatement in research terms.
MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS VS. RESEARCH
PROBLEMS

 Management Research Problem: a statement of the


information needed by a decision maker to help solve a
management decision problem.

 Most critical part of the mktg. research process


 Provides guidance and direction for research process
MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS VS. RESEARCH
PROBLEMS

 Management Research Objectives: the specific bits of


knowledge that need to be gathered to close the information
gaps highlighted in the research problem.
 Stated in action terms
 Serve as a standard to evaluate the quality and value of
the research
 Objectives should be specific and unambiguous
 Examples:
 To measure the number of college freshmen at JH
 To assess viewer recall of our ad campaign
 To describe the segments of the marketplace
EXAMPLE:
 Management Problem
 Placement office has noticed, while major companies make
annual recruiting visits to campus for engineers, not many
national or local companies are formally recruiting business
majors through the placement office
 Why? How do we address this?
 Research Problems
 Why are companies not taking advantage of the resources that
the placement service offers? Are companies going around the
service?
 Are companies aware of the ABC placement service?
 Are companies aware of the reputation of the ABC Business
School?
 What kind of things might generate more recruiting activity?
EXAMPLE:
 Research Objectives
 To determine to what extent companies are aware of the ABC
placement service
 Determine whether companies, especially locals, are aware of
the strong reputation of the ABC Business School
 To determine whether a quarterly newsletter highlighting ABC
business programs and students might generate more recruiting
activity.
EXAMPLE:
 Management Problem
 What price should we charge for our new product?
 Research Problem
 What are our costs of production and marketing (COGS)?
 What are our pricing objectives and position in the market?
 What price does similar types of products sell for?
 What is the perceived value of our product in the marketplace?
 Are there any norms or conventional practices in the
marketplace (e.g., customary prices, continual discounting)
 Research Objectives
 To assess the costs involved in producing and selling our product
 To determine corporate objectives and their implications for
pricing
 To examine current prices for direct and indirect competition
 To determine potential customer reaction to various prices and
their perception of the benefits of owning the product
The process of defining the problem and developing an approach
Contrasting definitions of decision
and research problems
Proper definition of the marketing research problem
The role of theory in applied research
VERBAL MODEL

A consumer first becomes aware of a departmental store. The person


then gains the understanding of the store by evaluating the store in
terms of the factors comprising of the choice criteria. Based on the
evaluation the consumer forms the degree of preference for the
store. If preference is strong enough the consumer will patronize
the store.
GRAPHICAL MODEL
Development of research questions and hypotheses
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
 Forthe following management problems, identify
the underlying research problems and a couple of
research objectives.
 “Should our retail chain offer online shopping?”
 “What advertising media should we use to reach
our market?”
 “How do we get more people to attend our
outdoor festival/event?”
 “Should we build a new warehouse to store our
excess inventory?”

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