BUSINESS

RESEARCH
METHODS –UNIT-II
DR.PRACHI MURKUTE

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 Research Design
Research Design
1. Features of a robust research design.
2. Exploratory, Descriptive, Quasi Experimental, Experimental research designs,
3. Concept of Cause and Effect,
4. Difference between Correlation and causation.
5. Types of Variables – Independent, Dependent, concomitant, mediating, moderating, extraneous variables, Basic
knowledge of Treatment & Control group, Case study design.
6. Cross-sectional and Longitudinal designs, Qualitative and Quantitative research approaches, Pros and Cons of various
designs, choice of a research design.
7. Hypothesis: Definition, research Hypothesis, Statistical hypothesis, Null hypothesis, Alternative Hypothesis,
Directional Hypothesis, Non-directional hypothesis.
8. Qualities of a good Hypothesis, Framing Null Hypothesis & Alternative Hypothesis. Concept of Hypothesis Testing -
Logic & Importance

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 Features of a robust research design
A good design is often characterized by adjectives like flexible, appropriate, efficient,
economical and so on.
Generally, the design which minimizes bias and maximizes the reliability of the data
collected and analyzed is considered a good design.
The question of good design is related to the purpose or objective of the research
problem and also with the nature of the problem to be studied.
A design may be quite suitable in one case, but may be found wanting in one
respect or the other in the context of some other research problem.
One single design cannot serve the purpose of all types of research problems.

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Exploratory, Descriptive, Quasi
Experimental.
Exploratory research studies are also termed as formulative
research studies. The main purpose of such studies is that of
formulating a problem for more precise investigation or of
developing the working hypotheses from an operational
point of view. The major emphasis in such studies is on the
discovery of ideas and insights.

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Exploratory, Descriptive, Quasi
Experimental –contd.
Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of
different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is
description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. In social
science and business research we quite often use the term Ex post
facto research for descriptive research studies
Quasi-experiments are studies that aim to evaluate interventions.
Similar to casual trials, quasi-experiments aim to demonstrate
causality between an intervention and an outcome.

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Variable
In research, variables are any characteristics that
can take on different values, such as height, age,
temperature, or test scores.
Researchers often manipulate or measure independent
and dependent variables in studies to test cause-and-
effect relationships. The independent variable is the
cause.

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Types of Variables
Independent,
Dependent,
concomitant,
mediating,
moderating,
extraneous variables,
Basic knowledge of Treatment & Control group,
Case study design.

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Dependent Variables
The dependent variable is the variable that is being
measured or tested in an experiment.

For example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts

test scores, the dependent variable would be the
participants' test scores since that is what is being
measured.

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Independent Variable
It is a variable that stands alone and isn't changed
by the other variables you are trying to measure.
For example, someone's age might be an independent
variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how
much they go to school, how much television they
watch) aren't going to change a person's age.

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 Concept of Cause and Effect
Cause-and-effect describes a relationship between actions or events in which at least one
action or event is a direct result of the others.

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A Covariate variable
A covariate, is a variable which we observe during research
or statistical analysis, but we cannot control it and it is not
the focus of our analysis.

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Mediating and moderating variables
A mediating variable (or mediator) explains
the process through which two variables are
related, while a moderating
variable (or moderator) affects the strength
and direction of that relationship.

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Extraneous variable
An extraneous variable is any variable that you're not
investigating that can potentially affect the dependent
variable of your research study.

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Correlation
A correlation reflects the strength and/or direction of
the association between two or more variables.
A positive correlation means that both variables change
in the same direction.
A negative correlation means that the variables change
in opposite directions.

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https://slideplayer.com/slide/4600345/
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Difference between Correlation and
causation
A correlation between variables, however, does not automatically mean
that the change in one variable is the cause of the change in the values of
the other variable. 

Whereas

Causation indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of the
other event; i.e. there is a causal relationship between the two events.

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6 Cross-sectional and Longitudinal
designs
Cross-sectional and Longitudinal designs,
Qualitative and Quantitative research approaches,
Pros and Cons of various designs,
choice of a research design.

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Cross-sectional and Longitudinal designs
A cross-sectional study is a type of research design in which
you collect data from many different individuals at a single point
in time.

Longitudinal studies collect data repeatedly from the same subjects

over time, often focusing on a smaller group of individuals that are
connected by a common trait.

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Qualitative and Quantitative research approaches
MEANING EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2
Quantitative research is based Quantitative - length, Qualitative - A good example
on the measurement of mass, temperature, and of a qualitative research
quantity or amount. It is time. method would
applicable to phenomena that be unstructured
can be expressed in terms of interviews which generate
quantity. Quantitative qualitative data through the
information is often use of open questions. This
called data. allows the respondent to talk
Qualitative research, on the in some depth, choosing their
other hand, is concerned with own words. This helps the
qualitative phenomenon, i.e., researcher develop a real
phenomena relating to or sense of a person's
involving quality or kind. understanding of a situation.

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Choice of a research design
1.Step 1: Consider your aims and approach. ...
2.Step 2: Choose a type of research design. ...
3.Step 3: Identify your population and sampling method. ...
4.Step 4: Choose your data collection methods. ...
5.Step 5: Plan your data collection procedures. ...
6.Step 6: Decide on your data analysis strategies

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7- Hypothesis
Hypothesis:
Definition,
research Hypothesis,
Statistical hypothesis,
Null hypothesis,
Alternative Hypothesis,
Directional Hypothesis,
Non-directional hypothesis.

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Hypothesis
A hypothesis is an assumption that is made based on some

evidence. This is the initial point of any investigation that translates

the research questions into predictions. It includes components like

variables, population and the relation between the variables.

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Definition
A hypothesis is an assumption, an idea that is proposed for the sake

of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true.

In the scientific method, the hypothesis is constructed before any

applicable research has been done, apart from a basic background

review.

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Research Hypothesis
Research hypothesis is a statement that introduces a

research question and proposes an expected result. 

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Statistical hypothesis, Null and alternate
hypothesis
A statement about the nature of a population. It is often
stated in terms of a population parameter.

Null hypothesis: A statistical hypothesis that is to be tested.

Alternative hypothesis: The alternative to the null hypothesis.

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Directional Hypothesis,
Non-directional hypothesis
Directional hypothesis: A directional (or one tailed
hypothesis) states which way you think the results are going to
go, for example in an experimental study we might
say…”Participants who have been deprived of sleep for 24 hours
will have more cold symptoms in the following week after exposure
to a virus.

Non-Directional Hypothesis - It involves an open-ended non-

directional hypothesis that predicts that the independent
variable will influence the dependent variable;

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Qualities of a good Hypothesis, Framing Null Hypothesis & Alternative Hypothesis. Concept of
Hypothesis Testing - Logic & Importance

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Qualities of a good Hypothesis,
A good Hypothesis must possess the following characteristics
1.It is never formulated in the form of a question.
2.It should be empirically testable, whether it is right or wrong.
3.It should be specific and precise.
4.It should specify variables between which the relationship is
to be established.

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 Framing Null Hypothesis & Alternative
Hypothesis
To write a null hypothesis, first
start by asking a
question. Rephrase that
question in a form that assumes
no relationship between the
variables. In other words, assume
a treatment has no effect. Write
your hypothesis in a way that
reflects this.

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Alternative Hypothesis
The alternative hypothesis is a
statement used in statistical
inference experiment. It is
contradictory to the null hypothesis and
denoted by Ha or H1. We can also say
that it is simply an alternative to the null.
In hypothesis testing, an alternative
theory is a statement which a
researcher is testing.

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Concept of Hypothesis Testing - Logic &
Importance
Hypothesis testing is a form of statistical inference that
uses data from a sample to draw conclusions about a
population parameter or a population probability
distribution.

First, a tentative assumption is made about the parameter or

distribution. This assumption is called the null hypothesis and
is denoted by H0.

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https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/cross-sectional-study/

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