Course:

Research Methodology /
Research Tools and Techniques
 Introduction

•Overview of the course :

•Business research is an organized and deliberate

process through which organization effectively learn
new knowledge and help improve performance.
 Introduction

• Objectives of the course :

• To understand and develop a systematic
approach to business research
• To emphasis on the relationship between
theory , research and practice
• To Integrate different research activities in an
orderly fashion
• Outcomes of the course are :
• To formulate research questions
• Develop theoretical framework
• Develop hypotheses
• Learn to select from different research
methodologies
• Develop skills for data analysis and
interpretation.
 Research Methodology

COURSE OUTLINE:
•Course Intro – Building blocks of science in research [1]
•Broad problem area , Preliminary Information Survey [ 2]
•Literature Review [2]
•Literature Review[2]
•Theoretical Framework [3]
•Theoretical Framework[3]
•Hypothesis Development [3]
•Hypothesis Development[3]
•Elements of Research Design (purpose, investigation type, researcher interference, study setting)[4]
•Elements of Research Design (unit of analysis, time horizon, Measurement of variables) [4,6]
•Measurement of variables (operational definition) [6]
•Measurement of Variable (Scales) [6]
•Validity and Reliability [6]
•Data Collection Methods (Interviews , Questionnaire) [7]
•Data Collection Methods (Questionnaire, observation) [7]
•Sampling (Probability Sampling) [8]
•Sampling (Non Probability Sampling) [8]
•Experimental Design [5]
•Refresher on Statistical Terms [9]
•Introduction to SPSS
•Introduction to SPSS
•Data Analysis and Interpretation ( Getting data ready for analysis) [10]
•Data Analysis and Interpretation (Feel for Data, Testing the goodness of Data) [10]
•Data Analysis and Interpretation (Descriptive Statistics)[10]
•Data Analysis and Interpretation (Inferential Statistics( Person Correlation, Hypothesis Testing t-test, ANOVA, Chi Square)[10]
•Data Analysis and Interpretation (Inferential Statistics( Hypothesis Testing, Multiple Regression) [10]
•Data Analysis and Interpretation (Inferential Statistics( Mediation, Moderation, Rank) (Hand out)
•Research Report contents (Sample report)
 Business Research Scenarios
A. A manager observes that the customers are not pleased
Are my customers satisfied from my product/service ?
B. It is observed that hydro construction project projects
tend to have a low successes rate.
What could be reasons behind it. ?
C. The new product introduced is not doing so well.
Have we selected the right market, features or price ?

For all the above scenarios management needs to find

reliable and creditable information to understand the
issue and then take appropriate decisions in order to
achieve performance
 I don’t know
if we
Information should
reduce our
Reduces product prices?

Uncertainty
 Define Business Research

• Business research is defined as the systematic and

objective process of gathering, recording and analyzing
data for aid in making business decisions.
• Research information is neither intuitive nor
haphazardly gathered.
• Literally, research (re-search) -“search again”
• Business research must be objective
• Detached and impersonal rather than biased
• It facilitates the managerial decision process for all
aspects of a business
 Research Methods

• Is the way in which research studies are

– designs
– procedures
– by which data is collected and analyzed.
– We would be focusing on the survey methodology
in which the research is conducted by collecting
data and analyzing them to come up with answers
to various issues of interest.
• The different areas of problem could be related to
Finance, Accounting, HR, Marketing etc.
 Types of Research

• Two purpose of research are

– To solve a currently exiting problem in the work
setting
• (Applied Research )

– To add to the general body of knowledge

• (Basic Research)
• Applied research is when research is done with the
intention of applying the results of it’s findings to
solving specific problem currently being experienced
in the organization
• e.g.
– To improve the attendance at an X organization
– A transport service can be introduced, Has
flextime improve the employee performance at a
university)
• Basic research done mainly to improve our
understanding of certain problems that are
commonly occur in organizational setting and how to
solve them
• e.g.
– increase the productivity of clerical workers in
service industry,
– increase the effectiveness of project oriented
business
Research Philosophy and Choices
(Research Onion)
 Research Philosophy and Choices

• There may be important assumptions about the way

in which one views the world.
• These assumptions effect the research strategy and
the methods you choose and practical
considerations.
• Researcher concerned with facts, such as the
resources needed for manufacturing will have
different view on the way research
• Researcher concerned with the feelings and attitudes
of the workers towards their managers in that same
manufacturing process.
• Their strategies and methods probably will differ
considerably and what is important and significant
 Research Approaches

• Deductive
– Develop a theory and hypothesis (or hypotheses)
and design a research strategy to test the
hypothesis
• Inductive
– Collect data and develop theory as a result of your
data analysis
 Characteristics of Good Research

• Purposive: Definite aim (Help reduce turnover,

absenteeism, complete projects on time )
• Rigor: Sound methodological design, systematic and
scientific. Avoid individual biases. (Manager
interviews few employee on their preference for flexi
time and device policy)
• Testability: After properly selecting the
cases/respondents and collection of data logically
developed hypothesis statements can be tested
using statistical tests.
• Replicability: Applying the same method the finding
from more than one study suggest the same results.
• Precision and Confidence: Study of the whole
universe of item, events or population of interest is
not possible. But we try to come close to reality as
possible (precision)and also be confident of our
findings that they are correct (confidence).
• Objectivity: The interpretation of the results should
be based on facts, not on our own subjective feeling
• Generalizability: Applicability of the finding on a
variety of firms/organization
• Parsimony: Simplicity in explaining the phenomena is
preferred, rather than managing many factors and
their effect (45% variability is explained by 4 variables
and 48% variability is explained by 10 variables)
• Management and Behavioral science result are not
100% scientific or exact. We deal with measuring
subjective feelings , attitudes, perceptions. Meeting
all the characteristics of good research is difficult
 Hypothetic-Deductive Method of Research
1. Observation
2. Preliminary Information gathering
3. Theory formulation
4. Hypothesizing
5. Further data collection
6. Data Analysis
7. Deduction
 Observation

• One senses certain changes are occurring

• New behaviors are surfacing in an environment
• When one considers the situation important then
move to the next step
– E.g. Customers are not pleased as they used to be.
Are customers at the store grumbling or
complaining.
 Preliminary Information Gathering

• Know more about what has been observed

• Talk to more people about it( other employees,
customers)
• Know what is happening and why.
– E.g. Talk to customers if they are happy with the
product or service. The customer might be happy
with the products but the problem is that the
required products are out of stock and sales
person are not helpful. The salesman input on this
issues reveals that the factory does not deliver on
time so in order to satisfy the customer the
salesmen communicates different delivery dates.
 Hypothesizing

• Some testable or educated supposition are made

– E.g.
– If sufficient inventory is made customers would
be less dissatisfied customers
– Accurate and timely information of the delivery
to the sales person can also reduce the
dissatisfied customer.
 Further Scientific Data Collection

• Data with respect to each variable in the hypothesis

need to be obtained.
• E.g.
– Measure the current level of customer satisfaction
and measure the satisfaction level when the stocks
are made readily available.
– Measure the current level of accuracy of
information to sales person on the stock and the
satisfaction level of customer and then measure
them again once the level of information has
increased.
 Data Analysis

• Data gathered statistically is analyzed and see if the

hypothesis have been supported or not.
– E.g.
• Do a correlation analysis of the two factors like
level of information and satisfaction.
 Deduction

• Arriving at a conclusion by interpreting the meaning

of the results of the data analysis.
– E.g.
– If the customer satisfaction has increased by
certain amount when the availability of
information and the stock.
– We could recommend that these two factors
influence the satisfaction of the customers
 Recap lecture
• We tried to examine what research is?
• Research Philosophies and choices
• We considered the two types of research
• Hall Marks of Research (Purposive, rigor, testable, replicabilty,
precision and confidence, objectivity , genralizability and parsimony)
• The seven steps of hypothetic deductive research
method
1. Observation
2. Preliminary Information gathering
3. Theory formulation
4. Hypothesizing
5. Further data collection
6. Data Analysis
7. Deduction