BUS 221: FUNDAMENTALS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS

(BAF, BBA, BPSCM)

By Hawa Petro Tundui (PhD) – Lead Lecturer

[email protected]
0754825860
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
• To be formulate business research topics
• Develop and formulate business research
proposals.
• Undertake research activities by using
appropriate techniques
• Analyse data using computer software, prepare
research reports and disseminate the information
to stakeholders
 REQUIRED READINGS
• Kothari, C. R. (2004). “Research Methodology;
Methods and Techniques”, 2nd edition, New Delhi
Age Internal (P) Ltd, New Delhi
• Malhotra, N. K. (2007). Marketing Research: An
Applied Orientation (6th ed.) Pearson’s Prentice Hall,
New Delhi.
 Evaluation
• Course Work
– Group Assignment (10%)
– Individual Assignment (10%)
– Test 1 (15%)
– Test 2 (15%)
– TOTAL CW – 50%
• FINAL EXAM: 50%

• PROGRESSION: GPA of at least 2.0- PASSED; GPA of 1.8 –

SUPPLEMENTARY CASE; GPA below 1.8 –
DISCONTINUATION CASE
 Today’s Plan
• What is a Business Research?
• Factors for Conducting Business Research
• Types of Research
• Formulating Research topic, Problem statement and
Research Objectives
• Questions for Discussions
• Group & Individual assignments
 What is Research?
• Research does help researchers to increase
understanding of the world by:
- creating or discovering new knowledge
- verifying/refining existing knowledge
- or, adding new knowledge to existing
knowledge.
• The important first step in research is to question
something that you have always taken for granted
 Business Research
• Research is the process of finding solutions to a
problem after a thorough study and analysis of the
situational factors
• Business research is defined as the systematic and
objective process of generating information for aid
in making business decisions
• Systematic and Objectivity are very important
features of Business Research
 Factors Influencing Business Research
Decisions

• Type and Nature of Information Sought

– Operational vs. Strategic decisions
• Timing
• Availability of Resources (Financial)
• Cost-benefit Analysis

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Value and Costs of Undertaking Business Research
VALUE
COSTS

Decreased Uncertainty Research Costs

Higher Likelihood of Delay in Making
Correct Decisions Business Decisions
Better Business Disclosure of
performance Information to Rivals
Higher Profits Possibility of Error
Better Reputation

9
 Types of Research
• Basic Research
• Applied Research
 Basic Research
• Is to generate a body of knowledge
• Attempts to expand the limits of knowledge.
• Not directly involved in the solution to a pragmatic
problem
• The findings of such research contribute to the
building of knowledge in the various functional
areas of business.
 Applied Research
• Is to solve a current problem faced by the manager
in the work setting, demanding a timely solution.
• Conducted when a decision must be made about a
specific real-life problem
• ………………….
 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• By using a practical examples, differentiate
between:
– Basic Research and Applied Research
Business Research Process
 Stages of the Research Process
Problem formulation Discovery and
and Definition Definition

Research and so on
Design Conclusions and
Report

Sampling
Data Processing
and Analysis
Data
Gathering
PROBLEM FORMULATION

(for basic research)

 Research Topic
• Research Topic: The broad general area expected to
be investigated.
• It is a broad idea or concept from which many
problems may be delineated.
• Research Problem: A situation or circumstance that
requires a solution to be described, explained, or
predicted.
• It is an unsatisfactory situation that wants you to
confront it
 Research Problem
• Is a knowledge gap in an area that need to be
investigated; a research problem identifies this gap.
• Explains what is missing and what needs to be done
• Research topic is simply a broad area of interest, the
research problem identifies what is problematic
about that topic.
 How to generate research Ideas
Rational thinking technique:
• Looking at past projects/research reports
• Discussion with other people (friends, lecturers)
• Searching through literature (articles, books)
• Scanning the media (current issues)
 How to generate Research ideas
Creative thinking technique:
• Keeping a notebook of ideas
• Exploring personal preferences using past
research reports
• Brainstorming
 Examples of research Titles
• The Analysis of the Factors Influencing Women
Entrepreneurs Business Decisions in Tanzania
• Effect of Internal Audit Function on Public Sector
Performance:
• Taxation Policy and Its Effect on Foreign Direct Investment
Inflow
• The Impact of Supply Chain Management on Service
Delivery at Air Tanzania Corporation
• Assessing the Impacts of Social Media in Promoting
Tourism in Tanzania
 REVISION
• ACCESS CODE; BUS2212020
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
 Statement of the Problem
• Statement of a research problem is important
because:-
• It enables the researcher to clarify the problem
and possible factors that contribute to it.
• It facilitates making decisions concerning the
focus and scope of the research.
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• It is a statement that clarifies in a few sentences the
problem to be investigated
• It is a statement which explains what needs to be
done by the proposed study
• It is based on previous studies; showing what has
been done and what is missing
• THUS, YOU MUST READ PREVIOUS RESEARCH
 John in Wonderland:
• John: Will you tell me, please, which way
should I take from here?
• Alice: That depends on where you want to go
• John: I don’t much care where
• Alice: Then it doesn’t matter which way you
will walk!
What do you learn from this conversation in
relation to research?
 Research Objectives
• The research objectives must be stated at the very
beginning of the study,
• They guide the researcher during the process of
formulating research questions and hypothesis.
• They will enable the reader of the work to judge
whether the researcher had achieved these
objectives or not.
• Objectives are your destination
 Research Objectives
• General objective: states what researchers expect to
achieve by the study in general terms.
• Specific objectives: smaller, logically connected parts of
general objective. They are the specific aspects of the
topic that we want to study within the framework of our
study
• Specific objectives should systematically address the
various aspects of the problem and the key factors that
are assumed to influence or cause the problem
• .
 Why research objectives?
• To Focus the study (narrowing it down to
essentials);
• To Avoid the collection of data which are not
strictly necessary for understanding and solving
the problem we have identified; and
• To Organize the study in clearly defined parts or
phases.
• Properly formulated, specific objectives will
facilitate the development of our research
methodology and will help to orient the
collection, analysis, interpretation and utilization
of data
 Examples of Objectives
• Main Objective
– Assessment of the factors that affect customer loyalty
in banks
• Specific Objectives:
– To identify services offered to customers.
– To identify the strategies used to retain customers.
– To identify the factors that affect customer’s satisfaction
– To examine relationship between the factors with
customer loyalty.
 Research Questions
• It is a direct rewording of the research objectives,
phrased interrogatively rather than declaratively
• Questions that are simple and direct invite an
answer and help to focus attention on the kinds of
data needed to provide that answer.
 Research Questions Examples…
• What services are offered to customers?
• What strategies are used to retain customers?
• What factors do affect customer’s loyalty at CRDB
Bank?
• Is there a significant relatioship btween identified
factors with customer loyalty?
 HOME WORK
• Read Chapter 1 & 2 in Kothari & in Malhotra
• Read Previous Research reports and articles
• Formulate a research title within your profession
• Formulate a research problem statement
• Formulate Research Objectives
• Formulate Research Questions