Defining the Research

Problem
 What is a Research Problem?

• A research problem, in general, refers to

some difficulty which a researcher
experiences in the context of either a
theoretical or practical situation and wants
to obtain a solution for the same.
The Components of Research Problem
1. There must be an individual or a group which
has some difficulty or the problem.
2. There must be some objectives to be attained
at.
3. There must be at least two means (or courses
of actions) available to a researcher.
4. There must remain some doubt in the mind of
a researcher with regard to the selection of
alternatives.
5. There must be some environment(s) to which
the difficulty pertains.
 Selecting the problem
1. Subject which is overdone should not be normally
chosen, for it will be a difficult task to throw any new
light in such a case.
2. Controversial subject should not become the choice of
an average researcher.
3. Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.
4. The subject selected should be familiar or feasible so
that the related research material or sources are within
one’s reach.
5. The importance of subject, the qualifications and the
training of a researcher, the costs involved, time factor,
etc., should be taken into consideration.
6. The selection of a problem must be preceded by a
preliminary study.
 Technique Involved In Defining a
Problem
The technique for the above purpose involves
the following steps:
1. Statement of the problem in a general way.
2. Understanding the nature of the problem.
3. Surveying the available literature.
4. Developing the ideas through discussions.
5. Rephrasing the research problem (into a
working proposition).
 Exercises
Evaluate the statement of the business problem
in each of the following situations:
a) A farm implement manufacturer: Our objective
is to learn the most effective form of
capitalization so that we can maximize profits.
b) An employee’s credit union: Our problem is to
determine the reasons why employees join the
credit union, to determine members’ awareness
of credit union services, and to measure
attitudes and beliefs about how effectively the
credit union is operated.
 Exercises
c) The producer of a television show: We have a
problem: The program’s ratings are low. We
need to learn how to improve our ratings.
d) A soft-drink manufacturer: The problem is that
we do not know if our bottlers are more satisfied
with us than our competitors’ bottlers are with
them.