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The Business Research Process:

An Overview

Understand
That research is decision- and dilemma- centered.
That the clarified research question is the
result of careful exploration and analysis
and sets the direction for the research project.

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Understand . . .

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That research is decision- and dilemma- centered.

That the clarified research question is the result of careful
exploration and analysis and sets the direction for the research
project.
How value assessments and budgeting influence the process for
proposing research, and ultimately, research design.
What is included in research design, data collection, and data
analysis.
Research process problems to avoid.

We keep moving forward, opening new

doors, and doing new things, because were
curious and curiosity keeps leading us down
new paths.
Walt Disney

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Option Analysis

Reduce the
level of risk
of a
business
decision.

Decision Theory
Prior or Interim Evaluation
Ex Post Facto Evaluation
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The Business Research Process

Management-research question hierarchy process

begins by identifying the management dilemma

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Budget Types
Rule-of-thumb
Departmental
Task

Purpose
Legallybinding
contract

Methods

Written
proposals
establish

Obligations

Extent

Timing

Delivery
Budgets

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Research
Design
The
Research
Project

Sampling
Design
Pilot Testing

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Scotts used a
healthcare
management
company to
collect sensitive
wellness data
during annual
health
assessments to
preserve
participant
confidentiality.
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Abstractness
Verifiability
Elusiveness
Closeness

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Reducing data to manageable size

Developing summaries
Looking for patterns

Applying statistical techniques

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2002 McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Problems background

Research
Overview

Executive
Summary

Summary of exploratory findings

Research
Report
Technical
Appendix
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Research design and procedures

Implementation
Strategies

Conclusions
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Company Database
Strip-Mining
The FavoredTechnique Syndrome

Ill-defined management
problem
Unresearchable questions
Politically-motivated research

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Census
Data
oPrimary data
oSecondary data
Data analysis
Decision rule
exploration
Investigative questions
Management dilemma

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Management

Management-research

question

question hierarchy
test
Research design
Research process
Research questions
Sample
Target population
Pilot

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