Chapter 3

The Business
Research
Process:
An Overview

3-1
 Learning Objectives

•Understand that research is decision- and

dilemma-centered
•The clarified research question is the
result of careful exploration and analysis
and sets the direction for the research project

3-2
 Learning Objectives

• 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
• Which research process problems to
avoid

3-3
The Research Process

The primary
purpose of
research is to
reduce the level of
risk of a business
decision

3-4
 Exhibit 3-1
The Business Research Process

3-5
 Stage 1 Clarifying the
Research Question

• Management-research question
hierarchy
• Begins with management
dilemma
3-6
 Exhibit 3-2 Management-
Research Question Hierarchy

3-7
Exhibit 3-3 Formulating
the Research Question

3-8
Types of Management
Questions

3-9
 The Research Question

Break
Break
Examine
Examine questions
questions
variables
variables down
down

Fine-Tuning
Fine-Tuning
Determine
Determine Set
Set
necessary
necessary scope
scope of
of
evidence
evidence study
study

Evaluate
Evaluate
hypotheses
hypotheses
3-10
Investigative Questions

Performance
Performance Considerations
Considerations

Attitudinal
Attitudinal Issues
Issues

Behavioral
Behavioral Issues
Issues

3-11
© 2002 McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Stage 2 Proposing
Research
• Exhibit 3-7
• Budget Types
– Rule-of-thumb
– Departmental
– Task

3-12
 Exhibit 3-6 Gantt Chart

MindWriter
Project Plan

3-13
Evaluating the Value of
Research

Option
Option Analysis
Analysis

Decision
Decision Theory
Theory

Prior
Prior or
or Interim
Interim Evaluation
Evaluation

Ex
Ex Post
Post Facto
Facto Evaluation
Evaluation

3-14
 The Research Proposal

Purpose
Purpose Methods Extent
Extent

Legally-
Legally-
binding
binding Timing
Timing
contract
contract Written
Written
proposals
proposals
establish
establish
Obligations
Obligations Delivery

Budgets
Budgets
3-15
 Stage 3

Research
Research
Design
Design
Designing
Designing
the
the Sampling
Sampling
Research
Research Design
Design
Project
Project
Pilot
Pilot Testing
Testing

3-16
Stage 4 Data Collection

Data Characteristics
• Abstractness
• Verifiability
• Elusiveness
• Closeness

3-17
Stage 5 Data Analysis and
Interpretation

Reducing
Reducing data
data to
to manageable
manageable size
size

Developing
Developing summaries
summaries

Looking
Looking for
for patterns
patterns

Applying
Applying statistical
statistical techniques
techniques

3-18
© 2002 McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., McGraw-Hill/Irwin
 Stage 6 Reporting the
Results

Executive Research
Summary Overview

Research
Research
Report
Report

Technical Implementation
Appendix Strategies

3-19
The Research Overview

Problem’s
Problem’s background
background

Summary
Summary of
of exploratory
exploratory findings
findings

Research
Research design
design and
and procedures
procedures

Conclusions
Conclusions

3-20
Research Process Issues

• The Favored-Technique
Syndrome
• Company Database Strip-
Mining
• Unresearchable
Questions
• Ill-Defined Management
Problems
• Politically Motivated
Research

3-21
 Everything must have a
beginning

Source: Cooper R. D. & Schindler, S. P.

(2006). Business Research
Methods
9e. McGraw.Hill

3-22