6/26/2021 Abiot Tsegaye 1

 Introduction to research
 Scientific method of doing research
 The role of research
 Types of research
 Research methodology and research methods
 Research process
 Features of good research
 Challenges to do research work in Ethiopia(Discussion)

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 Research in common parlance refers to a scientific and
systematic search for pertinent information or knowledge
on a specific topic.
 Research is an art of scientific investigation and a
movement from the known to the unknown.
 Research is the manipulation of things, concepts or
symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, correct
or verify knowledge.

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 Research is the pursuit of truth with
the help of data collection,
observation, comparison and
experiment.
 Research is the search for knowledge
through objective and systematic
method of finding solution to a
problem.
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 Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and
organizes knowledge in the form of testable
explanations and predictions about an object.

 Science is any system of knowledge that is concerned

with the universe and its phenomena and that entails
unbiased observations and systematic experimentation.
 Science involves a pursuit of knowledge covering
general truths or the operations of fundamental laws.

 Science aims to increase our understanding of how the

natural and social world works, and aims to solve
natural and social world problems from the
understandings.
 Scientific method is the pursuit of truth as determined
by logical considerations.

 Scientific method attempts to achieve “this ideal by

experimentation, observation, logical arguments
from accepted postulates and a combination of these
three in varying proportions.”
 The scientific method is, thus, has the following
characteristics:
◦ It relies on empirical evidence
◦ It utilizes relevant concepts
◦ It is committed to only objective considerations
◦ It results into probabilistic predictions
◦ Its methodology is made known to all concerned for critical
scrutiny
◦ It aims at formulating most general axioms or scientific
theories
◦ It presupposes ethical neutrality

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 The purpose of research is to discover
answers to questions through the
application of scientific procedures.

 The main aim of research is to find out

the truth which is hidden and which has
not been discovered yet.

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 Researches may be designed
◦ to gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve
new insights into it (exploratory or formulative
research)
◦ to portray accurately the characteristics of a particular
individual, situation or a group (descriptive research)
◦ to determine the frequency with which something
occurs or with which it is associated with something
else (diagnostic research)
◦ to test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between
variables (hypothesis-testing research).

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 The possible internal motives for doing research may be:
◦ desire to solve individual and/or organizational problems
◦ desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved
problems, i.e., concern over practical problems initiates
research;
◦ desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work;
◦ desire to be of service to society;
◦ desire to get respectability.
◦ curiosity about new things and desire to understand causal
relationships
◦ social thinking and awakening

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 In addition, many more external factors
motivate people to carry out research. Some
of the are:
◦ directives of organizations and government
◦ organizational problem such as employment,
market, etc
◦ desire to tackle and to adapt changes in social,
environmental, legal, technological and other
related conditions
◦ desire to get a research degree along with its
consequential benefits

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 There are many ways to categorize research
depending on the purpose, objective, and the
area or the profession.
 For the sake of clarity, we classify researches in
the following broad categories:
◦ Descriptive Vs. Analytical
◦ Applied Vs. Fundamental
◦ Qualitative Vs. Quantitative
◦ Cross-section Vs Longitudinal
◦ Others(Such as Field Vs. Laboratory)

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 Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-
finding enquiries of different kinds
◦ the researcher has no control over variables
 descriptive and correlation are the methods
 In analytical research, the researcher uses facts
or information already available, and analyze
these to make a critical evaluation of the
material, and the researcher has control over
variables
◦ survey or experimental are the methods along the
inferential

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 Applied (or action) research aims at finding a
solution for an immediate problem
 Fundamental(basic or pure) research is mainly
concerned with generalizations and with the
formulation of a theory.
 Research aimed at certain conclusions (say, a
solution) facing a concrete social or business
problem is an example of applied research.
 Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is
termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research
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 Quantitative
research is based on the
measurement of quantity or amount.
◦ It is applicable to phenomena that can be
expressed in terms of quantity.
 Qualitativeresearch, on the other hand, is
concerned with qualitative phenomenon,
i.e., phenomena relating to or involving
quality or kind.

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 Conceptual research is that related to some abstract
idea(s) or theory.
 Conceptual research is generally used by philosophers
and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret
existing ones.
 Empirical research relies on experience or observation.
 Empirical research is data-based research, coming up
with conclusions which are capable of being verified by
observation or experiment.

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 Cross-sectional research is a type of
research in which the research is confined
to a single time-period
 Longitudinal research is a type of
research in which the research is carried
on over several time-periods in one or
many unit of analysis

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 Research can be field-setting research or
laboratory research or simulation research

 The research may be exploratory or it may be

explanatory (formalized).

 Research can also be classified as conclusion-

oriented and decision-oriented

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 Research methods may be understood as
all those techniques that are used to do
the research.
 Research methods or techniques, thus,
refer to the methods the researchers use
in performing research operations.

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 Research methodology is a way to
systematically solve the research
problem.
◦ It may be understood as a science of
studying how research is done scientifically.
◦ the various steps that are generally adopted
by a researcher in studying the research
problem along with the logic behind them.

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 The scope of research methodology is
wider than that of research methods.

 Research methodology has many

dimensions and research methods do
constitute a part of the research
methodology.

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 Research process consists of series of actions
or steps necessary to effectively carry out
research and the desired sequencing of these
steps.

 However, activities overlap continuously

rather than following a strictly prescribed
sequence.
◦ At times, the first step determines the nature of the
last step to be undertaken.

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 As stated above, here below, we list certain steps
common in many studies though the steps and the level
of the steps depends on the scope of the research.
◦ Formulating the research problem;
◦ Extensive literature survey;
◦ Developing the hypothesis;
◦ Preparing the research design;
◦ Determining sample design;
◦ Collecting the data;
◦ Analysis of data;
◦ Hypothesis testing;
◦ Generalizations and interpretation, and
◦ Preparation of the report or presentation of the results, i.e., formal write-
up of conclusions reached.

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 At the very outset the researcher must
single out the problem he wants to study
◦ he must decide the general area of interest or
aspect of a subject-matter that he would like to
inquire into.

 The formulation of a general topic into a

specific research problem, thus, constitutes
the first step in a scientific enquiry.

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 Essentially
two steps are involved in
formulating the research problem,
viz.,
◦ understanding the problem thoroughly
◦ rephrasing the same into meaningful
terms from an analytical point of view.

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 The best way of understanding the
problem is to discuss it with one’s own
colleagues or with those having some
expertise in the matter.
◦ In an academic institution the researcher can
seek the help from a guide
◦ In private business units or in governmental
organizations, the problem is usually
earmarked by the administrative agencies

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 The researcher must examine all available
literature to get himself acquainted with the
selected problem.
 He may review two types of literature—
◦ the conceptual literature concerning the concepts and
theories
◦ the empirical literature consisting of studies made
earlier which are similar to the one proposed.
 The basic outcome of this review will be the
knowledge and consolidation of idea
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 The researcher should undertake extensive
literature survey connected with the
problem.
◦ the abstracting and indexing journals and
published or unpublished bibliographies are
the first place to go to.
◦ academic journals, conference proceedings,
government reports, books etc., must be
tapped depending on the nature of the
problem.
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 After extensive literature survey,
researcher should state in clear terms
the working hypothesis or
hypotheses.
◦ Working hypothesis is tentative
assumption made in order to draw out
and test its logical or empirical
consequences.
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 The role of the hypothesis is to guide the
researcher by delimiting the area of research
and to keep him on the right track.
 It sharpens his thinking and focuses attention
on the more important facets of the problem.
 It also indicates the type of data required and
the type of methods of data analysis to be
used.

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 The preparation of such a design
facilitates research to be as efficient as
possible yielding maximal information.
 Research design depends mainly on the
research purpose, which may be grouped
into four categories:
Exploration,
Description,
Diagnosis, and
Experimentation.
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 The preparation of research design usually
involves the following consideration:
◦ the means of obtaining the information;
◦ the availability and skills of the researcher and his
staff (if any);
◦ explanation of the way in which selected means of
obtaining information will be organized and the
reasoning leading to the selection;
◦ the time available for research
◦ the cost factor relating to research, i.e., the finance
available for the purpose.

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 All the items under consideration in any field
of inquiry constitute a ‘universe’ or
‘population’.
 A complete enumeration of all the items in the
‘population’ is known as a census inquiry.
 However, quite often we select only a few
items from the universe that constitute what is
technically called a sample.

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 Samples can be either probability samples or non-
probability samples.
◦ With probability samples each element has a known probability of
being included in the sample. Probability samples are those based
on
 simple random sampling,
 systematic sampling,
 stratified sampling,
 cluster/area sampling
◦ non-probability samples do not allow the researcher to determine
this probability. Non-probability samples are those based
 convenience sampling,
 judgment sampling and
 quota sampling techniques.

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 There are several ways of collecting the appropriate data
which differ considerably in context of money costs, time..
 If the researcher conducts an experiment, he observes
some quantitative measurements, or the data, with the help
of which he examines the truth contained in his hypothesis.
 In the case of a survey, data can be collected by any one or
more of the following ways:
◦ By observation
◦ Through personal interview
◦ Through telephone interviews
◦ By mailing of questionnaires

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 After the data have been collected, the researcher turns
to the task of analyzing them.
 The analysis of data requires a number of closely
related operations
◦ establishment of categories,
◦ the application of these categories to raw data through coding,
◦ tabulation and then drawing statistical inferences.
 The unwieldy data should necessarily be condensed
into a few manageable groups and tables for further
analysis.

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 Hypothesis-testing will result in either accepting
the hypothesis or in rejecting it.
◦ Do the facts support the claims or they happen to be
contrary?
◦ Various tests, such as Chi square test, t-test, F-test,
have been developed by statisticians for the purpose.
 If the researcher had no hypotheses to start with,
generalizations established on the basis of data
may be stated as hypotheses to be tested by
subsequent researches in times to come.

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 If a hypothesis is tested and upheld several
times, it may be possible for the researcher to
arrive at generalization, i.e., to build a theory.
 If the researcher had no hypothesis, he might
seek to explain his findings on the basis of some
theory.
◦ It is known as interpretation.
◦ The process of interpretation may quite often trigger
off new questions which in turn may lead to further
researches.

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 Writing a report must be done with great care keeping
in view the following:
◦ (i) the preliminary pages; In its preliminary pages the report
should carry title and date followed by acknowledgements and
foreword.
◦ (ii) the main text, The main text of the report should have the
following parts:
 (a) Introduction:
 (b) Summary of findings:
 (c) Main report:
 (d) Conclusion:

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A research to be categorized as good
research, it has to fulfill as least the
following fundamental points:
◦ Good research is systematic
◦ Good research is logical
◦ Good research is empirical
◦ Good research is replicable

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Kothari (2008). Research Methodology. Methods and Techniques. 2nd Ed. New Age International
Ltd. Publishers, New Delhi.

Cooper D. and Schindler (2003). Business Research Methods. 8thed.Tata McGraw Hill, New
Delhi.

Lancaster G. (2005). Research Methods in Management. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann,

Oxford.

Emory, C. W. (1976). Business Research Methods. Richard D. Irwin, Inc. Homewood.

Bajpai S.R. (1992). Methods of Social survey and Research. 14th ed. Kitab Ghar, Kanpur.

Zickmand Babin and Carr Griffin. Business Research Methods.

Any book on Business and management Research can serve

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