Defining the

Research Problem

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 A research problem refers to some
difficulty that a researcher experiences
in the context of either a theoretical or
practical situation and wants to obtain
a solution for the same.

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 A research problem exists if
• There is an individual, a group, organisation ‘I’ to whom a
problem can be attributed. The problem concerns someone.
This someone occupies an environment ‘N’. This environment
or the space is defined by values of the uncontrolled variables
‘Y’.
• There are at least two courses of action, choices, options, say
C1 and C2, that can be pursued.
• There must be at least two possible outcomes, say O1 and O2,
of the course of action, of which one should be preferred to
the other. This means that there must be at least one outcome
that the research wants, the one objective that the researcher
prefers.
• The courses of action available must provide ‘some’ chance
of obtaining the objective. However they must not provide the
‘same’ chance otherwise the choice would not matter.
• It is important to understand that the individual, organisation,
group etc is said to have a problem only if there is doubt
about the solution.
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• An individual or a group of persons
can be said to have a problem which
can be technically described as a
research problem, if they (the
individual, group etc), having one of
more desired outcomes, are
confronted with two or more courses
of action that have some but not
equal efficiency for the desired
objective(s) and are in doubt about
which courseSanjay
7/2/2018 ofRanade,
action is best.
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 Components of a
Research Problem
i) There must be an individual or a group which has some
difficulty or the problem or to whom the problem can be
attributed.
ii) There must be some objective(s) to be attained. If one
wants nothing, one cannot have a problem.
iii) There must be alternative means or courses of action for
obtaining the objective(s) one wishes to attain. This means
that there must be at least two means available to a
researcher for if he has no choice of means, he cannot
have a problem.
iv) There must remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher
with regard to the selection of alternatives. This means that
research must answer the question concerning the relative
efficiency of the possible alternatives.
v) There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty
pertains.
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How does one select a research
problem?
i) Avoid a subject that has been overdone for it will
be difficult to throw any new light in such a case.
ii) Controversial subjects should be avoided by an
average researcher.
iii) Subjects whose scope is too narrow or vague
should be avoided.
iv) The subject should be familiar and feasible so that
the related research material or sources of
research are within one’s reach.
v) Know yourself and the limitations of your
experience, your ability and capacity.

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 Ask Yourself
• Am I equipped in terms of experience and
knowledge to carry out the research?
• Does the study fall within the constraints of
budget?
• Will I get the necessary cooperation from
those who must participate in the research
as subjects?
• Have I conducted a preliminary study, an
exploration of the issue, the problem at
hand?
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 Research can be donkey work
or love’s labour depending on
the choice of the Research
Problem.

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 The technique of defining a
research problem

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 State the problem
• Read up, talk to various people concerned, talk to
experts, do field observations, perhaps even a
preliminary survey, find people who may already be
doing research in the same area, seek out a guide
who can help you grasp the scope and the scale of
the subject at hand, immerse yourself into the
subject.
• The problem stated in a general way may contain
ambiguities that need to be resolved with cool and
rational thinking.
• The feasibility of a particular solution should be
considered and kept in mind while stating the
problem.
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Understanding the nature of the
problem
• How did the problem come to you? Where
did you hear it first, from whom? What
induced you to consider the problem at all?
Discuss, talk it out with colleagues, find out
the various perspectives to the problem.
• Always consider the environment, the
surrounding within which the problem is to
be studied and understood.
• Identify ‘who’ is ‘concerned’ with the
problems and talk, talk and talk to the
people involved.
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 Survey available literature
• You have to be conversant with existing
research, relevant theories, reports, data
and records of the problem.
• Look for logical, factual flaws, identify the
limitations of existing research. Are there any
questions unanswered, any perspective
missing, an angle that has not been
considered?
• Are there any related problems that can
help shed some light on the problem at
hand?
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 Develop ideas through
discussion
• An experience survey means talking to
‘relevant’ people in the field, those with the
experience. Such people are in a position to
enlighten you on aspects of the study and
their advice and comments are invaluable.
• You can not only define the problem more
specifically, but also arrive at a general
approach to the problem, techniques that
might be used and even possible solutions.

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 Also observe
• Technicalese, jargon, words or phrases that
are typical to the problem. Define these
clearly.
• State clearly the basic assumptions or
postulates relating to the research.
• Why was the problem selected? What is the
value of the investigation?
• Consider the suitability of the time-period
and the sources of data available. Your
research must be credible.
• Be explicit with the scope or limits of the
investigation.
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 Rephrasing the research
problem
• The generalised statement of the problem
now becomes a working proposition. This is
more focused, clear and well defined. Once
the nature of the problem is clearly
understood, the environment within which
the problem has got to be studied has been
defined, discussions over the problem have
taken place and the available literature has
been surveyed and examined, rephrasing
the problem into analytical or operational
terms is easy.
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 An Illustration
Suppose that a research problem in a broad general way is as
follows:

Why do Maharashtrian entrepreneurs

lack behind other business
communities?

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 Ambiguities in the question
• Who is an entrepreneur?
• Who is a Maharashtrian?
• Which are the ‘other communities’ in business?
• Are we speaking of a specific business or all
businesses?
• Do self employed professionals like lawyers and
doctors fall in the category of business?
• Define success and failure in business.
• What is the scope of the enquiry in terms of area?
Are we looking at one suburb of Mumbai, a few
suburbs of Mumbai, all of Greater Mumbai or the
entire state of Maharashtra?
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 How would you explore the
topic?
• What made you think of it?
• What is your perception about the problem?
• Why do you think it is a problem?
• Whose problem is it?
• Who would you talk to about this problem?
• Has something been written on it?
• Where would you find data, reports etc to help you
understand the topic better?
• Whose experience do you think would be of help in
understanding the problem?
• What are the different perspectives to the same
problem?

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 Talk to whom?
• Yourself, your friends, family, teachers
• Economists
• Sociologists
• Entrepreneurs
• Professionals
• Writers
• Editors
• Icons within the community
• Business associations and groups

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 Read what?
• Member-directories of all registered
business and trading associations to
find out ‘obvious’ Maharashtrian
names and those from other
communities.

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 The problem may be redefined
thus
• A comparative study of the ability to take
risk, sources of seed capital, time taken to
expand the size of the business, nature of
debt and the ratio of profit to capital
investment between the Marathi speaking
entrepreneur and the Gujarati speaking
entrepreneur in Mumbai with specific focus
on entrepreneurs involved in garments,
ready-to-eat food, footwear, electronic
goods, books and stationery, printing and
the services sector exclusive to medicine,
law and education in the suburbs of
Girgaum, Vile Parle, Dadar, Borivli and
Ghatkopar in Mumbai.
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 Keep working on defining the research
problem till you are clear in your mind
what is the nature of the problem, the
question that you are addressing.

Unless this is clear your research gets

nowhere.

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