1.

Research Methodology (2 nd Edition)

By Ranjit Kumar

2. Research Methodology
A complete Direction for Learners
By M. A. Salam Akanda
 Research: A Way of Thinking
Research: A way of examining your practice

-More than a set of skills, research is a way of thinking.

-a habit of questioning what you do, and systematic examination of

the observed information to find answers, with a view to instituting
appropriate changes for a more effective professional service.

For example, for nurse, doctor, or physiotherapist:

How many patients do I see everyday?
What are the common conditions among patients?
What do people think about the service?
How effective is the service?
How can the service be improved?
Salesperson, sales manager, or sales promotion
executive:
What is the best strategy to promote the sale of a particular
product?
How many salespersons do I need?
What is the effect of a particular advertising campaign on the
sale of this product?
How satisfied are the consumers with this product?
How much are consumers prepared to spend this item?
What type of packaging do consumers prefer for this product?
What training do the salespersons need to promote the sale of
this product?
What are the attributes of a good salesperson?
Psychologist, counselor or social worker
What are my clients’ most common presenting problems?
What are their most common underlying problems?
What is the socioeconomic background of my clients?
Why am I successful in certain cases and not in others?
What intervention strategies are appropriate for this problem?
How satisfied are my clients with my services?
 APPLICATION OF RESEARCH

Can be considered from four different perspectives:

1. The service provider (Owner(s) of the org)

2. The service administrator, manager and/or planner
3. The service consumer
4. The professional.
 Application of Research (Cont.)

Service provider:
 How many people are using the service or the product?
 Why do some people use the service/product while
others do not?
 How effective is the service/product?
 How can the service/product be improved?
 Which type of people use or do not use the
service/product?
 How satisfied or dissatisfied are the consumers of the
service/product?
 What are the problems with the service/product?
 Application of Research (Cont.)

Administrator/manager or planner:

What are the needs of the community?

What types of service/product are needed by the
community?
How many service providers are needed?
What are the training needs of the staff?
How many cases can a worker handle in a day?
How can the effectiveness of each worker be evaluated?
How can the service/product be made more popular?
Application of Research (Cont.)

Consumer:

Am I, as a consumer, getting value for money?

How good are the service providers?
What are the long-term effects of the product I
am using? Where is the evidence?
 Application of Research (Cont.)
Professional:

•Which is the most effective intervention for a particular problem?

•What is the relationship between X and Y?
•How valid is a particular theory in the present conditions?
•What is the best way of measuring attitudes?
•What is the process through which people decide to adopt a
program?
Definitions of Research:
Research (re-search) means to “search again”. So,
research work should be patient study or patient
scientific investigation.

Research-
1. Is being undertaken within a framework of a set of
philosophies;

2. Uses procedures, methods and techniques that have

been tested for their validity and reliability;

3. is designed to be unbiased and objective.

BUSINESS RESEARCH
Business research is defined as the systematic and objective process
of gathering, recording and analyzing data in order to make effective
business decisions.
 
The above definition suggests that
The research information should not be gathered haphazardly.
Business research must be objective oriented.
The information generated or data collected or analyzed are to be
accurate.
The objective as well as final result of business research should
facilitate the managerial decision making process for all aspects of
business: marketing, finance, human resources etc.
 
Characteristics of Research:

1. Controlled
2. Rigorous (follows procedure)
3. Systematic (logical sequence)
4. Valid and verifiable(verifiable by others)
5. Empirical (information from real life experience or
observation)
6. Critical (process of investigation must be free from any
drawbacks)
 TYPES OF RESEARCH
Based on Application:
-Pure research
--Applied research

Based on Objectives:
--Descriptive research
--Correlational
--Explanatory
--Exploratory

Based on Inquiry modes:

--Structured (Quantitative)
--Unstructured (Qualitative)
 TYPES OF RESEARCH (Cont.)
A. Based on Application:
1. Pure research
Basic research, also called pure research or fundamental research,
has the scientific research aim to improve scientific theories for
improved understanding or prediction of natural or other
phenomena.
Characteristics of Pure Research
 Pure research is carried out to satisfy intellectual curiosity
 It comes from data that are generated from knowledge of
different individuals
 It helps in developing theories by discovering broad
principles and thoughts

Example: Research relating to pure mathematics.

 TYPES OF RESEARCH (Cont.)
A. Based on Application:
2. Applied Research
Applied science is the application of existing scientific knowledge to
practical applications, like technology or inventions.

Characteristics of Applied Research

Applied research is the practical application of science.
It accesses and uses accumulated theories, knowledge, methods, and
techniques, for a specific, state, business, or client-driven purpose.
Applied research deals with solving practical problems and generally
employs empirical methodologies.

For Example, A study into the ways of improving the levels of customer
retention for Agora in Dhaka City.
Or, Research to identify social, economic or political trends that may
affect a particular instityution.
 Pure Vs Applied Research
The difference between applied and fundamental or pure research is
straightforward – findings of applied research can be applied to resolve
issues, whereas pure researches are used simply to explore certain issues
and elements. Moreover, differences between applied and basic research
can be summarized into three points:
1. Differences in purpose: Purpose of applied studies is closely
associated with the solution of specific problems, while the purpose of
pure research relate to creation of new knowledge or expansion of the
current knowledge without any concerns to applicability.
2. Differences in context: In applied studies, research objectives are set
by clients or sponsors as a solution to specific problems they are facing.
Pure research, on the other hand, are usually self-initiated in order to
expand the levels of knowledge in certain areas.
3. Differences in methods: Research validity represents an important
point to be addressed in all types of studies. Nevertheless, applied studies
are usually more concerned with external validity, whereas internal
validity can be specified as the main point of concern for fundamental
researchers.
 TYPES OF RESEARCH (Cont.)
B. Based on Objectives:
1. Descriptive research
Descriptive research is used to describe characteristics of a population or
phenomenon being studied.
It does not answer questions about how/when/why the characteristics
occurred. Rather it addresses the "what" question. The characteristics
used to describe the situation or population are usually some kind of
categorical scheme also known as descriptive categories.
For example, an apparel brand creates a survey asking general questions
that measure the brands image. 
2. Correlational research
Correlational research is a type of non-experimental research in which the
researcher measures two variables and assesses the statistical
relationship (i.e., the correlation) between them with little or no effort to
control extraneous variables.
Example: Why are people involved in crime in Dhaka city? Can we
explain this as a consequence of present crisis in the job market or
lack of parental care?
 TYPES OF RESEARCH (Cont.)
B. Based on Objectives (Cont.)
3. Explanatory Research  attempts to clarify why and how there is a
relationship between two or more aspects of a situation or
phenomenon. It is actually a type of research design which focuses on
explaining the aspects of your study in a detailed manner.
Usually, this type of research relies on several important techniques:
secondary research – such as looking for newly available literature.
informal qualitative approaches, such as talking with other people,
competitors or consumers.
formal qualitative research through in-depth interviews, focus groups,
projective methods, case studies or pilot studies
4. Exploratory research as the name implies, intends merely to explore
the research questions and does not intend to offer final and
conclusive solutions to existing problems.
This type of research is usually conducted to study a problem that has not
been clearly defined yet.
This type of research helps to develop concepts more clearly.
C. Based on Inquiry modes
1. Structured (Quantitative) is a research method that is used to
generate numerical data and hard facts, by employing statistical, logical
and mathematical techniques.
Quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys –
online surveys, paper surveys, mobile surveys and kiosk surveys, face-to-
face interviews, telephone interviews, website interceptors, online polls,
and systematic observation.

2. Unstructured (Qualitative) is a method of inquiry that develops

understanding on human and social sciences, to find the way people think
and feel.
Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-
structured techniques. Some common methods include focus groups
(group discussions), individual interviews, and participation/observations.
The sample size is typically small.
 Quantitative Vs Qualitative Research

Basis for
Qualitative research Quantitative research
comparison
Nature Holistic Particularistic
Approach Subjective Objective
Research type Exploratory Conclusive
Sampling Purposive Random
Data Verbal Measurable
Inquiry Process-oriented Result-oriented
Hypothesis Generated Tested
Elements of Words, pictures and objects Numerical data
analysis
Objective To explore and discover ideas To examine cause and effect
used in the ongoing processes. relationship between variables.
Methods Non-structured techniques like Structured techniques such as
In-depth interviews, group surveys, questionnaires and
discussions etc. observations.
Result Develops initial understanding Recommends final course of
action
 ROLE OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
Business research is the management tool that companies
use to reduce uncertainty.
Manager can use business research in all stages of the
decision making process:
oto define the problem
oto identify opportunities
oto diagnose causal factors
oto clarify alternatives.
A manager determines whether business research should be
conducted based on
time constraints
the availability of data
the nature of the decision to be made
the benefits of the research information in relation to its
costs.
 
MAJOR TOPICS FOR RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
General Business Research
Short range forecasting (up to one year)
Long range forecasting (over one year)
Industry trends.

Financial and Accounting Research

Forecasting of fi nancial interest rate trends
Impact of taxes
Credit risk
Cost analysis.

Management and Organizational Behavior Research

Total quality management
Job satisfaction
Absenteeism and turn over
Labor union trends.
MAJOR TOPICS FOR RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
Marketing Research
Market share analysis
Market segmentation studies
New product concept test
Advertising research

Information System Research

Computer information system use and evaluation
Technical support satisfaction studies
Database analysis

Corporate Responsibility Research

Ecological impact studies
SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat)
PEST (political, economical, social and technological) analysis. 
ETHICAL ISSUES IN BUSINESS RESEARCH
In most research situations, three parties are involved:
i) Researcher
ii) Sponsoring client (user)
iii) Respondent (subject)
Rights and Obligations of the Respondent
The respondent’s rights include privacy and being
informed about all aspects of research. The respondent’s
main obligation is to give honest answers to research
questions.
 
Research indicates that almost 80% of Americans believe
that the collecting and giving out of personal information
without their knowledge is a serious violation of their
privacy.
MAJOR TOPICS FOR RESEARCH IN BUSINESS
Rights and Obligations of the Researcher
The researcher should conduct a research only for
research purpose. The researchers are expected:
To maintain research work objectively.
To avoid misrepresenting research findings.
To protect respondents’ and clients’ rights to
confidentiality.
To avoid shading research findings.
 
Rights and Obligations of the Sponsoring Clients
(Users)
The client is obligated to observe general business ethics
when dealing with research suppliers:
To avoid misusing the research findings.
To respect research respondents’ privacy.
THE END