CH.

4
THE RESEARCH
PROCESS
 Steps 1 to 3

• The broad problem area

• Preliminary data gathering

• Problem definition
The Research Process
 Broad Problem Area

• Broad problem area refers to the entire situation

where one sees a possible need for research
and problem solving.
• Such issues might pertain to:
- Problems currently existing in an organizational
setting that need to be solved
- Areas that a manager believes need to be improved
in the organization
- A conceptual or theoretical issues that needs to be
tightened up for the basic researcher to understand
certain phenomena
- Some research questions that a basic researcher
wants to answer empirically
 Preliminary Data
Collection_

• Interviews
• Literature research: the documentation of
a comprehensive review of the published
and unpublished work from secondary
sources of data in the areas of specific
interest to the researcher.
 Literature Survey

• The purpose of the literature review :

- To ensure that no important variable that has been in
the past been found repeatedly to have had an
impact on the problem is ignored
- To prevent researcher to “discover” something that
has already been thoroughly researched
- Could be the basis of qualitative research
- Provide the foundation for developing a
comprehensive theoretical framework from which
hypotheses can be developed for testing
 Literature Survey
(Cont’d)_
• Extracting the relevant information:
- Detailed information on the problem that was
researched

-The design details of the study (such as

sample size and data collection methods)
- Ultimate findings
 Problem Definition

• Problem: many situations where a gap

exists between the actual and the desired
ideal states.
• Problem definition or problem statement:
a clear, precise, and succinct statement of
the question or issue that is to be
investigated with the goal of finding an
answer or solution
 MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

• Managers sometimes look at the symptoms in

problematic situations and treat them as if they
are the real problems, getting frustrated when
their remedies do not work.
• antecedents-problem-consequences sequence
• Managers who realize that correct problem
definition is critical to ultimate problem solution,
do not grudge the time spent in working closely
with researchers, particularly at this stage.
 MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

• Managers sometimes look at the symptoms in

problematic situations and treat them as if they
are the real problems, getting frustrated when
their remedies do not work.
• antecedents-problem-consequences sequence
• Managers who realize that correct problem
definition is critical to ultimate problem solution,
do not grudge the time spent in working closely
with researchers, particularly at this stage.