Research Methods

Dr. Monica Gallant

Chapter 1 Introduction to Research

A bit about me
monica.gallant@spjain.org
• Assistant Dean EMBA – ME online, Dubai on campus
• Associate Professor - Accounting
• Canadian, lived in Dubai for the past 26 years
• Taught 10 previous batches of Research Methodology
• Supervise Masters and Doctoral research projects
• Doctoral research was about “Issues facing Emirati
Women”
• Published and presented at numerous conferences,
won an award for best research paper
A bit about me
 My Expectations for students

 Actively participate (through chat) and share your

experiences with the class
 Stay focused and ask questions
 Try to connect the content to your work setting
 Respect each other’s views
 Work well with your classmates online
 Work hard and have fun too
My Commitment to students
 Present concepts in a clear and well organized way
 Connect theory to the real world of business
 Start you on the right path for your ASP report
 Ensure the classroom environment supports learning
 Respond to student questions patiently and thoroughly
 Respect the views and opinions of students
 Provide clear expectations about assessments and grading
 Be available by email to answer questions
 Encourage and motivate students to learn and work together
 Bring some fun and humor into the class
 Course Outline

 Located on Blackboard (PPTs will be

there as well)
 Lists all the topics and readings
 Textbook is available on Blackboard
as a pdf
 Assessment weightings and timings
are shown (Class participation and
exercises 30%, MPAW 20%, Project 25%
and exam 25%)
Learning objectives for the course

 Apply business research methodology and frameworks in a

global context
 Understand various qualitative and quantitative research
tools and techniques and when to use them
 Critically evaluate the reliability of data sources
 Design a research plan (for your ASP)
 Effectively communicate research results to stakeholders
Learning objectives for today

 What is applied business research?

 What is required in your Applied Strategic Project?
 Brainstorm possible topics that you could research?
What is Applied Business Research?

 Has a Business Objective

Business research is an organized, systematic, data-
based, critical, objective inquiry into a specific problem
or opportunity with the purpose of recommending
answers or solutions.
 Has clear documentation of the process
Business research uses credible information and
evidence
 Connects to Academic theory
Academic business research is supported by theories,
models and frameworks found in reputed sources
(academic journals, industry reports etc)
Examples of Business Research
 Consumer research – a type of market research in which inclination,
motivation and purchase behavior of the targeted customers are identified to
understand customer psychology and create detailed purchasing behavior
profiles. (ultimately improve sales)
 Competitive intelligence - is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and
distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors, and any
aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in
strategic decision making for an organization (ultimately improve profit)
 Process improvement – gathering data about existing processes, looking for
inefficiencies and devising ways to improve them – can be related to cost or
time improvements or satisfaction improvements (ultimately reduce costs)
 Automation – examining the existing process and identifying ways to improve
efficiency and effectiveness through the use of automation, digitization, AI,
machine learning, data analytics. (ultimately reduce time and costs)
Why should managers know about research?
(other than to complete their EMBA!)

 Use the most appropriate data and theories to improve

decision making
 Interact better with hired researchers and consultants
 Evaluate good research vs bad research
 Take calculated risks in decision making by knowing the
probabilities associated with the different possible
outcomes
 See opportunities and challenges from different
viewpoints