Scientific Investigation

Lecture 3

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 1

Why should managers know about
research?
 Being knowledgeable about research and
research methods helps professional managers
to:
 Identify and effectively solve minor problems in
the work setting.
 Know how to discriminate good from bad
research.
 Take calculated risks in decision-making.
 Research often leads to innovation.
 Combine experience with scientific knowledge
while making decisions.

Dr. Sumbal Babar2 | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM

 The Manager–Researcher
Relationship
 Each should know his/her role
 Trust levels
 Value system
 Acceptance of findings and implementation
 Issues of inside versus outside
researchers/consultants

Dr. Sumbal Babar3 | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM

Internal Researchers
 Advantages:
 Better acceptance from staff
 Knowledge about organization
 Would be an integral part of the
implementation and evaluation of the research
recommendations.
 Disadvantages
 Less fresh ideas

 Power politics could prevail

 Possibly not valued as an “expert” by staff
Dr. Sumbal Babar4 | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM
 External Researchers
 Advantages
 Experience from several situations in different
organizations
 Better technical training, usually
 Disadvantages
 Takes time to know and understand the
organization
 Rapport and cooperation from staff are not easy
 Not available for evaluation and implementation
 Costs

Dr. Sumbal Babar5 | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM

Scientific Investigation

The Hallmarks of Science

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 6

THE HALLMARKS OF SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH

1.PURPOSIVENESS
2.RIGOR
3.TESTABILITY
4.REPLICABILITY
5.PRECISION AND CONFIDENCE
6.OBJECTIVITY
7.GENERALIZABLILTY
8.PARSIMONY

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 7

THE HALLMARKS OF SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH
These are the main distinguishing
characteristics of scientific research

We expound them with the help of example

Example: “A manager is interested in

increasing the employee commitment to his
organization”.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 8

1. PURPOSIVENESS
• The scientific research has a definite aim or
purpose (why we are doing it).
• Researchers aim to answer a particular
question or address a specific problem.

EXAMPLE
The research thus has a purposive focus. An increase
in employee commitment will translate into less
turnover, less absenteeism, and better performance.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 9

2. RIGOR
 Rigor in research involves a commitment to
maintaining high standards of quality,
precision, and accuracy throughout the
research process.

 Example: A financial analyst is tasked with analyzing

investment opportunities for a client. To maintain rigor,
the analyst thoroughly reviews financial statements,
economic indicators, and market trends, using
rigorous analytical methods to assess the potential
risks and returns associated with each investment.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 10

2. RIGOR
 Carefulness and a degree of exactitude.

RIGOR

DEVELOPING
HAVING A SOUND
GOOD THEORATICAL
METHODOLOGICAL
BASE
DESIGN

1. How many questions to be

1. Right variables asked from a set number of
identification employees
2. The way or pattern in which
the questions should be
asked

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 11

3. TESTABILITY
• Testability means that research hypotheses or
questions can be tested using empirical data and
evidence.
• It highlights the importance of formulating clear and
specific research questions that can be addressed
through investigation.

• Example: A marketing manager wonders if changing

the pricing strategy for a product will increase sales.
The testable research question is,
• "Does a price reduction of 20% lead to a significant
increase in product sales?" This question can be
answered through data collection and analysis.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 12

 4. REPLICABILITY
 From testing the data we can prove again and again
the similar results (for the same hypothesis) over time
and over different locations – Provided conditions
remain constant.

 Example: A social scientist conducts a survey on

workplace stress and its impact on employee
performance. To ensure replicability,
replicability the researcher
provides a detailed methodology,
methodology survey
questionnaire, and data analysis techniques in the
published research report.

13
Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM
5a. PRECISION
 Precision refers to the closeness of the findings to
reality based on a sample.
sample

 Example: A market researcher conducts a customer

satisfaction survey and reports that 85% of
respondents are "very satisfied" with a product, with a
95% confidence interval of ±3%.
 This means the researcher is 95% confident that the
true satisfaction rate falls within the range of 82% to
88%.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 14

5b. CONFIDENCE:
 Confidence refers to the probability that our
findings are correct.
 We say that 95% of the time our results would
be true and there is only 5% chance that we
may be wrong.
 In social sciences it is usually referred to as
significance level.

p = 0.05

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 15

6. OBJECTIVITY:
 Objectivity requires researchers to minimize personal
biases and emotions when collecting and analyzing
data. It emphasizes the importance of conducting
research impartially and without preconceived notions.

 Example: An HR manager is investigating employee

turnover rates in the company. To maintain objectivity, the
manager collaborates with an external research firm to
conduct the study. This reduces the influence of internal
biases that might arise if the HR manager were to
conduct the research alone.

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 7. GENERALIZABILITY:
 Generalizability refers to the scope of applicability of
the research findings in one organizational setting to
other settings. If the conditions are the same in different
organizations; the research findings can be applied to
others as well.
 Applied research is less generalizable than basic
research.
 Example: A restaurant chain conducts a customer
satisfaction survey in one of its locations and finds that
customers prefer healthier menu options. The company
can generalize these findings to other branches and
implement similar menu changes company-wide to meet
customer preferences.Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 17
8. PARSIMONY:
 Parsimony encourages researchers to favor simpler
explanations or theories when multiple explanations
are possible. It suggests that the simplest
explanation that fits the data is often the best.

 EXAMPLE: In a market analysis, a researcher finds

that declining sales are strongly correlated with
changes in consumer preferences for healthier
foods. Instead of developing complex theories, the
researcher applies the principle of parsimony and
concludes that shifting consumer preferences are the
primary driver of sales decline.
18

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM

The Building Blocks of Science in
Research
Deduction and Induction
Answers to issues can be found
either by the process of induction or
the process of induction or by a
combination of the two.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 19

Deduction
 Deduction is the process by which we arrive at
a reasoned conclusion by logical
generalization of a known fact.

Example: we know that all high performers are

highly proficient in their jobs.
If John is a high performer, we then conclude
that he is highly proficient in his job
Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 20
Induction
 Induction is a process where we observe
certain phenomena and on this basis arrive at
conclusions.

In other words, in induction we

logically establish a general
proposition based on observed facts.

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 21

Thank you…!

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 22

 Assignment: Hallmarks of Scientific
Research Reflection
The objective of this assignment is to reflect on the key hallmarks of scientific
research discussed in class and relate them to a practical business scenario.
Instructions: Review the hallmarks of scientific research discussed in class.
Choose one of the hallmarks that you find most interesting or relevant to the
business context.
In a brief reflection (approximately 300-500 words), address the following:
Explain your chosen hallmark and its significance in scientific research.
Share an example from a business context where this hallmark could be applied. It
could be a real-world situation or a hypothetical scenario.
Discuss how applying this hallmark would improve the quality or credibility of
research in the business scenario you described.
Conclude your reflection by summarizing the key takeaways about the importance
of this hallmark in business research.
Handwritten assignment (25th-September, 2023 submission date)

Dr. Sumbal Babar | BBA (Semester 5) | BRM 23