Lecture 6

Business
Research
Process

McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Business Research Methods, 10e Copyright © 2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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The Business Research Process

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Stage 1: Clarifying the Research
Question

Management-research question hierarchy process

begins by identifying the management dilemma
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Stage 1: Clarifying the Research
Question
• A management dilemma is a problem that the
manager has discovered because of one or more
symptoms.
• A management question is a restatement of the
manager’s dilemma in question form.
• A research question is the hypothesis that best states
the objective of the research; the question that focuses
the researcher’s attention.
• An investigative question is the question the researcher
must answer to satisfactorily answer the research
question.
• A measurement question is the question asked of the
participant or the observations that must be recorded.
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Stage 2: Proposing Research

Budget Types
• Rule-of-thumb
• Departmental
• Task
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The Research Proposal

Purpose
Purpose Methods Extent
Extent

Legally-binding
Legally-binding Timing
Timing
contract
contract Written
Written
proposals
proposals
establish
establish
Obligations
Obligations Delivery

Budgets
Budgets
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Stage 3: Research Design

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Stage 3: Designing the Research

Research
Research
Design
Design
The
The Sampling
Sampling
Research
Research Design
Design
Project
Project

Pilot
Pilot Testing
Testing
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Stage 4: Data Collection

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Data Characteristics
• Abstractness

• Verifiability
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Stage 5: Data Analysis and Interpretation

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Steps in Data Analysis and Interpretation

Reducing
Reducing data
data to
to manageable
manageable size
size

Developing
Developing summaries
summaries

Looking
Looking for
for patterns
patterns

Applying
Applying statistical
statistical techniques
techniques

© 2002 McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., McGraw-Hill/Irwin

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Stage 6: Reporting the Results

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Parts of the Research Report

Executive Research
Summary Overview

Research
Research
Report
Report

Technical Implementation
Appendix Strategies
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Data Characteristics
• The executive summary consists of a
synopsis of the problem, findings, and
recommendations.
• The overview of research explains the
background, exploratory findings from
secondary data, the research design and
procedures, and the conclusions.
• The implementation strategies section
expands on recommendations.
• A technical appendix contains all the
materials necessary to replicate the project.
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The Research Report Overview

Problem’s
Problem’s background
background

Summary
Summary of
of exploratory
exploratory findings
findings

Research
Research design
design and
and procedures
procedures

Conclusions
Conclusions