National Economics University, Business school

EBBA, EBDB Programme

Research Methodology
Session 1: Introduction
Senior lecturer: Asso.Prof. Le Thi My Linh (Phd., MBA., MA)

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 COURSE OBJECTIVES

 Understand nature of research and research process

 Identify the key issues that need to be addressed at
each stage of the research process
 Understand the basic knowledge of data collection
methods
 Develop a research proposal
 Apply the knowledge to real world conditions

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 Definition of Business Research

 Business research: an organized, systematic,

data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry
or investigation into a specific problem,
undertaken with the purpose of finding
answers or solutions to it.

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Why We Do Business Research?

 A gap in the literature or an inconsistency between a

number of studies or an unresolved issue in the
literature
 Societal development or ‘Grand Challenges’

Basically, we do business research because there is an

aspect of business and management that is poorly
understood.

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Examples of Research Areas in Business

 Absenteeism
 Communication
 Motivation
 Consumer decision making
 Customer satisfaction
 Budget allocations
 Accounting procedures
 (read page 4,5 in textbook for more detail)
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Criteria for Classifying Research

 Purpose: the reason why research is conducted

 Process: the way in which the data are collected and
analysed
 Logic: whether the research logic moves from the
general to the specific or vice versa
 Outcome: whether the expected outcome is the
solution to a particular problem or a more general
contribution to knowledge

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Types of Research According to Its
Purpose
 Exploratory research – used to gain an initial understanding where
there is little or no existing knowledge (rarely provides conclusive
answers but offers guidance for future research)
 Eg What motivates a group of employees to increase their
productivity?
 Descriptive research – used to describe phenomena as they exist
identify and obtain information on characteristics of the problem/issue
 Eg How are the employees rewarded and how are productivity
levels measured?
 Analytical/explanatory research - goes beyond description to establish
relationships that explain how and why
 Eg Is there a positive association between the rewards given to
employees and productivity level?
 Predictive research - goes even further by generalising from the
analysis to make predictions on the basis of hypothesised general
relationships
 Eg Which rewards predict productivity levels?
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Types of Research According to the
Process

 Quantitative approach – focus is on measuring phenomena

and analysing quantitative research data using objective,
statistical methods to gain understanding
 Eg What is the absentee rate among a particular group of
employees?

 Qualitative approach – focus is on examining phenomena

and analysing qualitative research data using subjective
interpretive methods
 Eg What are the feelings of employees faced with
redundancy?

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Types of Research According to the
Logic

 Deductive research
 Inductive research

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 Deduction and Induction

 Deductive reasoning (suy diễn) : application of

a general theory to a specific case.
 Hypothesis testing
 We start with a general theory and then
apply this theory to a specific case
 Inductive reasoning (qui nạp): a process where
we observe specific phenomena and on this
basis arrive at general conclusions.
 Counting white swans
 Theory generation
 moving from the specific to the general
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Types of Research According to the
Outcome

 Basic research
 is designed to make a contribution to general knowledge and
theoretical understanding, rather than solve a specific problem
 Eg How can business travellers be encouraged to reduce their
carbon footprints?

 Applied research
 designed to apply its findings to solving a specific, existing
problem
 Eg How can energy be saved in a particular workplace?

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 Applied versus Basic Research

 Basic research: generates a body of

knowledge by trying to comprehend how
certain problems that occur in organizations
can be solved.
 Applied research: solves a current problem
faced by the manager in the work setting,
demanding a timely solution.

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 Examples Applied Research

 Apple’s iPod fueled the company’s success in

recent years, helping to increase sales from $5
billion in 2001 to $32 billion in the fiscal year
2008. Growth for the music player averaged
more than 200% in 2006 and 2007, before
falling to 6% in 2008. Some analysts believe
that the number of iPods sold will drop 12% in
2009. “The reality is there’s a limited group of
people who want an iPod or any other
portable media player,” one analyst says. “So
the question becomes, what will Apple do
about it?”
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 Example of basic research

 Phd topic: Job involvement. Conclusion: the

single most important contributory factor to
job involvement is the fit or match between
the nature of the job and the personality
predisposition of the people engaged in
performing it.
 GE generate knowledge concerning the
different applications of electrical energy,
their motto being “we bring good things to
life” 14
Which is more important – Applied
or Basic research?

 Both are equally important. Without basic

research, applied research cannot work as well,
and if the results of basic research are not
applied, such research would be futile/waste.
 Whereas basic research is the foundation of
knowledge, applied research is its practical
application and helps to provide the additional
information base for theory building and
further generation of knowledge.
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Yanming Shu 2018 16
 It is Applied or Basic research?

 Scenario 1
 Companies are very interested in acquiring other firms
even when the latter operate in totally unrelated realms
of business. For example, Coca-Cola has announced that
it wants to buy China Huiyuan Juice Group in an effort
to expand its activities in one of the world’s fastest-
growing beverage markets. Such acquisitions are
claimed to “work miracles.” However, given the
unpredictability of the stock market and the slowing
down of business, many companies are not sure
whether such acquisitions involve too much risk. At the
same time, they also wonder if they are missing out on a
great business opportunity if they fail to take such risk.
Some research is needed 17here!
It is Applied or Basic research?

 Scenario 2
 Effects of Service Recovery on Customer
Satisfaction
 A research scientist wants to investigate the
question: What is the most effective way for an
organization to recover from a service failure?
Her objective is to provide guidelines for
establishing the proper "fit" between service
failure and service recovery that will generalize
across a variety of service
18 industries.
 Why managers should 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.
 Appreciate the multiple influences and effects of factors
impinging on a situation.
 Take calculated risks in decision making.
 Prevent possible vested interests from exercising their
influence in a situation.
 Relate to hired researchers and consultants more effectively.
 Combine experience with scientific knowledge while making
decisions.
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The Manager–Researcher Relationship

Managers often need to engage a consultant to study

some of the more complex, time consuming problems
that they encounter
 Each should know his/her role
 Trust levels
 Value system
 Acceptance of findings and implementation
 Issues of inside versus outside
researchers/consultants

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 Internal Researchers
 Advantages:
 Better acceptance from staff
 Knowledge about organization
 Would be an integral part of implementation and
evaluation of the research recommendations.
 Disadvantages
 Less fresh ideas
 Power politics could prevail
 Possibly not valued as “expert” by staff

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 External Researchers
 Advantages
 Divergent and convergent thinking
 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 not easy
 Not available for evaluation and implementation
 Costs
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 Hallmarks of Scientific Research:

 Hallmarks or main distinguishing characteristics of

scientific research:
 Purposiveness
 Rigor
 Testability
 Replicability
 Precision and Confidence
 Objectivity
 Generalizability
 Parsimony

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 Purposiveness: the manager has started the
research with a definite aim or purpose. Focus:
increasing the commitment of employees
 Rigor: a good theoretical base and a sound
methodological design add rigor to a purposive
study
Rigor connotes carefulness, scrupulousness, and
the degree of exactitude in research
investigation
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 Testability: researcher develop hypotheses,
then these can be tested by applying certain
statistical tests to the data collected for the
purpose
 Replicability: the results of the tests of
hypotheses should be supported again and
yet again when the same type of research is
repeated in other similar circumstances

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 Precision and confidence
 Precision : refers to the closeness of the
findings to ‘reality” based on sample or
degree of accuracy of the results on the basis
of the sample to what really exists in the
universe
 Confidence: refers to the probability that our
estimations are correct

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 Objectivity: the conclusion drawn through the
interpretation of the results of data analysis
should be objective; not from our subjective
or emotional values
 Generalizability: refer to the scope of
applicability of the research findings in one
organisational setting to other setting.
 Parsimony: can be introduced with a good
understanding of the problem and the
important factors that influence it
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 ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO
RESEARCH
 Positivism: In a positivist view of the world, science and scientific
research is seen as the way to get at the truth – indeed, positivists
believe that there is an objective truth out there – to understand the
world well enough so that we are able to predict and control it.
 Constructionism: criticizes the positivist belief that there is an
objective truth. Constructionists hold the opposite view, namely that
the world (as we know it!) is undamentally mental or mentally
constructed. The research methods of constructionist researchers are
often qualitative in nature
 Critical realism is a combination of the belief in an external reality (an
objective truth) with the rejection of the claim that this external
reality can be objectively measured;
 Pragmatism describes research as a process where concepts and
meanings (theory) are generalizations of our past actions and
experiences, and of interactions we have had with our environment.
Pragmatists thus emphasize the socially constructed nature of
research; different researchers may have different ideas about, and
explanations for, what is happening
28 around us.
 Chapter 3
The Research Process - The
Broad Problem Area and Defining
the Problem Statement

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 The Research Process
Step 1: Establish the Need for a Research

Step 2: Define the Research Problem

Step 3: Establish Research Objectives

Step 4: Determine Research Design

Step 5: Identify Data Types and Sources

Step 6: Decide Data Collection Method

Step 7: Design Data Collection Forms

Step 8: Determine Sample Plan and Size

Step 9: Collect Data
Step 10: Analyze Data

Step 11: Write and Present Report

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HOW TO SELECT A RESEARCH TOPIC?

 Differentiate business/management issues with

research issues
 Management objective TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION
 Research objective TO PROVIDE THE RIGHT
INFORMATION
 My experience:
 Interesting topic?
 Necessary topic?
 Available topic (available data/teamwork…)?
 Feasibility
 Contribution 31
 Topic Selection Considerations

Personal interest Time constraints

Relevance of the study Organizational support

Contribution to the field Economic factors

Breath and scope Ethical issues

 The Broad Problem Area

 Examples of broad problem areas that a manager

could observe at the workplace:
 Training programs are not as effective as anticipated.
 The sales volume of a product is not picking up.
 Minority group members are not advancing in their
careers.
 The newly installed information system is not being used
by the managers for whom it was primarily designed.
 The introduction of flexible work hours has created
more problems than it has solved in many companies.
 It needs to be narrowed down to a specific
problem statement after some preliminary
information is gathered (may be though
interviews and literature research)
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 REMEMBER, WHAT A MANAGER
WOULD NEED TO MAKE A DECISION?

 Problems can be solved with experience, intuition,

and extant knowledge
not need a new research
 Problems with knew knowledge
necessary

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MANAGEMENT VS RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Management questions Research questions

Examples Should teachers be allowed Extracurricular classes help

to teach extracurricular students develop emotional,
classes intelligence, other personal
values?
Focus To solve a practical issue to To find new knowledge
make a decision
Form Decision/acts for Relationships between factors
management
Base On reality or specific On knowledge gap
context
Evaluation On practical performance of On the collected data and
the solution possible findings

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WHERE THE RESEARCH IDEAS COME
FROM?

 Sponsor, firms
 Experienced researchers
 Published literatures: academic articles, textbooks
(cautious with date)
 Try different keywords to search on literature
databases (google scholars, google, science direct,
proquest,…)

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Preliminary Information Gathering

 Nature of information to be gathered:

 Background information of the
organization.
 Prevailing knowledge on the topic.

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Why the Research Problem
Is Important?

• It establishes the importance of the topic.

• It creates reader interest.

• It focuses the reader’s attention on how the

study will add to the literature.
 The Problem Statement
 Examples of Well-Defined Problem Statements
 To what extent do the structure of the organization and
type of information systems installed account for the
variance in the perceived effectiveness of managerial
decision making?
 To what extent has the new advertising campaign been
successful in creating the high-quality, customer-
centered corporate image that it was intended to
produce?
 How has the new packaging affected the sales of the
product?
 What are the effects of downsizing on the long-range
growth patterns of companies?
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CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITY
RESEARCH TOPIC
 The research is developed from and supported by a
sound theoretical base.
 The research is of interest to both the sponsor and
the researcher.
 The research problem is well defined and the research
questions and objectives that flow from it are specific
and possible to address through a rigorous research
design.
 Resource requirements in terms of time, money, and
data access are well understood early in the research
process.
 The research is expected to make a contribution to
knowledge
 independently of the orientation of the findings.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF A QUALITY
RESEARCH TOPIC

 The research is developed from and supported by a

sound theoretical base.
 Important for academic research contribution to
what body of knowledge
 Also important for applied research avoid spurious
findings (recall example of “secret to live longer”)

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 The Research Proposal
 Key elements:
 Purpose of the study
 Specific problem to be investigated.
 Scope of the study
 Relevance of the study
 Research design:
 Sampling design
 Data collection methods
 Data analysis
 Time frame
 Budget
 Selected Bibliography
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 Typical structure of a research
proposal
 Proposed title
 Rationale
 Proposed research problem
 Proposed research questions/ objectives or hypotheses
 Preliminary literature review
 Proposed research methodology
 Theoretical framework
 Sampling design
 Methods and techniques to collect data
 Methods and techniques to analyze data
 Scope of study
 Proposed time frame
 Budget
 Reference
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 Establish Research Objectives

What information is needed to solve the problem?

Problem

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 Determining the research objectives

What the objectives or aims of the research will be?

E.g., This research project aims to achieve the
following objectives:
1. To investigate brand and logo awareness
2. To investigate brand knowledge and familiarity
3. To investigate advertising awareness
4. To identify sources of advertising awareness

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 Basic Rules for Researchers

 Keep it simple.
 Don’t try and do too much.
 The cardinal virtue is patience.
 Planning is crucial.
 Time Management
 Team Working

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 Summary

 What is research?
 Type of research
 Topic in business research
 Research process
 Problem statement
 Research objectives and questions

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