Chapter 3

The Research Process

The Research Process for A & B Research
1
OBSERVATION
Broad area
of research
interest identified

3 4
THEORETICAL 6 7
PROBLEM 5 SCIENTIFIC DATA
DEFINITION FRAMEWORK
GENERATION RESEARCH COLLECTION,
Research OF
Variables clearly DESIGN ANALYSIS, AND
Problem HYPOTHESES
Identified and INTERPRETATION
delineated
labeled

2 8
DEDUCTION
PRELIMINARY Hypotheses
DATA GATHERING Substantiated?
Interviewing Research question
Literature survey answered?

Yes
9 10 11
NO
Managerial
Report Report Decision
Writing Presentation Making
The Research Process;
Broad Problem Area
 The broad problem area refers to the entire situation
where there is a possible need for research and problem
solving. The specific issue might pertain to
1) Problems currently existing in an organizational
setting that need to be solved,
2) Areas that a manager believes need to be improved,
3) Conceptual or theoretical issue that needs to be
researched to understand certain phenomena, and
4) Some research questions that a basic researcher
wants to answer empirically.
The Research Process;
Examples; (headach)
Example 1: Problem Currently Existing:
A General Manager receives complaints from
Supervisory Managers that their subordinate staff is
not punctual in attending office. From such
statements the General Manager becomes aware that
a punctuality-related problem exists.
• Poor punctuality is a symptom, whereas the true
underlying problem may not be known. Research
investigation is required to identify the problem and
then fix it.
The Research Process;
Examples;
Example 2: Situation Requiring Improvement:
If the company has already implemented measures
to ensure punctuality, and some complaints of poor
punctuality continue to come in, then it is obvious
that the policies are not bringing the full results.
• Through research, such policies and procedures
need to be redefined.
The Research Process;
Examples;
Example 3: Conceptual Issue that Needs to be
Researched:
A researcher may undertake basic research to study
the phenomenon of punctuality so as to define that
concept in precise terms.
The Research Process;
Examples;
Example 4: Empirical Answers:
A researcher may want to find answers empirically to
the issue of perceived punctuality versus the actual
punctuality and its impact on the consequences for the
individuals (psychological stress) and for organizations
(poor performance).
Such research is done by gathering data and testing
the relationships between variables.
The Research Process;
Further Examples; Broad Problem Area:
1. Training programs are perhaps not as effective as anticipated.
2. The sales volume of a product is not picking up.
3. Minority group members in firm are not advancing in their
careers.
4. The newly installed info. system is not being used by the
managers.
5. The introduction of flexible work hours has created more
problems.
6. Inventory control is not effective.
The Research Process;
Preliminary Data/information gathering
Nature of information to be gathered
Preliminary information helps to narrow down the broad problem
area & to define a specific problem statement
The nature of information needed by the researchers may be
broadly classified as:
1. Background information of the organization—that is, the
contextual factors.
2. Prevailing knowledge on the topic – that is, relevant
findings from previous research
The Research Process;
Types of the Data:
Secondary data;
 The data that already exist and include;
1. Statistical bulletins
2. Government publications
3. Information published or unpublished and available
from either within or outside the organization
4. Data available from previous research
5. Case studies and library records
6. Online data, web sites, and the internet.
The Research Process;
Types of the Data:
Primary Data;
 The data collected first-hand by the researcher. It includes
1. Gathering such information as the perceptions and
attitudes of employees by talking to them
2. By observing events, people, and objects
3. By administering questionnaires to individuals.
The Research Process;
Background Information on the Organization:
a. Background Information; It includes the contextual factors:

1. The origin and history of the company.

2. Size in terms of employees, assets, etc.
3. Charter—purpose and ideology.
4. Location—regional, national, or other.
5. Resources—human and other.
6. Interdependent relationships with other institutions and the
external environment.
7. Financial position during the previous 5 to 10 years, and
relevant financial data.
The Research Process;
Background Information on the Organization:
b. Prevailing knowledge on the topic;
 Literature review helps to identify the important variables
related to the problem
 Literature review helps the research – true reasons for the
problem may not be unidentified even at the end of the
research
The Research Process;
Literature review
 Step-by-step process to identify the published and
unpublished work from secondary data sources on the
topic of interest
 Evaluation of this work and the documentation of this work
 Helps not to re-invent the wheel again
 Helps to avoid the wastages of resources
The Research Process;
A good literature ensures that; (benefits)

1. Important variables that are likely to influence the problem

situation are not left out.
2. What variables are important to consider (parsimony), why
they are considered important, and how they should be
investigated to solve the problem.
3. The Problem Statement can be made with precision and
clarity and Testability and Replicability of the findings of the
current research are enhanced.
4. Efforts are not wasted in rediscovering something that is
already known and the problem investigated is perceived by
the scientific community as relevant and significant.
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;
The first step
Identify the various published & unpublished materials
Data sources
 Text books
 Journals
 Ph.D thesis
 Conference proceeding
 Reports
 Newspapers
 The internet

.
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;
Searching for literature
Previously one had to manually go through bibliographical
indexes that compiled periodically
With modern technology it is easier to locate sources related to
the topic of interest
Computerized databases provide the following advantages;
1) Save plenty of time
2) Comprehensive in their listing and review references
3) Gaining access to them is relatively inexpensive

.
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;
Searching for literature
Electronic journals
 Your library is probably subscribed to journals that are
available online
Full-text databases
 Full-text of the articles
Bibliographical databases
 B. databases display the bibliographic citations;
 Research Methods 5th Edition by Uma Sekaran. P-450
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;
Searching for literature
Basically, three forms of databases are used when evaluating the
literature:
Bibliographic Databases
Display only the bibliographic citations, that is, the name of the
author, the title of the article (or book), source of publication, year,
volume, and page numbers.
Abstract Databases
Provide an abstract or summary or overview of the study
purpose.
Full-text Databases
Provide the full text of the articles.
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;

 Concepts and constructs are both abstraction. Man, table, tree,

insect, etc are abstractions and so are ideas of motivation, beauty,
attitude, etc.
 The difference lies in the nature of "objects" the abstractions are
made from: The existence of the objects from which the
abstractions are made may be factual or hypothetical.
 Where factual, the abstraction is a concept (e.g., table) and
 Where the object is hypothetical or inferential, the abstraction is a
construct (e.g., motivation).
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;

The above answer is correct and well explained.

Kaplan explains that constructs are theoretical concepts that are

based on observations that cannot be observed directly or
indirectly (e.g. IQ, or motivation in the definition above).
Calling a construct real is a reification.
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;
Documenting the Literature Review
The documentation of the relevant studies citing the author and
the year of the study is called literature review or literature survey.
The literature survey is a clear & logical presentation of the
relevant research work done in the area of investigation
 The literature survey should bring together all relevant
information in a clear and logical manner instead of presenting all
the studies in chronological order.
A good literature survey also leads to a good problem statement.
There are several accepted methods of citing references in the
literature survey. Page 44
The Research Process;
Conducting the Literature Survey;
Documenting the Literature Review
There are several accepted methods of citing references in the
literature survey. Page 44
The publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (2001)
 Offers detailed information regarding citations, quotations,
references and so on….and one of the accepted styles of
referencing in the management area.
 The Chicago Manual of style (2003)
 Turabian’s Manual for Writers (2007)
The Research Process;
Defining the Problem statement;
What makes a good problem statement?
 The problem statement introduces the key problem that is
addressed in the research project
 A “problem” could simply indicate an interest in an issue
where finding the right answers might help to improve an
existing situation.
 It is very important that symptoms of problems are not
defined as the real problem.
The Research Process;
Defining the Problem Statement;
 A clear, precise, and concise statement of the question or issue
that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or
solution.
 As mentioned earlier, problem definitions could pertain to;
1. Existing business problems where a manager is looking for
a solution,
2. Situations that may not pose any current problem but which
the manager feels have scope for improvement,
3. Areas where some conceptual clarity is needed for better
theory building, or
4. Situations in which a researcher is trying to answer a
research question empirically because of interest in the
topic.
The Research Process;
Examples Problem Statements;
1. How has the new packaging affected the sales of the product?

2. Has the new advertising message resulted in enhanced recall?

3. How do price and quality rate on consumers’ evaluation of

products?

4. What are the effects of downsizing on the long-range growth

patterns of companies?

5. What are the specific factors to be considered in creating a data

warehouse for a manufacturing company?

6. Why accidents used to be happened at Motorway?

The Research Process;
The Research Proposal;
1. Before any research study is undertaken, there should be an
agreement between the parties about; (Researcher and sponsor)

1. As the problem to be investigated

2. The methodology to be used
3. The duration of the study
4. The resources required for the study
5. Ensure there are no misunderstandings

This is accomplished through a research proposal, researcher

submits and get approved by the sponsor to proceed with the
study.
The Research Process;
The research proposal contains the followings;
1) The purpose of the study
2) The specific problem to be investigated
3) The scope of the study
4) The relevance of the study
5) The research design offering details on;
a) The sampling design
b) Data collection methods
c) Data analysis
6) Time frame of the study (written report timeline)
7) The budget details
8) Selected bibliography
The Research Process;
Managerial Implications;
 It is very important that symptoms of problems are not
defined as the real problem.
 Example;
 Headache
 Declined Sales