Dr.

Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

Recapping the last class:

Market, DD & SS; shifting DD & SS curves --- effects & causes etc
Definition of concepts of economics
Research methodology
What is research?
It is a logical and systematic approach for new and useful information on a
particular topic (that has been selected by the investigator/sponsor) based on
goal (reduce gap between reality & expectation)

It is done with the help of study, experiment, observation, analysis, comparison

and reasoning.
The objectives of research
What makes people to do research?

What is methodology?

Types of Research
Broadly classified into two main classes
1. Fundamental or basic research
2. Applied research
So, the question is: where does your research fit in?

Dr. Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

Do you need help on forming groups for assignment?

Today we move forward

Writing an article using classroom students as a target group (sample) for
collecting data statistics
Our topic it must be related to micro economics (what we have learned so
far)
Application of tools of economics and little statistics (research tools)
So let us choose a topic:
Why choosing by me?
Okay ---So the steps are
Determine the problem & define the question to answer
2

Dr. Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

Find general background about your problem / question

Use library, website (www.google.com) etc to find more info on your topics
Use article to find and follow the research regarding your problem / question
Read article, newspaper etc that are talking about your topic (closer to your
topic is better)
Design modules on how to collect data, identify target group (data source)
Collect data, read relevant information relates to data and topics, evaluate
whether needed
Write the paper / article

The following five phases outline a simple & effective strategy for conducting
Any effective research
The conceptual phase
Phase of construction of research design
Empirical phase
Analytic phase
Disseminative phase

Let us do one term paper

Title of the term paper
Formalin in Fruits, Vegetables etc in Markets: System Approach to Policy
and Planning under Liability Rules (accountability)
Introduction
In todays market, excessive formalin in seasonal fruits like mango, litchi and
blackberry are sold at shops in different areas of Dhaka City and beyond in
Bangladesh. Even shops with signboards reading chemical-free fruits sell fruits
soaked in formalin. But formalin, a 37 percent water solution of formaldehyde, is
3

Dr. Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

poisonous and can cause cancer (Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and
Research (IEDCR), Dhaka).
With this dilemma in hand, this article aims to examine who gets benefits from the
said market. In other words, we plan to examine the cost-benefits of parties
involved in the fruit market where.
{We

begin this investigation first by questioning what are the consequences using
formalin. What are economic causes & effects? Second, we discuss the definition
and measurement of the key concepts that will be utilized in the article. Third, we
discuss the method that will be employed to answer to our question.}
Objectives

The parties involved (identify parties involved)

Sellers, buyers, producers and others

Cause and Effects

Traders / sellers use this chemical as a preservative and to make fruits and
vegetables look fresh for longer periods and by so doing it reduces its
miscellaneous cost (damage, cost from rotten etc.). If not, the supply would have
been reduced and price would have been higher etc. So the application of formalin
is not just benefiting the sellers but all parties involved, except, others
What about buyers side?
Because of treatment, buyers receive fresh products with comparatively lower
price.
What about third party (the consumers)?
Consumers would not have been able to buy these tasty seasonal fruits and what
not because of the price as well as scarce in market.
Other consequences
4

Dr. Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

Health issues
There is a long-term effect of the chemicals and pesticides which may cause cancer
or other chronic diseases like liver cirrhosis and kidney failure (

Dr. Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

Approach (policies) taken addressing the issue

Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI), which spearheaded mobile Court
drives last year and worked to create public awareness against the use of formalin
in food, this year has conducted fewer drives (Daily Star, July 03, 2014)
Methodology
Data Collection (in this case secondary data) where we

Identify variables
Identify types of variables
o Qualitative
o Quantitative

Findings of the research

Discussion
Your recommendations
After using pesticide, fruits or vegetable should be sold 15 days apart for safety.
But traders sell them immediately.
Effective monitoring approach
Consumers willingness to pay more
Conclusion

Dr. Akim Rahman

Sept 09, 2014

Some concepts (special hints for your utilization in your paper)

Mean --- average value
Median--- middle value (place in value order; and then find the middle value)
Mode -- The mode is the value that appears most often in a set of data

Example of mode
3, 7, 5, 13, 20, 23, 39, 23, 40, 23, 14, 12, 56, 23, 29
In order these numbers are
3, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 20, 23, 23, 23, 23, 29, 39, 40, 56
This makes it easy to see which numbers appear most often.
In this case the mode is 23.

No mother feeds baby unless baby cries

me if you need further help on assignment
7

you ask