Research Process

The Iceberg Principle

The principle indicating that the

dangerous part of many business
problems is neither visible to nor
understood by managers.
Research Process
Research Question Hierarchy
Research Questions
Research Planning
Steps in research
Research Design
Three types of research design
 Degree of Problem Definition

Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Causal Research

(Unaware of Problem) (Aware of Problem) (Problem Clearly Defined

Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Causal Research

(Unaware of Problem) (Aware of Problem) (Problem Clearly Defined)

Our sales are declining and What kind of people are buying Will buyers purchase more of
we dont know why. our product? Who buys our our products in a new package?
competitors product?
Would people be interested Which of two advertising
in our new product idea? What features do buyers prefer campaigns is more effective?
in our product?
Exploratory
Research Process
1. Identification of the broad problem area
2. Preliminary information gathering
3. Problem definition
4. Developing a theoretical framework
5. Hypotheses development
Design
6. Elements of Research Design
7. Data collection, analysis, and interpretation
 8. Deduction
9. Report writing
10. Report Presentation
11. Managerial Decision Making
If hypotheses are substantiated then
proceed to 9,10 & 11, otherwise go back to
examine the reasons for this.
1. Identification of the broad problem area
It refers to the entire situation where one sees
a possible need for research and problem solving.
Specific issue may not be identified at this
stage.
Issues might pertain to
(a) currently existing problem
(b) improvement in the situation /
organisation
(c) conceptual issue that needs to be tightened
up.
(d) answer empirically to some question.
Examples are
(1) the sales volume of a product is not picking up
(2) the daily balancing of accounting ledgers is
becoming a continuous concern.
(3) the newly installed information system is not
being used by the managers for whom it was
primarily designed.
(4) the introduction of flexible work hours has
created more problems than it has solved in many
companies.
2. Preliminary Data Collection
After some preliminary data are gathered the
broad problem area would be narrowed down to
specific issues for further investigation.
The nature of the information needed by the
researcher could be broadly classified under 3
headings
1. Background information of the organisation
i.e. contextual factors.
2. Managerial philosophy, company policies,
and other structural aspects.
3. Perceptions, attitudes, and behavioural
responses of organisational members and client
systems (as applicable)
 2.1 Background information of the
organisation i.e. contextual factors such as
the origin and history of the company.
size ( no of employees)
purpose
location
resources
interdependent relationship with other
institutions
financial position
 2.2 Managerial philosophy, company policies,
and other structural aspect can be obtained by
direct questioning.
some of the structural factors that could
influence the problems are
1. Roles and positions in the organisation and
the number of employees at each level.
2. Extent of specialization
3. Communication channel
4. Reward systems.
It may be possible that the respondents
perceptions of the structural variables may not
match the formal written structural policies and
procedures of the organisation.
 2.3 Perceptions, attitudes, and behavioural
responses of organisational members can be
tapped by talking to them, observing them and
seeking their responses through questionnaires.
Attitudinal factors comprise peoples belief
about
nature of the work
workflow interdependencies
participation in decision making
opportunities for advancement etc.
Behavioural factors include work habits such
as extent of absenteeism, performance on the job
etc.
 The main idea in gathering information
on values, structures, and processes is that
these might often reveal the root of the real
problem.
Literature Survey
is the documentation of a comprehensive
review of the published and unpublished work
from secondary sources of data in the areas of
specific interest to the researcher.
Reasons for Literature Survey
1. to ensure that no important variable is
ignored.
2. to avoid wastage of time reinventing the
wheel.
3. facilitates the creative integration of the
information gathered from the structured and
unstructured interviews i.e it gives a good basic
framework from which hypotheses can be
developed and tested.
Conducting the Literature Survey
based on the factors identified, a
literature survey has to be carried out.
1. identify the published and
unpublished materials relevant to the topic.
2. Gather the relevant information by
getting access to library/online sources.
3. Write the literature review.
1. Identifying the relevant sources
three forms of databases
1. Bibliographic databases.
2. Abstract databases.
3. Full-text databases.
2. Extracting the relevant information
by glancing the titles one could decide
which titles require in depth study.
the design details, findings could be
noted systematically, which will help in writing
the literature review logically.
3. Writing the Literature Review
A good literature survey leads one
logically to a good problem statement.
 3. Problem Definition
Now the researcher can define the issue of
concern more clearly.
Problem as any situation where a gap exists
between the actual and the desired ideal states.
One should not confuse symptom with
problem.
ex. Low productivity symptom
Low morale & motivation problem.
One way to determine the problem is by
answering the question.
Is this factor I have identified an antecedent,
the real problem, or the consequence?
 In the example
low productivity the consequence
motivation the problem
non recognition of the employees contribution
antecedent.
Problem definition or problem statement is
referred as a clear, precise, and succinct statement
of the question or issue that is to be investigated
with the goal of finding an answer or solution.
Managerial Implications they should clear
about the symptoms & problem by applying
antecedent, problem and the consequence.
Ethical Issues in the preliminary
stages of investigation
Once a problem is sensed and an
investigation is decided on,
1. it is necessary to inform all
employees, letting them know that the
research is intended to help them in their
work environment will enlist their
cooperation.
2. Assuring that their responses will be
kept confidential.
 4. Theoretical Framework
It conceptualizes (discusses) the
relationship among the several factors that
have been identified as important to the
problem.
Developing such a conceptual
framework helps us to hypothesize and test
certain relationships and thus improve our
understanding of the dynamics of the
situation.
Null and Alternative
Idea about Hypothesis
 5. Hypotheses Development
Variables identified, relationship established and now we
have to test the relationship.

Proposition is a statement about concepts that may be judged

as true or false if it refers to observable phenomena. If it is
formulated for empirical testing, we term it as Hypothesis.

A Hypothesis can be defined as a logically conjectured

relationship between two or more variables expressed in the
form of a testable statement.
By testing and confirming the conjectured relationships, it
is expected that solutions can be found to correct the problem
encountered.
Formats of Hypotheses
If-Then statement:
A hypothesis can also test whether there
are differences between two or more groups with
respect to any variable or variables.
It can be set either as propositions or in the
form of if-then statements.
Ex. Employees who are more healthy will take
sick leave less frequently.
If employees are more healthy, then they will
take sick leave less frequently.
Directional and Nondirectional Hypotheses.
If, in stating the relationship between two
variables or comparing two groups , terms such as
positive, negative, more than, less than, and the
like are used, then these hypotheses are directional
because the direction of the relationship between
the variables is indicated.
Ex. As the HH financial knowledge level
increases the probability of owning risk assets in
their portfolio also increases.
Women are more motivated than men.
 On the other hand, non-directional hypotheses
are those that do postulate a relationship or
difference, but offer no indication of the
direction of these relationships or differences.
Ex. There is a relationship between the HH
financial knowledge level and the ownership of
risky assets in the portfolio.
There is a relationship between age and job
satisfaction (attrition level in IT companies).
 Nondirectional hypotheses are
formulated because
(1) the relationship or differences
have never been previously explored and
hence no basis for indicating the direction.
(2) because there have been
conflicting findings in previous research
studies on the variables.
Null and Alternate Hypotheses.
Null hypothesis is expresses as no relationship
between two variables or no significant difference
between two groups.
What we imply through Null hypothesis is
that any difference found between two sample
groups or any relationship between two variables
based on our sample is simply due to random
sampling fluctuations and not due to any true
differences between the two populations.
 If Null hypotheses are rejected, then all
permissible alternate hypothesis tested could be
supported/accepted.
This is because of the theory that allows us to
have faith in the alternative hypotheses. This is
one more reason why the theoretical framework
should be grounded on sound, defendable logic to
start with.Otherwise researchers are likely to
refute and postulate other defensible explanations
through different alternative hypotheses.
 Steps in Hypotheses Testing

(1) state the null and alternate hypotheses.

(2) choose the appropriate statistical test
(3) determine the level of significance desired.
(4) Look at the critical values
(5) Compare the critical value with the resultant
value. If the resultant value is larger than the
critical value, reject the null hypothesis, and
accept the alternate hypothesis.
In deduction, the theoretical model is first
developed, testable hypotheses are then
formulated, data collected and then hypotheses
are tested.

In the inductive process, new hypotheses are

formulated based on what is known from the data
already collected, which are then tested.