In the name of Allah Kareem,

Most Beneficent, Most Gracious,

the Most Merciful !
Introduction to Research
Chapter-1
 Contents
 Definition of Research
 Applied and Basic Research
 Why Managers Should Know
About Research
 Managers and the Consultant- Relationship
– The Manager- Researcher relationship
– Internal Versus External Researchers
and Consultants
 Knowledge About Research and
Managerial Effectiveness
 Ethics and Business Research
 What is Research ?

In simple words Re-search mean “Search

Again”
OR

“It is a process of gathering information to

answer a question”
 What is Research?

 Research is a careful and detailed study into a

specific problem, concern, or issue using the
scientific method. It is best accomplished by turning
the issue into a question, with the intent of the
research to answer the question.

 Research is what we do when we have a question or

a problem we want to resolve.

6
What is Research

Research is the process of

finding solutions to a problem
after a thorough study and
analysis of the situational
factors.

7
What is Research

Managers in organizations constantly

engage themselves in-studying and
analyzing issues and hence are involved
in some form of research activity as they
make decisions at the workplace.

8
What is Research

 Sometimes managers make good

decisions and the problem gets
solved.
 Sometimes managers make poor
decisions and the problem persists.
 The difference between making
good decisions and poor decisions,
lies in how managers go about the
decision- making process.
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What is Research
Good decision making fetches a
 “yes” answer to the following
questions:
1.Do managers identify where
exactly the problem lies?
2.Do they correctly recognize
the relevant factors in the
situation needing investigation?
Do they know what types of
3.

information are to be gathered

and
7
What is Research

4. Do they know how to make

use of the information so
collected and draw
appropriate conclusions to
make the right decisions.
5. Do they knowhow to
implement the results of this
process to solve the
problem? 11
What is Research
 This is the essence of research and to be
successful manager it is important for you
to know how to go about making the right
decisions by being
knowledgeable about the various steps
involved in finding solutions to
problematic issues.

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 Important Concept

Phenomenon:-

A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen,

especially one whose cause or explanation is in
question.

Example:- Poverty, Employee Satisfaction, Car Sound,

Turnover Intention, Job Burn-Out & Customer
Satisfaction etc.

13
 What is Business Research ?

“Business Research is a systematic and

objective process of gathering, recording and
analyzing data for making good business
decisions”
 Business Research

 It is a field of practical studies in which a company

obtain data and analyze in order to better manage
the company. Business research can include
financial data, customer feedback, product research
and competitive analysis.

15
 Examples of Business Research

 What is the best strategy to promote a particular

product? (Marketing)

What is the main reasons for employee turnover? (HRM)

 What is the rate of return on particular investment? (finance)

 WHY WE SHOULD STUDY RESEARCH METHOD?

The best reason for learning about research methods is that these methods are
used by the Managers to answer the questions regarding day to day business
problems. Following are some other implications of the research:

1- Management Is A Science: Management is a science to

gather and interpret information in order to make effective decisions.

2- Reduce Uncertainty: The prime managerial value of business

research is that it reduces uncertainty by providing required information
and improves the following four stages of decision making:

 Identifying problems and opportunity.

 Diagnosing and assessing problems or opportunities.
 Selecting and implementing a course of action.
 Evaluating the course of action.

17
3- Conducting A Study: Research method course is very useful
for you as you have to do your master’s thesis in order to complete
your degree requirement and it is also helpful to you at some time
in future because being a professional everyone wants to read and
understand the most recent research in order to be up date in his
4- Reading And Evaluating Other People’s Study:
profession.
A grasp of research terminology will allow you to read and
understand
research articles and critically evaluate it. Rather than reading a
summary of someone else’s research in a magazine, news paper, or
textbook, you can read the original article your self and draw your
own conclusion.
5- Understanding Brief Description Of Studies: A
research method course will help you understanding abbreviated
description of studies given as evidence supporting some
conclusion or theory.
 Need of Research in Business
 Making decisions
 Management is a science
 Reduce uncertainty
 Conducting a study
 Reading & evaluating other peoples study
 Understanding brief description of studies
 Thesis is based on research
 Being a better thinker
 Secrets of success

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 6- Thesis is based on Research : besides all the
business related benefits of the research studies, it is also useful
for your academic requirement of thesis as being compulsory for
your degree

7- Making Decisions In Our Daily Lives:

Besides becoming a researcher, to be an effective, participating
member of 21st century one must understanding the research
8- Being process in order to evaluate and act on research results.
A Better Thinker: The research methodology will
also improve your thinking as it is a logical and objective method
of finding answer to a question which may apply to all aspects of
life.

9- Secret Of Success: “The secret of success is to know

something nobody else knows” .

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The Excitement of Research

 Modern technology has made research

an exciting and a relatively smooth
process.
 Personal computer with any means
to an Internet connection places one
within easy reach of knowledge of what
is happening in the global markets and
how the world economy is impacting
on business.
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The Excitement of Research

Decision making is merely a

process of choosing from
among alternative solutions to
resolve a problem and
research helps to generate viable
alternatives for effective
decision making.

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Business Research
Business research can be described as a
 systematic and organized effort to investigate a
specific problem encountered in the work setting,
that needs a solution.
Business research comprises a series of steps
 designed and executed, with the goal of finding
answers to the issues that are of concern to the
manager in the work environment.

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Business Research
 Steps of business research:
 To know where the problem areas
exist in the organization.
 To identify as clearly and
specifically as possible the
problems that need to be studied
 and resolved.
Gather information, analyze the
data, and determine the factors that
are associated with the problem
and solve it by taking the necessary
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corrective measures.
Research and the Manager
 The managers encounter big and small
problems on a daily basis, which they
have to solve by making the right
decisions.
 In business, research is usually conducted

to resolve problematic issues in the areas

of accounting, finance, management, and
marketing.

25
Research and the Manager

 Problems in Accounting:
- Budget control systems
- Inventory costing methods
- Depreciation
- Time-series behavior of
quarterly earnings
- Transfer pricing Taxation
- methods
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Research and the Manager

 Problems in
 Employee attitudes and behaviors
- Management:
Human resources management
-
 The impact of changing demographics
- on management practices

 Production operations management

-
Strategy formulation
-

- Information
systems 27
Research and the Manager

 Problems in Marketing: Product image

- Advertising
- Sales promotion
- Product distribution Product packaging
- Product pricing After-sales service
-
Consumer preferences New product
-
development
-

1
8
Types of Business Research

 Research can be undertaken for two different
purposes:
1. To solve a current problem faced by the
manager in the work setting. Such research is
called applied research.
2. To generate a body of knowledge about how to
solve problems that could be occurred in
organizations. This is called basic research or
fundamental research. It is also known as pure
research .

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Classification
of Research
 Classification of Research

 Basic research

 Applied research

 Exploratory research

 Explanatory research

 Descriptive research

 Quantitative research

 Qualitative research

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 Classification of Research
Basic research:- It is done manly to enhance the
understanding of sudden problems that commonly occur in
an organizational setting and methods of solving them.
Applied research:- It is done with the attention of
applying the result of the finding to solve specific problems
currently being experienced in the firm.
Exploratory research:- It explains the situation or
problem, usually in the form of casual relationship. The
focus is on why and how?
Explanatory research:- The purpose is to see new
insight and fined out what is happening. It is an attempt to
ask question and asses phenomena in a new light.

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 Classification of Research
Descriptive research:- It sets out to provide an accurate profile
of situations, people or events. It focuses on what ? Where ? and
Who?

Quantitative research:- Its formal, objective systematic, process

in which numerical data is utilize to obtain information about the
world. It is inclined to be deductive, in that it tests theory

Qualitative research:- An informal, subjective research

approach that usually emphasizes words rather then numbers in
the collection and analysis of data. It is inductive in nature and
generates theory .

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Examples of Applied
Resear
 ch
 Apple’s iPod sales increased by 200% from 2001
to 2008. but the sales decreased by 6% in 2009.
What is the reason for this decrease?
 The question is: what will apple do about this
 problem?

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Examples of Applied
Research
 Xerox is insular and isn’t ready for the
increasingly competitive, high-tech world.
Xerox still relies on old-fashioned and slow-
selling analog copiers for more than half its
revenue and despite its double-digit growth
in digital products and services, its sales rose
just 4%.

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Examples of Applied
Research
 In the Xerox situation, it
needs to look into the efficacy
of the analog technology used
in copiers and examine what
should be done to increase
efficiency and promote its
sales.

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Examples of Basic Research
University professors engage in basic research in an
 effort to understand and generate more knowledge about

various aspects of businesses, such as:

How to improve the effectiveness of information
- systems.

How to integrate technology into the overall strategic

- objectives of an organization.

How to increase the productivity of the employees.

-
How to increase the effectiveness of small businesses.
-

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Examples of Basic
Research
 These findings later
become useful for
application in business
situations.

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Distinction Between Applied and
Basic

Research
The main distinction between applied and basic
business research is:
Applied
-
research is specifically aimed at
solving a currently experienced problem.
Basic
-
research has a broader objective of
generating knowledge and understanding of
phenomena and problems that occur in various
organizational
-

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Managers and Research
 Managers with knowledge of research
have an advantage over those without.
 With the ever-increasing complexity of

modern organizations, and the uncertainty

of the environment they face, the
management of organizational systems has
become one of constant trouble shooting in
the work place.

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Managers and Research
 Knowledge of research and problem-
solving process helps managers to
identify problem situations before they
get out of control.
 Minor problems can be solved by the

manager, major problems would warrant

the hiring of outside researchers or
consultants.

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Managers and Research
 The manager who is knowledgeable about
research can interact effectively with the
researchers.
 Knowledge about research process also helps
managers to become discriminating recipients of
the research findings presented, and to determine
whether or not the recommended solutions are
appropriate for implementation.

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Managers and Research
 When managers understand the research
reports about their organizations handed
to them by professionals, they will be
equipped to take intelligent, educated,
calculated risks with known probabilities
attached to the success or failure of their
decisions.
 Research then becomes a useful decision-

making tool.

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 Internal Versus
External
Consultants/Resear
chers or Researchers:
Internal Consultants

Some organizations have their own research
department, which might be called:
The management services department
-
The organization and methods department
-
R & D (research and development department)
-
-

44
Internal Versus
External
Consultants/Researcher
s
Such a department within the


organization serves as the

internal consultant if it face
certain problems and seek
help.
This unit would be useful in

several ways
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Advantages of
Internal
Researchers
The internal researchers have
better chance of being readily
accepted by the employees.
The team would require much

less time to understand the

structure, the philosophy and
climate and work system of the
organization.
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Disadvantages of
Internal
Researchers
They might have less fresh
ideas and perspectives that
might be needed to correct the
problems.
There is scope for certain

powerful groups in the

organization to influence or
misrepresent certain facts.
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Disadvantages of
Internal
Researchers

 There is a possibility that the internal

researchers are not perceived as “experts” by
the management, and hence their
recommendations do not get the
consideration and attention they deserve.
Certain organizational biases of the internal

research team might make the findings less

objective and less scientific.

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Advantages of
External Consultants
 They have a wealth of experience
from having worked with different
types of organizations that have had
the same or similar types of
problems.
They might have more knowledge of

current sophisticated problem-solving

models through their periodic
training programs.

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Disadvantages of
External
Consulta

nts
The cost of hiring an external
research team is usually high.
They need a considerable time to

understand the organization to
be researched.

They seldom get a warm welcome,
nor are accepted by employees.

They charges additional fees for
their assistance in the
implementation and evaluation
phases. 50
Ethics and Business
Resear
 ch in business research refers to a code
Ethics
of conduct of behavior while conducting
research.

 Ethical conduct applies to the organization and

the members that sponsor the research, the
researchers who undertake the research, and the
respondents who provide them with the
necessary data.

51
Ethics and Business
Research
The members that sponsor the research should do it in
good faith, pay attention to what the results indicate, and
pursue organizational rather than self-interest.
Ethical conduct should also be reflected in the behavior of
the researchers who conduct the investigation, the
participants who provide the data, the analysts who
provide the results, and the entire research team that
presents the interpretation of the results and suggests
alternative solutions.

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INTERNET EXERCISES

Use the Web search engines

Google and Yahoo. Search
using the key words “business
research”. Prepare a brief
report telling what you found
and how it differed on the
different search engines.

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SUPERIOR GROUP OF COLLEGES 54

54
CORPORATE LESSON 1
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.

A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him,

"Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day
long?”
The crow answered: "Sure, why not.”

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the

crow, and rested.

All of a sudden, a fox appeared,

Jumped on the rabbit... and ate it.

CORPORATE LESSON 1

Moral of the story is….

To be sitting and doing nothing

you must be sitting very, very high up.