RM1. Introduction to Research 2012

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Introduction to Research:

Meaning of Research:When people faces problems, he or she sooner or

later seeks a solution. Research is born of these

problems and of peopless determination to solvethem. People's progress over the years hasdepend on research.

Today virtually every field of life has been touched

by the research process- Mathematics,Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Geology,Biology, Medicine, Space Exploration, NuclearWelfare, the Social fields and many others.


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Introduction to Research:

What is Research?Research is a process of scientific thinking that leads to

the discovery or establishment of new knowledge or

truth, which is not a subjective expression of ideas or

opinion.

According to various scientist, scientific thinking has four

common characteristics, such as:

(1) It is based on facts,(2) It starts from a complex of problems,

(3) It is free from personal bias or opinion, and

(4) It uses objective measurements


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Kerlinger (1973) defines:

Research as a systematic, controlled, emperical

and critical investigation of hypothetical

propositions about the presumed relations among

natural phenomena.

Parel (1973) defines:

Research is a systematic study or investigation of

something for the purpose of answering questions

posed by the researcher.


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What is good research?

Generates dependable data that are derived by

professionally conducted practices and that can beused reliably for decision making: Criteria's of good

research : Purpose clearly defined

Research process detailed

Research design thoroughly planned

High ethical standards applied

Limitations frankly revealedAnalysis adequate for decision makers needs

Findings presented with integrity

Conclusion justified

Researchers experience reflected


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Objectives of Research

The purpose of research is to discover answers to

questions through the application of scientificprocedures. The main aim of research is to find out

the truth which is hidden and which has not been

discovered as yet. Though each research study has

its own specific purpose, we may think of researchobjectives as falling into a number of following

broad groupings:

To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or toachieve new insights into it (studies with this object

in view are termed as exploratory or formulative

research studies);


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Objectives of Research

To portray accurately the characteristics of a

particular individual, situation or a group (studies

with this object in view are known as descriptive

research studies);

To determine the frequency with which something

occurs or with which it is associated with

something else (studies with this object in view are

known as diagnostic researchstudies);To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship

between variables (such studies are known as

hypothesis-testing research studies).


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Motivation of ResearchWhat makes people to undertake research? This is a

question of fundamental importance. The possible

motives for doing research may be either one or

more of the following:

Desire to get a research degree along with its

consequential benefits;

Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved

problems, i.e., concern over practical problems

initiates research; Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative

work;

Desire to be of service to society;

Desire to get respectability.


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Significance of Research

All progress is born of inquiry. Doubt is often betterthan overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry, and

inquiry leads to invention.

Research inculcates scientific and inductive

thinking and it promotes the development of logical

habits of thinking and organization.

The role of research in several fields of applied

economics, whether related to business or to the

economy as a whole, has greatly increased in

modern times.


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Research is equally important for social scientists

in studying social relationships and in seeking

answers to various social problems.

In addition the significance of research can also be

understood keeping in view the following points:

(a) To those students who are to write a masters or

Ph.D. thesis, research may mean a careerism or a

way to attain a high position in the social structure;

(b) To professionals in research methodology,

research may mean a source of livelihood;

(c) To philosophers and thinkers, research may

mean the outlet for new ideas and insights;


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(d) To literary men and women, research may mean

the development of new styles and creative work;

(e) To analysts and intellectuals, research may

mean the generalizations of new theories.


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Business Research?

Business research is a systematic andorganized effort to investigate a specific

problem encountered in the work setting that

needs a solution.

The business research provides the neededinformation that guides managers to make

informed decisions to successfully deal with

problems.

S


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Scientific Business Researchers

Operate at Two Levels

Abstract level of concepts (propositions)

Propositions are statements concerned with

the relationships among concepts. Explainthe logical linkage among certain concepts.

Empirical level of variables (hypotheses)

Empirical means verifiable by observation,

experimentation, or experiences.

T f R h (S h i ll )


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Types of Research (Schematically)from the view point

Application Objectives Inquiry mode

Basic orPure

Research

QuantitativeResearch

ExploratoryResearch

DescriptiveResearch

QualitativeResearch

CausalResearch

AppliedResearch


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Types of Research

Research can be classified from three

perspectives:

1. Application of the research study

2. Objective in understanding the research

3. Inquiry mode employed


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APPLICATION

Examine a research endeavor from the perspective

of its application with two broad categories.

1. Basic or Pure research

and2. Applied research

Basic or Pure research involves developing and

testing theories and hypotheses that are

intellectually challenging to the researcher but may

or may not have practical application at the present

time or in the future.


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Pure research is also concerned with the

development, examination, verification, and

refinement of research methods, procedures,

techniques and tools that from the body of researchmethodology.

Example: include

Developing a sampling technique to a particular

situation

Developing methodology to assess the validity

Developing an instrument to measure stress level

Finding the best way of measuring peoples

attitudes


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Most of the research in the social sciences is

applied. In other words the research techniques,

procedures and methods that form the body of

research methodology are applied to the collection

of information about various aspects of a situation,

issue, problem or phenomena so that informationgathered can be used in other ways-such as for

policy formulation, administration and the

enhancement of understanding of a phenomena.


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OBJECTIVE

Business research classified as

1.

Descriptive research (DR)2. Exploratory research (ER)

3. Causal Research (CR)


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Descriptive Research

DR describe systematically a situation,problem, phenomena, service, or program or

provides information about, say, the living

conditions of a community or describestowards about attitudes.

Determine answers to:who, what, where, andhow questions. Conduct in the form of

current population survey.


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Exploratory ResearchER usually conducted during the initial stage of the

research process.

Management may have discovered general

problems but research is needed to gain better

understanding of the dimensions of the problems.

ER provides information to use in analyzing a

situation. Usually is conducted with the expectation

that subsequent research will be required to provide

conclusive evidence.

When a study is carried out to determine the

feasibility it is also called a feasibility study or a

ilot stud .


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Casual Research

The main goal of casual research is to identify

Cause

and

Effectrelationship among variables.

DRand ERnormally lead cause and effect

relationship studies.CRpredicts about the price, packaging, advertising

and the like of sales but a casual relationship is

impossible to prove.

R h t d f th i i t f


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Research study from the view point ofobjectives

Descriptive research:Aim: To describe what is prevalent or established

regarding:

a group of people a community

a phenomena

a situation a program

an outcome

Main theme:To describe what is prevalent?

E l


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Example:

Socio-economic characteristics of a community

Attitudes of students towards quality of teaching

Types of service provided by an agency

Needs of a community

Sale of a product

Attitude of nurses towards death and dying

Attitude of workers towards management

Problem faced by new comers

Consumers likes - dislikes with regard to product

Effects of living in a house with domestic violence

Strategies put in place by a company to increase

productivity of workers.


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Exploratory researchAim:To explain:

Why a relationship, association or interdependenceexists?

Why a particular even occurs?

Main theme:

To explain why the relationship is formed?

Example:

Why does stressful living result in heart attacks?

H d l d hild h l h i


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How do maternal and child health services

affect infant mortality?

How do some people have a positiveattitude towards an issue while others do not?

How does a particular intervention work for

some people and not for others?Why do some people use a product while

others do not?

Why do some people migrate another

country while others do not?

Why do some people adopt a program while

others do not?

C l R h


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Causal ResearchAim:To establish or explore:

A relationshipAn association

An interdependence

Main theme: To research if there is a

relationship

Example:Impact of a program

Relationship between stressful living

and incident of heart attacks

I f h l l


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Impact of technology on employment

Impact of maternal and child health

services on infant mortalityEffectiveness of a marriage counseling

services on extent of marital problems

Impact of an advertising campaign on sale

of a product

Impact of incentives on productivity ofworkers

Effectiveness of an immunization program

in controlling infectious disease


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INQUIRY MODE

Research Approaches

There are two basic approaches to research:

Quantitative (structured) approach

andQualitative (unstructured) approach

Q i i h i b d h


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Quantitative research is based on the

measurement of quantity or amount. It is

applicable to phenomena that can beexpressed in terms of quantity.

Forms the research process:

ObjectivesDesign

Sample and

The questions that you plan to ask of

respondents-it is predetermined

Q i i h


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Quantitative approach:Inferential,

Experimental and

Simulation approaches

Inferential approach to research is to form a

data base from which to infer characteristics

or relationships of population. This usuallymeans survey research where a sample of

population is studied (questioned or

observed) to determine its characteristics.


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Experimental approach is characterized by

much greater control over the researchenvironment and in this case some variables

are manipulated to observe their effect on

other variables.

Simulation approach involves the construction

of an artificial environment within whichrelevant information and data can be

generated.


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Qualitative approach to research is concerned

with subjective assessment of:Attitudes,

Opinions and

Behavior.


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Research Methods versus Methodology

Research methods may be understood as all those

methods/techniques that are used for conduction ofresearch. Research methods, refer to the methods

the researchers use in performing research

operations. Research methods can be put into thefollowing three groups:

1. In the first group we include those methods

which are concerned with the collection of data.These methods will be used where the data already

available are not sufficient to arrive at the required

solution;

2 The second group consists of those statistical


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2.The second group consists of those statistical

techniques which are used for establishing

relationships between the data and the unknowns;

3. The third group consists of those methods which

are used to evaluate the accuracy of the results

obtained.

Research methodology is a way to systematically

solve the research problem. It may be understood as

a science of studying how research is done

scientifically.

Documents

RM1. Introduction to Research 2012