Chapter 1

Introduction to Research

Slide 1-2
 Introduction to Research
 Research is simply the process of finding solutions to
a problem after a thorough study and analysis of the
situational factors.

 People (consumers, investors, managers) constantly

engage themselves in exploring and examining issues
– and hence are involved in some form of research
activity.

 For example some people want to change mobile

phone providers, buy a new car, go to the movies,
invest in a business startup, or increase advertising
expenditures in their role as a manager.
Slide 14-3
 Introduction to Research
 Research, in some form or another, may help
managers in organizations to make decisions
at the workplace.
 As we all know, sometimes they make good
decisions and the problem gets solved;
sometimes they make poor decisions and the
problem persists; and on occasions they make
such colossal blunders that they get stuck in
the mire.
 How we go about the decision‐making process.
Slide 14-4
 THE PURPOSE OF RESEARCH IS TO…

 Review or synthesize existing knowledge

 Investigate existing situations or problems
 Provide solutions to problems
 Explore and analyse more general issues
 Construct or create new procedures or
systems
 Explain new phenomenon
 Generate new knowledge
 …or a combination of any of the above!

Slide 14-5
 good decision making fetches a “yes”
answer to the following questions:
 Do we identify where exactly the problem lies?
 Do we correctly recognize the relevant factors in the situation
needing investigation?
 Do we know what types of information are to be gathered and
how?
 Do we know how to make use of the information so collected
and draw appropriate conclusions to make the right
decisions?
 And, finally, do we know how to implement the results of this
process to solve the problem?

Slide 14-6
 good decision making fetches a “yes”
answer to the following questions:
 This is the essence of research and to be a
successful manager it is important to know
how to go about making the right decisions by
being knowledgeable about the various steps
involved in finding solutions to problematic
issues of interest to the organization and/or its
stakeholders.

Slide 14-7
 Definition Research
 Business research: can be described as a
systematic and organized effort to investigate a
specific problem encountered in the work setting,
which needs a solution.
 It comprises a series of steps that are designed
and executed with the goal of finding answers to
the issues that are of concern to the manager in
the work environment.

Slide 14-8
 Research steps
 This means that the first step in research is to
know where the problem areas exist in the
organization, and to identify as clearly and
specifically as possible the problems that need
to be studied and resolved.
 Once the problem is clearly defined, steps can
be taken to determine the factors that are
associated with the problem, gather information,
analyze the data, develop an explanation for the
problem at hand and then solve it by taking the
necessary corrective measures.
Slide 14-9
 Research steps
 Research provides the necessary information
that guides managers to make informed
decisions to successfully deal with problems.

 The information provided could be the result

of a careful analysis of primary data gathered
first‐hand or of secondary data that are
already available (in the company, industry,
archives, etc.).

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 DIFFERENT TYPES OF RESEARCH:

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 RESEARCH APPROACHES:
 Research provides the necessary information
that guides managers to make informed
decisions.

 Research can be approached in the following

ways:
1. Quantitative/Qualitative
2. Applied/Basic
3. Deductive/Inductive
Slide 14-12
 RESEARCH APPROACHES:
QUANTITATIVE/QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
 The emphasis of Quantitative  Qualitative research is more
research is on collecting and subjective in nature than
analysing numerical data; it Quantitative research and
concentrates on measuring the involves examining and reflecting
scale, range, frequency etc. of on the less tangible aspects of a
phenomena. research subject, e.g. values,
 This type of research, although attitudes, perceptions.
harder to design initially, is  Although this type of research
usually highly detailed and can be easier to start, it can be
structured and results can be often difficult to interpret and
easily collated and presented present the findings; the findings
statistically. can also be challenged more
easily.
Slide 14-13
 BASIC/APPLIED RESEARCH
 The primary aim of Basic Research is to
improve knowledge generally, without any
particular applied purpose in mind at the
outset.

 Applied Research is designed from the start to

apply its findings to a particular situation.
Students at the school of Management are
expected to engage with an applied research
or problem solving research project.
Slide 14-14
 Applied versus Basic Research

 Basic research: generates a body of

knowledge by trying to comprehend how
certain problems that occur in organizations
can be solved.

 Applied research: solves a current problem

faced by the manager in the work setting,
demanding a timely solution.

Slide 1-15
 Example: Applied Research
 For instance, a university professor may be
interested in investigating the factors that
contribute to absenteeism as a matter of mere
academic interest.

 After gathering information on this topic from

several institutions and analyzing the data, the
professor may identify factors such as inflexible
work hours, inadequate training of employees,
and low morale as primarily influencing
absenteeism.
Slide 14-16
 Example: Applied Research
 Later on, a manager who encounters absenteeism
of employees in his organization may use this
information to determine if these factors are
relevant to that particular work setting.

 In sum, research done with the intention of applying

the results of the findings to solve specific problems
currently being experienced in an organization is
called applied research. Research done chiefly to
make a contribution to existing knowledge is called
basic, fundamental, or pure research.
Slide 14-17
 Examples Applied Research
 Apple’s iPod fueled the company’s success
in recent years, helping to increase sales
from $5 billion in 2001 to $32 billion in the
fiscal year 2008. Growth for the music
player averaged more than 200% in 2006
and 2007, before falling to 6% in 2008.
Some analysts believe that the number of
iPods sold will drop 12% in 2009. “The
reality is there’s a limited group of people
who want an iPod or any other portable
media player,” one analyst says. “So the
question becomes, what will Apple do about
it?”
Slide 1-18
 Examples Applied Research
 Globally, colas account for more than fifty per cent of all
sodas sold. The challenge for the soft drink industry is giving
consumers in developed markets the sugary taste they want
without giving them the mouthful of calories they don’t.
Concerns about obesity and health have led to nine years of
falling U.S. soda consumption. The soda giants can’t rely on
existing diet versions of their namesake colas, as consumers
are shying away from the artificial sweeteners they contain.
Critics have blamed the ingredients for everything from
weight gain to cancer. Diet Coke is losing U.S. sales at
7 percent a year, almost double the rate of decline of
American cola sales overall. So Coke and Pepsi are turning
to research to save their cola businesses, which take in
about two-thirds of the industry’s U.S. sales. “If you can
crack the perfect sweetener, that would be huge,” says
Howard Telford, an analyst at researcher Euromonitor
International.
Slide 1-19
 More Examples of Research Areas in
Business

 Absenteeism
 Communication
 Motivation
 Consumer decision making
 Customer satisfaction
 Budget allocations
 Accounting procedures

Slide 1-20
 DEDUCTIVE / INDUCTIVE RESEARCH

 Deductive research moves from general

ideas/theories to specific particular &
situations: the particular is deduced from the
general, e.g. broad theories.

 Inductive research moves from particular

situations to make or infer broad general
ideas/theories.

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 DEDUCTIVE / INDUCTIVE RESEARCH

Slide 14-22
 Examples of Deductive/Inductive Research

 Example: Deductive Approach

Imagine you wanted to learn what the word
‘professional’ meant to a range of people.

1. You would want to have a clear theoretical position

prior to collection of data.

2. You might therefore research the subject and

discover a number of definitions of ‘professional’ from,
for example, a number of professional associations.

Slide 14-23
 Example: Deductive Approach
3. You could then test this definition on a range of
people, using a questionnaire, structured
interviews or group discussion.

4. You could carefully select a sample of people on

the basis of age, gender, occupation etc.

5. The data gathered could then be collated and

the results analysed and presented.

Slide 14-24
 Example: Inductive Approach
 Example: Inductive Approach
1. If you adopted this approach you might start by talking to a
range of people asking for their ideas and definitions of
‘professional’.
2. From these discussions you could start to assemble the
common elements and then start to compare these with
definitions gained from professional associations.

3. The data gathered could then be collated and the results

analysed and presented.

4. This approach might lead you to arrive at a new definition of

the word – or it might not!
Slide 14-25
 RESEARCH PHILIOSOPHIES
 Research is not ‘neutral’, but reflects a range of
the researcher’s personal interests, values,
abilities, assumptions, aims and ambitions.
 In the case of your own proposed research,
your own mixtures of these elements will not
only determine the subject of the research, but
will influence your approach to it.
 It is important to consider in advance what
approach you want to take with your research –
and why.
Slide 14-26
 The role of theory and information in
research
 Research comes in many forms and shapes.

 There are different types of questions research

projects can address and there are many different
approaches to collecting and analyzing different
types of data.

 Some research is aimed at building theory,

whereas other research is designed to test a theory
or to describe what is going on, using an existing
framework, instrument, or model.
Slide 14-27
 Theory and Information
 Theory and information play an important role in
research.
 The term ‘theory’ can mean a lot of things,
depending on whom you ask:
 an idea or hunch that someone has;
 any concept, instrument, model, or framework
that helps one to think about or solve a problem,
describe a phenomenon, or understand a topic
of interest.
 To a scientist, a theory explains a certain
phenomenon.
Slide 1-4
 Why Managers Should Know About
Research
 Being knowledgeable about research and research
methods helps professional managers to:
 Identify and effectively solve minor problems in the work
setting.
 Know how to discriminate good from bad research.
 Appreciate the multiple influences and effects of factors
impinging on a situation.
 Take calculated risks in decision making.
 Prevent possible vested interests from exercising their
influence in a situation.
 Relate to hired researchers and consultants more
effectively.
 Combine experience with scientific knowledge while
making decisions.
Slide 1-29
 The Manager–Researcher Relationship

 Each should know his/her role

 Trust levels
 Value system
 Acceptance of findings and implementation
 Issues of inside versus outside
researchers/consultants

Slide 1-30
 Internal Researchers
 Advantages:
 Better acceptance from staff
 Knowledge about organization
 Would be an integral part of
implementation and evaluation of the
research recommendations.
 Disadvantages
 Less fresh ideas
 Power politics could prevail
 Possibly not valued as “expert” by staff
Slide 1-31
 External Researchers
 Advantages
 Divergent and convergent thinking
 Experience from several situations in
different organizations
 Better technical training, usually
 Disadvantages
 Takes time to know and understand the
organization
 Rapport and cooperation from staff not easy
 Not available for evaluation and
implementation
 Costs
Slide 1-32
 A work schedule provides a time-
frame for your study.

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 Research proposal to study
retention of new employees

Slide 14-34
 Continued… Research proposal

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 Research proposal

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