Metode Penelitian untuk Bisnis/

Research Methods for Business

Adapted from Uma Sekaran and Roger Bougie

presentation

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 What is Research?

• Research is the process of finding solutions to a

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

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 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.

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 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?
3. Do they know what types of information are to be
gathered and how?

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 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 know how to implement the results of this
process to solve the problem?

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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.

• You can differentiate between good and bad studies

published in professional journals – after all its
about choosing between different alternatives
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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 corrective measures.
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 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.

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 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 Finance:
- The operations of financial institutions
- Optimum financial ratios
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Leveraged buyouts
- Intercorporate financing
- Yields on mortgages
- The behavior of the stock exchange
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 Research and the Manager
• Problems in Management:
- Employee attitudes and behaviors
- Human resources management
- The impact of changing demographics on
management practices
- Production operations management
- Strategy formulation
- Information systems
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 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
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 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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Examples of Applied Research

• 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 settings.

- Both types of research follow the same steps of systematic

inquiry to arrive at solutions to problems.
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 Managers and Research
• Managers with knowledge of research have an advantage
over those without.

• 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.

• Understand business journals and studies

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 Internal Versus External
Consultants/Researchers
• Internal Consultants or Researchers:
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)
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 Internal Versus External
Consultants/Researchers
• 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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Advantages of Internal Researchers

• They would be available for implementing their

recommendations after the research findings are
accepted.
• The internal team might cost considerable less than
the external team.

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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
Consultants
• 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.
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 Ethics and Business Research

• Ethics in business research refers to a code 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.

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 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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Thank you

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