EXPLORATORY

RESEARCH

SUBMITTED BY :- SUBMITTED TO :-
RASHI BARTHWAL MS. JANKI KUMARI
A42703423011
 INTRODUCTION :

• Exploratory research is defined as research used to investigate a problem that is not clearly defined. It is
conducted to have a better understanding of the existing research problrm, but will not provide conclusive
results. For such a research, a researcher starts with a general idea and uses this research as a medium to
identify issues, that can be the focus for future research. An important aspect here is that the researcher
should be willing to change his/her direction subject to the revelation of new data or insight. Such research
is usually carried out when the problem is preliminary. It is often referred to as the grounded theory
approach or interpretive research as it is used to answer questions like what, why, and how.

• The main emphasis in such studies must be flexible enough to provide opportunities for considering,
discovery of ideas and insight are major emphasis.

• Exploratory research often relies on secondary research such as reviewing available literature and/or data,
qualitative approaches such as informal discussions with consumers, employees, management, or
competitors, and more formal approaches through in-depth interviews, focus projective groups, methods,
case studies or pilot studies.
MEANING OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH :

• Exploratory research design also termed as formulative research

studies. It is a research conducted for a problem that has not been
clearly defined.
• Exploratory research as the name states, intends merely to explore
the research question and does not intend to offer final and conclusive
solution to existing problems. It is conducted to determine the nature
of the problem, this type of research is not intended to provide
conclusive evidence but help us to have a better understanding of the
problem.
TYPES AND METHODOLOGIES OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

• There are two ways in which research can be conducted namely primary and secondary. Under these two types, there
are multiple methods that can used by a researcher. The data gathered from this research can be qualitative or
quantitative. Some of the most widely used research design include the following:
1. Primary research methods
Primary research is information gathered directly from the subject. It can be through a group of people or even an
individual. Such a research can be carried out directly by the researcher himself or can employ a third party to conduct it
on their behalf.
• Surveys: Surveys are used to gather information from a predefined group of respondents. It is one of
the most important quantitative method. Various types of surveys or polls can be used to explore
opinions, trends, etc. With the advancement in technology, surveys can now be sent online and can be
very easy to access. For instance, use of a survey app through tablets, laptops or even mobile phones.
This information is also available to the researcher in real time as well. Nowadays, most organizations
offer short length surveys and rewards to respondents, in order to achieve a higher responses rate.
• For example: A survey is sent to a given set of audience to understand their opinions about the size of
mobile phones when they purchase one. Based on such information organization can dig deeper into
the topic and make business related decision.

• Interviews: While you may get a lot of information from public sources, but sometimes an in person
interview can give in-depth information on the subject being studied. Such a research is a
qualitative research method. An interview with a subject matter expert can give you meaningful
insights that a generalized public source won’t be able to provide. Interviews are carried out in person
or on telephone which have open-ended questions to get meaningful information about the topic.

• For example: An interview with an employee can give you more insights to find out the degree of job
satisfaction, or an interview with a subject matter expert of quantum theory can give you in-depth
information on that topic.

• Focus groups: Focus group is yet another widely used method in exploratory research. In such a
method a group of people is chosen and are allowed to express their insights on the topic that is being
studied. Although, it is important to make sure that while choosing the individuals in a focus group they
should have a common background and have comparable experiences.

• For example: A focus group helps a research identify the opinions of consumers if they were to buy a
phone. Such a research can help the researcher understand what the consumer value while buying a
phone. It may be screen size, brand value or even the dimensions. Based on which the organization
can understand what are consumer buying attitudes, consumer opinions, etc.
2. Secondary research methods

• is gathering information from previously published primary research. In such a research you gather information from
sources likes case studies, magazines, newspapers, books, etc.

• Online research: In today’s world, this is one of the fastest way to gather information on any topic. A lot of data is
readily available on the internet and the researcher can download it whenever he needs it. An important aspect to
be noted for such a research is the genuineness and authenticity of the source websites that the researcher is
gathering the information from.

• For example: A researcher needs to find out what is the percentage of people that prefer a specific brand phone.
The researcher just enters the information he needs in a search engine and gets multiple links with related
information and statistics.

• Literature research: Literature research is one of the most inexpensive method used for discovering a hypothesis.
There is tremendous amount of information available in libraries, online sources, or even commercial databases.
Sources can include newspapers, magazines, books from library, documents from government agencies, specific
topic related articles, literature, Annual reports, published statistics from research organizations and so on.

• For example: A company has low sales. It can be easily explored from available statistics and market literature if
the problem is market related or organization related or if the topic being studied is regarding financial situation of
the country, then research data can be accessed through government documents or commercial sources.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH: STEPS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH

• Identify the problem: A researcher identifies the subject of research and the
problem is addressed by carrying out multiple methods to answer the questions.
• Create the hypothesis: When the researcher has found out that there are no
prior studies and the problem is not precisely resolved, the researcher will create
a hypothesis based on the questions obtained while identifying the problem.
• Further research: Once the data has been obtained, the researcher will
continue his study through descriptive investigation. Qualitative methods are
used to further study the subject in detail and find out if the information is true or
not.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

• They are not structured studies.

• It is usually low cost, interactive and open ended.

• It will enable a researcher answer questions like what is the problem? What is the purpose of
the study? And what topics could be studied?

• To carry out exploratory research, generally there is no prior research done or the existing
ones do not answer the problem precisely enough.

• It is a time consuming research and it needs patience and has risks associated with it.

• The researcher will have to go through all the information available for the particular study he
is doing.

• There are no set of rules to carry out the research per se, as they are flexible, broad and
scattered.

• The research needs to have importance or value. If the problem is not important in the
industry the research carried out is ineffective.

• The research should also have a few theories which can support its findings as that will make
it easier for the researcher to assess it and move ahead in his study.
WHY CONDUCT EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH?

The purpose of exploratory research is intertwined with the

need for a clear and precise statement of the recognized
problem. Three interrelated forms of exploratory research
exist:
• Diagnosing a situation
• Screening alternatives, and
• Discovering new ideas.
PURPOSE OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN

• The main purpose of such studies is to formulate a problem

for more precise investigation or to develop the working
hypothesis from an operational point of view.
IMPORTANCE OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

• Exploratory research is carried out when a topic needs to be understood in depth, especially if
it hasn’t been done before. The goal of such a research is to explore the problem and around
it and not actually derive a conclusion from it. Such kind of research will enable a researcher
to set a strong foundation for exploring his ideas, choosing the right research design and
finding variables that actually are important for the in-depth analysis. Most importantly, such a
research can help organizations or researchers save up a lot of time and resources, as it will
enable the researcher to know if it worth pursuing.
 EXPLORATORY RESEARCH DESIGN ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES :

Exploratory Research is a method of research that allows quick and easy insights into data, looking for
patterns or anomalies. It’s fast, efficient, and can provide answers very quickly.
Here are several advantages and disadvantages :

• The researcher has a lot of flexibility and can adapt to changes as the research progresses.

• It is usually low cost.

• It helps lay the foundation of a research, which can lead to further research.

• It enables the researcher understand at an early stage, if the topic is worth investing the time and
resources and if it is worth pursuing.

• It can assist other researchers to find out possible causes for the problem, which can be further studied
in detail to find out, which of them is the most likely cause for the problem.
DISADVANTAGES OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

• Even though it can point you in the right direction towards what is the answer,
it is usually inconclusive.
• The main disadvantage of exploratory research is that they provide
qualitative data. Interpretation of such information can be judgmental and
biased.
• Most of the times, exploratory research involves a smaller sample, hence the
results cannot be accurately interpreted for a generalized population.
• Many a times, if the data is being collected through secondary research, then
there is a chance of that data being old and is not updated.
CHALLENGES OF EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH
• Exploratory research can be a powerful tool for gaining new knowledge and understanding, but it
has its own challenges. Here are just a few of them:
• Exploratory research is often exploratory in nature, which means that it’s not always clear what
the researcher’s goal is. The researcher may not know exactly what questions to ask or what
data to collect. This can lead to frustration and confusion for the researcher, as well as for those
who participate in the research.
• Exploratory research can be time-consuming and difficult. It can require a lot of effort to
determine which questions to ask, how to collect data, and how to analyze it. This can make it
difficult for researchers to complete their projects on time or budget constraints.
• Although exploratory research can be useful, it cannot always produce reliable or valid results.
This is because exploratory research is often based on hypotheses rather than facts. If the
hypothesis is incorrect or unsupported, the results of the research may be misleading or invalid.
• Finally, exploratory research cannot always reveal all of the
information that’s relevant to an issue or problem. This is
because exploratory research often relies on open-ended
questions, which are not well suited to revealing all the
information that is critical to solving a problem or issue.
CONCLUSION :
• Exploratory research is a type of research conducted for a
problem that has not been clearly defined.
• Helps determine the best research design, data collection
method and selection of subjects.
• Exploratory research is not typically generalizable to the
population at large.