Business Research Methods

Lecture Overview

Course overview Information & the Management Information System (MIS) Business research – what is it? Characteristics of scientific research Types of Business research Philosophical bases of research Key research terms Research process – the main steps Research brief Current issues Research Ethics

Course Overview: Research Methods

Why is information needed?

Market/Environment

Strategic planning

Customers needs

Competition

Business managersneed

information on…

The Management Information SystemThe Management Information System

Marketing Information System

Management Info System

Developing InformationInformation

analysisInternalrecords

ResearchBus/Tourism

Marketintelligence

DistributingInformation

Assessinginformation needs

Business Manager

Business EnvironmentBusiness Environment

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Research & the management process

Research is a fundamental component of the process of management and the management decision process

Research is key element of the management information system

Can be used to analyse and monitor market opportunities

Can be helpful in providing insight into organisational and individual behaviour

Where is the Research function located within an organisation if at all?

Marketing Department (Mkt Info System)

Research Department that undertakes research work for the Mkt dept and other research – on both internal and external customers

Engage an independent Research Company to conduct research

What is business research?

Systematic and organised effort to investigate a specific problem or opportunity with the goal of finding answers to the issues

Marketing/Tourism research and business research should be considered one and the same

Marketing / Tourism research is different in the focus but not in the process or outcomes from developing rigor and balance in the research process.

Business Research

Business research is an organised, systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific problem or issue with the purpose of finding solutions to it or clarifying it.

Characteristics of scientific research :Factors to evaluate research

Research must be conducted with:– Clear purpose – Relevance– Timely– Efficiency– Quality – Accurate, Reliable & Valid– Objectivity– Ethical Limitations of scientific research in behavioural areas

Types of Business Research

Applied – done with the intention of applying results to specific problems in the business

Basic/Pure – to enhance the understanding of problems that commonly occur across a range of organisations. Undertaken to extend knowledge

Why study Business research

A tool that can be used in any discipline Foundation of both business and academic best

practice If you are not a researcher in the future chances are

that you will be a user of research – allows use it in more sophisticated and creative ways

Allows you to sift for reliable information Allows you to evaluate other peoples research.

Philosophical bases of research

Paradigm reflects a basic set of philosophical beliefs about the nature of the world.

– Give guidelines and principles in the way research is conducted within a paradigm

– Research methods and techniques should be in sympathy with the paradigm

Research Paradigms – Positivist; Interpretative; Critical; Feminist; Postmodern

Paradigm – a set of beliefs Ontology – the nature of reality Epistemology – relationship between researcher and the

subject/object/respondent Methodology – set of guidelines for conducting research; tools for data

collection & analysis

Key Research Terms

Observations - perceptions of reality– Fact – universal truth; supported by measurable

evidence– Opinion – person’s belief

Concepts – general representations of ideas to be studied ie service value; service quality

Variables – concepts that are operationalised so it can be observed & measured

Quantitative Res; Qualitative Res

Reality is objective & singular; apart from researcher

Researcher is independent of that being researched

Concepts are in the form of distinct variables

Measures are systematically created before data collection & are standardised

Reality is subjective & multiple, as seen by participants

Researcher interacts with that being researched

Concepts are in the form of themes, generalisations

Measures are open ended questions created for the specific research setting

Quantitative Res; Qualitative Res

Data are in the form of numbers from precise measurements

There are many subjects or respondents

Procedures are standard - replication

Analysis – use statistics Methods – Survey, Experiment

Triangulation – mixed method approach; both qual & quant methods are used; will be a predominant use of one method.

Data are in the form of words from documents, transcripts

Generally few subjects or participants

Procedures not easily replicated

Analysis – extract themes from evidence & present a coherent picture

Methods – indepth interviews; focus groups; observations; panels; case studies

Key Research Terms

Secondary research – researcher uses previously collected data

Primary research – collection of original data by researcher

Research Design- framework or blueprint for conducting the research.

– Exploratory– Descriptive– Causal (hypothesis testing)Should note that researchers my use a singular, dual or

multiple research design

Why should management not automatically commission a research

study?

Identify a number of situations when research may be inappropriate.

Possible reasons

Information is already available There is insufficient time for research (tight

deadlines) Resources are not available (insufficient

funding) Costs outweigh the value of the research

Stages in the Research Process

Research process

Step One Problem definition

– Management problem– Research problem (in the form of a question [s])– Research objectives– Estimate the value of the information

Research process

Step two Research design – plan or blueprint for

gathering the data– Linked to next 2 steps in research process– Techniques to be used– Who will be involved - respondents– How the data will be gathered– How it will be analysed

Research process

Step three Sampling / representation

– How will we group people, objects, things– How will we select them– Why will we select them

Note: even for qualitative research we need to identify the participants/respondents and justify

Research process

Step Four Data collection, Data Preparation/Processing

and Analysis– How data is collected – How it is recorded– How data is analysed– Interpretation of findings to arrive at conclusions

Research process

Step five Recommendations and reporting

– Analysing data is not enough, it is important to be able to interpret your finding and include them in a report that the client can understand, interpret and apply to the management problem

– Oral presentation of the research results to client

Report writing and presentation

Permanent record of the entire project Quality of work is usually judged by the final

report and presentation Should influence the action taken by

management Needed if you are doing the course -

Research Project

Research Brief

A document provided by the client to the research agency that describes the business decision problem and the expectations of a research study design to collect information to make the decision.

Includes: purpose, background, any previous research, need for research, research objectives, target audience, level of reporting, budget, timeline, expectations of proposal/selection criteria, professional membership/quality assurance information, contact details

Current issues

Privacy Act was enacted on the 21st December 2001, changed the procedures for conducting primary research

Growth of sugging (selling under the guise of a survey), frugging (fund raising under the guise of a survey), dugging (developing a database under the guise research) and telemarketing

– These practices violate the respondents’ trust and erode willingness to support legitimate surveys

Misuse of research and reporting of findings by the media

Ethical Research

Ethical Research Practices: those practices and procedures that lead to:

protection of human & non-human subjects appropriate methodology inferences, conclusions & recom. based on

actual findings; & complete & accurate research reports

Ethics: Interaction of Rights and Obligations

Subject Researcher Client

Researcher’s Obligation Researcher’s Obligation

Researcher’s Rights Researcher’s Rights

Subject’s Obligation Client’s Obligation

Subject’s Rights

Client’s Obligations

Subject’s Rights Client’s Rights

Ethics

Most research involves three parties1. Researcher

2. Client and

3. Respondent/ subject/ participant

+ the public at large

Rights and responsibilities of the above stakeholders will be explored in the tutorial. Visit the MRSA website; and SR 1.1

Scientific Misconduct

Research fraud - falsifies or distorts the data or the methods of data collection;

Plagiarism - steals the ideas & writings of others without citing the source.

Unethical but Legal - behaviour may be unethical but not break the law

Summary

Research and the MIS What is research? & the main characteristics Applied & Basic/pure research Research paradigm – positivist, interpretative Key research terms – concept; variable; qualitative;

quantitative; research design – exploratory, descriptive, causal; primary & secondary research

Research process – steps Research brief Research ethics – researcher, respondent, client &

public