Lesson No 3 - Basic Research Process

THETHEBASIC RESEARCH BASIC RESEARCH

PROCESSPROCESS

BASIC RESEARCH PROCESS 1

BASIC RESEARCH PROCESSBASIC RESEARCH PROCESS 22

OBSERVATION(BROAD AREA OF

RESEARCH INTEREST

IDENTIFIED)

PRELIMINARYDATA GATHERING

(INTERVIEWS,LITERATURE

SURVEY)

PROBLEMDEFINITION

FORMULATIONOF THEORATICAL

FRAMEWORK

IDENTIFICATIONOF VARIABLES

GENERATIONOF

HYPOTHESIS

DATACOLLECTION,

ANALYSIS &

INTERPRET-ATION

CREATIONOF

SCIENTIFICRESEARCH

DESIGN

DEDUCTIONS:HYPOTHESIS

SUBSTANTIATED?

RESEARCH QUESTIONANSWERED?

REPORTWRITING

REPORTPRESENTATION

MANAGERIALDECISIONMAKING

YES

NO


RESEARCH INTEREST

IDENTIFIED)

PROBLEMDEFINITION



SURVEY)


RESEARCH INTEREST

IDENTIFIED)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


RESEARCH INTEREST

IDENTIFIED)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


RESEARCH INTEREST

IDENTIFIED)



SURVEY)

PROBLEMDEFINITION

OBSERVATION(IDENTIFICATIONOF BROAD AREA OF RESEARCH

INTEREST)


INTEREST)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


INTEREST)



SURVEY)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


INTEREST)



SURVEY)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


INTEREST)



SURVEY)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


INTEREST)

33BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC BRM 2 - SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATIONINVESTIGATION

1. IDENTIFICATION OF A SITUATION OR PROBLEM

2. PLANNING THE RESEARCH

3. EXAMINING THE QUESTION IN DETAIL

4. REFORMULATING THE PROJECT

5. CHOOSING THE METHOD OF RESEARCH TO ADOPT

6. COLLECTING DATA

7. COMPILATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF COLLECTED DATA

8. WRITING OF RESEARCH REPORT

9. PUTTING THE RESULTS INTO ACTION

STEPS IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS



1. IDENTIFICATION OF A SITUATION OR PROBLEM

INVOLVES FORMULATION OF A RESEARCH QUESTION TO WHICH YOU WISH TO FIND ANSWERS

NEED TO RESOLVE IF UNDERTAKING OF A RESEARCH PROJECT IS THE BEST WAY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM (OR ALTERNATE OPTIONS SUCH AS BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS, DISCUSSIONS, OPINIONS OF SPECIALISTS etc ARE AVAILABLE)

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR CONDUCTING RESEARCH MAY BE: ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM IS PERSISTENT AND CURRENT METHODS

ARE NO LONGER SUITED TO ITS RESOLUTION A NEW SITUATION HAS ARISEN WHICH HAS NO PRECEDENT

ESTABLISH IF RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT ARE SUITABLE

SPECIFICALLY DEFINE THE SITUATION OR PROBLEM WHICH INVOLVES:

ASCERTAINING WHAT ASPECT(S) OF THE ISSUE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW

WHY DO YOU WANT TO EXPLORE THE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED

WHAT SHOULD BE THE SCOPE OF YOUR PROJECT




2. PLANNING THE RESEARCH• REQUIRES SUITABLE DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES, ACTIVITY

PLANNING AND STRICT ADHERENCE TO A TIGHT TIME SCHEDULE

• GOOD PLANNING AT THIS STAGE WILL RESULT IN A MORE PRECISE REQUEST FOR FINANCING AND A MORE ACCURATE TIME SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETION OF EACH STEP OF THE PROJECT

3. EXAMINING THE QUESTION IN DETAIL

BASED ON OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS A RESEARCH TOPIC HAS TO BE DEVELOPED WHICH EXPLAINS THE PROJECT

TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL, THE RESEARCH TOPIC MUST BE BASED ON CONCRETE EXPERIENCE OR MOST PERTINENT DATA AVAILABLE RELATED TO THE AREA OF THE STUDY.

ESSENTIAL PHASES IN DEFINING THE RESEARCH TOPIC INVOLVE: LITERATURE REVIEW COLLECTION OF BASIC DATA IN THE FIELD THROUGH

DISCUSSIONS, INTERVIEWS, etc FORMULATION OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS FORMULATION OF THEORY AND VARIABLES IMPACTING ON THE

ISSUE FORMULATION OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS




4. REFORMULATING THE PROJECT

• PLANS ARE RE-EVALUATED IN THE LIGHT OF DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSES AND SCOPE OF THE PROJECT ESTABLISHED

• IF NECESSARY MODIFY ORIGINAL PLANS TO ADJUST TO LIMITATIONS OF TIME AND MONEY AVAILABLE

5. CHOOSING THE METHOD OF RESEARCH TO BE ADOPTED

INVOLVES:

DEFINING AND REFINING A RESEARCH APPROACH SUITED TO THE RESOLUTION OF THE DEFINED PROBLEM

DEFINING AND CONSTITUTING THE SAMPLE

CHOOSING AND PREPARING DATA COLLECTION TOOLS

EVALUATING THE SELECTED TOOL(S) THROUGH PRETESTS (IN QUANTATIVE RESEARCH)

DECISIONS ON THESE ISSUES WILL AFFECT THE RESEARCH PROCESS

VALIDITY LARGELY DEPENDS ON CLARITY AND PRECISION OF DATA COLLECTION METHOD ADOPTED




6. COLLECTING DATA

7. COMPILATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF COLLECTED DATA

8. WRITING OF RESEARCH REPORT

9. PUTTING THE RESULTS INTO ACTION



THE INITIAL RESEARCH PROCESS

COVERS:•IDENTIFICATION OF THE BROAD AREA OF RESEARCH INTEREST

• PRELIMINARY DATA GATHERING

• PROBLEM DEFINITION



SURVEY)

PROBLEMDEFINITION


INTEREST)



IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM AREA

• REFERS TO AN ENTIRE SITUATION WHERE ONE SEES A POSSIBLE NEED FOR RESEARCH AND PROBLEM SOLVING

• POSSIBLE PROBLEM AREAS IDENTIFIED AT THIS STAGE MAY BE

• A PROBLEM CURRENTLY EXISTING

• SITUATIONS REQUIRING IMPROVEMENT

• CONCEPTUAL ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE TIGHTENED

• NEED TO FIND SOME ANSWERS EMPERICALLY

• SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE RESEARCHED MAY NOT BE IDENTIFIABLE AT HIS STAGE


NATURE OF DATA TO BE GATHERED• BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE

ORGANIZATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES,

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS & /OR THE WEB MAY INCLUDE:

• ORIGINS,

• SIZE,

• CHARTER,

• LOCATION(S),

• RESOURCES,

• RELATIONSHIPS

• FINANCIAL POSITION




NATURE OF DATA TO BE GATHERED• INFO ON STRUCTURAL FACTORS & MANAGEMENT

PHILOSOPHY OBTAINED THROUGH DIRECT QUESTIONS FROM

MANAGEMENT OFFER IDEA OF PRIORITIES & VALUES OF THE COMPANY:

• WHETHER COMPANY HAS ANY SHORT/LONG TERM GOALS. IF SO, WHAT ARE THEY

• NATURE OF CONTROL EXERCISED

• ABILITY TO TAKE RISKS

• WHETHER PEOPLE-ORIENTED OR SOLELY PROFIT-ORIENTED

• ASPECTS OF COMPANY STRUCTURE




NATURE OF DATA TO BE GATHERED• PERCEPTIONS, ATTITUDES & BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES

ATTITUDES: NATURE OF WORK, INTERDEPENDENCIES, MOTIVATIONAL THEMES ADOPTED SUCH AS REWARDS & INCENTIVES, OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCEMENT, COMMUNITY RELATED POLICIES, LEAVE POLICIES, ETC

BEHAVIORAL FACTORS: INDUSTROUSNESS, ABSENTEEISM, PERFORMANCE ON THE JOB, ETC

ACQUIRED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH EMPLOYEES, OBSERVING THEM & SEEKING RESPONSES TO QUESTIONAIRRES

GOOD RAPPORT AND INTERACTION WITH EMPLOYEES FACILITATES ASSESSMENT




LITERATURE SURVEYLITERATURE SURVEY DOCUMENTATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF

PUBLISHED & UNPUBLISHED WORK FROM SECONDARY SOURCES OF DATA IN THE AREA OF SPECIFIC INTEREST TO RESEARCHER

PURPOSE IS TO ENSURE THAT:

• NO IMPORTANT VARIABLE THAT, IN THE PAST HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE IMPACTING ON SUCH A PROBLEM, IS IGNORED

• TO OBVIATE WORKING ON ISSUES ALREADY RESEARCHED

FACILITATES CREATIVE INTEGRATION OF INFO OBTAINED FROM INTERVIEWS WITH THAT FOUND IN PREVIOUS STUDIES

HELPS DEVELOP THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH HYPOTHESES CAN BE DEVELOPED FOR TESTING




CONDUCT OF LITERATURE SURVEYCONDUCT OF LITERATURE SURVEY• IDENTIFICATION OF RELAVENT SOURCES. THREE FORMS OF DATABASES

COME IN HANDY: BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASES. DISPLAY ONLY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATIONS ABSTRACT DATABASES. ALSO PROVIDE SUMMARY OF ARTICLE FULL TEXT DATABASES. PROVIDE FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE

• EXTRACTING RELAVENT INFO• WRITING OF LITERATURE REVIEW SHOULD COVER:

CLEAR & LOGICAL PRESENTATION OF WORK DONE THUS FAR CITATION OF AUTHORS OF WORKS QUOTED/REFERRED TO MUST CONVINCE READER THAT RESEARCH IS KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT

THE PROBLEM AREA & THEORATICAL FRAMEWORK WILL BE STRUCTURED ON WORK ALREADY UNDERTAKEN

IDENTIFICATION OF AREAS NOT YET REVIEWED

• WORKS MUST BE COHERENTLY PRESENTED, NOT CHRONOLOGICALLY. IT SHOULD FOCUS ON FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS, NOT STATEMENTS

• GOOD REVIEW SHOULD LEAD TO A GOOD PROBLEM STATEMENT




PROBLEM DEFINITION

• A “PROBLEM” IMPLIES A SITUATION WHERE A GAP EXISTS

BETWEEN ACTUAL & DESIRED STATES. (IT CAN ALSO BE

REFERRED TO AS AN “ISSUE”)

• VERY IMPORTANT TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN

SYMPTOMS OF THE PROBLEM & PROBLEM ITSELF

• CRITICAL THAT THE FOCUS OF FURTHER RESEARCH IS

UNAMBIGUOUSLY IDENTIFIED

• PROBLEM DEFINITION. A CLEAR, PRECISE & SUCCINCT

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE THAT IS TO BE INVESTIGATED

WITH THE GOAL OF FINDING AN ANSWER OR SOLUTION





•ETHICAL ISSUES IN PRELIMINARY STAGES OF INVESTIGATION

•INFORMING EMPLOYEES OF PURPOSE

OF INTERVIEWS

•ELIMINATION OF UNPLEASENT SURPRISES

•ASSURANCES OF CONFIDENTIALITY

•AVOID ACQUIRING INFO THROUGH DECEPTIVE MEANS


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Lesson No 3 - Basic Research Process