Business Research Nature &amp Scope

BUSINESS RESEARCH
MS108
Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 1

SCHEME OF EVALUATION
SR.N EVALUATION MARKS WEIGHTAGE OUT
O. CATEGORY ALLOTTED OF 40
1 Written Internal Test 40 15
2 Report ( I to IV) (15*4)=60 10
Via Voice 40 05
Business Research
Project 100 15
3 Written Assignments/ (15*4)=60

Class room Presentations
Class Room Activities
60 10
TOTAL 200 40

UNIT 1- SESSION DETAILS
Session 1&2 – LECTURE - Nature & scope of business
Announcement - BRP-Part I
Session 3&4 – LECTURE –Research process; Problem identification &
definition, Determination of information need
Session 5&6 – LECTURE – Hypothesis formulation

Announcement - ASSIGNMENT 1 (Business research exe.)
Session 7 - LECTURE – Developing research proposal
Session 8 - Class Room Presentations by all syndicates on Ass. 1

Submission - Assignment 1 (Business research exe. Report)

UNIT 1
SESSION 1 & 2
BUSINESS RESEARCH DEFINITION,

NATURE AND SCOPE

Research
A careful investigation or inquiry

specially through search for new facts
in any branch of knowledge

What is Research?
 The task of research is to generate accurate

information for use in decision making. The
emphasis of research is on shifting decision
makers from intuitive information gathering to
systematic and objective investigation.
 Research is defined as the systematic and
objective process of gathering, recording and
analyzing data for aid in making decisions
Objectives
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to
explore new ideas.
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a
particular individual, situation or a group.
3. To determine the frequency with which
something occurs or with which it is associated.
4. To establish a cause and effect relationship and
test the relationship between two variables.

Why is Research Needed / Important /
Necessary IN Business?
EFFCETIVE DECISION MAKING

 UNAVAILABILITY OF PORTABLE
SOLUTIONS
 FREQUENTLY CHANGING BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
 TO EXPLORE NEW MARKETS &
OPPORTUNITES
 TO IDENTIFY PROBLEM AREAR etc……

Characteristics of Research
1. Research begins with a problem in the form of a
question in the mind of the researcher.
2. Research demands the identification of a problem,
stated in clear, unambiguous terms.
3. Research requires a plan.
4. Research deals with the main problem through
appropriate sub-problems.
5. Research seeks direction through appropriate
hypotheses and is based upon obvious assumptions.
6. Research deals with facts and their meaning.
7. Research is circular.

Types of Business Research
1. Basic Research
2. Applied research
1. Descriptive Vs Analytical
2. Applied (Basic) Vs Fundamental (Applied)
3. Quantitative Vs Qualitative
4. Conceptual Vs Empirical
5. Special types of research

Other Types of Research
Based on the purposes for which the researches are
conducted, they may be divided into following categories:
1. Baseline/Bench-mark survey/Research.
2. Evaluation Research:
a) Formative Evaluation (Mid-term)
b) Terminal Evaluation.
3. Impact assessment/research
4. Feasibility studies.

Nature of Research
a.BR- As an economic resource

b BR- As a system of authority
c. BR- As an activity of business management
d. BR- As a Team effort
e. BR- AS an art or science
f. BR- As a profession
g. BR- As an interdisciplinary system

Scope & Application in Various
Functions of Business
Management

Scope of Market Research

1.Advertising Research
a. Motivation research
b. Copy research
c. Media research
d. Studies of advertisement effectiveness
e. other
2. Business economic and corporate research
a. Short range forecasting

b. Long range forecasting
c. Studies of business trends
d. Pricing studies
e. Plant and warehouse location studies
f. product mix studies
g. Acquisition Studies
h. Export and international studies
i. Others
3. Corporate responsibility research
a. Consumers’ “ rights to know” studies

b. Ecological impact studies
c. Studies of legal constraints
d. Social values and policies studies
e. Others

4. Product research
5. Packaging research

6. Sales and market research
a. Measurement of market potential

b. Market share analysis
c. Sales analysis
d. Establishment of sales quotas & territories

e. Distribution channel studies
f. Test markets
g. Consumer panel operation
h. Sales compensation studies
I Promotional studies
j. Others

MAJOR ASSIGNMENT
BUSINESS RESEARCH PROJCET
SECTION A
SECTION B
SUBMISSION – SESSION 9
BRP – PART I PRESENTATION – SESSION 10
( By all the syndicates of 5-7 Min. duration)

UNIT 1
SESSION 3 & 4
PROBLEM IDENTIFIACTION
AND
DEFINITION

What Is A Research Problem?
It refers to some difficulty which a

researcher experiences in context of either
a theoretical or practical situation and
wants to obtain a solution for the same.

Components of a research problem
*There must be an individual or a group or an
organization
*There must be at least two courses of action
*There must be at least two possible outcomes
*The courses of actions available must provide some

chance of obtaining the objective
* There must be some environment to which the difficulty

pertains
Selecting a problem
Following points to be avoided while
selecting a problem,
1. Overdone Subject
2, Controversial subject
3. Too narrow and too vague problem
4. Unfeasible subject
5. Uneconomical and time consuming
problem
Steps involved in defining a problem
(1) General definition of the problem

(2) Understanding the nature of the problem
(3) Surveying the literature available
(4) Developing the ideas
(5) Rephrasing the problem

Research question
*Questions in the mind of researcher
*All are able to achieve research

objective/ to solve research problem if
put together
Three types of Research questions
A. Descriptive questions
B. Comparison Questions
C. Relational Questions
 Association Questions (Happening together)
 Causal Questions
a. Concomitant Variation (two things vary

together)
b. Time sequence of the variable (Occurrence of
two variables)
c. Cause variable (Reasons behind
Illustration
1) What sport matches your personality?
Research questions
1. Sociability
2. Spontaneity
3. Discipline
4, Aggressiveness
5. Competitiveness
6. Mental focus
7. Risk taking
1. Sociability
2. Spontaneity
3. Discipline
4, Aggressiveness
5. Competitiveness
6. Mental focus
7. Risk taking
Variables Very High High Medium Low Very Low
1 *
2 *
3 *
4 *
5 *
6 *
7
Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta * 31
Possible Answers
1. Carom
2. Jogging

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Define Research
Problem &
Research
Objective
[II] [II]
Review concepts Review previous
and theories research finding
[III]
Formulate
Hypothesis
[IV]
Design research
(Including Sample
design) F
FF
[V]
Collect data
FF (Execution)
F
[VI] Analyze Data
(Test Hypothesis) [IX] Report
preparation
F
[VII] Interpretation [VIII] Actionable
and Implications Proposition
(I) Defining the Research Problem
“A problem well defined is half solved “
Two steps are involved defining the research problem
a. Understanding the problem thoroughly and
b. Rephrasing the same into meaningful terms from
analytical point of view
Techniques for preliminary investigation

a. Situation Analysis
b. Informal investigations
Researcher can review two types of literature

a. The conceptual literature
b. The empirical literature
(II) Review of theories, concepts
and previous research finding
•Background of the study

•Research questions
•Formulation of Hypothesis

(III) Development of Working Hypothesis
Working hypothesis is tentative assumption

made in order to draw out and test its logical
or empirical consequences
Approach
1. Discussion with colleagues and experts

2. Examination of data and records
3. Review of the same
4. Exploratory personal investigation which
involves original field interviews
(IV) Research Designs (including sample
design)
Research Design is the basic framework which

provides guidelines for the rest of the research
work. It is a map or a blueprint according to
which the research is to be conducted.

Research design categories
a. Exploratory research designs
b. Descriptive research designs
c. Causal research designs

Following points must be considered while selecting
any of the research designs available
1. The means of obtaining the information
2. The availability and skills of the researcher and his

staff
3. Time available
4. Cost factor
5. sampling plan

Sample design
A sample design is a definite plan determined before

any data is actually collected for obtaining a sample
from a given population
It provides answer to the following four questions;
1. What sampling unit should be studied ?

2. What should be the sample size?
3. What sample procedure should be used?
4. What contact method should be used
(IV) Data collection
A. Primary Data Collection Tools
1. By observation
2. Through personal interview
3. Through telephone interviews
4. Through Schedules
5. By mailing questionnaire
B. Secondary Data Collection Tools

1. Printed information
2. Already available information in other forms
(V) Analysis of data
The researcher should classify the raw data into some

purposeful and usable categories.
Three operations have to de done before the raw data is
brought in a form to be analyzed further.
a. Coding
b. Editing
c. Tabulation

After successful completion of above operations
following three steps are there to follow to complete
Data analysis
1. Hypothesis Testing
a. Chi Square
b. F- test
c. Z test
2. Generalization
3. Interpretation
(VII) Interpretation and Implications
(VIII) Actionable Implications
(IX) Report Preparation

UNIT 1
SESSION 5 & 6
HYPOTHESIS FORMULATION

Hypothesis
A tentative explanation for an

observation, phenomenon, or scientific
problem that can be tested by further
investigation. A hypothesis describes in
concrete terms, in the form of a
statement, what you expect will happen
in your study.
following aspects should be kept in mind when
formulating a hypothesis:
 Hypotheses can only be formulated after the researcher has gained
enough knowledge regarding the nature, extent and intensity of the
problem.
 Hypotheses should figure throughout the research process in order

to give structure to the research.
 Hypotheses are tentative statements/solutions or explanations of the

formulated problem. Care should be taken not to over-simplify and
generalize the formulation of hypotheses.
 The research problem does not have to consist of one hypothesis

only. The type of problem area investigated, the extent which
encircles the research field are the determinating factors on how
many hypotheses will be included in the research proposal.
Criteria for the formulation of a hypothesis
following criteria are of importance in formulating
hypotheses. A hypothesis should:
 stand a test;
 be expressed in clear language;
 be in accordance with the general theme of other
hypotheses statements in the same field of study, and
should be regarded as valid;
 be. coordinated with the theory of science;
 be a tentative answer to the formulated problem;
 be logical and simplistic;
 consider available research techniques (to be able to
analyze and interpret the results);
 be specific; and
 Be relevant to the collection of empirical
phenomenon and not merely conclude value
judgments
 In case of exploratory research generally

there exist no hypothesis
Steps in
Formulating
a Hypothesis

• 1.Decide what you want to explain: choose a
dependent variable
• 2. Choose independent variables that also show

variation
• 3. Think of multiple causes of the dependent

variable
• 4. Consider alternative measures of both the

dependent and independent variables.

VARIABLES AND ATTRIBUTES
 Variable –
any entity that can take on different values. Anything that
can be assigned a value.
Age can change. Nationality can differ.
Variables are not always ‘quantitative’ or numerical.
Attribute –
a specific value on a variable
The variable sex or gender has two attributes: male
and female.
Or,
The variable agreement might be defined as having

five attributes:
 1=strongly agree
 2=disagree
 3=neutral
 4=agree
 5=strongly agree
TYPES of VARIABLES
 Independent Variable
 Dependent Variable
Example
Research question – “How could extended use of the Internet
negatively affect college students’ academic performance?”
Extended use of the Internet negatively affects most college
students’ academic performance
Independent variable = internet use

 attributes: high, moderate, low, none
Dependent variable = Performance

Attributes: Good, average, Bad
Variable Traits
 A. Exhaustive
 B. Mutually exclusive

Different forms of Hypothesis
 A. Non Directional Hypothesis

All examples of associated difference, sometimes called
non directional hypotheses
 B. Directional Hypothesis
1. With magnitude
2. Without magnitude
TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS
The prediction is that variables A and B are

related.
The only other possible outcome is that variables A
and B are not related
 A.NULL HYPOTHESIS
 B. ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS
The Null Hypothesis
 In statistics, a null hypothesis set up to be nullified
or refuted
 which states that "there is no phenomenon". It is a
hypothesis that is presumed true until statistical

evidence in the form of a hypothesis test indicates
otherwise
H0:μ1 = μ2
where:
H0 = the null hypothesis
μ1 = the mean of population 1, and
μ2 = the mean of population 2.
The Alternative Hypothesis
The alternative hypothesis is simply the question

you are asking
Denoted by HA or H1
Just opposite to Null Hypothesis
H1: μ1 = μ2
TWO TAILED V/s ONE TAILED TEST
EXAMPLE
you are investigating the effects of a new employee training
program and that you believe one of the outcomes will be that
there will be less employee absenteeism. Your two hypotheses
might be stated something like this:
 The null hypothesis for this study is:
 HO: As a result of the XYZ company employee training
program, there will either be no significant difference in
employee absenteeism or there will be a significant increase.
 which is tested against the alternative hypothesis:
 HA: As a result of the XYZ company employee training
program, there will be a significant decrease in employee
absenteeism.

 ONE TAILED TEST

 TWO TAILED TEST

Assignment 1
BUSINESS ass-1.docRESEARCH
EXERCISE

UNIT 1
SESSION 7 & 8
How To Write a Research Proposal

 The goal of a research proposal (RP) is to
present and justify a research idea you have
and to present the practical ways in which you
think this research should be conducted.

Having decided on the research topic and defined a clear
research question or set of questions, together with appropriate
methods of seeking answers, you now need to convey your plan
of research clearly in a research proposal.
Research proposals serve a number of purposes. Among them:
 They convince others that your research is worth undertaking.
 They enable you to demonstrate expertise and competency in
your particular area of study.

 They may serve as a contract between the researcher and her
funders.
 They serve as a planning tool for the researcher

 Regardless of your research area and the
methodology you choose, all research
proposals must address the following
questions:
 What you plan to accomplish,
 why you want to do it and
 how you are going to do it.

Title:
 It should be concise and descriptive
 Often titles are stated in terms of a functional

relationship, because such titles clearly indicate the
independent and dependent variables.
 However, if possible, think of an informative but
catchy title. An effective title not only pricks the
reader's interest, but also predisposes him/her
favorably towards the proposal.

 Abstract:
 It is a brief summary of approximately 300
words. It should include the research
question, the rationale for the study, the
hypothesis (if any), the method and the main
findings.

Introduction:
 The main purpose of the introduction is to provide the necessary background

or context for your research problem
 try to place your research question in the context of either a current "hot"
area, or an older area that remains viable.

 Secondly, you need to provide a brief but appropriate historical backdrop.
 Thirdly, provide the contemporary context in which your proposed research

question occupies the central stage.
 Finally, identify "key players" and refer to the most relevant and
representative publications.

The introduction generally covers the following elements:
 State the research problem, which is often referred to as the

purpose of the study.
 Provide the context and set the stage for your research
question in such a way as to show its necessity and
importance.
 Present the rationale of your proposed study and clearly

indicate why it is worth doing.
 Briefly describe the major issues and sub-problems to be

addressed by your research.

 Identify the key independent and dependent variables of your experiment.
Alternatively, specify the phenomenon you want to study.
 State your hypothesis or theory, if any. For exploratory or

phenomenological research, you may not have any hypotheses. (Please do
not confuse the hypothesis with the statistical null hypothesis.)
 Set the delimitation or boundaries of your proposed research in order to

provide a clear focus.
 Provide definitions of key concepts. (This is optional.)

Literature Review
 Ensures that you are not "reinventing the wheel".
 Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork for your research.
 Demonstrates your knowledge of the research problem.
 Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical and research issues

related to your research question.
 Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant literature information.
 Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the existing literature.

 Provides new theoretical insights or develops a new model as the
conceptual framework for your research.
 Convinces your reader that your proposed research will make a

significant and substantial contribution to the literature (i.e., resolving an
important theoretical issue or filling a major gap in the literature).

literature reviews suffer from the following problems:
 Lacking organization and structure
 Lacking focus, unity and coherence
 Being repetitive and verbose
 Failing to cite influential papers
 Failing to keep up with recent developments
 Failing to critically evaluate cited papers
 Citing irrelevant or trivial references
 Depending too much on secondary sources

Methods (Methodology):
 The Method section is very important because it tells your

Research Committee how you plan to tackle your
research problem
 In short, what actions are you going to take in order to

answer the question? When will you know whether the
hypothesis has been proven wrong, or has survived
enough tests to be considered, for now, valid? Those tests
and the way you are supposed to handle them to give
rigor to your research is what is understood under
methods.

Methods divide in qualitative (interviews, questionnaires) and quantitative (statistics,
stuff that deals intensively with numbers)
For quantitative studies, the method section typically consists of the following
sections:
 Design -Is it a questionnaire study or a laboratory experiment? What kind of

design do you choose?
 Subjects or participants - Who will take part in your study ? What kind of
sampling procedure do you use?
 Instruments - What kind of measuring instruments or questionnaires do you use?

Why do you choose them? Are they valid and reliable?
 Procedure - How do you plan to carry out your study? What activities are
involved? How long does it take?

 Results:
 Discussion: you also need to mention the
limitations and weaknesses of the proposed
research, which may be justified by time and
financial constraints as well as by the early
developmental stage of your research area.

Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing
 Failure to provide the proper context to frame the research question.

 Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research.
 Failure to cite landmark studies.
 Failure to accurately present the theoretical and empirical contributions by other
researchers.
 Failure to stay focused on the research question.
 Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the proposed research.
 Too much detail on minor issues, but not enough detail on major issues.
 Too much rambling -- going "all over the map" without a clear sense of direction.
(The best proposals move forward with ease and grace like a seamless river.)
 Too many citation lapses and incorrect references

SYNOPSIS
 1. Statement of Problem
 A. Introduction to subject
 B. Specific problem formulation
 2. Objective of study
 3. Scope of study
 4. Research methodology
 a. Hypothesis Formulation
 C. Data collection
 D. Analysis and presentation of data
 E. Limitation of study
5. Presentation of Study
6. Bibliography

 SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENT 1
 CLASS ROOM PRESENTATIONS
 DISCUSSION


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BUSINESS RESEARCH

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 1

3 Written Assignments/ (15*4)=60

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 2

Session 3&4 – LECTURE –Research process; Problem identification &

definition, Determination of information need

Session 5&6 – LECTURE – Hypothesis formulation

Session 8 - Class Room Presentations by all syndicates on Ass. 1

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 3

BUSINESS RESEARCH DEFINITION,

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 4

A careful investigation or inquiry

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 5

 The task of research is to generate accurate

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 7

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 8

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 9

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 10

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 11

a.BR- As an economic resource

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 12

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 13

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 14

d. Studies of advertisement effectiveness

a. Short range forecasting

a. Consumers’ “ rights to know” studies

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 17

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 18

a. Measurement of market potential

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 19

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 20

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 21

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 23

It refers to some difficulty which a

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 24

*There must be at least two courses of action

*There must be at least two possible outcomes

*The courses of actions available must provide some

* There must be some environment to which the difficulty

(1) General definition of the problem

(3) Surveying the literature available

(4) Developing the ideas

(5) Rephrasing the problem

*Questions in the mind of researcher

*All are able to achieve research

a. Concomitant Variation (two things vary

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 32

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 33

Techniques for preliminary investigation

Researcher can review two types of literature

•Background of the study

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 36

Working hypothesis is tentative assumption

1. Discussion with colleagues and experts

Research Design is the basic framework which

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 38

a. Exploratory research designs

b. Descriptive research designs

c. Causal research designs

Business Rreserach- Nature & Scope Prof. Parul Gupta 39

1. The means of obtaining the information

2. The availability and skills of the researcher and his