Business Research Design Research Notes PDF

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BUSINESS RESEARCH DESIGN

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INTRODUCTION!TO!RESEARCH!IN!A!CONTEMPORARY!BUSINESS!CONTEXT! ! ! 1) Introduction!to!Research! a) Research!is!a!consistent!and!systematic!way!of!asking!questions!and!seeking!answers! to!them.!Business!research!involves!gathering,!analyzing,!interpreting,!and!reporting! information!so!that!business!decision-makers!become!more!effective.! b) Two!main!philosophies!or!sets!of!beliefs!about!the!construction!of!knowledge:! i) Positivism!–!a!research!philosophy!that!views!truth!(i.e.!representing!reality)!as! something!that!can!be!objectively!ascertained!and!described!using!scientific! methods.!Core!assumptions!around!neutrality!of!knowledge!and!that!research! can!be!replicated.!A!goal!of!scientific!research!is!that!it!be!as!objective!as!possible! (is!independent!of!researchers’!opinion)!and!another!researcher!can!obtain!the! same!results!using!identical!procedures!employed!by!the!original!researcher.! ii) Interpretivism!–!asserts!that!all!access!to!reality!is!socially!constructed.!Research! that!takes!place!during!a!particular!time!and!place,!by!a!particular!researcher,! provides!one!interpretation!of!reality.!! (1) Researchers!attempt!to!understand!phenomena!through!meanings!assigned! to!them!by!individuals!rather!than!seeking!an!objective,!bias-free!reality.! Neither!truth!nor!reality!is!independent!of!social!construction.! (a) Who!determines!the!areas!that!are!researched?! (b) What!is!the!role!of!the!researcher!in!interpreting!the!results?! (c) Why!are!the!answers!sometimes!wrong?! (2) May!utilize!an!approach!called!phenomenology!–!a!qualitative!research! method!that!studies!human!experiences!and!consciousness.! (a) Examines!conscious!experiences!from!the!first!person!(interviewer!or! observer)!point!of!view,!and!ranges!from!experiences!involving! perceptions,!thoughts,!desires,!memories,!emotions,!and!imagination!to! bodily!awareness!and!social!interactions.! (b) Sometimes!referred!to!as!“lived!experiences.”! c) These!two!philosophies!are!associated!with!two!research!approaches:!! i) Interpretivism!is!associated!with!Inductive!reasoning!–!a!type!of!thinking!that! involves!identifying!patterns!in!a!data!set!to!reach!conclusions!and!build!theories.! (1) Researchers!are!attempting!to!build!their!theory!or!conceptual!framework! from!the!data!they!collect.! (2) Theory!built!through!inductive!reasoning!is!called!grounded!theory.! ii) Positivism!is!associated!with!Deductive!reasoning!–!starts!with!theory!and! hypotheses!before!collection!or!analysis!of!data.!! (1) Hypothesis!is!a!formal!statement!of!some!unproven!supposition!that! tentatively!explains!certain!facts!or!phenomena.!Generally,!a!hypothesis! restates!a!research!question!in!more!specific!terms.!Importance!of!generating! hypothesis!that!are!not!only!testable,!but!also!falsifiable.!!! d) Applied!vs.!basic!business!research! i) Applied!business!research!is!motivated!by!an!attempt!to!solve!a!particular! problem!faced!by!a!particular!organization!(e.g.,!Why!is!Pepsi!gaining!market! share!over!Coke!in!Paris?).! ii) Basic!business!research!is!motivated!by!a!desire!to!better!understand!some! 14

business-related!phenomena!as!it!applies!to!all!of!an!industry!or!all!of!business!in! general!(e.g.,!Why!are!people!drinking!more!bottled!water!and!less!cola?).! e) Pragmatics!of!Business!–!rigor!of!science!is!often!traded!off!against!the!pragmatics!of! business.!!!Good!research!also!follows!the!principle!of!parsimony.! i) Parsimony!–!a!simpler!solution!is!better!than!a!complex!solution.! ii) Parsimonious!research!–!applying!the!simplest!approach!that!will!address!the! research!question!satisfactorily.! ! 2) Trends!Impacting!Business!Research! a) International!Research! i) This!research!influences!decisions!often!involving!unfamiliar!cultures.! ii) Managerial!decisions!are!made!even!more!difficult!by!an!array!of!communication! barriers,!both!verbal!and!nonverbal.! iii) The!Internet!means!many!businesses!now!consider!the!world!their!market.! b) Relationship!Marketing! i) Relationship!marketing!emphasizes!long-term!interactions!between!a!business! and!its!stakeholders.! ii) Seeks!to!identify!mutually!beneficial!exchanges!where!both!the!firm!and!the! stakeholder!maximize!value.! iii) Has!placed!an!increased!emphasis!on!the!study!of!loyalty-related!factors.! (1) Employee!loyalty!issues:! (a) Turnover!–!the!average!tenure!of!an!employee!and!suggests!a! replacement!rate!needed!to!maintain!production.! (b) Organizational!commitment!–!the!degree!to!which!an!employee!identifies! with!the!goals!and!values!of!a!firm.! (2) Researchers!now!extend!the!idea!of!loyalty!to!customer!and!shareholder! populations.! (a) Customer!share!–!proportion!of!resources!a!customer!spends!with!one! firm!in!a!given!competitor!set.! (b) Customer!churn!–!the!annual!turnover!rate!of!customers.! (c) Customer!commitment!–!the!degree!to!which!customers!identify!with! the!values!of!a!firm.! c) Information!Revolution! i) There!are!several!information!technology!developments!having!a!great!impact! on!business!decision-making!and!research:! (1) Electronic!communication! (2) Networking! (3) Data!warehouses!–!information!stored!and!cataloged!in!an!electronic!format.! (4) Geographic!information!systems!(GIS)!can!create,!within!a!few!minutes,! numerous!maps!that!overlay!information!from!census!data!inventories!on! top!of!satellite!photo!imagery.! (5) Organization!learning!through!Data!mining!–!electronically!mining!data! warehouses!for!information!identifying!ways!to!improve!organization! performance.! (i) Analyst’s!tools!are!algorithms!that!automatically!analyze!potential! relationships!between!events!stored!in!the!electronic!warehouse.! (6) Satellite!technology! 15

(a) Business!research!even!extends!beyond!the!Earth.! (b) Global!Positioning!Satellite!(GPS)!devices!allow!real-time!tracking!of! movement.! ! 3) Who!Performs!Business!Research?! a) Reasons!why!hiring!an!outside!consultant!(researchers!not!employed!with!the!firm! needing!the!research)!is!more!advantageous!over!doing!the!research!in-house:! i) May!have!special!expertise!or!capabilities.! ii) Can!conduct!and!interpret!research!more!objectively.! iii) May!provide!fresh!insight!into!a!problem.! b) Reasons!why!internal!(in-house)!researchers!may!be!advantageous:! i) Can!provide!information!more!quickly!than!an!outside!agency.! ii) Employees!more!likely!to!collaborate!with!in-house!researchers.! iii) Can!often!do!the!research!for!less!money.! iv) May!be!better!able!to!follow!up!on!a!research!project.! ! OVERVIEW!OF!THE!RESEARCH!PROCESS! 1) The!Business!Research!Process! a) Business!research!process!–!provides!a!roadmap!with!directions!for!conducting!a! business!research!project.! b) Generally,!three!phases!are!involved:!formulation,!executing,!and!analytic!phases.! c) Formulation!stage!–!involves!defining!the!substance!and!process!of!the!research.! i) Confirm!the!need!for!the!research.! ii) Define!the!problem.! iii) Examine!the!literature.! (1) Literature!review!–!a!comprehensive!examination!of!the!published!and! unpublished!work!from!secondary!data!sources!in!the!areas!related!to!the! problem.! iv) Specify!research!questions!and!objectives.! (1) Redefine!the!initial!business!problem!in!scientific!terms.! (2) Has!relevant!data!been!collected!or!does!data!need!to!be!collected?! (3) Determine!the!unit!of!analysis,!the!basic!element!of!the!research!project,! who!or!what!in!the!study!that!the!researcher!wants!to!understand!and! describe.! (4) Unit!of!analysis!differs!from!unit!of!observation!which!is!the!individual!survey! respondent.! (5) Understanding!the!unit!of!analysis!helps!identify!key!informants!who!can!be! relied!on!for!answers!from!any!organization!or!geographic!region!or!group!in! general.! d) Execution!phase!–!researcher!is!actively!gathering!information!from!the!appropriate! sources.! i) Information!is!checked!for!errors,!coded,!and!stored!in!a!way!that!allows!it!to!be! analyzed!quickly!and!conveniently.! ii) Before!collecting!data,!the!researcher!must!first!decide!on!the!sampling!design.! e) Analytical!phase!–!Select!and!apply!a!method!for!analyzing!the!data.! 16

! 2) Research!Proposals! a) Research!Proposal!–!a!formal!document!summarizing!what!the!problem!is,!how!it! will!be!investigated,!how!much!it!will!cost,!and!how!long!the!research!will!take!to! complete.! b) Researcher!benefits:! i) Clarifies!that!the!problem!to!be!investigated!is!the!one!the!client!requested.! ii) Provides!a!direction!and!a!plan!for!the!researcher.! iii) Documents!the!agreement!between!the!researcher!and!the!client!and!minimizes! the!possibility!of!later!misunderstandings.! c) Client!benefits:! i) Can!verify!that!the!researcher!truly!understands!the!problem!to!be!investigated.! ii) Can!use!the!proposal!as!a!means!of!ensuring!the!project’s!deliverables!are!what! they!expected.! iii) Enables!the!client!to!evaluate!the!quality!and!value!of!a!proposed!project.! d) Structure!of!a!Research!Proposal! i) Project!title! ii) Background!information! iii) Problem!statement!and!research!objectives! iv) Research!strategy!and!methods! v) Nature!of!the!final!report!to!be!submitted! vi) Schedule!and!budget! vii) Qualifications!of!project!consultants!and!research!team! ! !

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! RESEARCH!ETHICS! ! 1) Business!Ethics!Defined! a) Trust!is!an!overriding!issue!in!business!ethics!that!involves!believing!an!individual!or! organization!will!be!honest!or!fair.!!Where!trust!is!lacking,!some!codified!standards! must!be!enforced.! i) There!are!professional!codes!of!ethics!that!govern!behavior.! ii) Stronger!replacements!for!trust!include!rules,!laws,!and!regulations! b) Business!ethics!addresses!the!application!of!moral!principles!and!ethical!standards! to!human!actions!in!the!exchange!process.! i) Moral!principles!imply!responsibility.!!The!judgment!of!right!or!wrong!ethical! business!actions!involves!an!evaluation!of!actions!against!the!responsibilities!that! accompany!a!business!position.! ii) Like!other!businesspeople,!business!researchers!have!social,!market,!legal,!and! ethical!responsibilities.! c) Social!Responsibilities!involve!a!concern!for!the!way!actions!affect!society!or!groups! of!people,!including!employees,!customers,!and!the!community.! d) Market!responsibility!means!a!concern!for!making!sure!that!products!will!not!harm! consumers!and!that!their!prices!are!fair.! ! 2) Relevance!of!Business!Ethics! a) Ethical!dilemmas!are!situations!when!a!person!is!faced!with!courses!of!actions!that! have!differing!ethical!implications.! b) Ethical!dilemmas!arise!from!questions!of!fairness!or!justice,!potential!conflicts!of! interest,!responsibility!issues,!power!discrepancies,!and!honesty!issues.! c) Ethical!judgments!ultimately!involve!an!assessment!of!fairness!and!justice,!potential! conflicts!of!interest,!responsibility!issues,!power!discrepancies,!and!honesty!issues.! d) Various!organizational,!professional,!and!individual!elements!provide!pressures!and! conflicts!that!produce!ethical!dilemmas.!!However,!they!also!provide!checkpoints! that!counter!motivations!toward!unethical!actions.! ! 3) Ethical!Obligations!of!the!Researcher! a) Before!the!research!project.! i) The!researcher!must!interview!key!decision-makers!to!gain!a!working!knowledge! of!the!situation!so!as!to!understand!the!project!objectives.! (1) Key!here!is!to!translate!a!decision!issue!into!a!researchable!proposition.! (2) Once!a!study!is!envisioned,!researchers!need!to!honestly!assess!their! capabilities,!and!if!they!lack!the!skills!or!resources!to!carry!out!the!project,! they!should!decline!it.! ii) The!researcher!must!communicate!exactly!what!the!research!will!be!able!to!do.! (1) Typically!referred!to!as!the!project!deliverables.! iii) Sometimes!the!best!decision!is!not!to!do!any!research!at!all.! b) During!and!After!the!Research! i) Researcher-Decision-maker!Relationship! 18

(1) The!researcher!has!an!ethical!obligation!to!have!a!thorough!working! knowledge!of!the!analytical!and!statistical!tools!necessary!to!complete!the! project.! (2) Only!the!right!tool!should!be!used,!which!is!usually!the!simplest!tool!that!will! provide!the!necessary!results.! (3) The!researcher!is!responsible!for!interpreting!the!results!honestly!and!fully.! (4) If!the!results!disagree!with!a!key!decision-maker’s!desires,!the!researcher! faces!a!dilemma.! (5) In!presenting!the!findings,!the!researcher!must!present!any!limitations!of!the! research,!allowing!the!decision-maker!more!complete!understanding!of!how! much!the!results!should!affect!the!ultimate!decision.! ii) Researcher!Obligations!to!Participants! (1) Should!serve!as!advocates!for!research!participants!and!show!respect!to! participants!at!all!times.! (2) Should!provide!a!fair!estimate!of!the!amount!of!time!that!will!be!required!to! complete!the!research!task.! iii) Researcher-Participant!Relationship:!Ethics!and!Technology! (1) New!technologies!also!introduce!new!ethical!dilemmas:! (a) Technology!increases!the!possibility!that!a!research!participant’s!privacy! might!be!violated.! (i) Appropriate!safeguards!such!as!electronic!firewalls!should!be!in!place! to!prohibit!unauthorized!access!to!this!information.! (b) Technology!gives!us!a!better!ability!to!monitor!research!participant’s! behaviour.! (i) Researcher!must!exercise!caution!with!respect!to!using!such! monitoring!for!purposes!that!would!reach!beyond!the!scope!of!the! specific!project.! iv) Researcher-Participant!Relationship:!!Ethical!Dimensions!of!Experimental!Designs! (1) Important!issues:! (a) Coercion! (i) Subjects!should!not!be!forced!to!participate!in!an!experiment.! (ii) The!line!between!incentive!and!coercion!is!not!always!clear.! (iii) The!incentive!should!never!be!of!the!type!that!a!subject’s!current! wellbeing!would!be!significantly!damaged!by!choosing!not!to! participate.! (b) Freedom!from!Harm! (i) Subjects!stand!the!potential!to!be!harmed!even!in!business!research! experiments.! (ii) Sometimes!harm!isn’t!physical,!but!rather!psychological! (iii) Two!questions!can!serve!as!a!useful!guide:! 1. Is!it!impossible!to!restore!the!subject!to!his!or!her!original! condition?! 2. Has!the!subject!been!subjected!to!unreasonable!stress!or!risk! without!his!or!her!knowledge?! 3. If!the!answer!to!either!of!these!questions!is!yes,!the!researcher! should!not!proceed.! (c) Privacy! 19

(i) Any!research!results!should!be!used!only!for!the!intended!purpose.! (ii) When!possible,!subjects!should!remain!anonymous.! (iii) Under!no!circumstances!should!a!research!project!be!used!as!a!cover! for!some!other!purpose.! 1. Dishonest!sellers!may!recruit!“research”!participants!via!the! telephone,!email,!or!in!person.! 2. Push!polls!are!short!phone!calls!used!to!spread!negative!and!often! false!information!about!a!political!candidate!or!issue!under!the! guise!of!a!poll.! (d) Disclosure! (i) Some!studies!must!utilize!mild!deception!to!accomplish!the!research! objective.! (ii) It!may!be!impossible!to!fully!inform!a!potential!research!participant! prior!to!or!during!an!actual!research!study.! (e) Debriefing!! (i) Takes!place!after!an!experimental!session!is!complete!and!involves! revealing!the!true!purpose!of!the!experiment,!the!sponsor,!and! generally!a!question-and-answer!session.!!Subjects!should!be!offered! a!summary!of!results!if!they!desire.! ! 4) Ethical!Obligations!of!the!Client! a) Before!the!Research! i) The!decision-maker!should!participate!fully!and!openly!with!the!researcher!so! that!they!can!come!to!a!consensus!on!the!research!objectives.! ii) The!client!ultimately!sets!the!time!frame!and!budget!for!the!project,!but!the! researchers!generally!make!initial!requests!for!time!and!money.!!The!two!meet! somewhere!in!the!middle.! iii) Has!an!additional!obligation!to!develop!an!understanding!of!the!researcher!and! the!research!project.! b) During!and!After!the!Research! i) Client!has!an!obligation!to!give!genuine!consideration!to!the!research!results!–! the!research!shouldn’t!be!commissioned!simply!to!be!able!to!show!that!it!was! done.! ii) Client!has!an!obligation!to!pay!the!researcher!fully!and!on!time.!!If!the!researcher! successfully!completes!the!project!described!in!the!research!proposal,!they! should!be!paid!regardless!of!the!results.! ! 5) Ethical!Obligations!of!Research!Participants! a) Voluntary!Participation! i) Participants!should!decline!the!opportunity!to!participate!if!they!have!any!doubt! about!whether!they!possess!sufficient!motivation!to!go!through!with!the!study.! ii) After!agreeing!to!participate,!a!respondent!should!cooperate!fully.! iii) Participants!should!answer!any!screening!questions!honestly.!!Screening! questions!are!preliminary!questions!that!qualify!participants!as!valid!sample! members.! b) Faithful!Participation!–!participants!should!pay!attention!and!follow!instructions.! 20

c) Honesty! d) Privacy!–!researchers!may!sometimes!request!that!a!participant!not!discuss!details!of! procedures!with!anyone!else!for!a!specified!time!because:! i) Legitimate!concerns!about!corporate!espionage.! ii) Researchers!may!not!what!an!earlier!subject!to!contaminate!later!subjects.! ! !

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DEFINING!THE!RESEARCH!PROBLEM!AND!REVIEWING!THE!LITERATURE! 1) Introduction! a) Success!in!any!research!project!begins!with!a!clear!definition!of!the!research! problem.! b) Defining!the!research!problem!is!often!the!most!difficult!part!of!the!research!process! to!execute!properly.! c) Once!research!problems!are!initially!identified,!researchers!undertake!background! research!to!further!refine!the!definition!of!the!problem!and!to!ensure!that!past!work! has!been!considered!in!clarifying!the!scope!of!the!proposed!research!project.! i) Often!referred!to!as!a!literature!review!and!provides!the!basis!for!converting! research!problems!into!research!questions!and!objectives.! ! 2) Characteristics!of!a!Quality!Research!Topic! a) Defining!the!research!problem!can!be!time-consuming!and!needs!to!be!specified!in! both!general!and!specific!terms.! i) Prevents!misunderstanding!and!avoids!errors.! ii) Produces!better!research!questions!and!objectives,!and!improved!research! design!and!a!better!execution.! b) Characteristics!of!a!quality!research!topic:! i) The!research!problem!is!well!defined!and!the!research!questions!and!objectives! that!flow!from!it!are!specific!and!possible!to!address!through!a!rigorous!research! design.! ii) Quality!research!topics!are!those!that!address!gaps!in!existing!knowledge!and! are!likely!to!result!in!more!informed!management!decision-making.! iii) Resource!requirements!in!terms!of!time,!money,!and!data!access!are!well! understood!early!in!the!research!process.! iv) The!research!is!expected!to!make!a!contribution!to!knowledge!independently!of! the!orientation!of!the!findings.!!This!characteristic!is!particularly!important!for! academic!theses!and!dissertations.! ! 3) Converting!Research!Ideas!Into!Research!Questions!and!Objectives! a) Ways!to!clarifying!research!ideas:! i) Question!senior!researchers,!executives,!and!decision-makers!about!problems! they!face.! ii) Examine!published!research!in!fields!of!interest.! iii) Examine!past!research!projects!that!may!suggest!areas!worthy!of!subsequent! investigation.! b) Research!conducted!to!test!one!or!more!specific!hypotheses!can!lead!researchers!to! reflect!on!new!hypotheses!and!questions.! c) Published!literature!is!an!additional!source!of!research!ideas.! i) Academic!articles!are!probably!the!best!source!of!new!thinking.! ii) Textbooks!should!be!used!with!some!caution!if!their!publication!data!is!long!past.! iii) Business!reports!occupy!a!position!between!articles!and!textbooks!–!content!is! usually!fresher!than!textbooks,!but!they!are!more!application-oriented!than! academic!articles.!

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d) e)

f) g) h)

i)

j)

iv) Past!empirical!research!of!both!a!professional!and!academic!nature!is!another! source!of!research!ideas.! Once!a!research!idea!has!been!identified,!the!researcher!must!narrow!the!topic!to! produce!research!questions.! Research!questions!should:! i) be!clear.!They!must!be!understandable!to!you!and!to!others.! ii) be!researchable.!They!should!be!capable!of!development!into!a!research!design,! so!that!data!may!be!collected!in!relation!to!them.!This!means!that!extremely! abstract!terms!are!unlikely!to!be!suitable.! iii) connect...