Defining research problem and
setting research objective
UNIT 2
Contents
• Concept of research problem and problem identification
• Components of research problem
• Steps of problem identification
• Problem formulation: statement of problem
• Meaning of research objective
• Setting the research objectives
• Formulation of hypothesis
Concept of research problem
Research problems are the issues raised that needs further
investigation.
Any topics of researcher’s interest which requires solution is the
research problem.
Sekeran (2007) defines research problem as any situation where a
gap exists between the actual and desired ideal state.
• A research problem refers to an area or issue
that requires investigation, analysis, and
resolution through a systematic and
scientific approach.
• It is a specific question, gap, or challenge
within a particular field of study that
researchers aim to address through their
research endeavors.
•
• The first step in any research project is to identify the problem. When
we specifically talk about research related to a business organisation,
the first step is to identify the problem that is being faced by the
concerned organisation. The researchers need to develop a concrete,
unambiguous and easily comprehensible definition of the problem
that requires research.
• If the research problem is not well-defined, the research project may
be affected. You may also consider defining research problem and
carrying out literature review as the foundation on which the entire
research process is based.
In general, a research problem refers to a problem that a
researcher has witnessed or experienced in a theoretical or real-
life situation and wants to develop a solution for the same.
The research problem is only a problem statement and it does not
describe how to do something. It must be remembered that a
research problem is always related to some kind of management
dilemma
• “A research problem is a
discrepancy between what
one knows and ought to
know to solve an issue”.
• For example, employee
absenteeism, low
productivity, technology
change, liquidity
management,
downsizing etc.
Why define the Research Problem?
If problem is stated vaguely or
Defining your destination before It determines, wrong problem is defined the rest
beginning a journey. of the research is completely
useless.
what you will do,
will it withstand scientific scrutiny,
how you will do it, and
what you may achieve!
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Segregate useful
Select useful
information from
information for 1
irrelevant
research
information
Major
2
reasons for
which a Monitor the 3
Ensure research is
centered around
research progress
problem the problem
must be 4
defined
Find answers to the
Determine the
questions of 5
structure of study
interest
Research Proposal Development
How is a research problem selected?
Researchers National or Urgency of an Availability of Availability of
interest in a topic agency priorities issue research funds supervision
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Manager/decision Environment or Nature of
maker (individual
,group ,organization)
context of problem
and his/her objectives problem
Components
of research
problem
Alternative A set of consequences A state of
related to courses of
courses of action and the uncertainty for
problem occurrence of events
that are not under the
which course
control of the of action is
manager/decision best
maker
Research Proposal Development
Steps in defining research problems
1 2 3 4
Identify a broad topic Identify a narrow Raise questions Formulate objectives
topic within the • Use action-oriented
broad topic words - To demonstrate;
To evaluate; To measure…
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Identifying Broad Topics
• Think of the BIG PICTURE
• What is the problem you are trying to solve?
• Think of something you like to learn more about
• Consult text books, journal or your supervisor
• Pick one based on:
• Interest and relevance
• Magnitude of work involved
• Level of expertise
• yours and your advisors
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Examples of Broad
Topics
Optimizing productivity of land and water
resources
Ensuring Food Safety & Security
Monetary policy and inflation
Consumption and investment
14 7/17/2024 Research Proposal Development
From Broad Topic to
Narrow Topic
• Examples of a narrow topic:
• Soil quality and agriculture
productivity
• lending pattern of commercial
banks
• Interest rate fluctuation
• Pay and employee performance
• When selecting a narrow topic think
how it can contribute towards solving
the BIG PROBLEM!
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• Identification of specific issues needs
collection of preliminary information
from
• Your own observation of the
situation
• Interviews and library surveys
• Secondary data and published data
Characteristics of well
formulated problems
• Research problems are generally stated as
questions concerning the nature of the
relationship between two or more variables.
• Problem statement includes some
combination of the interrelated tasks like
generation of an issue, exploration of an
issue, and determining the worthwhile
research questions.
RESEARCH QUESTION
A Research Question embodies a
gap in the literature. It is a
Question or Questions posed so
What is a that an answer or answers to it
RESEARCH will add knowledge in particular
QUESTION area or [Link] knowledge in
a particular area or subject
SA 452.3A Conceptualising the Research Process, © Dr Sunil
Kumar, Social Policy, LSE
Characteristics
Research problem should raise a question about a relationship
between variables.
The relationship between the variables should be stated and
explained clearly.
The problem statement should suggest a method of researching a
question.
To what extent do age, pay, place of
residence, marital status determine the
employee absenteeism?
Do the profitability of a company
explains its share price behavior?
Example
What is the relationship between pay
and performance of employees?
What is the correlation between
advertising and brand awareness?
Research Question Type Question Formulation/Example
What is the relationship between baldness
Correlational research question
and age?
Is it possible that VEGF has an effect in
Exploratory research question
plant photosynthesis?
What is the cause of increased violence
Explanatory research question
among young adults?
RESEARCH QUESTION
Role of a A research question
RESEARCH is the core of the
QUESTION dissertation
SA 452.3A Conceptualising the Research Process, © Dr Sunil
Kumar, Social Policy, LSE
RESEARCH QUESTION
Role of a Answering it is the
RESEARCH purpose of the
QUESTION dissertation
SA 452.3A Conceptualising the Research Process, © Dr Sunil
Kumar, Social Policy, LSE
Research question indicates the purpose of the research
investigation.
It helps the researcher to focus on the study
It gives the researchers the guidance on how to conduct the study.
Descriptive-what is the current
status of QWL in Nepalese
commercial banks?
Types of
Relational-what is the
research correlation between pay and
productivity?
question
Causal-do the age of employee
affect the power status need in
organization?
Identifying a research
problem
• Identifying a research problem is an important
and time-consuming activity. Research problem
identification involves understanding the given
social problem that needs to be investigated in
order to solve it. In most cases, the researchers
usually identify a research problem by using
their observation, knowledge, wisdom and
skills. Identifying a research problem can be as
simple as recognizing the difficulties and
problems in your workplace.
You have already studied why it is
important to clarify a research question. At most times, the researchers state the
The next step is to discover the management dilemma followed by
management dilemma. The entire developing questions which are then
research process starts with a broken down into specific set of
management dilemma. For instance, an questions. Management dilemma, in
organization facing increasing number of most cases, is a symptom of the actual
customer complaints may want to carry problem being faced by an organisation.
out research.
Potential research problems raised at the end of journal
articles
Factors considered
while identifying a Large-scale reports and data records in the field may
research problem disclose the findings or facts based on data that require
further investigation
Personal interest of the researcher
Knowledge and competence of the researcher
Availability of resources such as large-scale data
collection, time and finance
Formulation of research problem
Discover Define Define Refine
Discover the Define the Define the Refine the
Management Management Research Question Research
Dilemma Question Question(s)
A few examples of management dilemma are
low turnover, high attrition, high product
defect rate, low quality, increasing costs, If an organisation tracks its performance
decreasing profits, low employee morale, indicators on a regular basis, it is quite easy to
high absenteeism, flexibility and remote work identify the management dilemma. Now, the
issues, use of technology, increasing market difficult task for a researcher to choose a
share of a competitor, decline in particular management dilemma among the
plant/production capacity, distribution of given set of management dilemmas.
profit between dividends and retained
earnings, etc.
Problem Tree – Keep asking Why?
Unskilled Labor Inefficient Irrigation
Low Labor
Productivity
Unsuitable Climate Inefficient Water harvesting
Water Scarcity Lack of crop varieties
adapted to climate
Food Insecurity
Unsuitable Crops Farming Patterns do not
Return nutrients
Low Land Farmers can’t afford fertilizers
Productivity
Poor Soil Farmers unaware of
Research Proposal Development best practices 31
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Advantages of Problem tree analysis
PROBLEMS BROKEN MORE IDENTIFIES ESTABLISH SHARED SENSE OF
INTO SMALLER AND
MANAGEABLE CHUNKS
UNDERSTANDING CENTRAL ISSUES CONNECTION UNDERSTANDING
Problem Tree
• Problem tree analysis (also called
Situational analysis or just Problem
analysis) helps to find solutions by
mapping out the anatomy of cause and
effect around an issue in a similar way to a
Mind map, but with more structure.
• [Link]
Problem statement example
• “The high school dropout rate in our community has risen by 20%
over the past two years, negatively impacting our future workforce.
We need to implement targeted intervention programs to reduce
dropout rates and ensure a more educated workforce.”
Meaning of research objective
A research objective, also known as a goal or an objective, is a sentence or
question that summarizes the purpose of your study or test. In other words, it's
an idea you want to understand deeper by performing research.
Objectives should be the driving force behind every task you assign and each
question that you ask.
Translating into
objectives
• Translating specific issues into the broad
and specific objectives of the study,
• It requires to present objectives in the
following forms
• To examine the pattern of …………..
• To describe …………..
• To analyze …………….
• To predict …………………..
Steps for Writing
Objectives in Research
Paper
[Link] the Research Topic: ...
[Link] a Literature Review. ...
[Link] the Research Questions
or Hypotheses. ...
[Link] on Specific Goals. ...
[Link] Clear and Measurable
Language. ...
[Link] Feasibility. ...
[Link] Objectives. ...
[Link] and Refine.
Formulation of hypothesis
HYPOTHESIS
• Research Hypothesis is a predictive statement that
relates an independent variable to a dependent
variable
• Hypothesis must contain atleast one independent
variable and one dependant variable.
HYPOTHESIS
➢ Hypothesis are tentative, intelligent guesses as to the
solution of the problem.
➢ Hypothesis is a specific statement of prediction. It
describes in concrete terms what you expect to happen
in the study.
➢ Hypothesis is an assumption about the population of
the study.
➢ It delimits the area of research and keeps the
researcher on the right track.
PROBLEM (VS) HYPOTHESIS
➢ Hypothesis is an assumption, that can be tested and
can be proved to be right or wrong.
➢ A problem is a broad question which cannot be
directly tested. A problem can be scientifically
investigated after converting it into a form of
hypothesis.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPOTHESIS
Conceptual Clarity - It should be clear and precise.
Specificity - It should be specific and limited in scope.
Consistency - It should be consistent with the
objectives of research.
Testability - It should be capable of being tested.
Expectancy - It should state the expected relationships
between variables.