Research Introduction Part II

Zandro M. Catacutan, PhD

WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
• Statement of the Problem
Source: Onuh, 2020
Source: Onuh, 2020
 Statement of the Problem
• Answer the question: “What is the gap that needs to be
filled?” and/or “What is the problem that needs to be
solved?” - Presents/Isolates the problem and the
research gap that can be filled up by the study
•State the problem clearly early in a paragraph.
•Limit the variables you address in stating your problem
or question.
 Statement of the Problem
• Explains the problem that the study
addresses and give a brief account of the
history of the problem mentioning whether it
has been addressed in any form before.
• Capsulizes/states the questions to be
answered by the research; Consider framing
the problem as a question which will lead to
the aims of the study.
• The statement of the problem is the focal
point of your research. It is just one sentence
(with several paragraphs of elaboration).
• You are looking for something wrong.
....or something that needs close attention
....or existing methods that no longer seem
to be working.
 Businesses like Semiconductor Mnfg:
•Scrambling to meet critical technical
hiring needs;
•reliant on technical schools to create
innovative majors and programs
NCC : mismatch of
skills with available
jobs is due to poor Malaysian Employers
academe-industry predicament: new
linkage, poor access to graduates are not
information, & brain meeting the industry
drain needs

SKILLS
MISMATCH
NCC: pushes top measure to
resolve skills-job mismatch: ECoP : call for the
intend to revise existing identification of
curriculum of Cyber Services, mission-critical skills
Medical Tourism, Hotel and that will be in
Restaurant Management Clear definition of the short supply &
& Semiconductor /Electronics proficiencies or skills development
graduates should have
 Research Questions
• What are the general characteristics of the manager- and student-
respondents?

• What are the skill standards for entry-level semiconductor

manufacturing technicians that are needed in the first six months
on the job?

• What are the management expectations and students’ perceptions

in terms of delivering the skill sets needed in semiconductor
manufacturing?

• Is there any difference in the semiconductor managers’

expectations of technology graduate skills and the students’
perceptions of the skills that semiconductor managers valued; and

• What are the policies that can be derived for use by technical
schools and semiconductor companies in meeting the specialized
skills of semiconductor manufacturing
 Objectives of the Study

• Research Objectives

▪ are the aims or purposes that need to be

attained at the end of the investigation

▪ Statements of the goals of study

▪ Objectives are broad statements of what the

proposal hopes to accomplish.
Objectives of the Study

• Hint!: Always give an overall

objective before giving specific
objectives. This will help you
explain much more clearly to
your reader what your work
aimed to accomplish.
 Objectives of the Study

A good objective should be:

• Consistent with the title and must fit into the

problem statement
• Simple and as specific as possible
• Attainable/achievable under reasonable condition
• Able to include major variables
• Clearly and logically presented

SMART
Criteria in Formulating Research Objectives

Objectives must be stated in declarative form

Specific variables to be investigated must be written
clearly
Concepts to be studied must be measurable The
scope of the study must be attainable Each
statement must be related to the problem
The relationships and patterns to be tested must be
specified
Broad research Statement of Basic/Applied
ectives business problem research

Specific Specific Specific

ective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3

Research Research
 Objectives of the Study

• General Objective

• To identify mismatch in skills of semiconductor

manufacturing technicians by comparing the
semiconductor management expectations of
graduate skills with students’ perceptions of the
skills that semiconductor managers valued.
• Specific Objectives

• To describe the profile of the respondents;

• To define skill standards for entry-level semiconductor manufacturing

technicians focused on skills needed in the first six months on the job;

• To determine the management expectations and students’ perceptions

in terms of delivering the skill sets needed in semiconductor
manufacturing;

• To compare the semiconductor managers’ expectations of technology

graduate skills with students’ perceptions of the skills that
semiconductor managers valued; and

• To derive implications related to the policies of technical schools and

semiconductor companies in meeting the specialized skills of
semiconductor manufacturing
1. To describe the sociodemographic and
psychographic characteristics of the househelper-
respondents.
2. To assess the spending
and saving behaviour of the
househelper-respondents.
3. To ascertain the association between spending and
saving behaviour and selected characteristics.
4. To determine the effects of sociodemographic and
psychographic characteristics on the spending and
saving behaviour of the house helper-respondents.
5. To compare the spending and saving behaviour of
the househelpers in terms of their sociodemographic
characteristics.
 Objectives of the Study

Bad Examples:

1. To conduct a financial statement analysis of spa

services.
2. To make a survey of customers’ preferences in
choosing bathroom fixtures.
3. To estimate the competitive behavior of the
semiconductor companies.
 Objectives of the Study

Objectives which are too ambitious and unmanageable:

Title: Status of Telecommunications Industry in the

Philippines
❖To increase the sales and market power of the
telecommunications industry in the Philippines.

Title: Socioeconomic Status of Government Housing

Beneficiaries in Batangas
❖To increase the productivity of the housing beneficiaries
and improve their nutritional status for improved quality of
family life.
 Objectives of the Study

Not research objectives but statement of procedures or

strategies

Title: Willingness to Pay for the Establishment of

Websites in Private Schools in Batangas
• To provide management information for national
level down to local level decision-making.
• To provide guidelines for policy planning and
technical planning for resource allocation.
 Objectives of the Study
Objectives which are not consistent or not related to
the title:

Title: Effect of Advertising Costs and Strategies on

the Sales of Beverages
❖To describe the historical background of beverage
industry in the Philippines
❖To determine the consumers’ preferences for
beverages
❖To derive policy recommendations on the pricing
mechanism of beverage industry
 Hypotheses of the
Study
What are the expected relationships/effects
between and among variables?
 Hypothesis

• A tentative conclusion or
answer to specific questions
raised at the beginning of
the investigation
• Supposition of an occurrence
of an event that can be
tested
• An educated guess about
the answer to a specific
question which can be
proven empirically
 Hypothesis
• Research (Alternative) vs. Statistical (Null)
Hypothesis

Research hypothesis: states what researcher

thinks is true
Statistical hypothesis: states that no difference or
relationship exists between and among variables
 Types of Hypothesis

• Statistical (Null, Inductive or Nondirectional)

❖ there is no stated direction

❖stated in the negative manner

Ex. a) There is no significant difference

between X and Y
b) There is no relationship between X and Y
 Types of Hypothesis

• Research (Operational, Alternative, Deductive

or Directional)

➢ Stated in the affirmative manner

➢ There is a stated direction

Ex. a) There is a significant difference between sales

of Shakey’s Pizza and Pizza Hut
b) Advertising costs (X) has a positive effect on sales
(Y)
 Hypothesis can follow a format that
can be categorized as:

• Explanatory/causal format
– states that the existence of, or change in one or
more variables leads to an effect on the other
variable
Example:
Ho: Tastes and preferences of the consumers
household has no effect on consumption
expenditures
Ha: Tastes and preferences of the
consumers has a positive effect on
consumption expenditures
 Hypothesis can follow a format that
can be categorized as:

• Relational format
– statement of conjecture expressing directional or
nondirectional relationships such as existence of
difference or correlations
Examples:
Ho: There is no relationship between the number of
product lines and extent of outsourcing
Ha: There is a relationship between the number of
product lines and extent of outsourcing
Ho: The organizational culture has no relationship with the
job performance and job satisfaction of employees
Ha: The organizational culture has a relationship
with the job performance and job satisfaction of
employees
Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio
 Hypothesis of the Study

• There is a significant difference

between semiconductor managers’
expectations of technology graduate
skills and students’ perceptions of
the skills that semiconductor
managers valued.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 1. The capability development of young
entrepreneurs is positively affected by:

a)Current age;
b)Age at the start of the business;
c)Educational attainment; d)Length of
business existence; e)Management
Example of Hypotheses

experiences;
f) Training and development programs; and
g)Starting capital;

Lectures in Busiess Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

2. Male, single, and those with previous
employment related to the current
business have the higher tendency to
develop their entrepreneurial capability;

3. Capability development has a positive

effect on the entrepreneurial success of
young entrepreneurs; and

4. There is a significant difference

between the entrepreneurial
competencies of the young
entrepreneurs before and after
engaging in business.
Significance of the Study

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Significance of the Study

• The significance of the study answers the questions:

Why is your study important?

To whom is it important?
What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Significance of the Study

BENEFITS TO
VARIOUS
END-USERS

INDIVIDUAL LEVEL ORGANIZATIONAL

OTHERS
Researchers LEVEL
Government
Students Firms Industry
Communities
Employees Associations
Consumers
Managers Schools
Suppliers
Entrepreneurs Funding Agencies
Investors

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Significance/Implications
• Discuss the methodological,
substantive, and/or theoretical
contribution.
• State the practical and/or theoretical
importance of the problem and/or
objectives of your study.
• Explain the usefulness or benefits of
the study to both the outside world
and the research community.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Significance/Importance:
Example
This research on identity and development is innovative
because it brings together analysis of national discourses
about Indians with a study of the practices and choices of
the individual Indians whose identities are at issue. This
research can be helpful to the nation, development
agencies, and indigenous organizations as Bolivia works
out what a multicultural identity will mean for its people.
The results of the analysis can be shared with the
Guaraní people, in the hopes that this work will not just
be an extraction of truths, but will give them information
with which they can better control their lives and
resources.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Significance/Importance:
Example
• The results of this study are seen to be beneficial for the following key
recipients: (a) corporate managers and corporate employers, (b)
venture capitalists and government economic agencies, (c)
researchers and academic institutions, and (d) entrepreneurs themselves.
• Since corporate managers are good targets to become
entrepreneurs, their awareness and understanding about their
entrepreneurial state is necessary. This study is expected to provide
important information about their entrepreneurial state and potentials
that is expected to boost their entrepreneurial spirits. If they would be
given proper motivation, support, and formal entrepreneurial training and
awareness, these Filipino corporate managers could release their time-
tested and hard-earned technical and managerial skills to possibly be
the next Manny Pangilinan of the Philippines. This also
provides the corporate employers better understanding about the
entrepreneurial state of their Filipino managers that would, in return, help
them create better plan in motivating and driving better performances of
their managers and their companies in general.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Scope and Limitations
of the Study

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Scope and Limitations of the Study
Scope
•“borders”, coverage and extent of the study
•defines where and when the study was
conducted and who the subjects were.
•sets the delimitations and establishes the
boundaries of the study

Delimitations
➢boundaries beyond which the study is not
concerned

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Scope and Limitations of the Study

Limitations
•tells the weaknesses of the study
•those conditions beyond the control of the researcher that
may place restrictions on the conclusions of the study and
their application to other situations
•phases or aspects of the investigation which may affect
the result adversely but over which the researcher has no
control
•It is like a disclaimer for the research: it tells the reader
what you could not investigate, what problems hindered
you on the way, or to what extent your findings can be
affected.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Scope and Limitations of the Study

Indicates study coverage with concrete reference

to:
• Variables
• Sources of data; Methods employed in data collection
• Time frame
• Constraints that might be encountered in the
conduct of the investigation such as nonavailability
of data, uncooperativeness of respondents,
inability of the respondents to recall accurate
responses, and confidentiality of some information

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Scope and Limitations of the Study

Examples of limitations:
•Due to the small/unique sample available for the study,
results may not be generalizable beyond the specific
population from which the sample was drawn.
•Due to the failure of sample respondents to answer
with candor, results might not accurately reflect the
opinions of all members of the included population.
•Due to the length of the study, a significant number of
respondents available in the preliminary testing may be
unavailable or unwilling to participate in the final stage of
testing.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Delimitations of the Study

• Delimitations - factors that affect the study over

which the research generally does have some degree
of control.
• Describes the scope of the study or establish
parameters or limits for the study - setting limits on
the sample size, extent of the geographic region from
which data are collected, response formats included
in data-collecting instruments, or the time frame for
the study makes the study feasible for the researcher.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Delimitations of the Study

• Technically, delimitations (factors

which the researcher controls) are
distinct from limitations (over which
the researcher has little or no
control).However, in some
theses/dissertations the researcher
includes delimitations within the
section on limitations.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Delimitations of the Study
• Examples of delimitations:

• In order to assure manageability of the collected

data, survey instruments used only multiple-
choice items and did not include open-ended
response items.
• Due to the large number of potential participants
in the study population, the population involved in
the current study focused only on members
located within Cavite.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

Definition of Terms

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Definition of Terms

• It is the way the concept is defined or

measured in research
Importance/Functions
• Makes terms precise since no two
individuals would associate two different
meanings to them
• Communication will be faster if important
terms are defined

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Ways of Defining Terms

• Conceptual or Constitutive

• definitions which are given in dictionaries, books,

or manuals of the discipline

• academic or universal meaning of a word or

group of words

• the meaning understood by many people

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Ways 0f Defining Terms

• Operational or Functional
• Transformation of the abstract meaning into
observable and measurable data levels or
components in the context of the present
investigation

• the way the concept is used in the study

a) Measured – states the way the
concept is
measured in the investigation
b) Experimental – spells out the details of
how variables are manipulated in the
study
Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio
 Definition of Terms
Examples:

[Link] attitudes are those that relate to any aspect of work or

the work setting (Greenberg & baron, 1995). In this study,
work attitudes pertain to the survivors’ levels of job satisfaction
and organizational commitment.

[Link] refers to the employees’ positive or negative feelings

towards internet banking.

4. Faculty member refers to those who are holding an

academic rank of Instructor and above.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Summary
Chapter 1
• The introduction typically begins with a general
statement of the problem area, with a focus on a
specific research problem, to be followed by the
rational or justification for the proposed study.
• 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 questions in such a way as to show its
necessity and importance.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

 Summary
Chapter 1
• 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 and frameworks
• Set the delimitation or boundaries of your proposed
research in order to provide a clear focus.
• Provide definitions of key concepts.

Lectures in Business Research of Dr. Alice T. Valerio

References
Onuh, W. (2020). Writing the research introduction. De La Salle
University Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines.
Valerio, A. (2020). Business Research Lecture. De La Salle University
Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines.
Thank you and
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