SAMARA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT
POST GRADUATE PROGRAM: MBA
COURSE TITLE:BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
COURSE CODE: MBA 522
CREDIT HOURS: 3
INSTRUCTOR: Teferi Hailesslasie(PhD)
Academic Year: 2024
Semester: II
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CHAPTER I
RESEARCH METHODS: AN OVERVIEW
Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter students will be able to:
Understand and explain the concepts, purposes and types of
research.
Determine when Business research should be conducted and choose
appropriate research methodology
Recognize the process of research and the research strategies
Analyze the relationship between theory and research
Identify the characteristics of good research 2
What is Research?
What is Social Research?
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What is Research?
Just close your eyes for a minute and utter the word
research to yourself.
What kind of images does this word conjure up for you?
How do you think does research help you in your
academic career?
How do you think does research help a business
organization?
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1.1 Meaning and Concepts of Research
What is research?
Information is power, the basis for decision making.
Organizations (pvt & gvt) use research for furnishing
information continuously to improve their decisions and
performances
Research is derived from the word search preceded by the
prefix re (re-search).
But avoid “reinventing the wheel".
Different scholars may define research differently.
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Research is a logical and systematic search for new and
useful information on a particular topic.
Research is a scientific inquiry aimed at learning new
facts, a discovery of hidden truths, testing ideas, etc.
It is the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation
of data to generate new knowledge and answer certain
question or solve a problem.
It is an investigation of finding solutions to scientific and
social problems through objective and systematic analysis.
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Continued
Provides information and builds knowledge to solve problems
However, research may be defined as the systematic and
objective process of (planning), gathering, recording,
analyzing and interpreting data to prove or disprove a
hypothesis (Zikmund, 2000).
Important Points in this definition
Research is a process
Research is systematic
Research is objective
Research is purposeful
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continued
Research is knowledge/Knowing the gap between
what is happening and what we think to happen
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Activity 1.1:
Can research be used by all types of
organizations at all levels?
Why or why not?
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[Link] and Significance of Research
Objectives of Research
To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new
insights into it (studies with this object in view are termed as
exploratory or formulative research studies);
To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular
individual, situation or a group (studies with this object in
view are known as descriptive research studies); 10
……Objectives of Research
To determine the frequency with which something occurs
or with which it is associated with something else (studies
with this object in view are known as diagnostic research
studies);
To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between
variables (such studies are known as hypothesis-testing
research studies)
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Significance of Research
the basis for nearly all government policies
Solving various operational and planning problems
Studying social relationships and it is seeking answers
to various social problems.
the out let for new ideas and insights
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1.3. Theory and Research
What type of theory?
- explanation of observed regularities
Provides a framework within which social
phenomena can be understood the research
findings can be interpreted
1. grand theories
highly abstract
e.g. structuration theory (Giddens 1984)
Butler and Robinson (2001) – Bourdieu’s
concept of social capital – gentrification of
areas of London
2. middle range theories
useful for empirical research - limited domain
e.g. labelling theory (Becker 1963) 13
Theory and research
Middle range theories
- unlike grand ones, operate in a limited domain,
whether it is juvenile delinquency, racial prejudice,
educational attainment or the labour process
• Labour Process Theory (Knights and Willmott 1990). P.
Thompson (1989), Oates and McDonald (2006)
- postal questionnaire survey of households in
Sheffield – recycling activities
3. Empiricism /Close to data – often simply empirical
generalizations 14
Empricism
- philosophical approach to theorizing
- only knowledge gained through sensory
experiences is acceptable
- rigorous scientific testing of theories
- positivist epistemology
- accumulation of ‘facts’ as data
- naïve empiricism?
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Empricism
McKeganey and Barnard (1996)
- research on prostitutes and their clients
Goffman (1963) - notion of ‘stigma’
Hochschild (1983)
- concept of ‘emotional labour’
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Deductive and inductive theory
Deductivism:
theory --> data
explicit hypothesis to be confirmed or
rejected
quantitative research
Inductivism:
data --> theory
generalizable inferences from observations
qualitative research /grounded theory
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Deductive and inductive theory
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Deductive theory
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Deductive and inductive theory
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Inductive theory
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Deductive and inductive theory
Kelley and De Graaf (1997)
- Factors that impact upon individuals
religious beliefs
Jowell et al (1992)
- British Social Attitudes survey 1991:
religious orthodoxy measured by four
survey questions
Charmaz (1997)
- Chronic illness study
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Epistemological considerations
what is (or should be) considered acceptable knowledge?
can the social world be studied ‘scientifically’?
is it appropriate to apply the methods of the natural
sciences to social science research?
positivist and interpretivist epistemologies
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Positivist epistemology
application of natural science methods to
social science research
phenomenalism: knowledge via the senses
deductivism: theory testing
inductivism: theory building
objective, value-free researcher
distinction between scientific and normative
statements
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Realist Epistemology
Similarities to positivism:
- natural science methods appropriate
- external reality exists independently of our perceptions
Empirical (naïve?) realism
- close correspondence between reality and terms used
to describe it
- direct knowledge of the social world
Critical realism
- theoretical terms mediate our knowledge of reality
- underlying structures generate observable events
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Interpretivist epistemology
subject matter of the social sciences (people) demands
non-positivist methods
positivism vs hermeneutics (Von Wright 1971)
- concerned with the theory and method of the
interpretation of
human action
hermeneutic-phenomenological tradition
verstehen: interpretative understanding of social action
(Weber 1947)
attempts to see world from the actor’s perspective:
subjective reality (Blumer 1962)
influenced by Symbolic Interactionism
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Ontological considerations
social ontology: the nature of social entities
what kind of objects exist in the social world?
do social entities exist independently of our perceptions of
them?
is social reality external to social actors or constructed by
them?
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Constructionist ontology
social phenomena and their meanings are constructed by
social actors
continually accomplished and revised
researchers’ accounts of events are also constructions -
many alternative interpretations
e.g. Strauss et al (1973) negotiated order in a psychiatric
hospital
language and representation shape our perceptions of
reality
Lantz and Booth (1998) breast cancer can be treated as a
social construction
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Reading Assignment
Theory and research:
Theory
Grand theories
Middle range theories
Practice/Operational theories
Deductive versus inductive approach
Epistemological Considerations
Positivist
Realist
Interpretivist
Ontological Considerations
Social ontology
Constructionist ontology
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1.4. Research Strategies and Designs :
quantitative and qualitative
1.4.1. Research Strategies: Quantitative and Qualitative
useful way of classifying methods of social research
two distinctive clusters of research strategies:
quantitative and qualitative
these strategies differ in terms of their:
general orientation to social research
epistemological foundations
ontological basis
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Quantitative Research
measurement of social variables
common research designs: surveys and experiments
numerical and statistical data
deductive theory testing
positivist epistemology
objectivist view of reality as external to social actors
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Quantitative Research
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Qualitative Research
understanding the subjective meanings held by actors
(interpretivist epistemology)
common methods: interviews, ethnography
data are words, texts and stories
inductive approach: theory emerges from data
social constructionist ontology
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Influences on the conduct of social research
Values
personal beliefs or the feelings of researcher
all ‘preconceptions must be eradicated’ (Durkheim 1858)
affect every stage of research process
some advocate value-laden research:
Becker (1967) sympathy with ‘underdog’ groups
feminist research encourages reciprocity
(Oakley 1981) and
‘conscious partiality’ (Mies 1993) 34
Influences on the conduct of social research
habtom
35
Influences on the conduct of research
Practical considerations
time
cost/funding available
how much prior literature exists (theory testing or theory
building?)
topic (deviant activities/sensitive issues may be more suited
to qualitative research)
all social research is a compromise between the ideal and the
feasible
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1.4.2. Research Designs: Cross sectional and
Longitudinal
Cross sectional surveys
Data are collected at one point in time from a sample
selected to describe some larger population at that time.
Longitudinal Surveys
Surveys of respondents are made at different points in
time
allows analysis of continuity and changes over time.
(To be discussed in Chapter Six)
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1.5. Purposes & Classifications of Research
On the basis of the purpose of research and the methodology employed;
the following are the common types of research
Basic or Pure Versus Applied Research
Descriptive versus explanatory research
Exploratory or formulative research versus Formal research
Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research
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1.6. Business Research Defined
1.6.1. What is Business Research?
Business research is the systematic and objective process of
gathering , recording, and analyzing data for aid in making
rational decisions in policy formulation, implementation,
and evaluation; and tackling business problems.
research information is neither intuitive nor haphazardly gathered
data to be collected and analyzed need to be accurate, and the
business research must be objective
The objective is to facilitate the rational decision-making
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…..Business Research
Business research can also be defined as;
“An organized, systematic, data-based, critical,
objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a
specific problem, undertaken with the purpose of
finding answers or solutions to it” ( Sakaran, 2003)
Research should be an aid to judgment, not a
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Business research continued
Social research, particularly business research deals with
difficult topics such as human behavior, attitude,
performance appraisal, ethics, etc that decision makers and
policy makers often think they already know a lot about,
and
do not accept research findings that differ from their
opinions and suggestions.
Research minimizes the risk of making wrong decisions, by
providing information. 42
1.6.2. Managerial Values of Social/Business Research
"The secret of success is to know something nobody
else knows.“ Aristotle Onassis
The Importance of research can be explained in the four
interrelated stages of decision making:
Identifying problems or opportunities.
Diagnosis and assessment
Selecting and implementing a course of action.
Evaluating the course of action.
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Identifying Problems and/or Opportunities
Before any strategy can be developed, it is important to
determine where it wants to go and how to get there.
Used to conduct Situation analysis/SWOT
Diagnosis and Assessment
needed to gain insight about the underlying factors
causing the situation
needed to explore, clarify, and refine the nature of the
opportunity or problem.
May involve quantitative or qualitative investigations
Provides general information 44
Selecting & Implementing a Course of Action
Research provides specific information about each alternative
Opportunities may be evaluated using performance criteria
established through research
Facilitates implementation of a decision
Evaluating the Course of Action
Used to evaluate a course of action implemented
decision makers use evaluation research
Evaluation research – formal and objective
Performance monitoring research – Regular and routine
Total Quality management – Customer driven Quality
45
When Business Research Should be Conducted
Time Constraint
Availability of data
Nature of the Decision
Benefits Vs Costs
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Activity 1.4.
Identify any five topics or areas on which
research can be conducted in business
organizations
1._________________________________________
2._________________________________________
3._________________________________________
4._________________________________________
5._________________________________________
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Data, Information, and Knowledge Management
Data – Raw facts, unprocessed facts, input
Information – Processed, ready for use in decision
making, out put
Relevance Timeliness
Quality Completeness
Knowledge management is a process to create an inclusive,
comprehensive, easily accessible organizational memory, which is
often called the organization's intellectual capital.
The purpose of knowledge management is to organize the
'intellectual capital' of an organization in a formally structured way
for easy use
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1.7. Characteristics of a Good Research
The purpose of the research, or the problem involved,
should be clearly defined and sharply delineated in
terms as unambiguous as possible
The research procedures used should be described in
sufficient detail to permit another researcher to repeat
the research.
The procedural design of the research should be
carefully planned to yield results that are as objective
as possible.
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…..Characteristics of a Good Research
The researcher should report, with complete frankness,
flaws in procedural design and estimate their effect upon the
findings.
Analysis of the data should be sufficiently adequate to
reveal its significance, and the methods of analysis used
should be appropriate.
Conclusions should be confined to those justified by the data
of the research and limited to those for which the data
provide an adequate basis.
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1.8. Problems Encountered by Researchers in Developing Countries
Insufficient interaction between the university research
departments and business establishments and
government departments
Reluctance in supplying the needed information to researchers.
Overlapping research studies
Lack of code of conduct for researchers
Difficulty of timely availability of published data in
libraries
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Hallmarks of Scientific Research
Purposiveness
Increase employee commitment
Less turnoover
Less absenteeism
Increased performance
Rigor
Good theoretical base
Sound methodological design
Carefulness
Scrupulousness
Eg Only12 employees, bias 52
Testability
Ways of enhancing employee commitment should be testable
using statistical tests
T-test
Chi-square test
Z-test
Replicability
Influence of the independent variables should be replicable
Findings are reflections of true state of affairs, not random
chances
53
Precision and confidence
Precision – Closeness of findings to reality
Confidence interval
Confidence – the probability that our estimates are
correct
Chance of being right – eg 95%
Objectivity
Conclusions are based on the findings derived from
actual facts
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Generalizability
Scope of applicability of the research findings in one
organizational setting to other organizational settings
Adequate sample size
Clear and accurate sampling procedures
Applicability of findings across organizations
Parsimony
Simplicity in explaining the phenomena or problems that occur
E.g Use of one independent variable rather than many variables
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Observation-
Determine whether there is a real problem
Problem identification –
preliminary data collection
Theoretical Framework
Conceptual model
Identifying all factors contributing to the problem
Hypothesis
Tentative proposition based on the data
Operational definition
Put in measurable terms
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Research design shows HOW to
collect further data,
Analyze and interpret them
Provide an answer to the problem
Deduction – testing
Induction – theory building
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