Problem Definition

Or How to pick a topic!

Learning objectives

 What is the difference between internal and

external researchers?
 What are the characteristics of good research?
 What are the ethical considerations in research?
 How to define a problem?
 What characterizes good secondary research?
 What are the three types of research questions?
 What are the characteristics of a good research
question?
 Write a good research question.
Internal vs external researchers
Internal External
Advantages: Advantages:
- Familiar with the company - May be less biased
policies, culture, history and - Bring a wealth of diverse
background experience and new ways of
- May be more accepted by the thinking
employees - May have access to more current
- Will be available to help with sophisticated problem solving
implementation models
- Less costly
Disadvantages: Disadvantages:

- May have biases or stereotypical - Employees may not be

views cooperative
- May be affected by power - More costly
structures - Additional fees will be involved
- May not be accepted as experts for
implementation and follow-up
Characteristics of Good Business
Research

 Purpose – has a clear Business contribution (fills a need)

 Rigor – has a good theoretical base and proper
methodology (evidence is believable)
 Objectivity – conclusions should be based on the facts
(evidence), not based on your own personal opinions
 Generalizability – can this research be applied to other
contexts?
 Straightforward – keep it manageable, especially
considering the time frame
Problem Definition- Find the Gap
 A problem can be defined as any situation where a gap
exists between an actual and a desired state – can be
a problem or an opportunity
 It is important to identify the “problem” rather than
the “symptoms” – ask Why???
 The gap is not just something that you don’t know, it’s
something that no one knows!
 Identify a problem or challenge at your workplace or in
your industry – conduct research and prepare a
comprehensive action plan to solve this issue that
addresses the needs of all key stakeholders
 Identify a disruptive opportunity for your company to
explore (new products, new production methods, new
markets, new distribution channels etc) – research and
analyze all of the key elements involved in this
opportunity and prepare an action plan that addresses
all key stakeholders
Strategies to find the root cause of the problem
 1. The 5 Whys Method Developed by Toyota as part of lean manufacturing. Ask
“Why?” repeatedly (usually five times) until you uncover the root cause of a
problem. Example: Sales are dropping → Why? Customer satisfaction is low.
Why? Product delivery is delayed. Why? Supply chain bottlenecks… (and so on).
 2. Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa / Cause-and-Effect)Visual tool that maps
potential causes of a problem into categories (e.g., People, Process, Technology,
Environment).Helps teams brainstorm all possible reasons behind an issue
before zeroing in.
 3. Problem Definition Framework (Kepner-Tregoe)Four steps: Define the problem
(what, where, when, extent).Identify possible causes. Test the most probable
cause. Verify true root cause. Useful in complex organizational challenges.
 4. Design Thinking Approach Emphasizes problem finding before problem
solving. Steps: Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test. Strong focus on
human needs and reframing the challenge.
 5. SWOT Analysis (for strategic problems)Structured assessment of Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Helps uncover whether the “problem”
lies internally (weaknesses) or externally (threats).
 6. Problem Tree Analysis Maps a central problem → its causes (roots) → its
consequences (branches).Often used in policy, social sciences, or project
management.
 Is it a good topic for you?
1. Identify a broad management problem or opportunity – How? - talk to
people at work, look for pain points or strategic initiatives
2. Conduct preliminary research (secondary research)
 About the context/environment
 About the topic itself
 About theories, models and frameworks to could be used

3. Define the research problem more specifically – write it in ONE question or

statement
 Relevant – does it have a Business objective and a tangible outcome?
 Feasible – can it be done in the time frame, do you have access to the
appropriate resources?
 Interesting – will it advance your career?

4. Define the scope/boundary

 Can you narrow it down to a particular geography, time frame, business unit?
 What will you include, what will you not include?
Three types of research questions – all types are
fine but for ASP you must have a practical outcome
Exploratory Descriptive
questions – questions – Causal Questions
qualitative, used quantitative and (hypothesis testing)
when: qualitative
• Not much is known • Help to create • Trying to identify if
about a profiles an independent
phenomenon • Identify various variable causes a
• Existing research aspects change in a
results are unclear • Offer ideas for dependent
or unreliable further probing variable (more
• The topic is highly • Help make about this later)
complex research decisions
• There is no
theoretical
framework
Unique research opportunities

 If you have access to “cool” data, this can be turned into a great
project (for example, your company is implementing a new software,
a new strategic plan, engaging in a merger etc). In these cases, you
could measure the impact on a particular aspect of the company or
evaluate the process compared to “best practices”.

 If you have access to an extensive data base of interesting

information, you can look for patterns or connections between the
data to create an interesting project (eg if you can access customer
complaints or employee satisfaction surveys or HR exit interview
data, you can look for causes and suggest solutions)
No issues at work? Try an academic style research paper

Academic route
1. Look at Calls for Papers in key journals to identify topics that are currently
trending
[Link]

2. Look at upcoming conferences in your area of interest – what themes are they
suggesting Would you like to present a paper there?
[Link]

3. 3. Read some articles in your area of interest – focus on the research gaps or
limitations that are noted in the article – consider researching these gaps
How to narrow down a research
topic into a question
Topic Question
AI How can AI be used to improve operational efficiency in
ABC Manufacturing plant?
Fintech How can Smart contracts be used by ABC Company to
improve the cash collections process?
Digital What digital marketing strategy can be used to increase
marketing the sales of product A in market B by 10%?
Operational How can the number of defects in product X be reduced
efficiency by 10% through the use of the automated inspection?
Joint What are the key elements to be included in a successful
ventures joint venture contract between manufacturer A and client
B?

For more guidance on research questions, check out this site:

[Link]
 Previous topics
1. Good: The future prospects for a new company after a recent
merger with another company
Better: Impact on sales revenue for Company X in the next 12
months after the merger with Company Y

2. Good: Expanding the service offering for interior design in the

Indian market
Better: Developing a marketing strategy to penetrate the interior
design market in Mumbai

3. Good: Finding the root causes for project budget overruns in the
company
Better: Reducing project costs through the use of a LEAN approach
More previous topics – how to make them better?

1. Competitor analysis for cyber security products

2. Case study of failure of joint venture companies in the Asia
Pacific region that were established by a Japanese
company with a local partner in the region
3. Evaluate the reasons for project delivery successes and
failures in the company
4. Impact analysis of virtual workforce (robots) on the
banking industry in Asia
5. Challenges faced by first time venture capital fund
managers in Singapore
6. Effect of new technologies in the cash management area
of banking operations
7. Is there a gender bias against hiring women in IT?
8. How to motivate contract workers
Research Question and Objectives
Ideally a research project should have ONE overarching research
question and 4-5 research objectives (or sub-questions) that will help to
answer the research question.
For example:
Research Question: How can Smart contracts be used by ABC Company
to improve the cash collections process?
Objectives:
 What are the various features, pros and cons of Smart contracts?
 What is the current cash collections process and how well is it
working?
 What are root causes of challenges in the cash collections process?
 How can smart contracts address these challenges?
 What are the steps needed to implement smart contracts in this
context?
 Activity 1 – Good Research
Questions
Brainstorm possible topics that you could research.
Write your own business-related research question based on your
current work situation along with 4-5 objectives or sub-questions.
Primary vs Secondary
data
Primary data is data collected
directly from its source. (eg
surveys, interviews, experiment
data)

Secondary data is research data

that has previously been gathered
and can be accessed by
researchers. (eg articles,
websites, databases)

All research projects MUST have

secondary data.
Good secondary data
 Timeliness
 check the publication dates to be sure data is current
 For “seminal” works, older articles are fine
 textbooks tend to be outdated
 Accuracy
 peer-reviewed journals are preferred (can use Google-scholar, EBSCO, Proquest
to search for them)
 company websites are good to provide basic company history, mission, vision etc
 statistics bureaus are good sources for descriptive statistics
 Bias – who is the author and what is their motivation
 Relevance – try to find the most relevant data
 Costs – benefits must outweigh the costs
How to find peer-reviewed articles
SP Jain library – use EBSCO or PROQUEST – search for key words
but limit the search to peer-reviewed, full text, recent articles
Google Scholar – use the advanced search function to search
using key words and limit by date and peer-reviewed ( the
disadvantage is that you will find some free articles and others
that you need to pay for)
Try [Link]
Try [Link]
How to access the library
Please check out your new e-Library at –
[Link]

 Username : Your E Mail ID

 Password : user@knimbus

 You can download the Knimbus m-Library App from Google Play Store and
Apple Store.

 Go to the Tab called “Subscribed databases”

Critical analysis of published
research
Always read with purpose – take these notes as you read:

1. What type of resource is this? (quality level? - peer-reviewed etc)

2. Why am I reading this?
3. What are the authors trying to say in writing this? (any bias?)
4. What are the authors saying that is relevant to what I want to find
out? (bullet points of main findings)
5. How convincing is what the authors are saying? (any limitations?)
6. In conclusion, how can I use this information? (relevance)
Activity 2 –
Secondary
research
Choose one of the research questions
that we developed earlier:
a. Describe what types of
secondary research you would
collect.
b. Indicate the sources that you
might use.
c. What key words would you use to
search?
Qualitative vs Quantitative Research

Quantitative (numbers) Qualitative (words)

Data is mainly numerical – can be Data is mainly words from
from surveys, databases, or documents, observations and
reports interviews
Concepts are in the form of distinct Concepts are in the form of
variables (often involving themes
hypothesis testing)
Data analysis uses statistical tests, Data Analysis proceeds by
tables and charts extracting themes or
generalizations from evidence
and organizing data to present a
coherent, consistent picture
Often deductive – trying to prove a Often inductive – trying to
point discover something
Ethics Example: Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford prison experiment was designed

to examine the effects of situational variables
on participants' reactions and behaviors in a
two-week simulation of a prison environment.
Stanford University psychology professor Philip
Zimbardo led the research team who ran the
study in the summer of 1971.

Watch this summary of this infamous

experiment
[Link]

Watch this trailer for a movie based on this

famous 1971 social experiment.
[Link]
ylistId=tt0420293&ref_=tt_ov_vi
Ethics Example: Stanford Prison Experiment

According to Zimbardo and his colleagues, the Stanford Prison

Experiment revealed how people will readily conform to the
social roles they are expected to play, especially if the roles are as
strongly stereotyped as those of the prison guards.
 The study has received many ethical criticisms, including lack of
fully informed consent by participants. Although the participants
signed an ethics agreement, the actual events that would happen
were unknown.
 Also, the prisoners did not consent to being 'arrested' at home.
The prisoners were not told partly because final approval from the
police wasn’t given until minutes before the participants decided
to participate, and partly because the researchers wanted the
arrests to come as a surprise.
[Link]
[Link]
-inside-the-prison-experiment-that-claimed-to-show-th
e-roots-of-evil/
Principles of Ethical
Research
 Do not exploit research or research participants for personal
gain
 Do not cause physical harm, legal harm, psychological
abuse, stress or loss of self esteem
 Participants must give informed, voluntary consent
 Do not coerce or humiliate participants
 Deception should only be used minimally and with a specific
methodological purpose – participants must be debriefed
 Honor all guarantees of privacy, anonymity, and
confidentiality
 Anticipate repercussions of the research or publication of
results
 Identify the sponsor who funded the research
 Make interpretations of results consistent with the data
 Ethical practices
For each of the following, explain whether or not the researcher is violating an ethical principle. Be
sure to explain your answer fully.
a) Ann is studying how potential job applicants work together in teams. She asks the applicants to
work together on a task and openly observes their behavior. She does not reveal the true
purpose of the activity until after it is complete.
b) Bob has been hired by ABC soft drink company to conduct a taste test using 100 students to
compare their new lime drink to an existing competitor’s soda. Bob does not reveal who he is
working for.
c) Carla is conducting research at a start-up IT company who are about to launch a new product.
Carla is very excited about what she finds and decides to purchase some shares in this IT
company.
d) Dave is conducting research into the effects of stress on students. In order to observe the stress
levels of students, he asks them to complete a very challenging test in a very short period of
time and measures their stress levels. In order to ensure that test is more authentic, he
requests the professor to tell the students that this test score will be included in their final
grade.
e) Evelyn has conducted an interview with the general manager of a local hospital as part of her
research into corruption in the medical field. The interview is so interesting that Evelyn decides
to publish the content on her LinkedIn account.
Review

 What did you learn so far today?

 What is still confusing?