Business Research MethodsMGT 524

Abu Bashar

Types of Research

Causal Causal ResearchResearch

(research that looks for cause & effect)

Causal Causal ResearchResearch

(research that looks for cause & effect)

Exploratory Exploratory ResearchResearch

(research thatexplores)

Descriptive Descriptive Research Research

(research that describes)

Difference between Exploratory & Conclusive Research

Exploratory Conclusive

Objective To provide insight & understanding

To test specific hypothesis & examine relationship

Characteristics Information needed is defined loosely

Process is flexible & unstructured

Sample small/non representative

Qualitative data analysis

Information needed is clearly defined

Process is formal & structured

Large & Representative

Quantitative data analysis

Findings Tentative Conclusive

Outcome Generally followed by further exploratory or conclusive research

Used as inputs into Decision Making

COMPLETELYCERTAIN

ABSOLUTEAMBIGUITY

CAUSAL, COMPARATIVE,ASSOCIATIONAL,OR DESCRIPTIVE

EXPLORATORY

Uncertainty Influences The Type of Research

Degree of Problem Definition

Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Causal Research(Unaware of Problem)(Aware of Problem) (Problem Clearly Defined)

“Our sales are declining and “What kind of people are buying “Will buyers purchase more of we don’t know why.” our product? Who buys our our products in a new package?

competitor’s product?” “Would people be interested “Which of two advertising in our new product idea?” “What features do buyers prefer campaigns is more effective?”

in our product?”poss

ible

situ

atio

n

Say it backwards: research that explores

Initial research conducted to explore (clarify and define) the nature of a problem

Does not provide conclusive evidence so subsequent research is expected

Helps to diagnose a situation

Screen alternatives

Discover new ideas

Exploratory Research

Descriptive Research

Research that describes

Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon

Some understanding of the nature of the problem

Deals with the who, what, where, when, how…but not the why?

Causal Research

Research that looks at cause & effect

Conducted to identify cause and effect relationships

Statistics: Correlations, regression, t-test, ANOVA, etc.

Causal Causal ResearchResearchCausal Causal

ResearchResearch

Comparative Comparative ResearchResearchLooks for differences

Comparative Comparative ResearchResearchLooks for differences

Associational Associational ResearchResearchLooks for

relationships

Designs:Experimental

Quasi-experimentalEx post factoTime seriesPredictive

CorrelationalComparative

SurveysMultivariateLongitudinal

Stats:T-test

ANOVACorrelation

Multiple regressionChi Square

Spearman RhoPhi – Cramers V

Etc, etc, etc

Stages of the Research Process

Problem Discoveryand Definition

ResearchDesign

Sampling

DataGathering

Data Processingand Analysis

Conclusions andReport

Discovery andDefinition

and so on

Problemdiscovery

Problem definition(statement of

research objectives)

Secondary(historical)

data

Experiencesurvey

Pilotstudy

Casestudy

Selection ofexploratory research

technique

Selection ofbasic research

method

Experiment SurveyObservation Secondary

Data StudyLaboratory Field Interview Questionnaire

Selection ofSample Design

Sampling

Probability Nonprobability

Collection ofdata

(fieldwork)

Editing andcodingdata

Dataprocessing

Interpretationof

findings

Report

DataGathering

DataProcessingandAnalysis

Conclusionsand Report

Research Design

Problem Discoveryand Definition

Problem Definition, Objectives, and Research Questions

If you do not know where you are going,any road will take you there.

“The formulation of the problem is often more essential than its solution”

-Albert Einstein

Two Types of Problems

Management Decision ProblemWhat decision makers need to do

Sales are on the decline

Customer base is aging and younger consumers prefer competitor’s brands

Research ProblemSpecifies information needed to address managerial problems & how it can be obtained

MDP

Action Oriented

Focus on symptoms

Should new product be introduced

Should advertisement be changed

Should price be increased

Research Problem

Information oriented

Focus on underlying causes

Determine consumer preferences

Determine effectiveness of current ad.

Price elasticity of demand

Research Objectives

Research objectives address information gaps that must be closed so the manager solves the marketing management problem

Each research objective must be precise, detailed, clear, and operational

Example: “Compare the demographic profiles of AT&T buyers to nonbuyers using age, sex, education, and annual family income.”

Research QuestionsA research question is the researchers’ paraphrase of the research objective(s) in the form of a question.

Example:

“Are AT&T’s non-buyers different demographically from AT&T’s buyers?

Or better yet:

“Are AT&T’s non-buyers younger than AT&T’s buyers?”

Specific questions are better

Research Hypotheses

A hypothesis is an unproven proposition or supposition that tentatively explains certain facts or phenomena; a probable answer to a research question.

Hypotheses are statements about the nature of the world. They are guesses.

Example: “AT&T’s non-buyers are younger than AT&T’s buyers”

Research HypothesesNull Hypothesis: Conservative statement about the status quo. It is what our research is set out to disprove.

H0: AT&T non-buyers do not differ in age from AT&T buyers

Alternative Hypothesis: A statement that states the opposite of the null hypothesis.

HA: AT&T non-buyers are younger than AT&T buyers

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