research methods

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta

Course on Business ResearchSession I

Business Research DefinitionsSearch for Truth in Business Phenomena in Scientific Ways.

Not Just a Problem Solving Exercise, but should contain uniqueness.

Should have proper problem definitions, objectives and scientific solutions.

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Types of Business Research Basic Research

Adds to fundamental body of knowledge. Applied Research

Better understanding on concepts

solutions focus to immediate results. (Decisions for specific firm/sector)

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Exploratory ResearchGaining deeper understanding on concept or problem in order to solve related problems. (Does not involve necessarily tests of hypotheses)

• Identifies problem in supply chain of a product• Looks for opportunities in Mobile Data market

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Conclusive ResearchDraws conclusions with tests, validate propositions evolved in exploratory research

Causal Research• Attempts to establish cause and effect

relationships.• will increase in footfall increase sales?

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Business Problems• An issue which may cause negative

consequence to the business• An issue which may have opportunity or

positive consequence to the business• An issue which attempts to understand

complex business situations

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Identification of research problems• In-depth study into problems or opportunities• Judge yourself whether it is a researchable

problem or can have trivial solutions• Narrow down scope of research for a deep stick

study • Review research literatures to obtain more

insight • Reach at the surface of the body of knowledge.

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Literature review• Knowledge extraction process during

performing research• Sources : published and unpublished authentic

data, articles, government and commercial reports, on-line journals

• Compilation of important information in comprehensive and logical manner

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Research Procedures• Construct precise research objectives and

research questions• Derive research hypotheses to attain the

objectives• Design experiments or Survey methods• Collect primary data using suitable sampling• Perform Data Analysis and draw conclusions

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Research topic to be selected depending on Interest of ResearcherRelevancy Availability of data

Study should be within controllable effort and time

Scope of studyThe boundaries of various parameters and validity of the solution may be explicitly spelt outAspects ,which are not within the scope of present research, may be discussed as future scope of research

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Risk in Research 1.Uncertainty (When all possible variables are

not considered) 2.Ambiguity (Nature of the problem itself is

unclear) 3.Time span4.Cost5.Availability of data

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta

Course on Quantitative Business ResearchSession 2

Knowledge acquisition and Derivation 1.Data/ information/ knowledge/ wisdom 2.Implicit and tacit knowledge 3.Research should contribute to the

existing body of knowledge 4.Nonaka’s knowledge spiral for

Knowledge Derivation

Prof. K.S.Sengupta

Knowledge Spiral

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Externalization

SocializationInternalization

Combination

TacitExplicit

Tacit

Explicit

Tacit to Tacit Socialization-Learning through observations/discussions

Tacit to Explicit Externalization – Finding ways to structure & record knowledge

Explicit to Explicit Combination– Combining existing elements of recorded elements to form a new and additional to knowledge

Explicit to Tacit Internalization- Internalizing experiences to achieve insight

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta

Course on Business ResearchSession 2

Constructs or concepts• Every Event or Phenomenon is a concept and

individuals have similar or different perception on this.

• Attitudes and ideas towards the concepts may be measured with battery of scales. (Construct Measurement)

• A Logical Relationship among Constructs may be expressed by Models

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Theory and ModelExplanation of situations using relationships between constructsTheory can be used to predict situations

May be Generalized or Specialized (specific to people/place/time)

Theory should define • Various events and concepts• Information about relationships among these• Scope of theory

A Framework is a Fuzzy Model – can describe relationships loosely.

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Sources of scientific theory generates from the mixture of

IntuitionPersonal observationDiscovered knowledgeCritical imagination

All which, unfortunately computer cannot do.

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Propositions and HypothesisPiece of knowledge the researcher wants to addPotential Solution to a Research Problem may be thought of in the form of a Hypothesis. This is then tested with data for validity. Characters of Good HypothesisShould provide answer to specific research problemshould be clear and precise reasonable.Testable within reasonable timeConsistent to already known facts and theories

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Research Life Cycle a. Conceptualize research problem b. Formulate research hypotheses / models/frameworks c. Develop research proposal (using secondary data and literature survey) d. Research design --Survey, experiments/sampling plan, Instrument design, pretesting e. Data collection f. Data coding g. Data analysis and interpretation h. Research reporting

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Sources of Secondary Data • Internal

Company Annual Reports Financial Reports

Employee Records Sales Records Production Reports CSR Reports

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• External Sources• Published data--- (Government Sources)• Census- http://censusindia.gov.in/• National- www.mospi.gov.in/cso-test1.htm• Wholesale price index-

http://gov.in/sectors/commerce/ministry-commerce.php• (Private Sources)• Bombay stock exchange- www.bseindia.com• Industry Associations- www.ficci.com• www.aima.com• Retail- www.cmarg.org• Industry Data- www.cmri.com, www.prowess.com

http://censusindia.gov.in/

http://www.mospi.gov.in/cso-test1.htm

http://gov.in/sectors/commerce/ministry-commerce.php

http://www.bseindia.com/

http://www.ficci.com/

http://www.aima.com/

http://www.cmarg.org/

http://www.cmri.com/

http://www.prowess.com/

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Published data (other sources)• Books and periodical

• Ebsco• Sciencsedirect• Emerald• jstor

• Directories (yellow pages)• Standard non-government statistical data• Search Engines and Others

– Google scholar– Wikipedia– Other web sites and bloga

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Panel Data• Useful source for collecting sample. This is a

collection of individuals who agree to provide information at regular intervals.

• Both cross sectional and longitudinal data are available

• Harris Interactive Inc. maintains a panel of 6.5 m individuals of US.

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Qualitative Methods• Observations• Personal Interviews• Focus Group Interviews• Projective Tests• Top of Mind Recall• Choice/Preference

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Observations MethodsMay be in structured or unstructured format.

• In structured Format content should be predetermined and observation values to be noted on the template. (Note the frontage styles of bakery outlets)

• In unstructured format the observer must note, which are essential data for research (Experience of a customers , standing on the service window)

• In a disguised observation , the respondent has no knowledge about the observation.(Mystery survey)

• Mechanical observations done through automated machines.

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Interview methods• Face to Face contact (Telephones can be used)• Sructured interview is useful (with set questions and direction)• Unstructured interview provides opportunity but loses

direction.• Researcher gains wide range of information and greater depth

into the problem• Rapport is skill of interviewer—can reveal reliable data• More Freedom against questionnaire• Helps gaining contacts

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Limitations of Interviews• Expensive and time consuming • Approachability varies for different groups• Many create over enthusiasm in subjects• Much depends on interviewer’s skill• Sometimes may go wild and useless

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Focus group interview• Versatile and dynamic method• There is a moderator• Group size is normally 8-12• Individuals form similar background (say, Home

makers with similar demography and Psychography)

• Place setting should be comfortable and informal• Duration is around ½ an hour• Recoding through video or audio

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Content Analysis• Study of previously recorded or reported ommunications

(letters, minutes of meeting, blogs, etc.).• Makes use of secondary data.• Sample of documents to be collected.• Contents may be analyzed by word counts and

interpreted accordingly.• Concepts of keywords and features.• Topic analysis

Basic Pattern: Word Cloud Wordcloud was generated using R

The samsung users mentioned other models like iphone, HTC etc

They also mentioned features like battery, screen, camera etc. and abstract features like look, design,etc.

They also mentioned attitudes towards feature/phone as

Ugly, happy, bad ……….

• Return

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Projective Techniques• Word association• Sentence Completion• Expressive Techniques

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Types of Quantitative Scales

Nominal Ordinal Interval (scale/metric)

Ratio (zero is fixed)

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Variables of Measurement (Real values) Age Gender Education level Brand usage Car ownership Income Consumption of coffee per day

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Variable Measurement Scales—Comperative • Paired comparison• Ranking• Summated Scale

Variable Measurement scales—non-comparative• Overall rating• Itematized rating• Likert• Semantic Differential• Stapel

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Semantic Differential Scale• Used for Profile analysis (Product/Brand/Company)• Words / Phrases are used for rating• Rating is done on a Bipolar scale

Attitude towards a Bakery +3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3• Fresh stock• Friendly staff• Low price• Low preservatives

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Questionnaire as a Data Collection Tool• Device for securing answers to questions using a form

Advantages: Low cost• Free from bias of interviewer• Respondent has adequate time to fill• Large Sample possible

Disadvantages: Low rate of return by respondents• Only when respondents are educated• Slowest• Untrue and incomplete answers possible

Types: Fully structured . Contains fixed and open ended Questions.

Less structured- Flexible. Useful in exploratory stage

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Types of Questions Open ended questions Dichotomous questions Multiple Choice questions Constant sum questions Ranking questions Rating questions

Preference Questions

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


What to avoid in questionnaire? • Clarity – Which newspaper you read?

Which news paper/s did you read last week?

• Avoid ambiguous words like sometimes, often ,etc • Leading Questions – do you think working mothers should

buy processed food in spite knowing that contains preservatives?

• Double Barrel questions – Do you think Barista maintains good quality and value for money?

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Pretest

1. Pretest is a small experiment to test questionnaire

2. Gather small group information prior to a large study

3. Improves the actual study’s quality and efficiency

4. Reveals deficiencies in the design of a proposed experiment

5. A good research strategy requires careful planning and a Pretest will

often be a part of this strategy

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


• Data Reliability (Reliability of Scale)• Split Half Method• Test-Retest Method• Internal Consistency Checking– Cronbach AlphaSuppose that we measure a quantity which is a sum of

components

is the variance of the observed total test scores, and the variance of component i

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variance

Dr. Kalyan Sengupta


Validity of ScaleFace Validity

Measurement of Store Loyalty1. I always prefer to go to BigGrosser for shopping2. BigGrosser offers good value3. You get variety in BigGrosser4. BigGrosser will be my first choice

research methods

Documents

kalyan senguptacourse

business researchsession

business researchsession

business phenomena

future scope of research

scope of present research

complex business situations

data information