RESEARCH METHODS: INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO (BUSINESS) RESEARCH
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
→the process of finding solutions to a problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors
BUT what is a real problem?
Ex.: we want to make the perfect pizza, but it doesn’t work?
→ how is it possible that our pizza sucks?
→ collect data about the problem
→ in general for business research:
- Can the manager identify the problem?
- Does the manager have a good insight into the relevant factors influencing the problem?
- Does the manager know what information to collect and how?
- Can the manager deduce the correct conclusions based on the data collected?
- Can the manager implement the right corrective actions based on the findings?
WHAT IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?
→ A systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem encountered in a work setting, which
need a solution
Good research = a systematic, organised, data-based, critical, objective inquiry or investigation
It is conducted to resolve issues in
- Accounting
o Budget control systems, practices & procedures
o Taxation methods
o Inventory costing methods
- Finance
1
, o Operational of financial organizations
o Optimum financial ratios
- Management
o Employee attitudes and behaviors
o HR management
o Information systems
- Marketing
o Consumer decision making
o Customer satisfaction and loyalty
o Product image
o Sales promotion
WHY?
- Managers with knowledge of research have an advantage over those without
- Managers have to understand, predict and control events that are dysfunctional withing the
organization
o Ex: a newly developed product may not be taking off → reading about others were this is
happened and thinking and understanding this problem
- Being knowledgeable about research and research methods helps professional managers to
o Identify and effectively solve minor problems in the work setting
o Know how to discriminate good from bad research
o Appreciate and be constantly aware of the multiple influences and multiple effects of factors
impinging on a situation
o …
TYPES OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
Based on the purpose
- Theory- practice-oriented
- Scientific problem management problem
- Basic/fundamental business research applied business research
→ More brought, bigger problems that can have → problem in a particular organization
an impact on many organizations
(exemples --> zie ppt slide 23-24)
2
,Based on the methodology
- Quantitative qualitative
- Numerical non-numerical
→ about numbers → the why behind it
→ what? How much? …
Quantitative research Qualitative research
- Structured data - Unstructured data
- Statistical analysis - Summary
- Objective conclussions - Subjective conclusions
- Surveys, experiments - Interviews, focus groups, observations
A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
→ is all research also scientific research?
8 characteristics that should be present for scientific research
THE HALLMARKS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
→ 8 characteristics that helps us to find out if the research is scientific or not
- Purposiveness
o What is our goal?
o What do we want to do?
- Rigor (strengheid)
o Theory based and methodological sound
o Thinking about a method that is really investigated and find the solutions u need
o Doing it in a very good way, methodologically
o BUT you can miss some things --> so also theory based: do the method insulate that you want
to avoid bias as much as possible?
- Testability
o You need to investigate something that is testable → hypothesis
o Ex.: making employees more participation can increase their commitment → can be testable
via survey
o Being able to test your hypothesis
- Replicability
o If what you found is replicated → the other people are sure it is really true
o For this, details are important for the people who want to replicate the study → details
provide to replicate the study
o If you did the research again, dit you find the same conclusion?
3
, - Precision & confidence
o We do research on a sample and not on the whole population → it need to be very close to
the whole population BUT it will be never 100% perfect
o Precision: shows how close we are by the reality
We want to be as close as possible
Aconfidence level shows us this (95%: we are 95% confidence that the research is
true)
Always a percentage that we are wrong
- Objectivity
o Follow you r findings and do not interpretate them in a way u want them to be
o Focus and follow what the findings are
- Generalizability
o You want to try to make what you found more general
o Difficult because we can’t include a big sample
o Quantitative is more generalizable that qualitative
- Parsimony
o Keep it simple
o Find simple solutions, avoid complex solutions
NOT ALL POSSIBLE TO REACH
Example: zie dia 44 – 51
THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CYCLE
Example: Global warming
2 documentaries with similar data and graphs but used in a different way AND different conclusions
Inconvenient truth: people are the one that are causing the global warming → humans are responsible for the
increasing CO2 levels
The great global warming: global warming is a normal, natural thing happening influenced by the sun,
volcanoes…
→ reality = complex
There is never a guarantee that scientific statements are ‘true’
4
INTRODUCTION TO (BUSINESS) RESEARCH
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
→the process of finding solutions to a problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors
BUT what is a real problem?
Ex.: we want to make the perfect pizza, but it doesn’t work?
→ how is it possible that our pizza sucks?
→ collect data about the problem
→ in general for business research:
- Can the manager identify the problem?
- Does the manager have a good insight into the relevant factors influencing the problem?
- Does the manager know what information to collect and how?
- Can the manager deduce the correct conclusions based on the data collected?
- Can the manager implement the right corrective actions based on the findings?
WHAT IS BUSINESS RESEARCH?
→ A systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem encountered in a work setting, which
need a solution
Good research = a systematic, organised, data-based, critical, objective inquiry or investigation
It is conducted to resolve issues in
- Accounting
o Budget control systems, practices & procedures
o Taxation methods
o Inventory costing methods
- Finance
1
, o Operational of financial organizations
o Optimum financial ratios
- Management
o Employee attitudes and behaviors
o HR management
o Information systems
- Marketing
o Consumer decision making
o Customer satisfaction and loyalty
o Product image
o Sales promotion
WHY?
- Managers with knowledge of research have an advantage over those without
- Managers have to understand, predict and control events that are dysfunctional withing the
organization
o Ex: a newly developed product may not be taking off → reading about others were this is
happened and thinking and understanding this problem
- Being knowledgeable about research and research methods helps professional managers to
o Identify and effectively solve minor problems in the work setting
o Know how to discriminate good from bad research
o Appreciate and be constantly aware of the multiple influences and multiple effects of factors
impinging on a situation
o …
TYPES OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
Based on the purpose
- Theory- practice-oriented
- Scientific problem management problem
- Basic/fundamental business research applied business research
→ More brought, bigger problems that can have → problem in a particular organization
an impact on many organizations
(exemples --> zie ppt slide 23-24)
2
,Based on the methodology
- Quantitative qualitative
- Numerical non-numerical
→ about numbers → the why behind it
→ what? How much? …
Quantitative research Qualitative research
- Structured data - Unstructured data
- Statistical analysis - Summary
- Objective conclussions - Subjective conclusions
- Surveys, experiments - Interviews, focus groups, observations
A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
→ is all research also scientific research?
8 characteristics that should be present for scientific research
THE HALLMARKS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
→ 8 characteristics that helps us to find out if the research is scientific or not
- Purposiveness
o What is our goal?
o What do we want to do?
- Rigor (strengheid)
o Theory based and methodological sound
o Thinking about a method that is really investigated and find the solutions u need
o Doing it in a very good way, methodologically
o BUT you can miss some things --> so also theory based: do the method insulate that you want
to avoid bias as much as possible?
- Testability
o You need to investigate something that is testable → hypothesis
o Ex.: making employees more participation can increase their commitment → can be testable
via survey
o Being able to test your hypothesis
- Replicability
o If what you found is replicated → the other people are sure it is really true
o For this, details are important for the people who want to replicate the study → details
provide to replicate the study
o If you did the research again, dit you find the same conclusion?
3
, - Precision & confidence
o We do research on a sample and not on the whole population → it need to be very close to
the whole population BUT it will be never 100% perfect
o Precision: shows how close we are by the reality
We want to be as close as possible
Aconfidence level shows us this (95%: we are 95% confidence that the research is
true)
Always a percentage that we are wrong
- Objectivity
o Follow you r findings and do not interpretate them in a way u want them to be
o Focus and follow what the findings are
- Generalizability
o You want to try to make what you found more general
o Difficult because we can’t include a big sample
o Quantitative is more generalizable that qualitative
- Parsimony
o Keep it simple
o Find simple solutions, avoid complex solutions
NOT ALL POSSIBLE TO REACH
Example: zie dia 44 – 51
THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CYCLE
Example: Global warming
2 documentaries with similar data and graphs but used in a different way AND different conclusions
Inconvenient truth: people are the one that are causing the global warming → humans are responsible for the
increasing CO2 levels
The great global warming: global warming is a normal, natural thing happening influenced by the sun,
volcanoes…
→ reality = complex
There is never a guarantee that scientific statements are ‘true’
4
