Research

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY MODULE 2

Module 2 Syllabus 2.1The management research question hierarchy Research process problems 2.2The Favoured technique syndrome 2.3Problem definition 2.4Designing the study 2.5Sampling design 2.6Resource allocation and budgets 2.7Valuing research information 2.8Research proposal 2.9Pilot testing 2.10 Data collection 2.11 Analysis and interpretation 2.12 Reporting the results 2.13 Ethics in research

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

2.1 The ManagementResearch Question Hierarchy 6. Management Decision 5. Measurement Questions 4. Investigative Questions 3. Research Questions 2. Management Questions 1. Management Dilemma

Working with the Hierarchy 

Management Dilemma  The symptom of an actual problem  Not difficult to identify a dilemma, however choosing one to focus on may be difficult

Working with the Hierarchy 

Management Question Categories  Choice of purposes or objective  Generation and evaluation of solutions  Troubleshooting or control situation

Working with the Hierarchy 

Fine tune the research question  

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Examine concepts and constructs Break research questions into specific secondand-third-level questions Verify hypotheses with quality tests Determine what evidence answers the various questions and hypothesis Set the scope of your study

Working with the Hierarchy 

Investigative Questions  Questions the researcher must answer to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion about the research question

Working with the Hierarchy 

Measurement Questions  The questions we actually ask or extract from respondents

Other Processes in the  Exploration Hierarchy  

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Recent developments Predictions by informed figures about the prospects of the technology Identification of those involved in the area Accounts of successful ventures and failures by others in the field

THE LANDMARK CASE

LANDMARK

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Pioneered the concept of family centric multiproduct Leisure stores Offers a vast assortment of books, music, movies and stationery Presently has 5 physical stores and an online store Current revenue levels of approximately Rs. 80 crores Commenced its operation in 1987 at Apex plaza, Nungambakkam, Chennai with a floor space of 5500 sqft.

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In December 1996, the Chennai store underwent renovation and was expanded to 12,000 sq. ft by taking up the adjacent facility. With the expansion in space Landmark also added a new product line viz., music, the first of its kind with open displays, listening stations etc. The store today sells toys, gift items and home products apart from Books, music, stationery and greeting cards.

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Landmark opened its store in 1999 in Calcutta on a 5500 sq.ft. selling area located in Emami Shoppers City, Lord Sinha Road. Landmark in 2001 set up its flagship stores of 37000 sqft own property at Spencers plaza, Chennai 2003 witnessed opening of shop at Hotel Residency Towers, Chennai. Landmark opened its largest store in Feb 2004 in a leased premises in Bangalore's premier shopping mall "The Forum".

Corporate Philosophy 

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Supply creates Demand - Firm Belief of the Management at Landmark. Brand to promise Product quality - All products are subjected to religious quality checks. Constant Innovation and path breaking actions Landmark has since its inception been the first mover to adopt any path breaking technologies. Constant enhancement of customer experience Make Shopping an Entertainment - Warm and friendly experience for customer. Continuously nurture and develop strong supplier / vendor relationship.

Management Dilemma

Does Landmark enjoy a loyal customer base?

Management Question

Does satisfaction exist? Does quality exist? Is it a preferred Store? Is there competition?

Research Questions

Level of customer satisfaction? Level of service quality? Expectation versus perception? Improve service quality & satisfaction? Ensure loyalty?

Methodology Highlights  

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Descriptive Research Design Non-probability Sampling – Judgement / Purposive / Deliberate Data Collection Method: Survey Data Collection Instrument: Structured Questionnaire Location: Nungambakkam Store Sample Size: 300

Limitations / Assumptions 

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Restricted to the Nungambakkam branch in the city of Chennai due to time and cost constraints Findings cannot be extrapolated for other branches across the country. Focused on customer satisfaction and quality only May be changes in the service sector environment in the future which in turn may influence changes in service levels and customer perceptions and expectations.

Investigative Questions      

Types of stores visited? Popular stores? Frequency of visits to such stores? Frequency of visits to Landmark? Frequently bought items? Sections visited in the store?

Investigative Questions 

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Ratings for Service attributes? – Measurable attributes? How does Landmark differ from other stores? – USP? Suggestions for improvement? Demographic profile?

Measurement Ambient conditions such as Questions 

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temperature, ventilation, noise and odour prevailing in the premises Physical layout of the various sections Cleanliness Visually appealing signs, symbols, advertisement boards other artefacts Neat and professional appearance of employees

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Measurement Providing service as promised Questions

Effectiveness of employees’ skills and ability (critical incidents) Apprising customers of the nature and schedule of services Willingness to help customers Readiness to respond to customers’ requests Use of customer feedback to improve service standards

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Measurement Courtesy shown by staff Questions

Provision of reliable information Standardised & simplified delivery process Technological capability computerisation, networking, etc. Adequate personnel for good customer service Adequate facilities for good customer service

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Measurement Diversity and range of goods / Questions

services Service innovation – (offers, tieups, promotional campaigns, etc.) Convenience of operating hours and days Equal treatment to all customers Service transcendence (delight) – giving customers more than what they expect Quality service at a reasonable cost

Measurement Questions   

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AGE GENDER OCCUPATION: Industry (Product / Service), Not Working, Government (Central / State), Self Employed, Retired (Voluntary / Superannuation) AVERAGE MONTHLY PERSONAL INCOME:Upto Rs. 10,000 ; Rs. 10,001 – Rs. 20,000 ; Above Rs. 20,000 ; No income

2.2 Research Process Problems

Research Process Problems -1 

The Favored Technique Syndrome

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Some researchers are method-bound They convert the management question so that it fits their favourite methodology Could be a survey, case study, experiment Researchers who are experts in one method are blinded by their special skills

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Research Process Problems -2 

Company Database Strip-Mining

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Presence of info or database could distract a manager They feel that research is an expense and not an inestment Each database is created for a specific reason May not be compatible for current management question

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Research Process Problems -3 

Unresearchable Questions

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Not all management questions can be researched Not all research questions are answerable Many questions cannot be answered on the basis of info alone

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Research Process Problems -4 

Ill-Defined Management Problems

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Some problems are complex, value-based, bound by constraints May have too many interrelated factors to be measured and handled accurately Methods may not exist or invented methods may not supply adequate info

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Research Process -5 Research Problems Politically Motivated -

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Manager’s motivation may not be obvious Aim is to win approval for a manager’s pet idea Just authorised to avoid criticism later

2.4 PROBLEM DEFINITION Refer Module 1

2.5 Designing the Study 

Select a research design from the large variety of methods, techniques, procedures, protocols, and sampling plans

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Research design is a blueprint for fulfilling objectives and answering questions Type of study? Type of data collection method? Type of data collection instrument? Time frame? Structure of instrument? Type of questions? Training for enumerators? Sampling required?...........

2.6 SAMPLING DESIGN 

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Sampling Method (Probability Methods or Non-Probability Methods) Population Frame Size (Use appropriate Formulae)

2.7 Resource Allocation & Budgets 

Guides to plan a budget   

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Project planning Data gathering Analysis, interpretation, and reporting

Types of budgeting   

Rule-of-thumb Departmental or functional area Task

Rule-of-Thumb Budgeting 

Involves taking a fixed percentage of some criterion

Departmental of Functional Area Budgeting 

Allocates a portion of total expenditure in the unit to research activities

Task Budgeting 

Selects specific research projects to support on an ad-hoc basis

2.8 Evaluation Methods 

Ex Post Facto Evaluation

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Prior or Interim Evaluation Option Analysis Decision Theory

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Ex Post Facto Evaluation 

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Sometimes correct decisions are made without the benefit of research information Cost-benefit analysis is good even though analysis may a bit late Perhaps helps managers for future research projects

Prior or Interim Evaluation 

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Thorough Management audit of operations in a company Possibly conduct audit in stages and review costs and benefits at the end of each stage Decide on continuation

Option Analysis    

Availability of alternatives Formal analysis of each alternatives Costs can be estimated Benefits approximately predicted

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Decision Decision variable theory Decision rule

2.9 Research Proposal  

Statement of the research question Brief description of research methodology

Purpose of the Research Proposal 

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To present the question to be researched and its importance To discuss the research efforts of others who have worked on related questions To suggest the data necessary for solving the question

The Research Sponsor 

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All research has a sponsor in one form or another: In a corporate setting, management sponsors research In an academic environment, the student is responsible to the class instructor

What are the Benefits of the Proposal to a  Researcher? Allows the researcher to plan and review 

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the project’s steps Serves as a guide throughout the investigation Forces time and budget estimates

Types of Research Proposals  

Internal External

Proposal Complexity  

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3 levels of complexity: The exploratory study is used for the most simple proposals The small-scale study is more complex and common in business The large-scale professional study is the most complex, costing more

How to Structure the Research Proposal?  

Create proposal modules Put together various modules to tailor your proposal to the intended audience

Flowchart  

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Research question (revise) Budget & Value Estimation (Discard if costs exceeds value) Develop research proposal Obtain Budget & design approval (revise or reject) Execute research designs if approval is given

Modules in a Research Proposal        

Executive Summary Problem Statement Research Objectives Literature Review Importance of the Study Research Design Data Analysis Nature and Form of Results

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Qualifications of Researcher Budget Schedule Facilities and Special Resources Project Management Bibliography Appendices

What to include in the Appendices? 

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A glossary of concepts, constructs, and definitions Samples of the measurement instrument Other materials that reinforce the body of the proposal

Evaluating the Research Proposal 

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Proposal must be neatly written in appropriate writing style Major topics should be easily found and logically organized Proposal must meet specific guidelines set by the sponsor Technical writing style must be clearly understood and explained

2.10 PILOT TESTING A trail collection of data to detect weaknesses in design and instrumentation and provide proxy data for selection of a probability sample (pre-testing)

2.11 Data Collection 

Characterized by    

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abstractness verifiability elusiveness closeness to the phenomenon

Types  

Secondary data Primary data

2.12 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION         

Univariate Analysis Bivariate Analysis Multivariate Analysis Tables Figures Pictograms Cartograms Statistical Presentation Techniques Statistical tests

2.13 REPORTING THE RESULTS Executive summary  Overview of the research  Implementation strategies for the recommendations  Technical appendix 

2.14 ETHICS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH

What are Research Ethics? 

Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others

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The goal is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities

Ethical Treatment of Participants  Begin data collection by explaining to 

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the participant the benefits expected from the research Explain to the participants that their rights and well-being will be adequately protected, and say how this will be done Be certain that interviewers obtain the informed consent of the participant

Deception 

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The participant is told only part of the truth or when the truth is fully compromised To prevent biasing the participants before the survey or experiment To protect the confidentiality of a third party

Issues Related to Protecting Participants    

Informed consent Debriefing Right to Privacy/Confidentiality Data Collection in Cyberspace

Ethical Issues related to the Client    

Sponsor non-disclosure Purpose non-disclosure Findings non-disclosure Right to quality research

Ethics Related to Sponsor 

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Sometimes researchers will be asked by sponsors to participate in unethical behavior. To avoid coercion by sponsor the researcher should:  Educate sponsor to the purpose of research  Explain researcher’s role  Explain how distortion of the truth leads to future problems  If necessary, terminate relationship with sponsor

Ethical Issues related to Researchers and Team Members 

Safety

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Ethical behavior of assistants

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Protection of anonymity