EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

 Main word – to explore

 Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem and to get some basic idea about the solution at the
preliminary stage of a research study

 E.R. is also known as formulative research studies

 It is usually conducted when there is no earlier studies or theory on a topic

 In business research, it is the process of discussing a business problem with informed sources such as
industry analysis, consultants, customers tc….

Features

 E.R. is a preliminary study of an unfamiliar problem

 It is flexible and versatile

 It is used to seek insights into the general nature of the problem

 Structured forms are not useful for data collection

 Experimentation is not required

 Cost for conducting the study is less

 It allows wide exploration of views

 It helps to determined the best research design, data collection method etc…

 It do not aim at hypothesis testing

Objectives of Exploratory Research

 To generate new ideas or building theory

 To obtain greater understanding of a concept

 To increase researcher’s familiarity with the research problem .To make a precise formulation of a problem

 To gather information for clarifying purposes

 To determine whether it is feasible to attempt the study

 To develop techniques and a sense of direction for future studies

• literature survey

• experience survey

• study of insight stimulating cases

Causal research

Causal research, also called explanatory research, is the investigation of (research into) cause-and-
effect relationships. it is important to observe variation in the variable assumed to cause the change in the
other variable(s), and then measure the changes in the other variable(s). This type of research is very
 complex and the researcher can never be completely certain that there are no other factors influencing the
causal relationship, especially when dealing with people’s attitudes and motivations.

Objective of causal research

Understanding which variable are the cause and which variables are the effect Determining the nature of the
relationship between the causal variable and the effect predicted

Theoretical research

A theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together with their definitions and reference to relevant
scholarly literature, existing theory that is used for your particular study.

• The theoretical framework must demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts that are relevant
to the topic of your research paper and that relate to the broader areas of knowledge being considered.

• The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge.

• Guided by a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your hypotheses and choice of research methods.

• A theoretical framework specifies which key variables influence a phenomenon of interest and highlights the
need to examine how those key variables might differ and under what circumstances.

Empirical research

• Empirical research is defined as any research where conclusions of the study is strictly drawn from
concretely empirical evidence, and therefore “verifiable” evidence.

• This empirical evidence can be gathered using quantitative and qualitative methods.

• For example: A research is being conducted to find out if listening to happy music while working may
promote creativity? An experiment is conducted by using a music website survey on a set of audience who
are exposed to happy music and another set who are not listening to music at all, and the subjects are then
observed. The results derived from such a research will give empirical evidence if it does promote creativity
or not.

Methodologies of empirical research

• are used to gather information through numerical data.

• It is used to quantify opinions, behaviors or other defined variables.

• These are predetermined and are in a more structured format.

Quantitative research

• Survey research:

• generally involves a large audience to collect a large amount of data.

• This is a quantitative method having a predetermined set of closed questions which are pretty easy to
answer.

• Because of the simplicity of such a method, high responses are achieved.

 Experimental research:

• an experiment is set up and a hypothesis is tested by creating a situation in which one of the variable is
manipulated.

• This is also used to check cause and effect.

• It is tested to see what happens to the independent variable

• if the other one is removed or altered.

• The process for such a method is usually proposing a hypothesis, experimenting on it, analyzing the findings
and reporting the

• findings to understand if it supports the theory or not.

• For example: A particular product company is trying to find what is the reason for them to not be able to
capture the market. So the organisation makes changes in each one of the processes like manufacturing,
marketing, sales and operations. Through the experiment they understand that sales training directly impacts
the market coverage for their product. If the person is trained well, then the product will have better
coverage.

correlational research:

• is used to find relation between two set of variables.

• Regression is generally used to predict outcomes of such a method.

• It can be positive, negative or neutral correlation.

For example: Higher educated individuals will get higher paying jobs. This means higher education enables the
individual to high paying job and less education will lead to lower paying jobs.

Longitudinal study

is used to understand the traits or behavior of a subject under observation after repeatedly testing the subject
over a period of time. Data collected from such a method can be qualitative or quantitative in nature.

For example: A research to find out benefits of exercise. The target is asked to exercise everyday for a particular
period of time and the results show higher , stamina, and muscle growth. This supports the fact that exercise
benefits an individual body.

Cross sectional study

is an observational type of method, in which a set of audience is observed at a given point in time. In this type,
the set of people are chosen in a fashion which depicts similarity in all the variables except the one which is
being researched. This type does not enable the researcher to establish a cause and effect relationship as it is
not observed for a continuous time period. It is majorly used by healthcare sector or the retail industry.

For example: A medical study to find the prevalence of under-nutrition disorders in kids of a given
population.This will involve looking at a wide range of parameters like age, location, incomes and social
backgrounds. If a significant number of kids coming from poor families show under-nutrition disorders, the
researcher can further investigate into it. Usually a cross sectional study is followed by a longitudinal study to
find out the exact reason.
 Causal-Comparative research:

This method is based on comparison. It is mainly used to find out cause-effect relationship between two
variables or even multiple variables.

For example: A researcher measured the productivity of employees in a company which gave breaks to the
employees during work and compared that to the employees of the company which did not give breaks at all.

Qualitative research methods

In many cases, in-depth information is needed or a researcher may need to observe a target audience behavior,
hence the results needed are in a descriptive form. Qualitative research results will be descriptive rather than
predictive.

Case study

Case study method is used to find more information through carefully analyzing existing cases. It is very often
used for business research or to gather empirical evidence for investigation purpose. It is a method to
investigate a problem within its real life context through existing cases. The researcher has to carefully analyse
making sure the parameter and variables in the existing case are the same as to the case that is being
investigated.Using the findings from the case study, conclusions can be drawn regarding the topic that is being
studied.

Observational method

• is a process to observe and gather data from its target.

• Since it is a qualitative method it is time consuming and very personal.

• It can be said that observational method is a part of ethnographic research which is also used to gather
empirical evidence.

• This is usually a qualitative form of research, however in some cases it can be quantitative as well depending
on what is being studied.

• nowadays is to observe people shopping in a mall to figure out buying behavior of consumers.

One-on-one interview

Such a method is purely qualitative and one of the most widely used. The reason being it enables a researcher
get precise meaningful data if the right questions are asked. It is a conversational method where in-depth data
can be gathered depending on where the conversation leads.

For example: A one-on-one interview with the finance minister to gather data on financial policies of the country
and its implications on the public

Focus groups

are used when a researcher wants to find answers to why, what and how questions. A small group is generally
chosen for such a method and it is not necessary to interact with the group in person.A moderator is generally
needed in case the group is being addressed in person. This is widely used by product companies to collect data
about their brands and the product.
For example: A mobile phone manufacturer wanting to have a feedback on the dimensions of one of their models
which is yet to be launched. Such studies help the company meet the demand of the customer and position their
model appropriately in the market.

Advantages of Empirical research

• It is used to authenticate traditional research through various experiments and observations.

• This research methodology makes the research being conducted more competent and authentic.

• It enables a researcher understand the dynamic changes that can happen and change his strategy
accordingly.

• The level of control in such a research is high so the researcher can control multiple variables.

• It plays a vital role in increasing internal validity.

Disadvantages of Empirical research

• needs patience - time consuming.

• The researcher has to collect data from multiple sources and the parameters involved are quite a few, which
will lead to a time consuming research.

• a researcher will need to conduct research at different locations or in different environments, this can lead to
an expensive affair.

• There are a few rules in which experiments can be performed and hence permissions are needed. Many a
times, it is very difficult to get certain permissions to carry out different methods of this research.

• Collection of data can be a problem sometimes, as it has to be collected from a variety of sources through
different methods.

Basic Research

• Basic or fundamental research is an original type of research

• It is mainly concerned with generalization and with the formulation of a theory

• It aims at extension of knowledge and not problem-oriented

• Pauline.V.Young – “gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed as pure or basic research”

• There is no commercial value for the result

• E.g. research on human behaviour and its generalisation

Features of basic research

• It is a research related with principles or rules

• Its aim is to attain knowledge

• It is concerned with theoretical aspect of a science

• It tries to find out cause and effect relationship in social phenomena

• It is concerned with generalisation and formulation of a theory

• It is undertaken for the sake of knowledge

• It lays down foundation for the applied research

Applied Research

• Applied research is to solve a current problem faced by the managers in the work setting, demanding a timely
solution

• Past theories, knowledge and methods are used for solving an existing problem.

• It deals with practical problems

• it is carried out to find a solution to real life problem requiring an action or policy decision

• E.g – social hygene .

Features of Applied Research

• It is problem-oriented

• It is “need-based”

• It is carried out to find a solution for a real life problem

• It puts theory of testing. Knowledge of theory is used to develop conceptual framework for the study and
formulate hypothesis

• It contributes new facts

• It may integrate previous existing theories

Descriptive Research

Descriptive research is defined as a research method that describes the characteristics of the population or
phenomenon that is being studied. This methodology focuses more on the “what” of the research subject
rather than the “why” of the research subject. it “describes” the subject of the research, without covering
“why” it happens.

forexample:descriptive research can be used is if a school district that wishes to evaluate teachers attitudes
about using technology in the classroom.By conducting surveys and observing their comfortableness using
technology through observational methods, the researcher can gauge what they can help understand if a
full-fledged implementation can face an issues. This also helps in understanding if the students are impacted
in any way with this change.A speciality food group launching a new range of barbecue rubs would like to
understand what flavors of rubs are favored by different sets of people. To understand the preferred flavor
palette, they conduct a descriptive research study using different methods like observational methods in
supermarkets. By also conducting a survey whilst collecting in-depth demographic information, offers insights
about the preference of different markets. This can also help tailor make the rubs and spreads to different
preferred meats in that demographic

Analytical research

is a specific type of research that involves critical thinking skills and the evaluation of facts and information
relative to the research being conducted.Descriptive research attempts to determine, describe, or identify
what is, while analytical research attempts to establish why it is that way or how it came to be.It involve in
depth study and evaluation of available information I an attempt to explain complex phenomenon .