Business Research Methods

 Inferential Statistics
Statistics that helps to establish relationship among variables and draw
conclusions
 Qualitative Research
Interpretive techniques that seek to describe, decode, translate and otherwise
come to terms with the meaning, not the frequency of certain phenomenon.
 Field Experiment
A study of the dependent variable in actual environmental conditions.
 Basic Research
Designed to solve problems a theoretical nature with little direct impact on
strategy tactical decisions.
 Theoretical Framework
A logically developed, described and explained network of associations among
variables of interest to the research study.
 Moderating and Intervening variable
Moderating variable
A second independent variable believed to have a significant contributory or
contingent effect on the originally stated IV – DV relationship.
Intervening variable
A factor that affects the observed phenomenon but can not be seen measured or
manipulated.
 Difference between Strategy and Tactics
Strategy
The general approach an organization will follow to achieve its goals.
Tactics
Specific timed activities that excuse a strategy.
 Features of the Scientific method
I. Purpose clearly defined
II. Research process detailed
III. Research design throughly planned
IV. High ethical standards applied
V. Limitations frankly revealed
VI. Findings presented
VII. Conclusions justified
VIII. Researcher’s experience reflected
 Pilot Testing
A trial collection of data to detect weaknesses in design and instrumentation
and provide proxy data for selection of probability sample.
 Sample and Sampling
Sample
A subset or subgroup of the populations.
Sampling
The process of selecting some elements from a population to represent that
population.
 Data Mining
Helps to trace patterns and relationships in the data stored in the datawarehouse.
 Data Warehouse
A central repository of all information gathered by the company.
 Difference between Symmetrical and Reciprocal relationship
Symmetrical relationship
A symmetrical relationship is one in which two variables fluctuate together.
Reciprocal relationship
A reciprocal relationship exists when two variables mutually influence or
reinforce each other.
 Four types of Asymmetric casual relations
I. Stimulus – Response
II. Property – Disposition
III. Disposition – Behavior
IV. Property – Behavior
 Balanced Scale
A balanced rating scale has an equal number of category above and below
the midpoint.
 Unbalanced Scale
An unbalanced rating scale has unequal number of favourable and
unfavourable response choices.
 Measurement Errors
I. The respondent
II. The situational factors
III. The measurer
IV. The instrument
 Experiments Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
I. Accomplishing the goals
II. Contaminations from extraneous variable
III. Convenience and cost of experiments
IV. Replication
V. Maturally occurring events
Disadvantages
I. Experimental method
II. Nonprobability sample
 III. Low cost of experimentation
IV. Experimentation is most effectively targeted at problems
 Hypothesis and its Kinds
An educated conjecture about the logically developed relationship between
two or more variables.
Kinds of the Hypothesis
I. Null Hypothesis
II. Alternative Hypothesis
 Exploratory Research
A research study where very little knowledge or information is avoidable on
the subject under investigation.
 Difference between Basic and Applied research
Basic Research
Basic research conducted to generate knowledge and understanding of
phenomenon.
Applied Research
Applied research conducted in a particular setting with the specific objective
of solving an existing problem in the situation.
 Business Research
A systematic research inquiry that provides information of guide business
decisions,The process of determining, acquring, analyzing and synthezing
and disseminatingn relevant business data.
 Proposition and Hypothesis
A proposition as a statement about observable phenomena (concepts) that
may bejudged as true or false.When a proposition is formulated for
empirical testing, we call it is a hypothesis.
 Variables
A variable is a symbol of an event, act, characterstics, trait or attribute that
can be measured and to which we assign categorical values.
 Dependent variable
The variable measured, predicted or otherwise monitored by the researcher
expected to be affected by a manipulation of the independent variable.
 Independent variable
The variable manipulated by the researcher, thereby causing an effect or
change on the dependent variable.
 Ethics
Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about
research behavior.
 Research design
Research design costitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement and
analysis of data.
 Focal group
The simultaneous of a small numbers of research participants who interact at
the direction of a moderator in order to generate data.
 Coding
Coding involves assigning numbers or other symbols to answers so that the
responses can be grouped into a limited number of categories.
 Semantic Differential Scale
The semantic differential scale measures the psychological meanings of an
attitude object using bipolar activities. This scale is useful because
researcher use this scale for studies.
 Research Objectives
Researcher’s objectives are too numerous to list (including studies of
attitude,attribute change, persuasion, awareness, purchase intention and
actual and repeat purchase)
 Descriptive Research
Descriptive research is used to describe characterstics of a population or
phenomenon being studied. It does not answer questions how, when, why
the characterstics occurred.
 Meta Research
Meta research is a recent field of research that investigates research practices
with ultimate goal of finding evidenced based improvements.
 Paradox
A paradox is a statement that despite apparently sound reasoning from true
premises, leads to a self – contradictory or a logically unacceptable
conclusions.