Week 1

Introduction to research methods, research

process, Research Process and ethics in research

CB 1-3
Why Study Business Research?

Business research
provides
information to
guide business
decisions

1-2
Business Research

• A process of determining, acquiring,

analyzing, synthesizing, and disseminating
relevant business data, information, and
insights to decision makers in ways that
mobilize the organization to take
appropriate business actions that,
in turn, maximize business performance

1-3
Research Should Reduce Risk

The primary purpose of

research is to reduce
the level of risk of a
business decision

1-4
What’s Changing in Business
that Influences Research

New Research Information Technological

Perspectives Overload Connectivity

Computing Shifting Global

Power & Speed Economics
Factors
Battle for Critical
Analytical Scrutiny of
Talent Business
Government
Intervention

1-5
Business Planning Drives
Business Research

Organizational Business
Mission Goals

Business Business
Strategies Tactics

1-6
Information Sources

Decision Support Systems Business Intelligence

• Numerous elements of
Systems
data organized for • Ongoing information
retrieval and use in collection
business decision making • Focused on events,
• Stored and retrieved via trends in micro and
• Intranets macro-environments
• Extranets

1-7
Sources of Business Intelligence

Government/
Competitive
Regulatory

Demographic Economic
Business
Intelligence

Technological Cultural/
Social

1-8
Hierarchy of Business Decision Makers

1-9
Characteristics of
Good Research
Clearly defined purpose
Detailed research process
Thoroughly planned design
High ethical standards
Limitations addressed
Adequate analysis
Unambiguous presentation
Conclusions justified
Credentials
1-10
Categories of Research

Applied Basic (Pure)

1-11
Types of Studies

Reporting Descriptive

Explanatory Predictive

1-12
ETHICS in Research

1-13
Types of Ethical Violations

Violating
Misrepresenting
disclosure
results
agreements

Breaking Deceiving
confidentiality participants

Padded Avoiding
invoices legal liability

1-14
Ethical Treatment of Participants

Do no harm

Explain study benefits

Explain participant rights and protections

Obtain informed consent

1-15
Components of Informed Consent

Researcher Intro Describe Survey Topic

Describe geographic sample Reveal sponsor

Describe purpose Good Faith Time Estimate

Anonymity & confidentiality

Voluntary Participation

Item nonresponse acceptable

Permission to begin
1-16
Deception

Disguising
non-research
activities

Camouflaging
true research
objectives

1-17
Debriefing

Explain any deception

Describe hypothesis, goal

or purpose

Share results

Provide follow-up

1-18
Unethical Behavior to Avoid

Violating participant Changing data

confidentiality
Creating false data
Changing data
presentation
Changing data interpretations

Injecting bias in interpretations

Omitting sections of data

Making recommendations beyond

scope of data
1-19
Thinking like Researcher

1-20
Language of Research

Conceptual
Concepts Constructs
schemes

Operational
Models
definitions
Terms used
in research
Theory Variables

Propositions/
Hypotheses
3-21
Language of Research

Clear conceptualization
of concepts
Success
of
Research Shared understanding
of concepts

3-22
Job Redesign
Constructs
and Concepts

3-23
Operational Definitions

How can we define the variable

“class level of students”?

• Freshman • < 30 credit hours

• Sophomore • 30-50 credit hours
• Junior • 60-89 credit hours
• Senior • > 90 credit hours

3-24
A Variable: Property Being Studied

Event Act

Variable

Characteristic Trait

Attribute

3-25
Types of Variables

Male/Female
Dichotomous Employed/ Unemployed

Ethnic background
Discrete Educational level
Religious affiliation

Income
Temperature
Continuous Age

3-26
Independent and Dependent Variable Synonyms

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

(IV) (DV)
• Predictor • Criterion
• Presumed cause • Presumed effect
• Stimulus • Response
• Predicted from… • Predicted to….
• Antecedent • Consequence
• Manipulated • Measured outcome
3-27
Relationships Among Variable Types

3-28
Relationships Among Variable Types

3-29
Relationships Among Variable Types

3-30
Moderating Variables (MV)

• The introduction of a four-day week (IV) will lead to higher

productivity (DV), especially among younger workers (MV)

• The switch to commission from a salary compensation system

(IV) will lead to increased sales (DV) per worker, especially
more experienced workers (MV).

• The loss of mining jobs (IV) leads to acceptance of higher-risk

behaviors to earn a family-supporting income (DV) –
particularly among those with a limited education (MV).

3-31
Extraneous Variables (EV)

With new customers (EV-control), a switch to commission

from a salary compensation system (IV) will lead to
increased sales productivity (DV) per worker, especially
among younger workers (MV).

Among residents with less than a high school education

(EV-control), the loss of jobs (IV) leads to high-risk
behaviors (DV), especially due to the proximity of the
firing range (MV).

3-32
Intervening Variables (IVV)

• The switch to a commission compensation system (IV)

will lead to higher sales (DV) by increasing overall
compensation (IVV).

• A promotion campaign (IV) will increase savings

activity (DV), especially when free prizes are offered
(MV), but chiefly among smaller savers (EV-control).
The results come from enhancing the motivation to
save (IVV).

3-33
Propositions and Hypotheses

• Brand Manager Jones (case) has a higher-than-

average achievement motivation (variable).

Generalization
• Brand managers in Company Z (cases) have a higher-
than-average achievement motivation (variable).

3-34
Descriptive Hypothesis Formats

Descriptive Hypothesis Research Question

• In Detroit, our • What is the market
potato chip market share for our potato
share stands at chips in Detroit?
13.7%. • Are American cities
• American cities are experiencing budget
experiencing budget difficulties?
difficulties.

3-35
Relational Hypotheses Formats

• Correlational • Causal
• Young women (under • An increase in family
35) purchase fewer units income leads to an
of our product than increase in the
women who are older percentage of income
than 35. saved.
• Loyalty to a grocery store
• The number of suits sold increases the probability of
varies directly with the purchasing that store’s
level of the business private brand products.
cycle.

3-36
The Role of Hypotheses

Guide the direction of the study

Identify relevant facts

Suggest most appropriate research

design

Provide framework for organizing

resulting conclusions

3-37
Characteristics of
Strong Hypotheses

Adequate

A
Strong Testable
Hypothesis
Better
than rivals
3-38
Theory within Research

3-39
The Role of Reasoning

3-40
A Model within Research

3-41
The Scientific Method

Direct observation

Clearly defined variables

Clearly defined methods

Empirically testable

Elimination of alternatives

Statistical justification

Self-correcting process

3-42
Researchers

• Encounter problems
• State problems
• Propose hypotheses
• Deduce outcomes
• Formulate rival
hypotheses
• Devise and conduct
empirical tests
• Draw conclusions

3-43
Why is
curiosity
important?

3-44
Sound Reasoning

Types of Discourse

Exposition Argument

Deduction Induction

3-45
Deductive Reasoning

Inner-city household
interviewing is especially
difficult and expensive

This survey involves

substantial inner-city
household interviewing

The interviewing in this

survey will be especially
difficult and expensive

3-46
 Deductive Reasoning

Apply deductive
reasoning to this
image.

What will happen

next?

3-47
Inductive Reasoning

• Why didn’t sales increase during our promotional

event?
§ Regional retailers did not have sufficient stock to
fill customer requests during the promotional
period
§ A strike by employees prevented stock from
arriving in time for promotion to be effective
§ A hurricane closed retail outlets in the region for
10 days during the promotion

3-48
Why Didn’t Sales Increase?

3-49
Tracy’s Performance

3-50