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Lecture # 1 Business Research Methods: Instructor: Sumia Mumtaz
Lecture # 1 Business Research Methods: Instructor: Sumia Mumtaz
Lecture # 1 Business Research Methods: Instructor: Sumia Mumtaz
BUSINESS RESEARCH
METHODS
• Is original research
• Generates up-to-date information
• Includes methods such as observation,
experiments, surveys, and interviews
• Analyzes, synthesizes, and evaluates all
information and data
Primary Research
Advantages:
• Is directly applicable to the need
• Can result in extremely detailed, accurate,
and relevant information or data
• Can result in new information that cannot
be found in secondary sources
• Results in expert knowledge
Primary Research
Disadvantages:
• Is time consuming
• Requires extensive planning
• Can be expensive
• May depend on the participation of
unreliable sources for results
Secondary Research
• Requires searching information that other
researchers have already collected, analyzed,
and reported
• Includes published works: books, journals,
magazines, newspapers
• Includes unpublished works: business reports,
operating manuals, masters theses, doctoral
dissertations, web pages
• Is the most commonly conducted type of
research
Secondary Research
Advantages:
• Requires less time and little to no cost in
comparison to primary research
• Helps the researcher to either focus or expand
his/her scope
• Elicits a sense of credibility and authority in
that it shows others that the researcher has
done his/her homework
Secondary Research
Disadvantages:
• The researcher may have to sift through a
tremendous amount of information.
• Not all information sources are valid (i.e.,
internet web pages).
Secondary Research Sources
Research Libraries
• Support faculty and students in their
research efforts in college/university
libraries
• Have extensive collections of books and
periodicals
• Contain theses, dissertations, and other
useful unpublished works
Secondary Research Sources
Books
• One of the most reliable published sources.
• Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) has
replaced the card catalog in most libraries.
• Browsing library shelves may result in new
sources.
• Interlibrary loans result in more materials.
Secondary Research Sources
Magazines
• Magazine Databases include ProQuest,
Electric Library, and others.
• Excellent related graphics may be
discovered.
Secondary Research Sources
Reference Works
• Indexes – guides to newspapers,
magazines, and journals
• Bibliographies – related publications
• Collections of Abstracts – journal articles
• Guides to Research – American Library
Association’s Guide to Reference Books
Secondary Research Sources
Reference Works
• Dictionaries – The Oxford English
Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary
• Encyclopedias
• Biographical sources – Who’s Who
• Yearbooks – Britannica Book of the Year
Secondary Research Sources
Reference Works
• Atlases – map collections
• Gazetteers – geographic information
• Statistical data sources – Statistical
Abstract of the United States
• Almanacs – good for statistics
• Books of quotations
Secondary Research Sources
Newspapers
• ProQuest
• Electric Library
• Microfiche
Secondary Research Sources
Multimedia
• Films
• Videos/DVDs
• Audiotapes
Secondary Research Sources
Internet Web Pages
• Search Engines: Google, Yahoo
• Associations, Organizations, Businesses
• Government Agencies
• Public Institutions: Museums, Libraries
• Note: Anyone can invent information and
put it on the internet.
Research Techniques