Chapter 5

Clarifying the Research

Question through Secondary
Data and Exploration

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
Learning Objectives

Understand...
The purpose and process of exploratory research.
The two types and three levels of management
decision-related secondary sources.
The five types of external information and the
factors for evaluating the value of a source and
its content.

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Learning Objectives

Understand . . .
The process of using exploratory research to
understand the management dilemma and work
through the stages of analysis necessary to
formulate the research question (and,
ultimately, investigative questions and
measurement questions).
What is involved in internal data mining and how
internal data-mining techniques differ from
literature searches.

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Clarifying the Research Question
Reduces Information Overload

“Companies are certainly aware of data

mining, but most companies are not making
effective use of the data collected. They
are not so good at analyzing it or applying
these insights to the business.”

Gregory Piatetsky-Shapiro
president
Kdnuggets

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PulsePoint:
Research Revelation

33
The percent of financial executives
who have full confidence in their
current risk strategies.

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Exploratory Phase
Search Strategy

Discovery/ Analysis
Secondary Sources

Expert Search Group

Interview Strategy Discussions

Individual
Depth Interviews
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Integration of Secondary Data
into the Research Process

5-7
Objectives of Secondary Searches

• Expand understanding of management

dilemma
• Gather background information
• Identify information to gather
• Identify sources for and actual questions
• Identify sources for and actual sample
frames

5-8
Conducting a
Literature Search

Define
Define management
management dilemma
dilemma

Consult
Consult books
books for
for relevant
relevant terms
terms

Use
Use terms
terms to
to search
search

Locate/review
Locate/review secondary
secondary sources
sources

Evaluate
Evaluate value
value of
of each
each source
source
and
and content
content

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Whiteboard technology makes an easier
discussion of symptoms relevant to the
management-research question hierarchy
5-10
Levels of Information

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Sources: Sources: Sources:
Memos Encyclopedias Indexes
Letters Textbooks Bibliographies
Interviews Handbooks Internet
Speeches Magazines search engines
Laws Newspapers
Internal records Newscasts

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Integrating Secondary Data

5-12
The
U.S. Government
is the
world’s largest
source of data

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Information Sources

Indexes/
Bibliographies

Directories
Directories Dictionaries
Dictionaries

Types
Types

Handbooks
Handbooks Encyclopedias

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Evaluating Information Sources

Purpose

Format
Format Scope
Scope
Evaluation
Evaluation
Factors
Factors
Audience
Audience Authority

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The Evolution of Data Mining

Evolutionary Step Investigative Question Enabling Technologies Characteristics

Data collection “What was my Computers, tapes, Retrospective, static
(1960s) average total revenue disks data delivery
over the last five
years?”
Data access (1980s) “What were unit sales Relational databases Retrospective,
in California last (RDBMS), structured dynamic data delivery
December?” query language at record level
(SQL), ODBC
Data navigation “What were unit sales Online analytic Retrospective,
(1990s) in California last processing (OLAP), dynamic data delivery
December? Drill down multidimensional at multiple levels
to Sacramento.” databases, data
warehouses
Data mining (2000) “What’s likely to Advanced algorithms, Prospective, proactive
happen to multiprocessor information delivery
Sacramento unit sales computers, massive
next month? Why?” databases

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Data Mining in Business

5-17
Data-Mining Process

5-18
Business Research Process

5-19
Stage 1: Clarifying the Research
Question

Management-research question hierarchy begins by

identifying the management dilemma
5-20
Management-Research Question
Hierarchy

5-21
SalePro’s Hierarchy

5-22
Formulating the
Research Question

5-23
Types of
Management Questions

5-24
The Research Question

Break
Break
Examine
Examine questions
questions
variables
variables down
down

Fine-Tuning
Fine-Tuning
Determine
Determine Set
Set
necessary
necessary scope
scope of
of
evidence
evidence study
study

Evaluate
Evaluate
hypotheses
hypotheses
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Investigative Questions

Performance
Performance Considerations
Considerations

Attitudinal
Attitudinal Issues
Issues

Behavioral
Behavioral Issues
Issues

5-26
Harris Interactive
answers “Why?”
for its research
clients

5-27
Gantt Chart
MindWriter Project Plan

5-28
Key Terms
Bibliography Investigative questions
Bibliographic Database Literature search
Data Mart Management question
Data Mining Measurement question
Data Visualization – Custom-designed
– Predesigned
Data Warehouse
Dictionary Primary sources
Directory Research questions
Encyclopedia Secondary sources
Expert interview Source evaluation
– Purpose
Exploratory research – Scope
Handbook – Authority
Index – Audience
Individual depth interview – Format
Tertiary sources
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 Appendix
5a
Bibliographic Database Searches

Appendices
5b
Advanced Searches

5-30
Searching Databases vs. the
Web

5-31
Advanced Searching Process

5-32
Review of Advanced Search
Options

5-33