FORMULATION OF

RESEARCH PROBLEM
AND OBJECTIVES
Prepared by: CA ALDOVINO
Strategies to Identify Research Problems

1. Read the literature

2. Surf the net
3. Inquire from business practitioners
4. Ask technocrats
5. Interview business leaders/mentors
6. Ask recognized academicians
7. Attend conferences/foral/symposia
8. Inquire from other agencies
Criteria for Problem Selection

1. Newness of topic
2. Qualifications of researcher
3. Availability of data
4. Time constraint
5. Availability of resources
6. Significance of topic
 Criteria for Formulating the
Research Problem
The research problem is written in question form
1. The research problem identifies a specific area
2. The topic is phrased in phrased in workable and manageable
terms
3. The scope is limited to realistic parameters that are not too
narrow nor too broad
4. The words used are unbiased, objective and not emotion-laden
5. The relationship between variables to be studies are clearly
cited
6. The phrases and wordings are measurable and can be
empirically proven
7. The research problem identifies the data and techniques
needed to answer the questions
8. The research problem is stated clearly in grammatical terms
 Criteria for Formulation of
Research Objectives

1. Stated in declarative form

2. Specific variables to be investigated must be
written clearly
3. Concepts to be studied must be measurable
4. The scope of the study must be attainable
5. Each statement must be related to the main
problem
6. The relationships and patterns to be tested must
be specified
 Sample General Objectives and
Specific Objectives
General Objective:

To determine the competitiveness and market strategies of selected telecommunications

companies

Specific Objectives:

1. To know the degree of competitiveness of the selected major telecommunications firms in terms
of:
1.1 Product quality
1.2 Service quality
1.3 Customer satisfaction

2. To determine the perceived level of differentiation strategies of the selected major

telecommunications firms in terms of:
2.1 Brand equity
2.2 Total Quality Management
2.3 Customer Focus

3. To analyze the extent of the influence of differentiation strategies on the market competitiveness
of the selected major telecommunications firms
 Sample General Objectives and
Specific Objectives
General Objective:
To ascertain the extent of adherence to TQM principles of selected
manufacturing firms in Lucena City

Specific Objectives:

1. To identify the background characteristics of the firms :

1.1 Years of operations
1.2 Number of workers employed
1.3 Type of product manufactured
1.4

2. To determine the perceived level of differentiation strategies of the selected major

telecommunications firms in terms of:
2.1 Brand equity
2.2 Total Quality Management
2.3 Customer Focus

3. To analyze the extent of the influence of differentiation strategies on the market

competitiveness of the selected major telecommunications firms
THE TITLE
◻ Generally, the title is formulated before the start of the
research work. It may be revised and refined later if
there is a need.
◻ The title must contain the subject matter of the study, the
locale of the study, the population involved, and the
period when the data were gathered or will be gathered.
◻ It must be broad enough to include all aspects of the
subject matter studied or to be studied. Hence, the title
indicates what I expected to be found inside the thesis
report.
Title…
◻ It must be brief and concise as possible
◻ Avoid using the terms “An Analysis of,” “A Study
of,” “An Investigation of’” and the like. All these
things are understood to have been done or to be
done when a research is conducted.
◻ If the title contains more than one line, it must be
written like an inverted pyramid, all words in
capital letters.
 INTRODUCTION/
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
(GUIDELINES)
◻ Presentation of the problem
🞑Presentation of what the problem is all about. This will
indicate what will be covered by the study
◻ The existence of an unsatisfactory condition, a felt
problem that needs solution.
◻ Rationale of the study.
🞑The reason or reasons why it is necessary to conduct
the study must be discussed
◻ A desire to have a deeper and clearer understanding
of a situation, circumstance of phenomenon.
◻ A desire to find a better way of doing something or
of improving a product.
◻ A desire to discover something
◻ A link between the introduction and the statement
of the problem
THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
◻ In a research paper, thesis, dissertation, and research
project, either a problem or objective is used.
◻ A statement of purpose for which the investigation is
to be conducted (Ardales, 1992)
◻ It serve as a guide of the researcher in conducting
the research.
◻ Objectives should be stated specifically in simple
language in order that the investigator finds them
easy to measure by using research instruments in
gathering data
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

◻ Research problem and objectives have the same

characteristics but they differ in form
◻ Stated in interrogative and question form
Guidelines in formulating the general problem
and specific subproblems or questions:

◻ The general statement of the problem and specific

subproblems should be formulated first before
conducting the research
◻ It is customary to state specific subproblems in
interrogative form. Hence, subproblems are called
specific questions.
◻ Each specific questions must be clear and
unequivocal, that is, it has only one meaning.
Guidelines…
◻ Each specific question is researchable apart from
the other questions, that is, answers to each specific
question can be found even without considering
other questions.
◻ Each specific question must be based upon known
facts and phenomena.
◻ Answers to each speific questions can be
interpreted apart from the answers to other
questions.
Guidelines…
◻ Answers to specific question must contribute to the
development of the whole research problem or
topic.
◻ Summing up the answers to all the specific
questions will give a complete development of the
entire topic
◻ The number of specific questions should be enough
to cover the development of the whole research
problem or study.
THE HYPOTHESES
◻ A wise guess that is formulated and temporarily
adopted to explain the observed facts covered by
the study.
◻ It is important for it tells the researcher what to do
and how to go about solving a research problem.
Types of Hypotheses
1. Null Hypothesis (H0)
⮚ It is a denial of an existence of a trait, characteristic,
quality, value, correlation or difference of the result.
⮚ It is always stated in negative form.

Example: H0 : There is no significant difference

Hypotheses..
2. Alternative Hypothesis (H1)
⮚ Affirmation of the existence of observed phenomena
⮚ Stated in positive form

Example:
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
◻ It consist of the investigator’s own position on a
problem after his exposure to various theories that
have bearing on the problem.
◻ It is the researcher’s new model which has its roots
on the previous models which the researcher had
studied
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

◻ It is used in research to outline possible courses of

action (guide) or to present a preferred approach to
a system analysis project. The framework is built
from a set of concepts linked to a planned or
existing system of methods, behaviors, functions,
relationships and objects. A conceptual framework
might, in computing terms, be brought as a
relational model
Theoretical Framework
Significance of the Study
◻ Guidelines: The importance of the whole study
must contain explanations or discussions of any or
all of the following:
🞑The rationale, timeliness, and/or relevance of the study.
🞑Possible solutions to existing problems or
improvement to unsatisfactory conditions.
🞑Who are to be benefitted and how are they going to be
benefitted. (They could be individuals, groups, or
communities who may be placed in a more
advantageous position on account of the study)
Significance…

🞑Possible contribution to the fund of knowledge

🞑Possible implications.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The scope and limitations should include the
following
◻ A brief statement of the general purpose of the
study
◻ The subject matter and topics studied and discussed
◻ The locale of the study, where the data were
gathered or the entity to which the data belong
◻ Population or universe from which the respondents
were selected.
Scope and Limitations…

◻ Methods to be employed in data collection and

analysis
◻ The period of the study
◻ Constraints that might be encountered in the
conduct of the investigation such as the availability
of data, uncooperativeness of the respondents, etc.
Definition of Terms
◻ Conceptual Definition
🞑Definition of terms are based on concepts or
hypothetic ones which are usually taken from
dictionary, encyclopedia, and published journals.
◻ Operational Definition
🞑Definition of terms are based on observable
characteristics and how it is used in the study.
🞑It is preferable to use when defining technical terms
Guidelines…
◻ Only terms, words or phrases which have special or
unique meanings are to be defined
◻ Terms should be defined operationally
◻ The researcher may develop his own definition
from the characteristics of the term defined
◻ Definitions may be taken from books, dictionaries,
encyclopedia, articles and other publications but
the researcher must acknowledge his sources
Guidelines…

◻ Definitions should be brief, clear, and unequivocal

◻ Acronyms should always be spelled out fully if it is

not commonly known or if it is used for the first
time.