BUSINESS RESEARCH

METHODS
Prof.Radhika Kiran Kumar
Indira Institute of Business Management
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Research Approach
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Types of Research approach

» Inductive

» Deductive

» Abductive
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Deductive Approach
» A deductive approach is concerned with
“developing a hypothesis( or hypotheses) based
on existing theory, and then design a research
strategy to test the hypothesis”.
» Example: Impact of incentive scheme on the
employees in retail industry.
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Observation/ Confirmation/
Theory Hypothesis
Test Rejection
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Inductive Approach
» Inductive approach, also known as inductive
reasoning , starts with the observations and
theories are proposed towards the end of the
research process as a result of observations.
» Example: Maslow’s hierarchy needs
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Observations Patterns Theory

/Tests
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Abductive Approach
» Abductive approach is set to address weaknesses
associated with deductive and inductive approaches.
» Deductive research is criticized for the lack of clarity in
terms of how to select theory to be tested via formulating
hypotheses.
» Inductive reasoning, is criticized because no amount of
empirical data will necessarily enable theory-building.
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Difference between
Deductive,Inductive and
Abductive approaches
General Rule Specific Conclusion(always true)

Specific Observation General Conclusion(may

be true)

Incomplete Observations Best Prediction(may

be true)
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Deductive statement
» All birds can fly
» Mili is a bird
» Therefore Mili can fly.
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Inductive Statement
Observation: The products which I bought online are
of good quality.

Inference: All the products bought online are of good

quality.

Observations towards an inference.

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Abductive Statement
Observation : The ground near my house was wet
when I woke up this morning.
Known Fact: Rain in the night can make the ground
wet.
Abductive Inference: There was probably rain in the
night
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WHAT IS Hypothesis?
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Hypothesis

Assumption idea
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Hypothesis
» A hypothesis is an assumption or an idea about a phenomenon,
relationship or situation, the reality or truth of which we do not know.
» It is a statement logically formed an opinion on the basis of
relationships between two or more variables.
» An opinion made on the basis of theoretical framework.
» A research hypothesis is a testable statement derived from the
research question.
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Example
» Customer oriented companies can make more
business than production oriented companies.
» Social media marketing can attract young
generation.
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What is Good hypothesis?

» Must be adequate for its purpose
» Must be testable
» Must be better than rivals
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Types of hypothesis
» Null hypothesis(H0)

» Alternate hypothesis(Ha)

» Directional(one-way)

» Non-directional(two-way)
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Null hypothesis(H0)

» The Null Hypothesis states that there is no

relationship between the two variables being
studied(one variable does not affect the other)
» It states that results are due to chance and are not
significant in terms of supporting the idea being
investigated.
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Alternate hypothesis(Ha)

» The Alternative hypothesis states that there is a

relationship between the two variables being
studied(one variable has an affect on the other).
» It states that the results are not due to chance and
that they are significant in terms of supporting the
theory being investigated.
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Example
Research question: Do students work better on
Monday morning than they do on a Saturday
afternoon?
H0: There will be no significant difference in the
amount of information recalled on a Monday
morning compared to a Saturday afternoon.
Ha: Students will recall significantly more
information on a Monday morning than on a
Saturday afternoon.
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1. Directional(one-way)
» Predicts that a specific group or condition will be
higher or lower or have more or less of
something
» Predicts the specific direction that a correlation
will take
2.Non-directional(two-way)
» Significant difference in any direction
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Directional Vs Non-directional
» Directional hypothesis
» Ha: Deaf children whose parents are deaf will
acquire language faster than deaf children whose
parents are not deaf.
» Non-directional hypothesis
» Ha: Male and female supervisors will differ
significantly in their use of threats as a
compliance gaining strategy.
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WHAT IS RESEARCH
PROPOSAL?
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SUFFICIENT
WORK PLAN
INFORMATION

INTENT DRAFT
PROCEDURE
PLAN

SOUNDNESS ROAD MAP

COST &
POTENTIAL
IMPACT
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Research Proposal: questions

» What research question(s) will be addressed?
» What you plan to accomplish?
» How much time and expense will be required for the research?
» What prior research has been done on the topic?
» How the results of the research will be evaluated?
» How the research will benefit ?
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Structure of the research proposal

1. Title of the Research 7.Need of the study
2. Executive summary 8.Proposed Research design
3. Introduction of the 9.Data Analysis Techniques
study 10.Expected Results
4. Research problem 11.Expertise of the Researcher
statement
12.Proposed Budget
5. Research Objectives
13.Timeline of the study
6. Literature Review
14.Bibliography
Summary
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Title of the Research

Concise and
descriptive

Simple and clear

Variables under
study
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Executive Summary
» Brief summary
» 250-350 words
» Research question
» Rationale of the study
» Hypothesis
» Research method
» sample
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Introduction of the study

Necessary Current
context
background scenario
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Research problem statement

Set the
Provide
stage for
the
research
context
question

Major
Present
issues &
the
sub
rationale
problem
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Research Objectives
» Key Independent and dependent variables
» Specify the phenomenon
» Set the boundaries
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Literature Review Summary

» Ensure not “reinventing the wheel”
» Give credits
» Demonstrates understanding
» New theoretical insights
» Develops a new model
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Importance of the study

» Significance
» Need
» Benefits
» Various advantages
» Outcome of the study
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Proposed Research design

» Framework
» Types of design
» Research methods
» Sample design
» Sources of data
» Types of data
» Data processing
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Data analysis techniques

» Excel
» SPSS
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Expected Results
» Outcomes of the research
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Expertise of the researcher

» Major contribution towards the research
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Budget
» Tentative budget
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Timeline
» Proposed milestones

» To be achieved in future
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Bibliography
» References for the study such as books,
articles,journals,websites etc.
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THANKS!
Any questions?