Research Process

It is a sequential process involving several clearly defined steps Research process does not require completion of each step before going to the next Recycling , circumventing and skipping occur Some steps are begun out of sequence, some are carried simultaneously and some may be omitted.(yet sequence is useful for developing and keeping the project in order )

View of the process

Management Question Its origin Selection Statement Exploration Refinement

Management-Research question Hierarchy

Management Dilemma-(symptom of an actual problem )-----Example (Declining sales ) Identifying it is rarely difficult But choosing the dilemma on which to focus may be difficult Choosing incorrectly will direct valuable resources

Research process (Steps )

Define research problem Review the literature----Concepts, theories, previous research finding Formulate hypothesis Design research including sample design Collect data Analyse data (Test hypothesis if any ) Interpret and report

Research Problem `
Relate to states of nature and those which relate to relationships between variables Understand the problem thoroughly Rephrase the same into meaningful terms from an analytical point of view

Review of literature
Extensive literature survey connected with the problem Abstracting and indexing journals Books, conference proceedings and other reports

Developing of working hypotheses

Tentative assumption made in order to test its logical and empirical consequences Guides in delimiting the area and focuses attention on the more important facets of the problem

Preparing the research design

Conceptual structure within which research would be conducted Function is to provide the collection of relevant evidence with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money

Determining Sample design

Sample design is a definite plan determined before any data are actually collected for obtaining a sample from a given population

Collecting the data

Primary Data --- observation, interview, questionnaire, schedule Secondary Data (Library Research )

Execution of the project

Project should be executed in a systematic manner and in time Collected information should be processed Possible answers to be coded

Analysis of data
Raw data converted into purposeful and usable categories Computation of various percentages , coefficients , etc ,by applying various well defined statistical formulae

Hypothesis Testing
Hypotheses may be tested on the basis of statistical tests Accepting or rejecting If the researcher had no hypotheses to start with, generalizations established on the basis of data may be stated as hypothses

Generalisations and interpretation

To build a theory Ability to arrive at certain generalisations Often trigger off new questions It will generate further research

Preparation of the report

Report must be done with great care Layout --------The preliminary pages, main text and the end matter Report should be written in a concise and objective style in simple language avoiding vague expressions Calculated confidence limits must be mentioned and the various constraints experienced in conducting research