Research Methods and Processes
| Author | Mo Ahmadi, Marcia Simmering |
| Pages | 751-757 |
Page 751
In any organization, managers at all levels need accurate and timely information for managerial decision making. Whether the decisions made are at technical, tactical, or strategic levels, good, accurate, and timely information always leads to a better decision. Gathering of information is done through a sound and scientific research process. Each year organizations spend enormous amounts of money for research and development in order to maintain their competitive edge. Accurate information obtained through research leads to enormous benefits.
Research can be defined as scientifically and methodically delving into the unknown in order to provide information for solving problems. The heart of this definition is the concept of problem solving. Both applied and pure (also known as basic) research attempt to solve problems. In applied research, the researcher attempts to solve a known problem and find answers to specific questions. In other words, the emphasis of applied research is on practical problem solving. For instance, when a paper recycling company wants to determine whether or not their recycled
Page 752
papers meet the required specification as to the thickness of the paper across the roll, they might design a systematic procedure for answering this specific question. The research in such a situation represents applied research. Another example of applied research might be that of prediction. As an example, consider a trucking company that is interested in predicting the tonnage of material shipped in the next quarter. The practical problem is predicting the tonnage and determining which variables are good predictors of tonnage for the next quarter.
Applied research can help make a decision about the following, including a variety of other business and management decisions:
pricing a new product
where to locate a new retail store
how many employees to hire
how many products to offer
what to pay employees
Applied research can be used to collect information about markets, competitors, and customers. For example, research can help pinpoint the optimal business location and the size of markets. It can also be used to monitor competitive actions. Customer research determines customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, and customer preferences.
On the other hand, pure, or basic, research does not necessarily try to answer specific questions or solve specific problems. Pure or basic research is done in order to expand knowledge and probe into the unknown. For example, when a researcher is interested in determining how employee demographics and tenure on the job relate to preference for flexible work schedules may represent pure research. Both pure and applied research deals with problem definition and problem solving. Most basic research is conducted by professors in academic institutions (i.e. colleges and universities), by the government, or by consulting firms. Few business organizations will engage in pure research related to business problems. However, understanding the process and methods used for both applied and basic research are important to interpreting research results.
Any research involves several chronological steps, but that does not mean each step must be completed before the next step is undertaken. Furthermore, the process of research is dynamic and the process may change as the research progresses. The steps involved in most research endeavors are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1
The Research Process
Managers' needs for information are the primary source of problem definition and the research question. Managers need information to make educated decisions arising from unanticipated as well as planned changes. As such, managers must select between different alternatives and thus require information about the organization and its environment. The question to be answered or the problem to be solved must first be clearly defined. Questions to be answered could be very specific or extremely broad. The more specific the questions, the easier it will be to answer the research questions. There might be hypotheses that could be tested scientifically. Once the questions to be answered are clearly defined then the value of the research must be assessed. Clearly, if the costs of performing the research project exceed the value that the research will provide, then the project should not be continued.
Research endeavors require a proposal that explains the problem to be address and the procedure by which the questions will be answered. The researcher's proposal tells the managers what they should expect from the research. It is a contract between the managers and the researcher. For instance, if a company wants to know the degree to which its new incentive program is effective in improving employee performance, then the
Page 753
consultant or employee conducting the research will create a proposal that indicates to that company how the question will be addressed and what specific information the company will have at the end of the research process. The proposal may indicate, for example, that the research will indicate the level of satisfaction of employees with the new incentive plan, the increased firm performance with the plan, and the individual increases in performance (as measured by managers) with the incentive plan. The purpose of the research proposal is to effectively guide the researchers in their development of the research design and data collection to answer the specific research questions.
Once the proposal is approved, the researcher has a foundation for development of the research design. The plan for conducting the research is the research design. There are two general forms of research design, namely non-experimental (ex-post-facto) and experimental. In a non-experimental design, the researcher does not control or alter any of the independent variables. The researcher merely studies existing situations, variables, and the interrelation among variables and reports the results of his or her findings. The two major non-experimental designs are field...
To continue reading
Request your trial