INTRODUCTION
I would love to begin by saying that a greater number of students are
conducting research just for the sole purpose of acquiring their degrees in
their field of studies. They involve solely for the acquisition of the degree
such that they neglect or do not know the real meaning or what research is
really about. In fact, there are two approaches or objectives for
conducting research. The first one is the traditional way of conducting
research which is conducting research for only filling the knowledge gap. This
kind of people in doing the research consult only books, journals, conference
papers and they try to find where the research gap is even if the research is
trivial and not important the researcher will insist to conduct the research in
the area. Unfortunately, most traditional researchers do this form of research,
they just try to find only a gap in research especially in management and
management information system, people try to find just a gap, for the reason of
filling the gap and publish a paper and they say we have a research, we have
available research, but I don’t think so, just to fill knowledge gap is not a
big deal, hence it is not research.
On the other hand, other people feel that research is just to solve a
problem. This kind of people, we can call them consultants. They look at the
problem from different perspectives, they contact the company and understand
the problem of the company and try to solve the problem of the company.
Unfortunately, this kind of people don’t look at books as the others do, they
try to write one or two books, four or five journals and that is it and they
try to solve the problem from their own experience, however, they don’t look
deep into literature review as the first group does. The problem here is that
this person may end up repeating what others have done because they don’t know
what others have done in that area and they have a major problem.
Therefore, as can be seen, the two groups are not purely right. The first
group misses the problem-solving nature of every research, while the second
group may end up repeating what others have done since they don’t engage in the
thorough literature review. They end up not filling the knowledge gap.
What then is real
research?
The real research is being somewhere in between the two groups: “filling
knowledge gap and solve a problem”. You can be anywhere in between but in most
cases, you have a condition. The first condition is that you have to solve a
problem but before solving a problem you must do REsearch.
What is research?
You have to search for books and papers to check if someone has solved a
similar problem before, even if someone has done the research, you can
criticize the person to find a knowledge gap.
Therefore, research involves solving a problem and filling a knowledge gap
at the same time.
According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “Research is a
systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed
phenomenon. Research involves inductive and deductive methods.” Careful
consideration of the study regarding a particular concern or problem using
scientific methods. Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain,
predict and control the observed phenomenon. Research involves inductive and
deductive methods (Babbie, 1998). Inductive methods analyze the observed
phenomenon and identify the general principles, structures, or processes
underlying the phenomenon observed; deductive methods verify the hypothesized
principles through observations. The purposes are different: one is to develop
explanations, and the other is to test the validity of the explanations.
One thing that we have to pay attention to research is that the heart of the
research is not on statistics, but the thinking behind the research. How we
really want to find out, how we build arguments about ideas and concepts, and
what evidence that we can support to persuade people to accept our arguments.
Inductive research methods are used to analyze an observed event. Deductive
methods are used to verify the observed event. Inductive approaches are
associated with
qualitative research and deductive methods are
more commonly associated with
quantitative research.
Research is conducted with a purpose to understand:
· What do
organizations or businesses really want to find out?
· What are the
processes that need to be followed to chase the idea?
· What are the
arguments that need to be built around a concept?
· What is the
evidence that will be required for people to believe in the idea or concept?
Gall, Borg, and Gall (1996) proposed four types of knowledge that research
contributed to education as follows:
1. Description: Results of research
can describe the natural or social phenomena, such as its form, structure,
activity, change over time, relationship to other phenomena. The descriptive
function of research relies on instrumentation for measurement and
observations. The descriptive research results in our understanding of what
happened. It sometimes produces statistical information about aspects of
education.
2. Prediction: Prediction research
is intended to predict a phenomenon that will occur at time Y from information
at an earlier time X. In educational research, researchers have been engaged
in:
o Acquiring knowledge about factors that
predict students' success in school and in the world of work
o Identifying students who are likely to be
unsuccessful so that prevention programs can be instituted.
3. Improvement: This type of
research is mainly concerned with the effectiveness of the intervention. The
research approach includes experimental design and evaluation research.
4. Explanation: This type of
research subsumes the other three: if the researchers are able to explain an
educational phenomenon, it means that they can describe, can predict its
consequences, and know-how to intervene to change those consequences.
Characteristics of research
1. A systematic approach must be followed
for accurate data. Rules and procedures are an integral part of the process
that sets the objective. Researchers need to practice ethics and a code of
conduct while making observations or drawing conclusions.
2. Research is based on logical reasoning
and involves both inductive and deductive methods.
3. The data or knowledge that is derived is
in real-time from actual observations in natural settings.
4. There is an in-depth analysis of all
data collected so that there are no anomalies associated with it.
5. Research creates a path for generating
new questions. Existing data helps create more opportunities for research.
6. Research is analytical in nature. It
makes use of all the available data so that there is no ambiguity in inference.
7. Accuracy is one of the most important
aspects of research. The information that is obtained should be accurate and
true to its nature. For example, laboratories provide a controlled environment
to collect data. Accuracy is measured in the instruments used, the calibrations
of instruments or tools, and the final result of the experiment.
What are the types of research?
Following are the types of research methods:
Basic research: A basic research definition is data
collected to enhance knowledge. The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It
is non-commercial research that doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing
anything. For example, an experiment to determine a simple fact.
Applied research: Applied research focuses on
analyzing and solving real-life problems. This type refers to the study that
helps solve practical problems using scientific methods. Studies play an
important role in solving issues that impact the overall well-being of humans.
For example: finding a specific cure for a disease.
Problem-oriented research: As the name suggests,
problem-oriented research is conducted to understand the exact nature of a
problem to find out relevant solutions. The term “problem” refers to multiple
choices or issues when analyzing a situation.
For example, the revenue of a car company has decreased by 12% in the last
year. The following could be the probable causes: there is no optimum
production, poor quality of a product, no advertising, or economic conditions.
Problem-solving research: This type of research is
conducted by companies to understand and resolve their own problems. The
problem-solving method uses applied research to find solutions to existing
problems.
Qualitative research: Qualitative research is
a process that is about the inquiry. It helps create an in-depth
understanding of problems or issues in their natural settings. This is a
non-statistical method.
Qualitative research is heavily dependent on the experience of the researchers
and the questions used to probe the sample. The
sample size is
usually restricted to 6-10 people.
Open-ended questions are
asked in a manner that encourages answers that lead to another question or
group of questions. The purpose of asking open-ended questions is to gather as
much information as possible from the sample.
The following are the methods used for qualitative research:
1. One-to-one interview
2. Focus groups
3. Ethnographic research
4. Content/Text Analysis
5. Case study research
Learn more:
Qualitative Research Methods
Quantitative research: Qualitative research is
a structured way of collecting data and analyzing it to draw conclusions.
Unlike qualitative methods, this method uses a computational and statistical
process to collect and analyze data. Quantitative data is all about numbers.
Quantitative research involves a larger population — more people means more
data. With more data to analyze, you can obtain more accurate results. This
method uses
closed-ended questions because the researchers are
typically looking to gather statistical data.
Online surveys,
questionnaires, and
polls are
preferable data collection tools used in quantitative research. There are
various methods of deploying surveys or questionnaires.
Online surveys allow survey creators to reach large amounts of people or
smaller focus groups for different types of research that meet different goals.
Survey respondents can receive surveys on mobile phones, in emails, or can
simply use the internet to access surveys.
Learn more:
What is Quantitative Research?
What Is the Purpose of Research?
There are three purposes of research:
1. Exploratory: As
the name suggests, exploratory research is conducted to explore a group of
questions. The answers and analytics may not offer a final conclusion to the
perceived problem. It is conducted to handle new problem areas that haven’t
been explored before. This exploratory process lays the foundation for more
conclusive research and data collection.
2. Descriptive: Descriptive
research focuses on expanding knowledge on current issues through a
process of data collection. Descriptive studies are used to describe the
behavior of a sample population. In a descriptive study, only one variable is
required to conduct the study. The three main purposes of descriptive research
are describing, explaining, and validating the findings. For example, a study
conducted to know if top-level management leaders in the 21st century possess
the moral right to receive a huge sum of money from the company profit.
3. Explanatory: Explanatory
research or causal research is conducted to understand the impact of certain
changes in existing standard procedures. Conducting experiments is the most
popular form of casual research. For example, a study conducted to understand
the effect of rebranding on customer loyalty.
To understand the characteristic of research design using research purpose
here is a comparative analysis:
|
Exploratory Research
|
Descriptive Research
|
Explanatory Research
|
Research approach used
|
Unstructured
|
Structured
|
Highly structured
|
Research conducted through
|
Asking research questions
|
Asking research questions
|
By using research hypotheses.
|
When is it conducted?
|
Early stages of decision making
|
Later stages of decision making
|
Later stages of decision making
|
Learn More:
Primary Research – Examples, Methods and Purpose
The research method is defined as the tools or instruments used to
accomplish the goals and attributes of a study. Think of the methodology as a
systematic process in which the tools or instruments will be employed. There is
no use of a tool if it is not being used efficiently.
Research begins by asking the right questions and choosing an appropriate
method to investigate the problem. After collecting answers to your questions,
you can analyze the findings or observations to draw appropriate conclusions.
When it comes to customers and market studies, the more thorough your
questions, the better. By thoroughly collecting data from customers through
surveys and questionnaires, you get important insights into brand perception
and product needs. You can use this data to make smart decisions about your
marketing strategies to position your business effectively.
Types of research methods and research example
Research methods are broadly classified as
Qualitative and
Quantitative.
Both methods have distinctive properties and data collection methods.
Qualitative Methods
Qualitative research is a method that collects data using
conversational methods. Participants are asked open-ended questions. The
responses collected are essentially non-numerical. This method not only helps a
researcher understand what participants think but also why they think in a
particular way.
Types of qualitative methods include:
· One-to-one
Interview: This interview is conducted with one participant at a given point in
time. One-to-one interviews need a researcher to prepare questions in advance.
The researcher asks only the most important questions to the participant. This type
of interview lasts anywhere between 20 minutes to half an hour. During this
time the researcher collects as many meaningful answers as possible from the
participants to draw inferences.
· Focus Groups:
Focus groups are small groups comprising of around 6-10 participants who
are usually experts in the subject matter. A moderator is assigned to a focus
group who facilitates the discussion amongst the group members. A moderator’s
experience in conducting the focus group plays an important role. An experienced
moderator can probe the participants by asking the correct questions that will
help them collect a sizable amount of information related to the research.
· Ethnographic
Research: Ethnographic research is an in-depth form of research where people
are observed in their natural environment without This method is demanding due
to the necessity of a researcher entering the natural environment of other
people. Geographic locations can be a constraint as well. Instead of conducting
interviews, a researcher experiences the normal setting and daily life of a
group of people.
· Text
Analysis: Text analysis is a little different from other
qualitative methods as it is used to analyze social constructs by decoding
words through any available form of documentation. The researcher studies and
understands the context in which the documents are written and then tries to
draw meaningful inferences from it. Researchers today follow activities on a
social media platform to try and understand patterns of thoughts.
· Case Study: Case
study research is used to study an organization or an entity. This method is
one of the most valuable options for modern This type of research is used in
fields like the education sector, philosophical studies, and psychological
studies. This method involves a deep dive into ongoing research and collecting
data.
Quantitative Research Methods
Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. It
uses a systematic way of investigating events or data. It is used to answer
questions in terms of justifying relationships with measurable variables to
either explain, predict, or control a phenomenon.
There are three methods that are often used by researchers:
· Survey Research —
The ultimate goal of survey research is to learn about a large population by
deploying a survey. Today, online surveys are
popular as they are convenient and can be sent in an email or made available on
the internet. In this method, a researcher designs a survey with the most
relevant survey questions and distributes the survey. Once the
researcher receives responses, they summarize them to tabulate meaningful
findings and data.
· Descriptive
Research — Descriptive research is a method that identifies the characteristics
of an observed phenomenon and collects more information. This method is
designed to depict the participants in a very systematic and accurate manner.
In simple words, descriptive research is all about describing the phenomenon,
observing it, and drawing conclusions from it.
· Correlational
Research— Correlational research examines the relationship
between two or more variables. Consider a researcher is studying a correlation
between cancer and married Married women have a negative correlation with
cancer. In this example, there are two variables: cancer and married women.
When we say negative correlation, it means women who are married are less
likely to develop cancer. However, it doesn’t mean that marriage directly
avoids cancer.
Identifying Research Methodology
To choose the appropriate types of research, you need to clearly identify
the objectives. Some objectives to take into consideration for your business
include:
· Find out the
needs of your clients.
· Know their
preferences and understand what is important to them.
· Find an
appropriate way to make your customers aware of your products and services.
· Find ways to
improve your products or services to suit the needs of your customers.
After identifying what you need to know, you should ask what research
methods will offer you that information.
Organize your questions within the framework of the 7 Ps of marketing that
influences your company – product, price, promotion, place, people, processes,
and physical tests.
A well-organized
customer research process produces valid,
accurate, reliable, timely, and complete results. Results that rigorously
reflect the opinions and needs of your clients will help you grow your sales
and improve your operations. To obtain the results, you need to establish and follow
the processes that you have detailed out for your organization:
Set your goals
Consider the client’s objectives and define those that identify with yours.
Make sure that you set
smart goals and objectives. Do not
presume the results of your surveys.
Plan your research
Good planning allows the use of creative and logical approaches to select
the methods that gather the most accurate information. Your plan will be
influenced by the type and complexity of the information you need, the skills of
your market research team, and how soon you need the information. Your budget
also plays a large role in your ability to collect data.
Collect and collate your results
Make a list of how you are going to carry out the research process, the data
you need to collect, and collection methods. This will help you keep track of
your processes and make sense of your findings. It will also allow you to
verify that your research accurately reflects the opinions of your clients and
your market. Create a record table with:
· The consumer
research activity
· The necessary
data
· The methods for
data collection
· The steps to
follow for data analysis.
Remember, research is only valuable and useful when it is valid, accurate,
and reliable. Relying on imperfect research is dangerous. Incorrect results can
lead to
customer churn and a decrease in sales.
It is important to obtain information about how the collection of customer
information was carried out, and to ensure that your data is:
· Valid – founded,
logical, rigorous, and impartial.
· Accurate – free
of errors and including required details.
· Reliable – that
can be reproduced by other people who investigate in the same way.
· Timely – current
and collected within an appropriate time frame.
· Complete –
includes all the data you need to support your business decisions.
Analyze and understand your research
Analysis of the data can vary from simple and direct steps to technical and
complex processes. Adopt an approach, and choose the method of
data
analysis based on the methods you have carried out.
Keep the findings ready
Choose a spreadsheet that allows you to easily enter your data. If you do
not have a large amount of data, you should be able to manage them with the use
of basic tools available in survey software. If you have collected more
complete and complex data, you may have to consider using specific programs or
tools that will help you manage your data.
Review and interpret the information to draw conclusions
Once you have gathered all the data, you can scan your information and
interpret it to draw conclusions and make informed decisions. You should review
the data and then:
· Identify the
main trends and issues, opportunities, and problems you
observe. Write a sentence describing each one.
· Keep track of the
frequency with which each of the main findings appears.
· Make a list of
your findings from the most common to the least common.
· Evaluate a list
of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that have been
identified in a SWOT analysis.
· Prepare
conclusions and recommendations regarding your research.
Review your goals before making any conclusions about your research. Keep in
mind how the process you have completed and the data you have gathered help
answer your questions. Ask yourself if what your research revealed facilitates
the identification of your conclusions and recommendations. Review your
conclusions and, based on what you know now:
Choose some strategies that will help you improve your business
· Act on your
strategies
· Look for gaps in
the information and consider doing additional research if necessary
· Plan to review
the results of the research, and consider efficient strategies to analyze and
dissect results for interpretation.
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