PGDM SS II_S 208 BRM_Chapter 1

PGDM SS 2ND Semester 2014-15
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

 Topic 1 – Meaning of research
 Topic 2 – Types of research and approaches
 Topic 3 - Meaning of method and methodology
 Topic 4 - Scientific method
 Topic 5 - Research process, Identification and defining of research problem
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• Research is undertaken within most professions.
• More than a set of skills, it is a way of thinking: examining critically
the various aspects of your professional work.
• It is a habit of questioning what you do, and a systematic
examination of the observed information to find answers with a view
to instituting appropriate changes for a more effective professional
service.
• As a supervisor, administrator or manager of an agency, again different
questions relating to effectiveness and efficiency of a service may
come to your mind. For example:
 How many people are coming to my agency?
 What are the socioeconomic–demographic characteristics of my clients?
 How many cases in a day can a worker effectively handle?
 Why do some people use the service while others do not?
 What are the most common needs of clients who come to this agency?
 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the service?
 How satisfied are the clients with the service and how can I Improve it?
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search.
• The dictionary defines the former as a prefix meaning again, anew or
over again and the latter as a verb meaning to examine closely and
carefully, to test and try, or to probe.
• Together they form a noun describing a careful, systematic, patient
study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to
establish facts or principles.
When you say that you are undertaking a research study to find answers
to a question, you are implying that the process;
1. is being undertaken within a framework of a set of philosophies
(approaches);
2. uses procedures, methods and techniques that have been tested for
their validity and reliability;
3. is designed to be unbiased and objective.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

 Philosophies means approaches e.g. qualitative, quantitative and the
academic discipline in which you have been trained.
 Validity means that correct procedures have been applied to find
answers to a question.
 Reliability refers to the quality of a measurement procedure that
provides repeatability and accuracy.
 Unbiased and objective means that you have taken each step in an
unbiased manner and drawn each conclusion to the best of your ability
and without introducing your own vested interest.
(Bias is a deliberate attempt to either conceal or highlight something).
• Adherence to the three criteria mentioned above enables the process
to be called ‘research’.
• However, the degree to which these criteria are expected to be
fulfilled varies from discipline to discipline and so the meaning of
‘research’ differs from one academic discipline to another.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

 Research is a structured enquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific
methodology to solve problems and create new knowledge that is
generally applicable.
 Scientific methods consist of systematic observation, classification
and interpretation of data.
 Although we engage in such process in our daily life, the difference
between our casual day-to-day generalization and the conclusions
usually recognized as scientific method lies in the degree of
formality, rigorousness, verifiability and general validity of latter.
“Forward-thinking executives recognize that analytics may be the only
true source of sustainable advantage since it empowers employees at
all levels of an organization with information to help them make
smarter decisions.”
Wayne Eckerson,
Director of research, business applications and architecture group,
TechTarget
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

Research can be classified from three perspectives:
1. Application of research study
2. Objectives in undertaking the research
3. Inquiry mode employed
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

1. Application of research study
From the point of view of application, there are two broad categories of
research: pure research and applied research
• Pure research involves developing and testing theories and hypotheses
that are intellectually challenging to the researcher but may or may not
have practical application at the present time or in the future. The
knowledge produced through pure research is sought in order to add to the
existing body of research methods.
• Applied research is done to solve specific, practical questions; for policy
formulation, administration and understanding of a phenomenon. It can be
exploratory, but is usually descriptive. It is almost always done on the
basis of basic research. Applied research can be carried out by academic or
industrial institutions. Often, an academic institution such as a university
will have a specific applied research program funded by an industrial
partner interested in that program.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

2. Objectives in undertaking the research
From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified as
i. Descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation,
problem, phenomenon, service or programme, or provides information
about , say, living condition of a community, or describes attitudes
towards an issue.
ii. Correlational research attempts to discover or establish the existence of
a relationship/ interdependence between two or more aspects of a
situation.
iii. Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how there is a
relationship between two or more aspects of a situation or phenomenon.
iv. Exploratory research is undertaken to explore an area where little is
known or to investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular
research study (feasibility study / pilot study).
In practice most studies are a combination of the first three categories.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

3. Inquiry mode employed
From the process adopted to find answer to research questions – the two
approaches are:
i. Structured approach: The structured approach to inquiry is usually classified as
quantitative research. Here everything that forms the research process- objectives,
design, sample, and the questions that you plan to ask of respondents- is
predetermined. It is more appropriate to determine the extent of a problem, issue or
phenomenon by quantifying the variation. e.g. how many people have a particular
problem? How many people hold a particular attitude?
ii. Unstructured approach: The unstructured approach to inquiry is usually
classified as qualitative research. This approach allows flexibility in all aspects of the
research process. It is more appropriate to explore the nature of a problem, issue or
phenomenon without quantifying it. Main objective is to describe the variation in a
phenomenon, situation or attitude. e,g, description of an observed situation, the
historical enumeration of events, an account of different opinions different people
have about an issue, description of working condition in a particular industry.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

Some more points:
 In many studies you have to combine both qualitative and quantitative
approaches.
 For example, suppose you have to find the types of cuisine /
accommodation available in a city and the extent of their popularity.
 Types of cuisine is the qualitative aspect of the study as finding out about
them entails description of the culture and cuisine
 The extent of their popularity is the quantitative aspect as it involves
estimating the number of people who visit restaurant serving such cuisine
and calculating the other indicators that reflect the extent of popularity.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• Research methods may be understood as all those methods/techniques
that are used for conduction of research.
• Research methods or techniques or methodology, thus, refer to the
methods the researchers use in performing research operations.
• In other words, all those methods which are used by the researcher during
the course of studying his research problem are termed as research
methods.
• Since the objective of research, particularly the applied research, it to
arrive at a solution for a given problem, the available data and the
unknown aspects of the problem have to be related to each other to make
a solution possible.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

Keeping this in view, research methods can be put into the following three
groups:
1. In the first group we include those methods which are concerned with the
collection of data. These methods will be used where the data already
available are not sufficient to arrive at the required solution
2. The second group consists of those statistical techniques which are used
for establishing relationships between the data and the unknowns
3. The third group consists of those methods which are used to evaluate the
accuracy of the results obtained
Research methods falling in the above stated last two groups are generally
taken as the analytical tools of research.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem.
• It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done
scientifically.
• In it, we study the various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in
studying his research problem along with the logic behind them.
• It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research methods /
techniques but also the methodology.
• Researchers not only need to know how to develop certain indices or tests, how
to calculate the mean, the mode, the median or the standard deviation or chi-
square, how to apply particular research techniques, but they also need to know
which of these methods or techniques, are relevant and which are not, and
what would they mean and indicate and why.
• For example an architect, who designs a building, has to consciously evaluate
the basis of his decisions, i.e., he has to evaluate why and on what basis he
selects particular size, number and location of doors, windows and ventilators,
uses particular materials and not others and the like.
Thus, when we talk of research methodology we not only talk of the research
methods but also consider the logic behind the methods we use in the context of
our research study and explain why we are using a particular method or technique
and why we are not using others so that research results are capable of being
evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• The philosophy common to all research methods and techniques, although
they may vary considerably from one science to another, is usually given the
name of scientific method.
• “The scientific method is one and same in the branches (of science) and that
method is the method of all logically trained minds, the unity of all sciences
consists alone in its methods, not its material; the man who classifies facts of
any kind whatever, who sees their mutual relation and describes their
sequences, is applying the Scientific Method and is a man of science”(Karl
Pearson).
 Experimentation is done to test hypotheses and to discover new
relationships, if any, among variables.
 But the conclusions drawn on the basis of experimental data are generally
criticized for either faulty assumptions, poorly designed experiments, badly
executed experiments or faulty interpretations.
 As such the researcher must pay all possible attention while developing the
experimental design and must state only probable inferences.
 The purpose of survey investigations may also be to provide scientifically
gathered information to work as a basis for the researchers for their
conclusions.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

The scientific method is, thus, based on certain basic postulates which can be
stated as under:
1. It relies on empirical evidence
2. It utilizes relevant concepts
3. It is committed to only objective considerations
4. It pre-supposes ethical neutrality i.e., it aims at nothing but making only
adequate and correct statements about population objects
5. It results into probabilistic predictions
6. Its methodology is made known to all concerned for critical scrutiny are for
use in testing the conclusions through replication
7. It aims at formulating most general axioms or what can be termed as
scientific theories
 Scientific method implies an objective, logical and systematic method
 A method free from personal bias or prejudice, a method to ascertain
demonstrable qualities of a phenomenon capable of being verified
 A method wherein the researcher is guided by the rules of logical reasoning
 A method wherein the investigation proceeds in an orderly manner and a
method that implies internal consistency
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• The research process is similar to undertaking a journey.
• For a research journey there are two important decisions to make:
1. What you want to find out about or what research questions (problems) you
want to find answers to
2. How to go about finding their answers
• There are practical steps through which you must pass in your research
journey in order to find answers to your research questions.
• The path to finding answers to your research questions constitutes research
methodology.
• At each operational step in the research process you are required to
choose from a multiplicity of methods, procedures and models of research
methodology which will help you to best achieve your objectives.
• This is where your knowledge base of research methodology plays a crucial
role.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

© Dr. Jeet Dogra
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Steps in Research Process:
1. Formulating the Research Problem
2. Extensive Literature Review
3. Developing the objectives
4. Preparing the Research Design including Sample Design
5. Collecting the Data
6. Analysis of Data
7. Generalization and Interpretation
8. Preparation of the Report or Presentation of Results-Formal write ups of
conclusions reached.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

• It is the first and most crucial step in the research process
• Main function is to decide what you want to find out about.
• The way you formulate a problem determines almost every step that
follows.
Sources of research problems
Research in social sciences revolves around four Ps:
i. People: a group of individuals
ii. Problems: examine the existence of certain issues or problems relating to
their lives; to ascertain attitude of a group of people towards an issue
iii. Programs: to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention
iv. Phenomena: to establish the existence of a regularity.
In practice most research studies are based upon at least a combination of two Ps.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

Every research study has two aspects:
i. Study population:
• People: individuals, organizations, groups, communities
(they provide you with the information or you collect information about them)
ii. Subject area:
• Problems: issues, situations, associations, needs, profiles
• Program : content, structure, outcomes, attributes, satisfactions, consumers,
Service providers, etc.
• Phenomenon: cause-and-effect relationships, the study of a phenomenon
itself
(Information that you need to collect to find answers to your research questions)
You can examine the professional field of your choice in the context of the four Ps in
order to identify anything that looks interesting.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

Considerations in selecting a research problem:
i. Interest: a research endeavour is usually time consuming, and involves hard work
and possibly unforeseen problems. One should select topic of great interest to
sustain the required motivation.
ii. Magnitude: It is extremely important to select a topic that you can manage within
the time and resources at your disposal. Narrow the topic down to something
manageable, specific and clear.
iii. Measurement of concepts: Make sure that you are clear about the indicators and
measurement of concepts (if used) in your study.
iv. Level of expertise: Make sure that you have adequate level of expertise for the
task you are proposing since you need to do the work yourself.
v. Relevance: Ensure that your study adds to the existing body of knowledge, bridges
current gaps and is useful in policy formulation. This will help you to sustain
interest in the study.
vi. Availability of data: Before finalizing the topic, make sure that data are available.
vii. Ethical issues: How ethical issues can affect the study population and how ethical
problems can be overcome should be thoroughly examined at the problem
formulating stage.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

Steps in formulation of a research problem :
• Working through these steps pre-supposes a reasonable level of knowledge in
the broad subject area within which the study is to be undertaken.
• Without such knowledge it is difficult to clearly and adequately ‘dissect’ a
subject area.
Step 1 Identify a broad field or subject area of interest to you
Step 2 Dissect the broad area into sub areas
Step 3 Select what is of most interest to you
Step 4 Raise research questions
Step 5 Formulate objectives
Step 6 Assess your objectives
Step 7 Double check
So far we have focused on the research problem. But every study in social sciences has
a second element, the study population from whom the required information to find
answers to your research questions is obtained. As you narrow the research problem,
similarly you need to decide very specifically who constitutes your study population,
in order to select the appropriate respondents.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

2. Extensive Literature Review
• Literature review is integral part of entire research process and makes
valuable contribution to every operational step.
• Reviewing literature can be time-consuming, daunting and frustrating, but
is also rewarding.
• Its functions are
i. Bring clarity and focus to your research problem
ii. Improve your methodology
iii. Broaden your knowledge
iv. Contextualize your findings
• Procedure for reviewing the literature
i. search for existing literature in your area of study
ii. review the literature selected
iii. develop a theoretical framework
iv. develop a conceptual framework
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

3. Developing the objectives
• Objectives are the goals you set out to attain in your study.
• They inform a reader what you want to attain through the study.
• It is extremely important to word them clearly and specifically.
• Objectives should be listed under two headings:
i. Main objectives: It is an overall statement of the thrust of your study.
ii. Sub-objectives: The sub-objectives are the specific aspects of the topic
that you want to investigate within the main framework of your study.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

4. Preparing the Research Design including Sample Design
• Research design is the conceptual structure within which research would
be conducted.
• The function of research design is to provide for the collection of relevant
information with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money.
• The preparation of research design, appropriate for a particular research
problem, involves the consideration of the following:
i. Objectives of the research study.
ii. Method of Data Collection to be adopted
iii. Source of information—Sample Design
iv. Tool for Data collection
v. Data Analysis - qualitative and quantitative
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

5. Collecting the Data
• Having formulated the research problem,, developed a study design,
constructed a research instrument and selected a sample, you then collect
the data from which you will draw inferences and conclusions for your
study.
• Depending upon your plans, you might commence interviews, mail out a
questionnaire, conduct experiments and / or make observations.
• Collecting data through any of the methods may involve some ethical
issues in relation to the participants and the researcher like to avoid
personal bias, using inappropriate research methodology, incorrect
reporting, inappropriate use of information etc.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

6. Analysis of Data
• Processing and analyzing data involves a number of closely related
operations which are performed with the purpose of summarizing the
collected data and organizing these in a manner that they answer the
research questions (objectives).
• The various steps includes are:
i. Classification and tabulation of data
ii. Qualitative / Quantitative data analysis
iii. Use of Data Analysis Softwares, if any.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

7. Generalization and Interpretation
• If a hypothesis is tested and upheld several times, it may be possible for
the researcher to arrive at generalization, i.e., to build a theory.
• As a matter of fact, the real value of research lies in its ability to arrive at
certain generalizations.
• If the researcher had no hypothesis to start with, he might seek to explain
his findings on the basis of some theory.
• It is known as interpretation.
• The process of interpretation may quite often trigger off new questions
which in turn may lead to further researches.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

8. Preparation of the Report or Presentation of Results-Formal write ups of
conclusions reached
• Writing the report is the last, and for many, the most difficult step of the
research process.
• The report informs the world what you have done, what you have
discovered and what conclusions you have drawn from your findings.
• The report should be written in an academic style.
• Language should be formal and not journalistic.
© Dr. Jeet Dogra

© Dr. Jeet Dogra
Compiled and Edited by:
Dr. Jeet Dogra
Assistant Professor
Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Gwalior, India
(An Organization of Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India)
E-mail: jeetdogra@live.com
Follow:
On Slideshare, click Slideshare.net/JeetDogra
On Academia, click Academia.edu/JeetDogra
On Facebook, click Facebook.com/jeetdogra

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