PPT on Research Methodology

1. 1
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Dr. Jyoti Thakur
Head,
Department of Commerce,
S. N. D. T. Women’s University,
Mumbai – 400 020

2. 2
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
• Search for facts– answers to questions and solutions to
problems
• It is an organized inquiry
• It is solution to face uncertainty
• It is like searching of a black cat in the dark room.

3. 3
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH
1. Research is a systematic and critical investigation into a
phenomenon.
2. It is a purposive investigation.
3. It adopts scientific method.
4. It is objective and logical.
5. It emphasis the development of principles or theories.
OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
1. Extends knowledge of human beings, social life and
environment.
2. Aims to analyze inter-relationships between variables
3. Aims at developing new tools, concepts, and theories for better
study of unknown phenomena.
4. Aids planning and thus contributes to national development.
5. Aims at finding solutions to problems, helps in effective
decision making which is the need of the day.

4. 4
METHODS OF RESEARCH
1. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
2. ANALYTICAL RESEARCH
3. HISTORICAL RESEARCH
4. SURVEYS RESEARCH
5. CASE STUDIES
6. FIELD STUDIES

5. 5
1.EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Procedure: Experimental groups & Control group.
Experimental variable.
Conditions:
1.Identical groups (seeds, fertility, irrigation, technology, soil)
2.Target groups –Amenable (liable to) for experimentation.
3.Possible to Identify the independent variables.
4.Possible to keep Non-experimental variables constant - to study
the effect of experimental variables.
Advantages:1.It is objective in nature.
2.It helps in studying relationship between variables.

6. 6
A farmer selects two identical plots of lands in a farm.
All conditions – soil, fertility, climate, irrigation, seed, and cultural
practices are same. Thus all variables are kept constant.
In the experimental plot alone, he applies chemical fertilizer.
Hence the difference in yield is attributable to the application of
the chemical fertilizer.
In this example chemical fertilizer is an experimental variable.
EXAMPLE

7. 7
2. ANALYTICAL RESEARCH
System of procedures and techniques applied to quantitative data.
System of mathematical models (statistical method)
AIM: 1. Testing hypothesis.
2. Examining relationship between selected variables.
3. Analyzing data in-depth.
USES: 1. Measuring variables
2. Comparing groups
RBI publishes data which contains the rate of interest in different
years; it also contains the amount of foreign reserves, the changes in
inflation rates in each financial year. According to this data published
proper analysis can be done by using statistical methods i.e. correlation
regression etc.
EXAMPLE

8. 8
3. HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Study of past records .Discovering the trends in the past. It is Descriptive in
nature.
Objective 1: Understand the present and anticipate the future.
2: Grasp our relationship with past & plan the future.
Sources of Data 1: Eyewitness narrated by an actual observer .
2: Oral testimony by elders.
3: Records and other documentary materials.
Limitation: 1: Reliable and adequate data may not be available.
2: Personal biases may be present in data available.
3: Researcher may fail in locating all past documents.
Suppose a company dealing in Electrical items wants to know the
reasons for decline in sales for last 6 months. For that the co. wants
to find out the reasons for high sales in the year 1994-2000. The co.
goes for historical research where all the past records, surveys done
before, feedback received from the customers in the past & other
information will be studied.
EXAMPLE

9. 9
4. SURVEYS
Survey is a ‘fact-finding’ study. It involves collection of data directly from a
population or a sample there of at particular time.
Characteristics :
1:It is a field study.
2:It seeks responses directly from the respondents.
3: It can cover a very large population.
4: Covers a definite geographical area: a city, or state.
Steps :
1. Selection of a problem and its formulation
2. Preparation of the research design
3. Construction of measuring indexes and scales.
4. Sampling
5. Construction of tools for collection of data and their pre-test
6. Field work & collection of data
7. Processing of data and tabulation
8. Analysis of data
9. Reporting

10. 10
If a company (HLL) wants to find out the top 10 brands in the
market regarding tooth paste , tooth brush, shampoos, Detergents .
For that the company can go for survey research by taking the
feedback from consumers in different areas. The data collected should
be properly analyzed and interpreted.
EXAMPLE

11. 11
5. CASE STUDIES
A case study is an in-depth comprehensive study of a person,
a social group,a process; a situation, a community, an
institution or any social unit .
Functions:1: Insight into extreme cases.
2. Provides for intensive analysis of many details .
3. Aims at studying everything about something
rather than something about everything.
4. It gives an overall generic picture of a problem.
Advantages
1. All methods of data collection are useful to case studies.
2. Fruitful approach for the purpose of group or process analysis.
3. Gives a wider range of insights into human life.
Disadvantages
1. It is more time consuming than surveys.
2. It is inadequate for an analysis of macro problems.

12. 12
1. Case study of a financial health of a business, study of labor
participation in management in particular enterprise, study of urban
poor, study of life cycle of working women.
2. Ford wants to launch a new car in the Indian market but is facing
problems regarding the way distribution system should be planned .
Now, the company can go for case study research i.e. it will study how
other MNC’s have made the distribution system possible at the time of
launching their cars.
EXAMPLE OF CASE STUDY METHOD
6.FIELD STUDIES
Steps of a field study
1. Preliminary planning
2. The scouting expedition
3. Formulation of the research design
4. Pretesting of instruments and procedures
5. Field operation
6. Analysis of materials

13. 13
Advantages:
1. It continues over a period of time,
2. Continued observation can be maintained.
3. It provides opportunity for direct observations.
4. It is strong in realism, significance.
Disadvantages
1. Inaccuracy in the measurement of the field variables.
2. There are weaknesses such as problems of feasibility, cost, sampling and
time
Suppose the students are told to study the various facilities
given to the workers and middle level managers
in selected organizations and its relationship with their performance
at the Work place, here the students have to actually go to the field
i.e. they have to visit organizations under the study and find out the
different facilities provided and
its relationship with their performance.
EXAMPLE

14. Contents of Research Proposal
1. Introduction
2. Statement of the problem
3. Review of previous studies
4. Scope of the study
5. Objectives of the study
6. Conceptual model
7. Hypothesis

15. Contents of Research Proposal
8 Significance of the study
9 Geographical area
10 Methodology
11 Sampling plan
12 Chapter scheme
13 Time estimate (only for project)
14 Financial estimates (only for project)

16. STEPS IN RESEARCH
1. FORMULATING THE RESEARCH PROBLEM.
Two types of research problems:
 Those that Relate to the nature
 Those which relate to relationships between variables.
2. EXTENSIVE LITERATURE SURVEY.
A brief summary of the formulated problem should be written
down.
16

17. 3. Development of hypothesis.
 Working hypothesis affect the manner in which tests must be
conducted in the analysis of data.
 The role of hypothesis is to guide the researcher by delimiting the
area of research and keep him on the right track.
4. Identification of major variables.
a) Experimental and Measured Variables
 Manipulated Variables: Active variables.
 Measured Variables: Attribute Variables.
b) Extraneous Variables
 Controlled Variables
 Uncontrolled Variables.
17

18. 5. Preparing research design
• E.g. An engineer before starting construction work,
prepares a layout/design of the work.
• A tailor before stitching prepares a design for the work.
o Consideration
• Means of obtaining the information
• Availability and skills of the researcher and his staff (if
any)
• Explanation of the way in which selected means of
obtaining information will be organized
• Time available for the research
• Cost factor relating to the research
18

19. 19
Questionnaire
Used for mailing
Filled by the
respondent himself
Questionnaire
Schedule
Tool for interviewing
Filled by an
Interviewer

20. 20
Questions on Socio-economic status (SES)
Drafting Skills For Questionnaire
Name
 Age
 Marital status
 Language known
 Educational
background
 Total income

21. 21
Types of Questions
Simple alternative
Questions
Open -Ended
Questions
Specific Information
Questions
Multiple Choice
Questions

22. 6. Developing a Questionnaire
 Types of questions
• Simple alternative questions
• E.g. Are you satisfied with the present job. Yes/No
• Multiple-choice questions
• E.g. What is your occupation
_Service _Business _Agriculture _Others please specify.
• Specific information questions
• E.g. What is your income
• Open-ended questions
• E.g. Why do you like Colgate?
22

23. • Questions should be
• Simple, unambiguous and precise.
• Number of questions should be as small as possible
• Specific
• Capable of being easily answered
• Questions that should be avoided
• That rely too much on the respondents
• Affecting the pride and sentiments of the respondents
• Pertaining to private affairs of the respondents
• Relating to the mathematical calculations
23

24. 24
Questions that should be Avoided
Leading Question: Words that influence
(e.g. Are you in the favor of giving too
much power to the trade unions)
Loaded Question: Emotionally colored
(e.g. Adolph Hitler has been a cruel leader
for Germany. Do you discriminate his
political practices?)

25. 25
Ambiguous Question: No clear meaning
(e.g. Are you interested in a small
house?)
Double barreled Question: Two or more
ideas
(e.g. Do you favor or oppose increase a
job security?)
Long Question are always confusing

26. 26
Questionnaire for assessing references those using
“ INDIA’S TOP 10 TRUSTED BRANDS ”
1) COLGATE, 2) DETTOL), 3) PONDS, 4) LUX, 5) PEPSODENT, 6) TATA 7) BRITANNIA 8)RIN 9) SURF
10) CLOSE-UP
NOTE: please circle(Ο) in the relevant place
Sec-A: SOCIO ECONOMIC STATUS (S.E.S) OF THE RESPONDENTS
NAME: ________________________________________________
(FIRST NAME) (MIDDLE NAME) (LAST NAME)
ADDRESS: _________________________________________
AGE: 5-15 15-25
25-40 40 and Above
SEX: Male Female
NUMBER OF CHILDREN (IF MARRIED):
0-1 1-2 2 &above
ANNUAL INCOME:
25,000-50,000 50,000-1,00,000
1.00,000-1,50,000 1,50,000 & ABOVE

27. 27
“TRUSTED BRANDS ”
1) COLGATE, 2) DETTOL), 3) PONDS, 4) LUX, 5) PEPSODENT, 6) TATA 7) BRITANNIA 8)RIN 9) SURF 10) CLO
1) In the TOOTHPASTE segment which BRAND is preferred by you?
Colgate Pepsodent
Close-up Others
2) In the “ SOAP” segment which BRAND is preferred by you?
LUX Dettol
Lifebuoy Others
3) In the “ SALT” segment which BRAND is preferred by you?
Tata Annapurna
Captain cook Others
4) In the “ DETERGENT” segment which BRAND is preferred by you?
Rin Surf
Wheel others

28. 28
5) In the “BISCUIT” segment which BRAND is preferred by you?
Parle Britannia
Priya-Gold Others
6) Rate the parameters in the scale 1-4, which make you to select this
Particular BRAND?
Price Quality
Performance Reliability

29. 29
TERMS
POPULATION
SAMPLE

30. 30
APPROACHES TO SAMPLING
PROBABILISTIC
SAMPLING
SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING
STATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLING
SYSTEMATIC RANDOM SAMPLING
CLUSTER RANDOM SAMPLING

31. 31
RANDOM SAMPLING
O O O O O
O O O . O
. . O O O
O O . O O
O O O O .
O O O O O
O . . O O

32. 32
STRATIFIED SAMPLING
O O . O O
O . O O O
O O O . O
--------------------------------------
O O O O O
O . . O O
O . O O O
O O . O O
E.g. population in
India can be stratified
into strata wise
population. State wise
population is taken
into consideration
irrespective of area of
the state, size of the
strata.

33. 33
SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
O O O O .
O O O O .
O O O O .
O O O O .
O O O O .
O O O O .
O O O O .
E.g. Bulbs or
Tubes
manufacturing
companies. Every
100 bulbs or tube is
tested for its
strength and
quality, if this
particular
technique is used
than this is called
systematic
technique.

34. 34
CLUSTER SAMPLING
O O O O O
O O O O O
O O O O O
. . O O O
. . . O O
O . O O O
O O O O O
E.g. wheat or
rice from a
grocery shop.
Grapes of
Bananas from
fruit shop.

35. 35
NON-PROBABILISTIC
SAMPLING
APPROACHES TO SAMPLING
 QUOTA SAMPLING
 CONVENIENCE SAMPLING
 PURPOSIVE SAMPLING
 SNOWBALL SAMPLING

36. 36
CONVENIENCE SAMPLING
O O O O O
O O O O O
. . . O O
=======================
. . . . O
O O O O O
O O O O O
E.g. smokers problem in
Mumbai is under study by
the researcher, here who
ever happen to meet who
is a smoker either at the
bus-stop or at the railway
station or at the road will
be taken at the
confidence, discussions
will be made and their
problems can be short
listed.

37. 37
SNOW BALL SAMPLING
E.g. you are going to
make an enquiry
about the use of a
particular
commercial goods,
then you go on
enquiring from one
person to another
person and at the end
you reach to correct
person is referred as
snowball sampling.

38. 38
PURPOSIVE SAMPLING
E.g. Tea drinking
habits of the
consumer. Smokers
most favored brand
you want to know,
then you will ask
only the smokers and
not anyone else.

39. 7. Determining sample design
• Simple random sampling
• E.g. selection by lottery system.
• Systematic sampling
• E.g. Bulbs & Tubes co. check
• Aarey milk every 10th
bottle is checked
• Stratified sampling
• E.g. Indian population divided state wise & population wise
• Quota sampling
• E.g. During population survey each strata is given a target/quota
which he has to cover.
• Cluster sampling and area sampling
• E.g. Grapes or wheat
39

40. 8. Collection of Data
• By observation
• Through personal interviews
• Through telephone interviews
• By mailing of questionnaires
• Through schedules
9. Execution of the Project
40

41. 10.ANALYSIS OF DATA
• Classification of data into purposeful and usable groups
• Coding- symbols
• Tabulation and counting
• Computers- save time and energy
• E.g. In case of population census, data collected by the
surveyors is presented in a tabulated form age wise.
• E.g. In case of survey conducted by ORG-MARG to find
out the most trusted brand in India, the data collected
should be coded before tabulation.
41

42. 11. HYPOTHESIS TESING
• TESTS : CHI-SQUARE TEST, T-TEST, F-TEST
• E.g.In case of survey conducted to find out relationship
between personal finance and work conflicts, the hypothesis
to be tested is personal financial problems affects the
behavior of workers at the work place.
12.GENERALISATION AND INTERPRETATION
• Hypothesis tested and upheld at several times
• E.g.smoking and lung related problems
• E.g. Illumination and productivity at work place
• No Hypothesis - Interpretations
42

43. 13. PREPARATION OF REPORT/THESIS
• Preliminary Pages:
• Title, Date,
• Acknowledgement, Foreword
• Main Text:
• Introduction
• Summary of findings
• Main report
• Conclusion
• End matter: Appendices, Bibliography
43

44. Format of the Research Report
• Preliminary Pages
Title page
Certificate
Declaration
Acknowledgement
The page of contents with page numbers
List of Tables
List of Charts
List of Abbreviations.
• Main Report
Chapter I Introduction / Research Methodology
Chapter II Review of Literature of the Study.
Chapter III Conceptual Framework of the Study.
Chapter IV Findings and Conclusions.
Chapter V Suggestions and Recommendations.
• References Bibliography.
Annexure

45. 45
T IS GOOD RESEARCH?
1 .PURPOSE CLEARLY DEFINED
2 .RESEARCH PROCESS DETAILED
3 .RESEARCH DESIGN THOROUGHLY PLANNED
4 .HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS APPLIED
5 .LIMITATIONS FRANKLY REVEALED
6 .ADEQUATE ANALYSIS FOR DECISION MAKER’S NEEDS
7 .FINDINGS PRESENTED UNAMBIGUOUSLY
8 .CONCLUSIONS JUSTIFIED
9 .RESEARCHER’S EXPERIENCE is REFLECTED

46. 46