Research Methodology PDF

Unit-I Research: Research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solution; collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusions and carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the f ormulating hypothes...

Unit-I Research: Research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solution; collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusions and carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the f ormulating hypothesis. The manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend , correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the practice of an art. Research in simple terms refers to search for knowledge. It is a scientific and systematic search for information on a particular topic or issue. It is also known as the art of scientific investigation. Several social scientists have defined research in different ways. In the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, D. Slesinger and M. Stephension (1930) defined research as "the manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in the construction of theory or in the practice of an art". Research Methods Vs Methodology: Research methods include all those techniques/methods that are adopted for conducting research. Thus, research techniques or methods are the methods that the researchers adopt for conducting the research studies. On the other hand, research methodology is the way in which research problems are solved systematically. It is a science of studying how research is conducted scientifically. Under it, the researcher acquaints himself/herself with the various steps generally adopted to study a research problem, along with the underlying logic behind them. Hence, itis not only important for the researcher to know the research techniques/ methods, but also the scientific approach called methodology. What is the definition of research methodology? The process used to collect information and data for the purpose of making business decisions. The methodology may include publication research, interviews, surveys and other research techniques, and could include both present and historical information. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOY Research methodology is a term that basically means the science of how research is done scientifically. It is a way to systematically and logically solve a problem, help us understand the process not just the product of research, and analyzes methods in addition to the information obtained by them. What are the types of research methodology?  Basic research  Applied Research  Problem oriented research  Problem solving  Quantitative Research  Qualitative Research Research Problem: A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation. What is research problem statement? A problem statement is the description of an issue currently existing which needs to be addressed. It provides the context for the research study and generates the questions which the research aims to answer. The statement of the problem is the focal point of any research. How do you identify the problem? Here are seven-steps for an effective problem-solving process. 1\. Identify the issues. Be clear about what the problem is. 2\. Understand everyone\'s interests. 3\. List the possible solutions (options). 4\. Evaluate the options. 5\. Select an option or options. 6\. Document the agreement(s). 7\. Agree on contingencies, monitoring, and evaluation. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOY Necessity of Defining a Research Problem: The problem to be researched needs to be described unambiguously as that will help you to discriminate useful data from the unrelated ones. A proper formulation of research problem will allow the investigator to be on the track in contrast to an ill-defined problem may possibly create difficulties. Questions like: What data are to be gathered? What attributes of data are appropriate and need to be analyzed? What relations should be investigated. What methods should be employed for the purpose? as well as other questions turn up in the head of the investigator who can well plan his strategy and find solutions to these kinds of questions only when the research problem has been well defined. Therefore, defining the problem accurately is a necessity for any research and is a step of the highest value. In fact, formulation of a problem is often vital than its solution. It is only on thoroughly describing the problem that we can work out the research design and can efficiently proceed all the consequential steps needed while doing research. Important Points to Keep in Mind while Defining the Research Problem 1\. The correct question needs to be addressed if research is to help decision makers. A right answer to the wrong question leads either to bad advice or to no advice. 2\. Usually in problem we have an inclination to rationalize and defend our actions once we have started upon a specific research plan. The perfect time to examine and think about alternative techniques is in the planning stage. If it is completed unnecessary expense of false start and redoing work may be prevented. 3\. An excellent beginning in problem definition is to ask what the decision maker want to know if the requested information can be gathered without error and without expense. 4\. Another excellent rule to follow is "Never settle on a specific strategy" without developing and taking into consideration at least one alternate option". 5\. The problem definition stage of research is the determination and structuring of the decision maker's question. It should be the decision maker's question and not the researcher's question. 6\. What decision do you face? Unless you have decision to make, there isn't any research problem. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 5 RESEARCH METHODOLOY 7\. What are the alternatives? In case there are no options to choose, once again there is absolutely no research problem. 8\. What are the factors for selecting the best alternative? Unless you have criteria for evaluation, again there's no problem. 9\. The researcher should stay away from the acceptance of the superficial and the obvious. Frequently we all hear that a problem clearly expressed is a problem half solved. This statement indicates the necessity of defining a research problem in research methodology. This actually also results in a smoother progress on all the following steps which are needed for finishing a research project. Types of Research: There are different types of research. The basic ones are as follows. Descriptive Versus Analytical: Descriptive research consists of surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different types. The main objective of descriptive research is describing the state of affairs as it prevails at the time of study. The term 'ex post facto research' is quite often used for descriptive research studies in social sciences and business research. The most distinguishing feature of this method is that the researcher has no control over the variables here. He/she has to only report what is happening or what has happened. Majority of the ex post facto research projects are used for descriptive studies in which the researcher attempts to examine phenomena, such as the consumers' preferences, frequency of purchases, shopping, etc. Despite the inability of the researchers to control the variables, ex post facto studies may also comprise attempts by them to discover the causes of the selected problem. The methods of research adopted in conducting descriptive research are survey methods of all kinds, including correlational and comparative methods. Meanwhile in the Analytical research, the researcher has to use the already available facts or information, and analyze them to make a critical evaluation of the subject. Applied Versus Fundamental: Research can also be applied or fundamental in nature. An attempt to find a solution to an immediate problem encountered by a firm, an industry, a business organization, or the society is known as applied research. Researchers engaged in such researches aim at drawing certain conclusions confronting a concrete social or business problem. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 6 RESEARCH METHODOLOY On the other hand, fundamental research mainly concerns generalizations and formulation of a theory. In other words, "Gathering knowledge for knowledge's sake is termed 'pure' or 'basic' research" (Young in Kothari, 1988). Researches relating to pure mathematics or concerning some natural phenomenon are instances of Fundamental Research. Likewise, studies focusing on human behaviour also fall under the category of fundamental research. Thus, while the principal objective of applied research is to find a solution to some pressing practical problem, the objective of basic research is to find information with a broad base of application and add to the already existing organized body of scientific knowledge. Quantitative Versus Qualitative: Quantitative research relates to aspects that can be quantified or can be expressed in terms of quantity. It involves the measurement of quantity or amount. Various available statistical and econometric methods are adopted for analysis in such research. Which includes correlation, regressions and time series analysis etc,. On the other hand, Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomena, or more specifically, the aspects related to or involving quality or kind. For example, an important type of qualitative research is 'Motivation Research', which investigates into the reasons for certain human behaviour. The main aim of this type of research is discovering the underlying motives and desires of human beings by usingin-depth interviews. The other techniques employed in such research are story completion tests, sentence completion tests, word association tests, and other similar projective methods. Qualitative research is particularly significant in the context of behavioural sciences, which aim at discovering the underlying motives of human behaviour. Such research helps to analyse the various factors that motivate human beings to behave in a certain manner, besides contributing to an understanding of what makes individuals like or dislike a particular thing. However, it is worth noting that conducting qualitative resea rch in practice is considerably a difficult task. Hence, while undertaking such research, seeking guidance from experienced expert researchers is important. Conceptual Versus Empirical: The research related to some abstract idea or theory is known as Conceptual Research. Generally, philosophers and thinkers use it for developing new concepts or for reinterpreting the DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 7 RESEARCH METHODOLOY existing ones. Empirical Research, on the other hand, exclusively relies on the observation or experience with hardly any regard for theory and system. Such research is data based, which often comes up with conclusions that can be verified through experiments or observation. Empirical research is also known as experimental type of research, in which it is important to first collect the facts and their sources, and actively take steps to stimulate the production of desired information. In this type of research, the researcher first formulates a working hypothesis, and then gathers sufficient facts to prove or disprove the stated hypothesis. He/she formulates the experimental design, which according to him/her would manipulate the variables, so as to obtain the desired information. This type of research is thus characterized by th e researcher's control over the variables under study. In simple term, empirical research is most appropriate when an attempt is made to prove that certain variables influence the other variables in some way. Therefore, the results obtained by using the experimental or empirical studies are considered to be the most powerful evidences for a given hypothesis. Other Types of Research: The remaining types of research are variations of one or more type of research. They vary in terms of the purposeof research, or the time required to complete it, or may be based on some other similar factor. On the basis of time, research may either be in the nature of one -time or longitudinal time series research. While the research is restricted to a single time-period in the former case, it is conducted over several time-periods in the latter case. Depending upon the environment in which the research is to be conducted, it can also be laboratory research or f ield - setting research, or simulation research, besides being diagnostic or clinical in nature. Under such research, in-depth approaches or case study method may be employed to analyse the basic causal relations. These studies usually undertake a detailed in-depth analysis of the causes of certain events of interest, and use very small samples and sharp data collection methods. The research may also be explanatory in nature. Formalized research studies consist of substantial structure and specific hypotheses to be verified. As regards to historical research, sources like historical documents, remains, etc. Are utilized to study past events or ideas. It also includes philosophy of persons and groups of the past or any remote point of time. Research has also been classified into decision-oriented and conclusion-oriented categories. The decision-oriented research is always carried out as per the need of a decision maker and hence, the researcher has no freedom to conduct the research according to his/her own desires. On the DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 8 RESEARCH METHODOLOY other hand, in the case of Conclusion-oriented research, the researcher is free to choose the problem, redesign the enquiry as it progresses and even change conceptualization as he/she wishes to. An operation research is a kind of decision-oriented research, where in scientific method is used in providing the departments, a quantitative basis for decision -making with respect to the activities under their purview. Steps in Research Process Research process contains a series of closely related activities which has to carry out by a researcher. Research process requires patients. There is no measure that shows your research is the best. It is an art rather than a science. Following are the main steps in social or business research process. 1\. Selection of Research Problem 2\. Extensive Literature Survey 3\. Making Hypothesis 4\. Preparing the Research Design 5\. Sampling 6\. Data collection 7\. Data Analysis 8\. Hypothesis Testing 9\. Generalization and Interpretation 10\. Preparation of Report Selection of Research Problem The selection of topic for research is a difficult job. When we select a title or research statement, then other activities would be easy to perform. So, for the understanding thoroughly the problem it must have to discuss with colleagues, friend, experts and teachers. The research topic or problem should be practical, relatively important, feasible, ethically and politically acceptable. Literature Review or Extensive Literature Survey After the selection of research problem, the second step is that of literatu re mostly connected with the topics. The availability of the literature may bring ease in the research. For this purpose academic journals, conference and govt. reports and library must be studied. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 9 RESEARCH METHODOLOY Making Hypothesis The development of hypothesis is a technical work depends on the researcher experience. The hypothesis is to draw the positive & negative cause and effect aspects of a problem. Hypothesis narrows down the area of a research and keep a researcher on the right path. Preparing the Research Design After the formulation of the problem and creating hypothesis for it, research Design is to prepare by the researcher. It may draw the conceptual structure of the problem. Any type of research design may be made, depend on the nature and purpose of the study. Daring R. Design the information about sources, skill, time and finance is taken into consideration. Sampling The researcher must design a sample. It is a plan for taking its respondents from a specific areas or universe. The sample may be of two types: 1\. Probability Sampling 2\. Non-probability Sampling Data collection Data collection is the most important work, is researcher. The collection of information must be containing on facts which is from the following two types of researcher. Primary Data Collection: Primary data may be from the following. 1\. Experiment 2\. Questionnaire 3\. Observation 4\. Interview Secondary data collection: it has the following categories: 1\. Review of literature 2\. Official and non-official reports 3\. Library approach Data Analysis When data is collected, it is forwarded for analysis which is the most technical job. Data analysis may be divided into two main categories. Data Processing: it is sub-divided into the following. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 10 RESEARCH METHODOLOY Data editing, Data coding, Data classification, Data tabulation, Data presentation, Data measurement Data Exposition: Date Exposition has the following sub-categories. Description, Explanation, Narration, Conclusion/Findings, Recommendations/Suggestions Hypothesis Testing Research data is then forwarded to test the hypothesis. Do the hypothesis are related to the f acts or not? To find the answer the process of testing hypothesis is undertaken which may result in accepting or rejecting the hypothesis. Generalization and Interpretation The acceptable hypothesis is possible for researcher to arrival at the process of generalization or to make & theory. Some types of research has no hypothesis for which researcher depends upon on theory which is known as interpretation. Preparation of Report A researcher should prepare a report for which he has done is his work. He must keep in his mind the following points: Report Design in Primary Stages The report should carry a title, brief introduction of the problem and background followed by acknowledgement. There should be a table of contents, grapes and charts. Main Text of the Report It should contain objectives, hypothesis, explanations and methodology of the research. It must be divided into chapters and every chapter explains separate title in which summary of the findings should be enlisted. The last section would be clearly of conclusions to show the main theme of the R-study. Closing the Report After the preparation of report, the last step in business research process contains of bibliography, references, appendices, index and maps or charts for illustration. For this purpose the information should more clearer. Ethics in Business Research Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our relationship with others. As in other aspects of business, all parties in research should exhibit ethical behavior. The goal of ethics in research is to ensure that no one is harmed or suffered adverse consequences from research activities. However, unethical activities are pervasive and include violating non-disclosure agreement, breaking respondent confidentiality, misrepresenting results, deceiving people, invoicing irregularities, avoiding legal liability, and more. ⚫ As research is designed, several ethical considerations must be balanced: ⚫ Protect the rights of the participant or subject. ⚫ Ensure the sponsor receives ethically conducted and reported research ⚫ Follow ethical standards when designing research ⚫ Protect the safety of the researcher and team ⚫ In general, research must be designed so a respondent does not suffer physical harm, discomfort, pain, embarrassment, or loss of privacy. Begin data collection by explaining to respondent the benefits expected from the research. ⚫ Explain that their rights and well-being will be adequately protected and say how that will be done. Be certain that interviewers obtain in the inform consent of the respondent. The use of deception is questionable; when it is used, debrief any respondent who has been deceived. Limitations of Social Science Research ⚫ The question of objectivity has been central to the methodological debates of the social sciences from the beginning. It means the willingness and ability to examine evidence dispassionately. It is the first condition of research. Limits of social science a\) Social scientist is part of human society and their judgments are subjective and coloured by researchers own experience. b\) The subject matter of social science research is too complex. All propositions are limited particular social groups and contexts. c\) All members of the society have different values, social researcher will unconsciously influenced by their values. DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 12 RESEARCH METHODOLOY DR. VAISHALI PAGAIRA 13 d\) Social scientist fails to achieve objectivity because the respondents are human beings have certain human problems. e.g. refusal of respondent, improper understanding, reluctance etc,. All these problems cause biases and invalidate the research findings and conclusions.