Introduction to Research Methodology-1.ppt

1
An Introduction to Research
Methodology

Research
Research in common context refers to a search for
knowledge. It can also be defined as a scientific and
systematic search for gaining information and knowledge on
a specific topic or phenomena.
Some of the definitions of Research are:
1. Redman and Mory define research as a “systematized effort
to gain new knowledge”.
2. Some people consider research as a movement, a
movement from unknown to known. It is actually a voyage
to discovery.
3. According to Clifford Woody “Research comprises of defining
and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or
suggested solutions; making deductions and reaching
conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to
determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis”.
Cont…

On evaluating these definitions we can conclude that
Research refers to the systematic method consisting of
• Enunciating the problem,
• Formulating a hypothesis,
• Collecting the fact or data,
• Analyzing the facts and
• Reaching certain conclusions either in the form of
solutions towards the concerned problem or in certain
generals for some theoretical formulation.

Systematic Approach : Each step of the investigation must
be so planned that it leads to the subsequent step. A
planned and organized research saves your time and
money.
Objectivity : It implies that True Research should attempt
to find an unbiased answer to the decision-making
problem.
Reproducibility : A reproducible research procedure is one,
which an equally competent researcher could duplicate,
and from it deduces approximately the same results.
Characteristics of Research
Cont…
Sy

Relevancy : It avoids collection of irrelevant
information and saves time and money, and enables to
see whether the research is proceeding in the right
direction
Control : Research is not only affected by the factors,
which one is investigating but some other extraneous
factors also. It is impossible to control all the factors.
All the factors that we think may affect the study have
to be controlled and accounted for.

Motivation In Research
Possible motives for doing research are:
Desire to
1. Get a research degree along with its
consequential benefits.
2. Get a intellectual joy of doing some creative
work.
3. Be of service to society.

Some of the areas where research can be applied :
Marketing Research
Assessment of suitability of goods with respect to design and price.
Market Characteristics like, Who uses the product? How a product is
used?, Shopping habits of consumers, brand loyalty, etc.
Channels of distribution, Advertising and Promotion
Production
Product development, Cost reduction, Profitability improvement,
Inventory control
Applications
Cont…

Materials
The materials and purchase department uses research to frame
suitable policies regarding: Where to buy? How much to buy? When
to buy? At what prices to buy?
Human Resource Development
To study wage rates, incentive schemes, employee turnover rates,
performance appraisal.

Objectives of Research
• To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to
achieve new insights into it.
• To portray accurately the characteristics of a
particular individual, situation or a group.
• To determine or verify a causal relationship
between variables.

Types of Research
Research can be classified from three
perspectives:
1.application of research study
2.objectives in undertaking the research
3.inquiry mode employed
Cont…

From the point of view of application, there are
two broad categories of research:
a)pure research and
b)applied research
Application
Cont…

a)pure research
Pure research involves developing and testing
theories and hypotheses.
These 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.
Application
Cont…

b)Applied research
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.
Application
Cont…

From the viewpoint of objectives, a research can be classified
as
-descriptive
-co relational
-explanatory
-exploratory
Objectives
Cont…

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.
Objectives
Cont…

Correlational research attempts to discover or establish the
existence of a relationship/ interdependence between two or
more aspects of a situation.
Objectives
Cont…

Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how
there is a relationship between two or more aspects of a
situation or phenomenon.
Objectives
Cont…

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).
Objectives
Cont…

From the process adopted to find answer to
research questions – the two approaches are:
a)Structured approach
b)Unstructured approach
Inquiry Mode

a) 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
Inquiry Mode

b) 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.
Inquiry Mode

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.
Inquiry Mode

Introduction to Research Methodology-1.ppt

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