Stutoday10
- 1. Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information
- 2. The Research Process Plan your research Locate data and information Process data and information Apply your findings Manage information
- 3. Plan Your Research Learn about the subject Identify information gaps Prioritize research needs
- 4. Ethics and Etiquette in Business Research Don’t skew results Respect privacy of participants Document sources Respect intellectual property Don’t misquote
- 5. Learn About the Subject Industry publications Competitor’s websites Interviews with Experts
- 6. Information Gap Analysis Clarify the decision or conclusion Identify subquestions Clarify information requirements Locate existing information Assess the information gap
- 7. Data and Information Secondary research Primary research
- 8. Evaluating Sources Purpose of the Material Independent Verification Logic and Good Sense Honesty and Reliability The Author Timeliness Potential Bias Data Collection Methods Completeness
- 9. Secondary Research A specific company An entire industry Statistics and trends Business issues
- 10. Finding Information at the Library Business Books Electronic Databases Newspapers Periodicals Directories Almanacs Statistical Resources Government Publications
- 11. Online Information Internet public library Company websites
- 12. Internet Search Tools Search engines Web directories Online databases Meta-search engines
- 13. Search Techniques Keywords Boolean operators Natural language Forms-based
- 14. Fine Tune Search Methods Read instructions Review your options Adjust search scope Understand details Vary search terms Employ search agents
- 15. Documenting Sources Credit sources Build credibility Help your readers
- 16. Primary Information Surveys Interviews Experiments observations
- 17. Survey Questions Ask easy-to-analyze questions Avoid leading questions Ask one question at a time Pretest all questionnaires
- 18. Effective Interviews Purpose Collect information Make decisions Clarify issues Structure Overall length Stylistic issues Organization
- 19. Types of Questions Close-ended Restatement Direct open-ended Open-ended
- 20. Preparing Questions Think about sequence Rate the questions Ask smart questions Mix types of questions Limit the number Edit questions
- 21. Processing Interview Information Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing
- 22. Analyzing the Data Mean, median, and mode Overall trends Cause and correlation Cross-tabulation
- 23. Minimize Mistakes and Misinterpretations Avoid faulty comparisons Don’t push research results Avoid misleading presentations
- 24. Applying Your Findings Unbiased summary Logical conclusion Feasible recommendations
- 25. Knowledge Management Information Insights Experiences Research
Editor's Notes
- #3: No matter what the task, successful research can be a rewarding activity if you follow productive research procedures: Plan your research. Planning is the most important step of any research project; a solid plan yields better results in less time. Locate the data and information you need. The research plan tells you what to look for, so your next step is to figure out where this data and information is and how to access it. Much of your business research will be done online, but other projects require personal interviews, surveys, and other techniques. Process the data and information you located. The data and information you locate probably won't be in a form you can use immediately and will require some processing; this processing might involve anything from statistical analysis to resolving the differences between two or more expert opinions. Apply your findings. You can apply your research findings in three ways: summarizing information for someone else's benefit, drawing conclusions based on what you've learned, or developing recommendations. Manage information efficiently. Many companies today are trying to maximize the return on the time and money they invest in business research by collecting and sharing research results in a variety of computer-based systems.