Capstone Project

Research
Methodology
By 1
Dr Nilesh Limbore
What is Research?
 What is research?
 Research means finding answers to the
questions.
 It is a systematic search for truth.
 Research is search for knowledge.
 Research is defined as a scientific and
systematic search for information on a specific
topic.
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
• Research is systematic, because it follows certain
steps that are logical in order.
These steps are:
1. Understanding the nature of problem.
2. Reviewing literature.
3. Collecting data.
4. Analyzing data appropriate to the problem.
5. Drawing conclusions and making generalizations.
 Why study Research
1. Information Explosion
2. Stakeholder demand
3. Cut throat competition
4. Greater Government Intervention
5. Complex Decision
6. Advancement in the field of Management
7. Greater computing power and speed:
a. Lower-cost data collection;
b. Better visualization tools;
c. Powerful computations;
d. More integration of data;
e. High speed access to information;
f. Advanced analytical tools for enhanced insights;
g. Customized reporting
8. New perspectives on established research methodologies.
 CRITERIA OF A GOOD RESEARCH

 Purpose clearly defined.

 Research process detailed.
 Research design thoroughly planned.
 High ethical standards applied.
 Limitations frankly revealed.
 Adequate analysis for decision maker’s needs.
 Findings presented clearly.
 Conclusions justified.
 Researcher’s experience reflected.
 PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH

 Uncontrollable variables
 Human tendencies
 Time and money
 Lack of computerization
 Insufficient interaction between university research
departments and business establishments
 Lack of confidence on the part of business units to give
information
 RESEARCH PROCESS
FF
Review the literature
FF

Review
Concepts
Design
And
Research Collect Interpret
Define theories Formulate Analyse
(Including Data and
Research hypothesis Data
Sample report
Problem
Review Design)
F F
Previous
I Research III IV V
findings VI VII

II
F

F Feed Back
FF Feed Forward
 RESEARCH PROBLEM

What is Research Problem?

The term ‘problem’ means a question or issue to be

examined.

 Research Problem refers to some difficulty /need

which a researcher experiences in the context of either
theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a
solution for the same.
 HOW DO WE KNOW WE HAVE A
RESEARCH PROBLEM?
 Customer complaints
 Conversation with company employees
 Observation of inappropriate behaviour or
conditions in the firm
 Deviation from the business plan
 Success of the firm’s competitor’s
 Relevant reading of published material (trends,
regulations)
 Company records and reports.
 SOURCES OF PROBLEMS

 Reading
 Academic Experience
 Daily Experience
 Exposure to Field Situations
 Consultations
 Brainstorming
 Research
 Intuition
 CRITERIA OF SELECTION
Factors

 Internal / Personal criteria – Researcher’s Interest,

Researcher’s Competence, Researcher’s own
Resource: finance and time.
 External Criteria or Factors – Researchability of the
problem, Importance and Urgency, Novelty of the
Problem, Feasibility, Facilities, Usefulness and Social
Relevance, Research Personnel.
 IDENTIFICATION /
SELECTION OF THE
RESEARCH PROBLEM

Identification / Selection of the Problem

Formulation of the Problem

Thereare two ways of stating a problem:
Posting question / questions
Making declarative statement / statements
 Steps in defining a Problem
1. Statement of the problem in a general way
2. Understanding the nature of the problem
3. Surveying the available literature
4. Developing ideas through discussions
5. Rephrasing the research problem
 Eg:Why is productivity in Japan so
much higher than in India?
Brain storming
What sort of productivity is being referred?
What period?
Which sector?
Rephrasing:
What factors were responsible for the higher
labour productivity of Japan’s manufacturing
industries during the period 1971-1980
relative to India’s manufacturing industries?
 4

REVIEW
OF
LITERATURE
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

 Itis an extensive survey of all available past studies

relevant to the field of investigation.

 Itgives us knowledge about what others have found

out in the related field of study and how they have
done so.
 PURPOSE OF REVIEW

 To gain a background knowledge of the research

topic.
 To identify the concepts relating to it, potential
relationships between them and to formulate
researchable hypothesis.
 To identify appropriate methodology, research design,
methods of measuring concepts and techniques of
analysis.
 To identify data sources used by other researchers.
 To learn how others structured their reports.
 SOURCES OF LITERATURE

 Books and Journals

 Electronic Databases
Bibliographic Databases
Abstract Databases
Full-Text Databases
 Govt. and Industry Reports
 Internet
 Research Dissertations / Thesis
RECORDING THE LITERATURE

The most suitable method of recording

notes is the card system.

The recording system involves use of two

sets of cards:
Source cards (3”x 5”) – used for noting
bibliographic information.
Note cards (5”x 8”) – used for actual note taking.
 SOURCE CARDS

Source Cards serve two purposes:

a) Provide documentary information for foot

notes.

b) It is used for compiling bibliography to be

given at the end of the report.
 SOURCE CARDS
The recording of bibliographic information
should be made in proper bibliographic format.

The format for citing a book is:

Author’s name, (year), Title of the book, Place of
publication, Publisher’s name.
For Example; Koontz Harold (1980), Management,
New Delhi, McGraw-Hill International.

The format for citing a journal article is:

Author’s name, (year), Title of the article, Journal
name, Volume (number), pages.
For Example; Sheth J.N (1973), A Model of
Industrial Buying Behaviour, Journal of Marketing, 37(4),
50-56.
 NOTE CARDS

Detailed Information extracted from a

printed source is recorded on the note cards.

It is desirable to note a single fact or idea on

each card, on one side only.
 Points to be kept in mind while
reviewing literature..

 Read relevant literature.

 Refer original works.
 Read with comprehension.
 Read in time.
 Index the literature.
FORMULATION
OF
HYPOTHESIS
 HYPOTHESIS

 Research Hypothesis is a predictive statement that

relates an independent variable to a dependent
variable.
Hypothesis must contain at least one independent
variable and one dependent variable.
 Preparing The Research Design:

A detailed blueprint specifying how the research will be carried out

Description / location of the study area.

Selection of company / enterprise.
Data source.
Selection of quantitative parameters.
Selection of qualitative parameters.
Selection of respondents.
Data collection instrument.
Respondents contact method.
Data analytical tool.
Scope of the study.
Duration of the study.
 Determining Sample Design:

a sample design is a definite plan determined before any data are

actually collected for obtaining a sample from a given population.

Samples can be either probability samples or non-probability samples

 Collect Data

Secondary data are pieces of Primary data, in contrast,

information that have already are survey, observation, or
been collected for a different experimental data collected to
purpose, but may be relevant address the problem currently
to the research problems at under investigation.
hand.
 Analysis of Data

The analysis of data requires a number of

closely related operations such as
establishment of categories, the application of
these categories to raw data through coding,
tabulation and then drawing statistical
inferences.
Interpret and Report
 RESEARCH & THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Scientific research may be defined as a systematic, controlled,

empirical, and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions
about the presumed relations among observed phenomena. This
definition contains the basic terms necessary in defining the
method of scientific research, and describes a procedure that has
been accepted for centuries.

The Scientific Method involves a series of steps that are used to

investigate a natural occurrence.
Characteristics of the Scientific Method

1. Scientific research is public:

2. Science is objective:
3. Science is empirical:
4. Science is systematic and cumulative:
 Formulation of Research Problem

The technique for the purpose involves the undertaking of

the following steps generally one after the other:

(i) statement of the problem in a general way;

(ii)understanding the nature of the problem;
(iii) surveying the available literature
(iv) developing the ideas through discussions;
andrephrasing the research problem into a working
proposition
 Management Question
The manager must move from the management dilemma to
the management question to proceed with the research
process. The management question restates the dilemma in
question form:
• What should be done to reduce employee turnover?
• What should be done to increase tenant residency and
reduce move-outs?
• What should be done to reduce costs?

Management Question Categories: Management questions

are too numerous to list, but we can categorize them:
• Choice of purposes or objectives.
• Generation and evaluation of solutions.
• Troubleshooting or control situation.
 The Research Question
The Research Question Once the researcher has a clear statement
of the management question; the manager must translate it into a
research question. Consider the research question to be a fact-
oriented, information-gathering question. Only reasonable
alternatives should be considered. If the researcher is not part of
the manager’s decision-making environment, the researcher can
be of minimal help in this translation. She may assist the manager
in evaluating which courses of action should and can be
researched.
It is the hypothesis of choice that best states the objective of the
research study. It is a more specific management question that
must be answered. It may be more than one question, or just one.
A research process that answers this more specific question
provides the manager with the information necessary to make the
decision he or she is facing.
 Investigation Question

Investigative Questions: once the research question(s) has been

selected, researcher thinking moves to a more specific level,
that of investigative questions. These questions reveal the
specific pieces of information the manager feels he or she needs
to know to answer the research question.
 
Investigative questions are questions the researcher must
answer to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion about the research
question. To formulate them, the researcher takes a general
research question and breaks it into more specific questions
about which to gather data. Investigative questions should be
included in the research proposal, for they guide the
development of the research design. They are the foundation for
creating the research data collection instrument.
Research Proposal:
 It should be precise. (Words)

 It should be clear. (Conceptual)

 It should be specific. (Scope)

 It should be catchy. (Attractive)

--------------Examples
Incorrect Title:
A Study of Implementation of Data Mining Techniques for Effective Crime and
Criminal Investigation

Correct Title:
An Implementation of Data Mining Techniques for Effective Investigation of
Crimes: A Study of Satara and Pune Districts.

Simple Way:
Financial and Operational Performance Analysis of Mergers and Acquisitions in
Indian Banking Sector: A Study

Attractive Way:
Analysis of Mergers and Acquisitions in Indian Banking Sector in Post
Liberalization Era: An Exploratory Study

Or

Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Performance of Indian Banks in Post

Liberalization Era
 It is expected to introduce chosen research
problem / topic covering its origin, meaning,
purpose, developments at international /
national / regional level and its present
status.

 The very idea of this component in the

research proposal is to acquaint readers with
the research problem.
 Proposed research topic should have a genuine need for investigation.

 Do the following need an investigation ?

 High turn over of employees of a reputed five star hotel affecting its revenue.
 An increasing trend of farmers’ suicides in a particular region.
 Decelerating sales trend of a well known and popular automobile company
affecting its sales revenue.
Yes
1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Statement of the Problem
4. Review of Literature
5. Objectives of the Study
6. Hypotheses for the Study
7. Research Design and Methodology
8. Conceptual Framework
9. Report Writing and Implications of the Study
10. Financial Assistance Required
11. Conclusion
12. Select Bibliography