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2 Research M ethodology For M anagement

1.1 M EAN I NG OF RESEARCHResearch is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing information to increase

our understanding of the phenomenon under study. It is the function of the researcher tocontr ibute to the understanding of the phenomenon and to communicate that understandingto others.

According to Clifford Woody

Research compri ses defi ning and redefin ing problems, formu lati ng hypot hesis orsuggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deductions andresearching conclusion; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whetherthey fi t the formu lating hypothesis .

According to D . Slesinger and M . Stephenson

The manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generali zing toextend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in construction of theoryor in the practice of an art .

There are many d if ferent w ays to carry ou t research but roughl y speaking there aretwo main approaches, namely qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative studies concentratemainly on words and meanings and aim to capture the richness and complexity of humanexperience, whereas quantitative studies involve recording information obtained fromparticipants in numerical form so as to enable statistical analysis of the findings and thegenerali zation of those fi ndings to the w ider popul ation. Behind these tw o main approaches,

there are important theoretical differences and philosophical assumptions about the natureof know ledge, tru th and reali ty, how thi s should be recorded, what ki nds of methods shouldbe used and the role of the researcher in this process.

Research is a thorough, orderly, organized, efficient and logical investigation of anarea of know ledge or of a problem. Research can be scienti fi c or scholarly. I t now includeslooking things up on the Internet . The scientific method can be used for all research.

Curiosity: Science is knowledge of the physical or material world gained throughobservation and experiment. Research begins with a broad question that needs an answer. Arevi ew of sim il ar research n arrow s the scope of the research to a manageable, reali sticquestion.

Theory (Hypothesis): Research creates a theory (hypothesis) to be proved from thequestion; the researcher maintains an awareness of the limitations of budget, time andtechnology on experiments needed to answer the question.

Experiment: Researchers design an experiment w ith steps to test and evaluate the theory(hypothesis) and generate analyzable data. Experiments have controls and a large enoughsample group to provide statistically valid results.

Observation: Observing and recording the results of the experiment generates rawdata to prove or disprove the theory.

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Research M ethodology : An Introduction 3

Analysis: Statistical analysis on the data and organizing it so that it is understandablegenerates answers to the ini tial question. Data may show trends that allow for the broadeningof the research.

Conclusions: Research following the scientific method will either prove or disprove thetheory (hypothesis). What happened and why needs to be explained by the researcher. Evenwhen a theory (hypothesis) is di sproved, valuable data coll ected i n the research may lead tofu rther research. The resul ts are usually publ ished and shared.

1.2 OBJECTI V ES OF RESEARCH

1. To seek insight into an observed phenomenon and explain its logic and reasoning

of happening.2. To explore the possibil ity and methodology of doing things which have not been

done so far.

3. To imp rove the eff ectiveness of pr esent systems and procedu res in any f ieldcontinuously.

4. To explore in to new areas that might have become relevant or even might becomerelevant in the near future.

5. To test a hypothesis of a casual relationship betw een variables.

6. To analyze the past d ata for d iscovering trends, patterns and relationships.

1.3 PURPOSES OF RESEARCHResearch in w hatever fi eld of inquiry has four purposes, i.e. describing, explaining and

predicting phenomena and ul timately controll ing events.

A. Describing and Explaining

This is the attempt to understand the wor ld w e li ve in . Research is concerned w ithacquiri ng kn owl edge, establi shin g facts and developi ng new methods. The way thi sunderstanding is shown is through the theories developed and their efficacy at explainingthe world in w hich we liv e.

B. PredictionIn research, predictions are usually stated as hypotheses, i.e. clear unambiguous

statements which can be subjected to scienti fi c verif ication or refutation. When the hypothesesare accepted or rejected, w e are able to make generali zations or theori es concerning variou ssituations. We are able to say that given these conditions then this is likely to happen.

C. Control

This fol low s from our know ledge and the successfu l veri fi cation of hypotheses. Controlrepresents the way in which research can be applied to real problems and situations, thus