RESEARCH DESIGN DEFINITION:A detailed outline of how an investigation will take place.

A research design will typically include how data is to be collected, what instruments will be employed, how the instruments will be used and the intended means for analyzing data collected

INTRODUCTION:Research design is obtaining satisfactory evidence for a research problem before collecting evidence it is important to design the nature of evidence required research design is a work plan. A plan or strategy for conducting the research deals with matters such as selecting participants for the research and preparing for data collection. A clear statement of the research problems.The sources of collecting data and the methods of techniques of data processing. Before examining types of research designs it is important to be clear about the role and purpose of research design. We need to understand what research design is and what it is not. We need to know where design it into the whole research process from framing a question to finally analyzing and reporting data. A research design encompasses the method and procedures employed to conduct scientific research. The design of a study defines the study type (descriptive, correlation, semiexperimental, experimental, review, meta-analytic) and sub-type (e.g., descriptivelongitudinal case study), research question, hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, experimental design, and, if applicable, data collection methods and a statistical analysis plan. Research design is, in fact, the research questions and hypotheses that have been so carefully developed. In essence, the research design answers the question: How are we going to get answers to these research questions and test these hypotheses? The research design is a plan of action indicating the specific steps that are necessary to provide answers to those questions, test the hypotheses, and thereby achieve the research purpose that helps choose among the decision alternatives to solve the management problem or capitalize on the market opportunity. A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedure necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure and/or solve marketing research problems

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IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH DESIGN:Research design is important as it prepares proper framework within which the research work/activity will be actually carried out Research design acts as a blue print for the conduct of the whole research project. It introduces efficiency in investigation and generates confidence in the final outcome of the study.

Research design gives proper direction and time-table to research activity. It keeps adequate check on the research work and ensures its completion within certain time limit. It keeps the whole research project on the right track.

The purpose of research is to inform action. Thus, your study should seek to contextualize its findings within the larger body of research. Research must always be high quality in order to produce knowledge that is applicable outside of the research setting with implications that go beyond the group that has participated in the research. Furthermore, the results of your study should have implications for policy and project implementation.

Research design avoids possible errors as regards research problem, information requirement and so on. It gives practical orientation to the whole research work and makes it relevant to the marketing problems faced by the sponsoring organisation. Finally, it makes the whole research process compact and result-oriented. A researcher should not go ahead with his research project unless the research design is planned properly.

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RESEARCH DESIGN OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH DESIGN:1.Academic Objectives:

To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it. The Academic object of research is the acquisition of knowledge and it is the thirst for knowledge couple with curiosity that has been the guiding force behind a rich variety of research work independent of any material incentive.

2.Utilitarian Objectives:
The primary goal of research, immediate or distant, is to understand the organizational culture, social life, social environment, decision making processes etc and thereby gain a greater measure of control over human behavior in the organization and social context.

3. Research helps in portraying accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation

or a group in the organization and leads to organization redesign, and design of strategies of development.

4. Research may be used to determine the frequency with which a certain thing occurs or with
which it is associated with something else.

5. It helps in testing a hypothesis or a casual relationship between variables to determine the

cause and effect impacts.

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NEED FOR RESEARCH DESIGN:Research design has a significant impact on the reliability of the results obtained. It thus acts as a firm foundation for the entire research. It is needed because it facilitates the smooth functioning of the various research operations. It makes the research as efficient as possible by giving maximum information with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money.

The need for research design is as follows: 1. It reduces inaccuracy. 2. Helps to get maximum efficiency and reliability. 3. Eliminates bias and marginal errors. 4. Minimizes wastage of time. 5. Helpful for collecting research materials. 6. Helpful for testing of hypothesis. 7. Gives an idea regarding the type of resources required in terms of money, man power. time, and efforts. 8. Provides an overview to other experts. 9. Guides the research in the right direction.

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RESEARCH DESIGN FEATURES OF RESEARCH DESIGN:Research design involves taking a question or problem and testing it to come up with a possible or definitive answer. There are two main types of research design: qualitative and quantitative. Additionally, there are many career options within the field of research design, including creative, scientific or a combination of both.

1.Quantitative Design:
Quantitative, or fixed, design allows the researcher to actively change the circumstances of the experiment. In this type of research, the researcher can control the conditions that lead to changes in behavior. This can also be considered explanatory research, as the focus is on the question of "why." For example, a city is experiencing an increasing crime rate. To combat this problem the city puts more officers on the street. Suppose that this did nothing to change the crime rate initially. The city would look at why it did not work, and what can be done to change that outcome. After studying the problem, the city determines they need to train officers to deal with gangs and gang activities. Once the training is completed, crime rates begin to drop. This shows how studying the problem, considering different solutions, deciding on a method to solve the problem and then implementing that solution caused a different result than the initial method of simply hiring more officers. This provides the answer to the question of "why."

2.Qualitative Design:
Qualitative, or flexible, design deals with the study aspect of solving a problem. This is an answer to "what," and identifies the problem itself. This works hand in hand with quantitative design, as problems cannot be tested for solutions until they have been identified. Using the same example, when the city initially tried to reduce crime rates, they simply hired more officers. What was wrong with that approach is the fact that they did not have an adequate description of what the problem was. When they did further investigation and determined that the officers needed training in gangs and gang activities, they had a better idea of what the problem was. Their "what" was identified, which led to options of how to solve the problem.

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RESEARCH DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH DESIGN:Generally a good research design minimizes bias and maximizes the reliability of the data collected and analyzed. The design which gives the smallest experimental error is reported to be the best design in scientific investigation. Similarly, a design which yields maximum information and provides a opportunity for considering different aspects of a problem is considered to be the most appropriate efficient design . Thus the question of a good design is related to the purpose or objective of the research problem and also with the nature of the problem to be studied. A good research design should satisfy the following four conditions namely objectivity, reliability, validity and generalization of the findings.

1. Objectivity:
It refers to the findings related to the method of data collection and scoring of the responses. The research design should permit the measuring instrument which are fairly objective in which every observer or judge scoring the performance must precisely give the same report. In other words, the objectivity of the procedure may be judged by the degree of agreement between the final scores assigned to different individuals by more than one independent observer. This ensures the objectivity of the collected data which shall be capable of analysis and drawing generalizations.

2. Reliability:
Reliability refers to consistency through out a series of measurements. For eg: if a respondent gives out a response to a particular item, he is expected to give the same response to that item even if he is asked repeatedly. If he is changing his response to the same item, the consistency will be lost. So the researcher should frame the items in a questionnaire in such a way that it provides consistency or reliability.

3. Validity:
Any measuring device or instrument is said to be valid when it measures what it is expected to measure. For eg: an intelligence test conducted for measuring the I.Q should measure only the intelligence and nothing else, and the questionnaire shall be framed accordingly.

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4.Generalizability:
It means how best the data collected from the samples can be utilized for drawing certain generalizations applicable to a large group from which sample is drawn. Thus a research design helps an investigator to generalize his findings provided he has taken due care in defining the population, selecting the sample, deriving appropriate statistical analysis etc. while preparing the research design. Thus a good research design is one which is methodologically prepared and should ensure that:

a) The measuring instrument can yield objective, reliable and valid data.

b) The population is clearly defined.

c) Most appropriate techniques of sample selection is used to form an appropriate sample.

d) Appropriate statistical analysis has been carried out, and

e) The findings of the study is capable of generalizations.

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RESEARCH DESIGN TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGNS:A research design is like a roadmapyou can see where you currently are, where you want to be at the completion of your journey, and can determine the best (most efficient and effective) route to take to get to your destination. We may have to take unforeseen detours along the way, but by keeping our ultimate objective constantly in mind and using our map we can arrive at our destination. Our research purpose and objectives suggest which route (design) might be best to get us where we want to go. but there is more than one way to "get there from here." Choice of research design is not like solving a problem in algebra where there is only one correct answer and an infinite number of wrong ones. Choice of research design is more like selecting a cheesecake recipesome are better than others but there is no one which is universally accepted as "best."Successfully completing a research project consists of making those choices that will fulfill the research purpose and obtain answers to the research questions in an efficient and effective manner.

TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGN

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

CASUAL RESEARCH

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1. Exploratory Research:
A marketing research study may be either exploratory or full scale. Exploratory research is conducted when the researcher does not know how and why certain phenomenon occurs. Here, the hypothetical solutions or actions are explored and evaluated by the decision-maker, e.g. evaluation of quality of service of a bank/hotel/airline. Here, the quality cannot be assessed directly as tangible features are not available. The purpose of exploratory research is to know the unknown. Exploratory research determines fruitful alternatives that the executive would not have perceived. This also narrows down the scope of the investigation. Exploratory research is undertaken to get the answer to the following question. "What alternative courses of action might solve the problem and thereby reach the final objective?" This research is unstructured in character. Exploratory studies are important. They may provide adequate information on a decision situation or may greatly facilitate the design of formal research studies.

2. Conclusive Research Design:

Conclusive Research Design is typically more formal and structured than exploratory research. It is based on large representative samples, and the data obtained are subjected to quantitative analysis. Conclusive Research is designed to assist (he decision maker indetermining, evaluating and selecting the best course of action to take in a given situation. As shown in the figure conclusive research designs may be either descriptive or causal and descriptive designs may be either cross-sectional or longitudinal.

(A) Descriptive ResearchDescriptive research is undertaken when the researcher desires to know the characteristics of certain groups such as age, sex, occupation, income or education. The objective of descriptive research is to answer the "who, what, when, where and how" of the subject under study/investigation. Descriptive studies are normally factual and simple. However, such studies can be complex, demanding scientific skill on the part of researcher. Descriptive studies are well structured. It tends to be rigid and its approach cannot be changed often and again. In descriptive studies, the researcher has to give adequate thought to framing research questions and deciding the data to be collected and the procedure to be used for this purpose. Data collected may prove to be inadequate if there searcher is not careful in the initial stages of data collection.

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(B) Casual (Diagnostic) ResearchCasual research design is the third type of research design. As the name indicates, casual design investigates the cause and effect relationship between two or more variables. This design measures the extent of relationship between the variables. Casual research designs attempt to specify the nature of functional relationship between two or more variables. Casual research is useful to show the impact of one variable on the other. For example, price and market demand relationship or relationship between market competition and sales performance. Even the positive/negative effect of advertising on sales can be studied through casual research. The relationship between the casual factors can be studied through casual research. In addition, the variables which create effect on other variables can be studied in depth through casual research. Data for casual research can be collected through field survey with the help of a questionnaire or by conducting laboratory experiments / controlled experiments. Laboratory experiments are possible in the case of testing of new products or package design. The casual research design is based on reasoning. The designs for casual research can be divided into three categories: (a)Historical (b)Survey (c)Experimental. 1. Research design for exploratory or formulative studies In this type of design, a vague problem is selected and understood and is then followed by an exploratory research to find a new hypothesis and then carrying out conclusion research decisions to finally get new ideas. Aims at finding a new hypothesis. Individual surveys, referring to secondary sources of data etc. play an important role in such research designs. Reviewing related literature, following or surveying people having practical experience in the problem related field act as very important and most commonly used methods by an exploratory researcher. 2. Research design for conclusive studies Also referred to as the research design for the descriptive studies and is further divided as follows a. Case Study method Finds extensive use in commerce and industry. Very respectable method of teaching and research in management. Helps greatly in knowing the causes and the results of the incident of the phenomenon. b. Statistical method Also trying to find its place in commerce and industry. Act as method of correlation and regressions, analysis, chi square etc. Has been made very rigorous and sophisticated by coming up of the computers.
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RESEARCH DESIGN THE ESSENTIALS OF RESEARCH DESIGN:Essentials of research design and methodology contains practical information on how to design and conduct scientific research in the behavioral and social sciences. This accessible guide covers basic to advanced concepts in a clear, concrete, and readable style. The text offers students and practitioners in the behavioral sciences and related disciplines important insights into identifying research topics, variables, and methodological approaches. Data collection and assessment strategies, interpretation methods, and important ethical considerations also receive significant coverage in this user-friendly guide. Essentials of research design and methodology is the only available resource to condense the wide-ranging topics of the field into a concise, accessible format for handy and quick reference. As part of the Essentials of Behavioral Science series, this book offers a thorough review of the most relevant topics in research design and methodology. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as "Test Yourself" questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered.III Introduction of the research problem in every aspect that helps in the proper understanding of the research that we are supposed to be done.The need of studying the problem should be given more importance.

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RESEARCH DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY RESEARCH DESIGN :1.Objectivity:

The purpose of research should be clearly defined and common precept be used.

2.Usage Of Scientific Procedure:

The research procedure used should be described in sufficient detail to permit another researcher to repeat the research in a systematic manner.

3.Continuity:
The research should be carried out in such a manner that principle of continuity is ensured.

4.Proper Planning:
The design should be planned in a most scientific way and all aspect of resources, time frame, constraints and procedural aspects be taken into consideration.

5.Integrity:
The researcher should report with complete frankness, flaws in procedural design and evaluate their effect on the findings.

6.Adequacy of Data:
The analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate to reveal it significance and the methods of analysis used should be appropriate.

7.Reliability:
The validity and reliability of data should be checked carefully

8.Structure:
It means that research is structured with specified sequence in accordance with the well defined set of rules. Guessing and intuition in arriving at conclusions are rejected.

9.Logic:
This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning and logical process of induction and deduction are used.
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10.Empiricism:
This implies that research is related basically to one or more aspects of a real situation and deals with concrete data that provides a basis for external validity of research results.

11.Replicability:
This principle allows research result to be verified by replicating the study and thereby building a sound basis for decision.

12.Economics:
Research should be completed within the allocated financial resources

13.Time-frame:
Frame research should be completed in the stipulated time frame.

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RESEARCH DESIGN PURPOSE OF RESEARCH DESIGN:We need to know how the data was obtained because the method affects the results. For instance, if you are investigating users' perceptions of the efficiency of public transport in Bangkok, you will obtain different results if you use a multiple choice questionnaire than if you conduct interviews. Knowing how the data was collected helps the reader evaluate the validity and reliability of your results, and the conclusions you draw from them. Often there are different methods that we can use to investigate a research problem. Your methodology should make clear the reasons why you chose a particular method or procedure. The reader wants to know that the data was collected or generated in a way that is consistent with accepted practice in the field of study. For example, if you are using a questionnaire, readers need to know that it offered your respondents a reasonable range of answers to choose from (asking if the efficiency of public transport in Bangkok is "a. excellent, b. very good or c. good" would obviously not be acceptable as it does not allow respondents to give negative answers). The research methods must be appropriate to the objectives of the study. If you perform a case study of one commuter in order to investigate users' perceptions of the efficiency of public transport in Bangkok, your method is obviously unsuited to your objectives. The methodology should also discuss the problems that were anticipated and explain the steps taken to prevent them from occurring, and the problems that did occur and the ways their impact was minimized. In some cases, it is useful for other researchers to adapt or replicate your methodology, so often sufficient information is given to allow others to use the work. This is particularly the case when a new method had been developed, or an innovative adaptation used.

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STAGES OF RESEARCH DESIGN:1. The Problem:
The first step involves the proper selection and then carefully defining the problem. By this researcher will be enabled to know about what he has to search, but it should be kept in mind that the problems selected should not be unmanageable in nature and also should not be based on the desires.

2. Objective of the study:

The objective should be very clear in the mind of the researcher as this will lead to the clarity of the design and proper response from the respondents.

3. Nature of the study:

The research design should be very much in relation with the nature of the study, which is to be carried out.

4. Data sources:
The various sources of the data or the information should be very clearly stated by the researcher.

5. Techniques of data collection:

For the collection of the required information, it sometimes becomes very necessary to use some especial techniques.

6. Social cultural context:

Research design based on the social cultural concept is prepared in order to avoid the various study variations.

7. Geographical limit:
This step becomes a necessity at this point of time as with the help of this step, research linked to the hypothesis applies only to certain number of social groups.

8. Basis of selection:
Selecting a proper sample acts as a very important and critical step and this is done with the help of some mechanics like drawing a random stratified, deliberate, double cluster or quota sample etc.

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ROLE OF RESEARCH DESIGN:The role of research in several fields of applied economics, whether related to business, industry, trade, commerce, services or to the economy as a whole, has greatly increased in modern times. The increasingly complex nature of business, its size, fast changes in technology etc, has focused attention on the use of research in solving operational problems. Research as an aid to economic policy has gained added importance both for government and business.

1.Government Policies:
Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies, in our economic system. For example, governments budgets rest in part on an analysis of the needs and desires of the people and on the availability of revenues to meet those needs. The cost of needs has to be equated to probable revenues and this is a field where research is most needed. Through research we can devise alternative policies and can well examine the consequences of each of these alternatives.

2.Allocation of National Resources:

Government has to chalk out programmes for dealing with all facets of the country existence and most of these will be related directly or indirectly to economic conditions. The plight of cultivators, the problems of big and small business and industry, working conditions, trade union activities, the problem of distribution, even the size and nature of defense services are matters requiring research. Thus research is considered necessary with regard to the allocation of nations resources.

3.Investigation of Economic Structure:

Research is necessary for collecting of information on the economic and social structure of the nation. Such information indicates what is happening in the economy, and what changes are taking place. Collecting such statistical information involves a variety of research problems.

4.Social Welfare and Progress:

Ignorance and lack of knowledge is the root cause of various social events. Communal troubles, religions riots, the misnomer of social, racial superiority are results of ignorance. Through research it is possible to d away with all these wrong notions. Research is helpful in the welfare and progress of humanity and the society.

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RESEARCH DESIGN ELEMENTS OF DECISION MAKING :The following are the important elements of management decisions-

1.Concepts of Good Decision:

The first and important element of the process of decision making is the perception of decision. The decision should be sound, and result oriented. The decision should be based on facts and careful analysis of facts and figures.

2.Environment of Decisions:
The management should create a favorable environment in the organization structure for good decisions. The decision environment can be divided into two parts; internal and external. In internal environment the labour management relations, organizational pattern, the delegation of authority, decentralization policy etc. are some of the important factors. In external environment, socio-politico-techno factors are to be considered.

3.Psychological Elements:
The decision making is a human process so it is but natural that the decision taken will be affected by the psychology of the decision maker. Some personal attributes affecting decision are intelligence, educational level, temperament, position and attitude etc.

4.Timings of Decisions:
All management decisions should be taken as far as possible immediately and according to circumstances.

5.Communication of Decision:
The decision should be communicated to the concerned parties as soon as they are finally taken. Communication must be clear, simple, easy and comprehensive.

6.Participation of Employees:
As far as possible the employees should be given due participation in the process of decision making. They should be motivated and trained for it.

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FACTORS OF A RESEARCH DESIGN:When a researcher has formulated a research problem, he/she has to focus on developing a good design for solving the problem. A good design is one that minimizes bias and maximizes the reliability of the data. It also yields maximum information, gives minimum experimental error, and provides different aspects of a single problem. A research design depends on the purpose and nature of the research problem. Thus, one single design cannot be used to solve all types of research problem, i.e., a particular design is suitable for a particular problem. A research design usually consists of the following factors: 1.Availability of scientific information 2.Availability of sufficient data 3.Time availability 4.Proper exposure to the data source 5.Availability of the money 6.Manpower availability 7.Magnitude of the management problem 8.Degree of Top managements support 9.Ability, knowledge, skill, technical understanding and technical background of the researcher 10.Controllable variables 11.Uncontrollable variables 12.Internal variables 13. External variables and the like when taking decision

If a research study is an exploratory or formulative one, i.e., it focuses on discovery of ideas and insights, the research design should be flexible enough to consider different aspects of the study. Similarly, if the study focuses on accurate description or association between variables, the design should be accurate with minimum bias and maximum reliability. However, in practice, it is difficult to categorize a particular study into a particular group. A study can be categorized only on the basis of its primary function and accordingly, its design can be developed. Moreover, the above mentioned factors must be given due weightage while working on the details of the research design.

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RESEARCH DESIGN STEPS IN PLANNING THE RESEARCH DESIGN:

There are four broad steps involved in planning the research design as explained below:

1.Determining work involved in the project:

The first stage in planning research design is determining the work involved in the project-and designing a workable plan to carry out the research work within specific time limit. The work involved includes the following: (a)To formulate the marketing problem (b)To determine information requirement (c)To identify information sources (d)To prepare detailed plan for the execution of research project. This preliminary step indicates the nature and volume of work involved in the research work. Various forms require for research work will be decided and finalized. The sample to be selected for the survey work will also be decided. Staff requirement will also be estimated. Details will be worked out about their training and supervision on field investigators, etc.

2.Estimating costs involved:

The second stage in planning research design is estimating the costs involved in the research project. MR projects are costly as the questionnaire is to be prepared in large number of copies, interviewers are to be appointed for data collection and staff will be required for tabulation and analysis of data collected. Finally, experts will be required for drawing conclusions and for writing the research report. The researcher has to estimate the expenditure required for the execution of the project. The sponsoring organisation will approve the research project and make suitable budget provision accordingly. The cost calculation is a complicated job as expenditure on different heads will have to be estimated accurately. The cost of the project also needs to be viewed from the view point of its utility in solving the marketing problem. A comprehensive research study for solving comparatively minor marketing problem will be uneconomical.

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3.Preparing time schedule:
Time factor is important in the execution of the research project. Planning of time schedule is essential at the initial stage. Time calculation relates to the preparation of questionnaire and its pre-testing, training of interviewers, actual survey work, tabulation and analysis of data and finally reports writing. Time requirement of each stage needs to be worked out systematically. Such study will indicate the time requirement of the whole project. Too long period for the completion of research work is undesirable as the conclusions and recommendations may become outdated when actually available. Similarly, time-consuming research projects are not useful for solving urgent marketing problems faced by a company. Preparing time schedule is not adequate in research design. In addition, all operations involved in the research work should be carried out strictly as per time schedule already prepared. If necessary remedial measures should be adopted in order to avoid any deviation in the time schedule. This brings certainty as regards the completion of the whole research project in time.

4.Verifying results:
MR findings need to be dependable to the sponsoring organisation. Researcher may create new problems before the sponsoring organisation if the research work is conducted in a faulty manner. Such unreliable study is dangerous as it may create new problems. It is therefore, necessary to keep effective check on the whole research work during the implementing stage. For this suitable provisions need to be made in the research design. After deciding the details of the steps noted above, the background for research design will be ready. Thereafter, the researcher has to prepare the research design of the whole project. He has to present the project design to the sponsoring agency or higher authorities for detailed consideration and approval. The researcher can start the research project (as per design) after securing the necessary approval to the research design prepared.

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RESEARCH DESIGN ISSUES OF RESEARCH DESIGN:There seems to be a tendency among academics to find many different ways of looking at research and thus create numerous categories and approaches to describing their research activities. At the European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies at the IE Business School in Madrid last week a distinguished panel of academics discussed the importance of design research (DR) or design science research (DSR). All four speakers argued for the importance of design and it is not easy to disagree with such a proposition. But it was possible to interpret what they said in different ways as the term design can play more than one role in the way we describe research.

There seem to be at least 3 ways design becomes a research issue.

The first is that any research programme which is intended to lead to a degree or a publication needs to be planned and the options adopted in the plan may be referred to as the research design. If a research programme is undertaken without a carefully conceived research design then its success will be a question of serendipity and sometimes some people are lucky. The meaning of the word design in this context is not problematic. The second way in which design needs to be considered is described by Puffers (2004) when they argue for the needs for a design science research methodology (DSRM) which they describe as an important discipline oriented to the creation of successful artifacts (sic). It is not difficult to see that research aimed at the creation of successful art effects offers a different set of challenges to what researchers normally face in business and management studies. Even (2004) supports the view that design science research is different to information systems research and they call for collaboration between the two approaches. This seems to be a reasonable use of the word design and it is worth noting that in certain cases the results of this type of research may not lead to a completed artifact but perhaps only to a detailed blueprint for its development. Again there is not cause for confusion here. The third way the word design is used has roots in the work of Simon (1969) who wrote about the study of natural systems and the study of artificial ones. According to van Aken (2005) and based on the Simon distinction, there are two domains of study which are the explanatory sciences and the design sciences. Explanatory sciences include physics, biology, economics and sociology. Examples of design sciences are engineering and medicine. van Aken argues that there are differences in the core missions of these two groups of knowledge. van Aken argues that The core mission of an explanatory science is to develop valid knowledge to understand the natural or social world, or more specifically to describe, explain and possibly predict. The core mission of a design science, on the other hand, is to develop knowledge that can be used by professionals in the field in question to design solutions to their field problems.
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RESEARCH DESIGN TRENDS IN RESEARCH:Research is a field that is rapidly changing and growing in importance. Current issues and future trends in research include the following:

1.Intense Competition:
The intensity of worldwide competition in all the areas of operations will increase. The military warfare of the twentieth century will be replaced by economic warfare in twenty-first century. Research will play a very dominant role in product development, product design and product distribution strategies.

2.Global Markets, Global Sourcing and Global Financing:

Few organizations and nations will be able to survive by competing in domestic/international market. Companies need to learn about foreign environment, understand foreign customers, build networks and forge partnerships. Research will be the key to success for production and finance management in the context of world becoming a global village.

3.Importance of Strategy:
Companies will need long term global business strategies to survive in the market place. Vertically integrated partnerships will be needed to strengthen competitive position. A new type of alliance based on cooperative specialization within industries may become a necessity. The strategic alliance will require extensive background research.

4.Product Variety and Customization:

An increased variety of products and services will be offered to the customer. In many cases, customization for the individual will be possible. This means that the expected life of products on the market will continue to decrease. Therefore, product and service innovations based on market research will hit the market at in increasing rate.

5.Pervasiveness of Services:
Customer service is destined to become another competitive battle ground and research will assume a more significant role, in designing and developing services.

6. Emphasis on Quality:
The quality of products and services will continue to improve as customer expectations of quality grow. This will lead to more emphasis on product research, social research, packaging research, distribution research etc.

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7.Advances in Technology:
Technology will continue to advance at a rapid rate, particularly in the areas of advanced materials, advanced machining biotechnology, robotics, supercomputing etc. This has resulted in inter-disciplinary research and more importance to experimental designs.

8.Worker participation:
The empowerment of the work force has had a significant impact on the operations in the past decade. The success of future companies depends on the workers involvement resulting in more emphasis on participative and motivation research.

9.Concern regarding Business Environment:

The impetus for environmental responsibility will shift from government regulations to customer response requirements leading to more concentration on business research.

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RESEARCH DESIGN SCOPE OF RESEARCH DESIGN INCLUDES THE FOLLOWS AREAS:1.Production Management:
The research plays a significant role in product development, diversification, launching a new product, product improvement, process technologies, selecting a site, new investment etc.

2.Personnel Management:
Research helps in job redesign, organization restructuring, development of motivational strategies and organizational development.

3.Marketing Management:
Research plays a significant role in choice and size of target market, the consumer behavior in terms of attitudes, life style, and influences of the target market. It is the main instrument in deciding price policy, selection of channel of distribution and development of sales strategies, product mix, promotional strategies etc.

4.Finance Management:
Research helps in portfolio management, distribution of dividend, capital raising, hedging and taking care of fluctuations in foreign exchange and product cycles.

5.Materials Management:
It is used in selecting the supplier, taking the decisions pertaining to make or buy as well as in deciding negotiation strategies.

6.General Management:
It helps in developing the standards, objectives, long-term goals, and growth strategies.

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RESEARCH DESIGN PROBLEMS/LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH DESIGN:1.Lack of Training:

The lack of scientific training in the methodology of research is a great handicap for researchers in our country. There is a paucity of competent researchers in our country.

2.Lack of confidence:
The business houses are often reluctant to supply the needed information to research because of fear of misuse of information.

3.Repetition:
Research studies overlapping one another are undertaken quite often for want of adequate information.

4.Lack of Interaction:
There is insufficient interaction between the university research department, on the one hand and business establishments, government departments and research institutions, on the other.

5.Absence of Code of Conduct:

There does not exist a code of conduct for researchers and inter-University and interdepartmental rivalries are also quite common.

6.Lack of Resources:
For conducting a quality research adequate funds are not provided

7.Lack of Coordination:
There exists lack of coordination among various agencies responsible for conducting research.

8.Problem of Conceptualization:
Many a time problems of conceptualization and problems relating to the process of data collection and related things crop up resulting in frittering of resources.

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RESEARCH DESIGN PROCEDURES SECTION OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN:The Research Design and Procedures section of the initial review application asks study teams to describe the overall purpose and aims of their study as well as to provide a brief overview of study procedures and/or interventions. If the study will involve clinical interventions with subjects, study teams must describe alternatives to participation, how the subject population is treated clinically, and what study procedures are being doing for research purposes only. The Research Design and Procedures section will display for the following application types: Full review, Exemption, Non-exempt medical records, and National Cancer Institute Central IRB (NCI-CIRB) facilitated review applications. The Research Design and Procedures section is the fifth section of the initial review application. Study teams should provide a concise overview of what procedures and interventions the study will involve. The answer to this question should be detailed enough for any reader to understand the overall design of the study as well as what procedures the human subjects undergo or how the specimens, data, or images derived from human subjects will be used for research purposes. The answer to this question should be in language accessible to readers without a specialist's knowledge of the research topic. The IRB uses the information provided by study teams about alternatives to study participation and how the population is treated clinically to assess how the proposed research treatment compares to the treatment patients would receive if they did not take part in the research study. For studies that do not involve any clinical interventions with subjects, checking "Not Applicable" in response to these questions is typically appropriate.

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RESEARCH DESIGN POTENTIAL SOURCES OF ERROR IN RESEARCH DESIGNS:1.Researcher Error:

Every statistic contains both a true score and an error score. A true score is the part of the statistic or number that truly represents what was being measured. An error score is that part of the statistic or number that represents something other than what is being measured.

2.Interviewer Error:
Interviewers can commit a variety of errors that can threaten the validity , reliability, and fairness of their judgments. An error is defined as a deviation of the interviewer's judgments from what is true about the applicant. One source of error derives from the effects of the interviewer's behavior on the applicant. For instance, an applicant who is actually highly qualified might appear unqualified as the result of an interviewer's style of questioning.

3.Respondent Error:
Response errors may be defined as those arising from the interviewing process. Such errors can result from a number of circumstances, such as the following: - inadequate concepts or questions; - inadequate training; - interviewer failures; - respondent failures.

4.Total Error:
The total error is the variation between the true mean value in the population of the variable of interest and the observed mean value obtained in the marketing research project.

5.Random Sampling Error:

It is the variation between the true mean value for the population and the true mean value for the original sample.

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RESEARCH DESIGN
6.Non Sampling Error:
It can be attributed to sources other than sampling, and they may be random or nonrandom: including errors in problem definition, approach, scales, questionnaire design, interviewing methods and data preparation and analysis. Non-sampling errors consist of non-response errors and response error.

7.Non-Response Error:
It arises when some of the respondents included in the sample do not respond.

8.Response Error:
It arises when respondents give inaccurate answers or their answers are misrecorded or misanalyzed.

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RESEARCH DESIGN CONCLUSION:Choice of design type is not determined by the nature of the strategic decision faced by the manager such that we would use research design A whenever we need to evaluate the extent of a new product opportunity, or design B when deciding on which of two advertising programs to run. Rather, choice of research design is influenced by a number of variables such as the decision maker's attitude toward risk, the types of decisions being faced, the size of the research budget, the decision-making time frame, the nature of there search objectives, and other subtle and notso-subtle factors. Research design avoids possible errors as regards research problem, information requirement and so on. It gives practical orientation to the whole research work and makes it relevant to the marketing problems faced by the sponsoring organization. Finally, it makes the whole research process compact and result-oriented. A researcher should not go ahead with his research project unless the research design is planned properly. Decisions regarding what, where, when, how much, by what means, concerning an enquiry or a research study, constitute a research design. A research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure. Research design must contain the following aspects. a. A clear statement of the research problem b. Procedure and techniques to be used for gathering information from population to be studied. c. Methods to be used for processing and analyzing data There are several research designs and the researcher must decide in advance of collection and analysis of data as to which design would prove to be more appropriate for his research project. He must give due weight to various points such as the type of universe and its nature, the objective of his study, there source list or the sampling frame, desired standard of accuracy.

Research may be defined as a systematic approach/method consisting of enunciating the problem, formulating a hypothesis, collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching certain conclusions, either in the form of solution towards the concerned problem or in certain generalizations for some theoretical formulation.

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RESEARCH DESIGN BIBLIOGRAPHY:-

www.investopedia.com

www.researchmgt.com

www.management.com

www.scribd.com

www.slideshare.com

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