Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann

BRM1 Lecture Notes (Word Version of PowerPoint Presentations)

Why do we need research? Sensory = undependable Agreement with others = incomplete
Expert Opinions = no guarantee of truth Pure Research = Knowledge to Society Applied
Research = Knowledge to Specific Practices What is Research? Definition:
Something that people undertake in order to find out things in a
systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge.
(Saunders,2009, pg 5) Seeking through methodical processes to add to ones own body of
knowledge by the discovery on non-trivial facts and insights
(Howard & Sharp, 1983, pg 3)
What is Theory? Definition: a formal, logical explanation of some events that includes
predictions of how things relate to one another. (Zikmund, 2010, P.39) What is Hypothesis?
Definition: a prediction about the relationship between two or more
variables. (Null Hypothesis/Alternative Hypothesis)
What are Variables? Independent/Dependent/ Moderate What is Deductive Research?
(Waterfall) Theory>Hypothesis>Data Collection>Findings>Hypothesis Confirmed or
Rejected>Revision of Theory
What is Inductive Research? (Climbing) State the Question>Observation>Form
Hypothesis>Test and
Analyze>Draw Conclusion>Theory
What is Quantitative Research? Questionnaires, large samples using variables, meanings
derived from numbers, highly specific and precise data, aims at objectivity What is Qualitative
Research? Interviews, observation based on meanings expressed through words, small samples,
data are rich and subjective, using themes, generalizations
acknowledging subjectivity
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
What is Business and Management Research? Mode 1 = Academic Knowledge Mode 2 =
Solve Practical Business Problems Mode 3 = Improve Human Condition Mode 1-3 are Trans
Disciplinary and Practice Related Basic Research: purpose = knowledge, principles, society.
Context = universities, researcher, flexible. Applied Research: purpose = problem. Context =
variety of researchers, originator, tight. How will research go on? Research is a process of
inquiry and investigation It is systematic, logical and methodical It is meaningful, and it has a
clear purpose It adds to (own) body of knowledge Problem Analysis>Research Design>Field
Work>Analysis>Assessment
and Evaluation SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) Case Study: In
2003, Heinz was selling products in over 200 countries and sales were over
10 billion. Despite good records of global sales, the H.J. Heinz Company failed in Brazil, a
market that seemed to be South Americas biggest and most promising market. Heinz entered a
joint venture with Citrosuco Paulista, a giant orange juice exporter, because of the future
possibility of buying the profitable company. Yet, the sales of its products, including ketchup, did
not take off. Where was the problem? A problem audit revealed that the company lacked a strong
local distribution system. Heinz lost control of the distribution because it worked on consignment.
Distribution could not reach 25% penetration. The other related problem was that Heinz
concentrated on neighborhood shops because this strategy was successful in Mexico. The problem
audit, however, revealed that 75% of the grocery shopping in So Paulo is done in supermarkets
and not the smaller shops. Although Mexico and Brazil may appear to have similar cultural and
demographic characteristics, consumer behavior can vary greatly. A closer and intensive look at
the Brazilian food distribution system and the behavior of consumers could have averted this
failure. Tennis magazine wanted to obtain information about its readers, which numbered 1.6
million in 2003, though it had 700,000 subscribers. The management decision problem was:
What changes should be made in Tennis magazine to make it more appealing to its readers? The
broad marketing research problem was defined as: to build a profile of subscribers of Tennis
magazine Specific components of the problem included the following: 1. Demographics. Who
are the men and women who subscribe to the
magazine?
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
2. Psychological characteristics and lifestyle. How do subscribers spend their money and their
free time? Lifestyle indicators to be examined were: fitness, travel, car rental, apparel, consumer
electronics, credit cards and financial investments. 3. Tennis activity. Where and how often do
subscribers play tennis? What are their skill levels? 4. Relationship to Tennis magazine. How
much time do subscribers spend with the issues? How long do they keep them? Do they share the
magazine with other tennis players? Because the questions were so clearly defined, the
information provided by this research helped management design their editorial and layout with
features on tennis instruction, equipment, famous tennis players and locations to play tennis. Why
should research objectives be developed? Focus the study Avoid unnecessary data Organise
the study clearly How should you state your objectives? Take care that the objectives of your
study: coherent and logical; clearly
phrased realistic action verbs
Your objectives are structured using action-words like:
Assess or reassess Develop Provide (an understanding of) Examine Analyse Interpret
Elucidate Articulate Establish Construct Evaluate or re-evaluate
Research Questions Not all management questions are researchable. Not all research questions
are answerable. Try to avoid ill-defined research questions. Investigative Questions What is
the competitive position of our Bank? What are the geographic patterns of our customers?
What demographic differences are revealed among our customers and
those of our competitors?
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
What words does the public (customers and noncustomers) associate with the Bank Choice?
How aware is the public of the banks promotional efforts?
Measurement Questions
Is there a difference of customers salary between our bank and our
competitors?
Is there a relationship between the customers salary and their saving
amount in our bank?
Examples: Does doing sports improve or increase study results? What factors influence
international students in choosing a specific mobile
companies? What is the correlation between grades of German track and German English track
students after the first year. Independent vs. Dependent Variables Example: The relaxation
workshop will lead to a higher productivity of our employees. Variables Moderating Variable:
second independent variable o Example: The relaxation workshop will lead to a higher
productivity of our employees, especially for senior employees. Extraneous Variable: possible
confounding variables o Example: In our European branch, the relaxation workshop will lead to a
higher productivity of our employees, especially for senior
employees.
The Role of Hypothesis: 1. It guides the direction of the study. 2. It identifies facts that are
relevant and those are not. 3. It suggests which form of research design is likely to be most
appropriate. 4. It provides a framework for organizing the conclusions that result. Descriptive
Hypothesis Example RQ: Do stockholders of Company Z favor an increased cash
dividend?

Independent Variable (IV)

Dependent Variable (DV)
Presumed cause
Presumed effect
Manipulated
Measured outcome
Predicted from
Predicted to
Predictor
Criterion
Stimulus
Response
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
Hypothesis:
o 95% of Company WW stockholders favor increasing the companys cash
dividend.
Rational Hypothesis o Example RQ: Is there a difference regarding productivity between junior
machinists and senior machinists?
Hypothesis: o Junior machinists are less productive than senior machinists. Literature Review
Critical review: 1. Establish what research has been published in your area 2. Identify any on-
going research in order to increase your subject
knowledge and clarify your research question Critique of: rhetoric, tradition, authority, and
objectivity Primary Literature: The first occurrence of a piece of work Reports Theses
Emails Conference proceedings Company reports Unpublished manuscripts Government
publications Secondary Literature: Subsequent publication of primary literature Books
Journals Newspapers Government publications Tertiary: Help to locate primary and
secondary literature Indexes Abstracts Catalogues Encyclopaedias Dictionaries
Bibliographies Citation indexes
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
Step 1: Parameters of your search Step 2: Keywords Step 3: Databases and search engines Step 4:
Selection criteria Research Design: How are you going to answer your research question(s)?
Exploratory Studies: Find out what is happening Descriptive Studies: Portray a clear picture
Explanatory Studies: Explain the relationship between variables E.G. Experiments, Surveys,
Case Study, Action Research Survey Types: Cross Sectional, Longitudinal Panel: IBS students
attitudes towards Hanze Cohort: Teachers attitudes towards Hanze Trend: Exchange students
attitude towards Hanze Steps of Literature Review: Define the dilemma or question Identify
key terms Identify secondary sources Review them for relevance Evaluate the value How to
improve your search strategy? Tip 1: Build a list of synonyms for the concept
Tip 2: Advanced search options
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
The essentials of Research Design An activity- and time-based plan Always based on research
question Guides the selection of sources and types of information A framework for specifying
the relationships between variables Outlines procedures for every research activity How are you
going to answer your research question(s)? Exploratory Studies: find out what is happening
o Secondary Data Analysis o Experience Surveys o Focus Groups o Two-Stage designs o 6-10
Participants o Homogeneous Group o 90-120 Minutes o Content Analysis o Grasp the core issues,
brief and inexpensive o Not a replacement of quantitative analysis
Descriptive Studies: portray a clear picture (what, where, when, how much) Explanatory
Studies: explain the relationship between variables (how, why) Surveys Cross-Sectional Survey
(pinpoint) Longitudinal Survey (trend) o Panel: population e.g. IBS students attitudes towards
Hanze o Cohort: sample in population e.g. Teachers attitudes towards
Hanze o Trend: different population e.g. Exchange students attitudes towards Hanze
How should you state your research objectives? Your objectives are structured using action-
words like:
o Assess or reassess o Develop o Provide (an understanding of) o Examine o Analyse
o Interpret o Elucidate o Articulate o Establish o Construct o Evaluate or re-evaluate
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
Research question = much more specific than research objective Literature Review = examine
all aspects of a topic Online Material = unknown quality Research Strategies Experiment =
used to test one sample group against a test group Survey = questionnaire or interview survey
Case Study = study a particular case Action Research = informal research, or by simple
inquiry Grounded Theory = Researching theories already established Archival Research =
Researching or analyzing existing research Selecting Samples Sample should be representative
of population Population = entire group Sample = smaller group within population to
represent population Individuals entities = case or element Population = Parameter Outcome
Sample = Statistic Outcome Example: Research Question: Are attitudes toward shopping
changing? Hypotheses: Fewer people enjoy shopping than in the past. A survey by the market
research firm Yankelovich Clancy Shulman asked a nationwide random sample of 2500 adults if
they agreed or disagreed that I like buying new clothes, but shopping is often frustrating and
time- consuming. Of the respondents, 1650, or 66%, said they agreed. The
proportion of the sample who agree is:

Deciding on a suitable sample size: The confidence level The margin of error The analysis
types Required sample size

Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann

Response Rate: Total response rate Active response rate Selecting Samples Example: A
survey by the market research firm Yankelovich Clancy
Shulman is going to conduct a survey research using questionnaire. They estimated the response
rate is 30%. They need at least 439 valid questionnaires. What will be the actual sample size?

That means that they have to send the survey to a minimum of 1463 customers Sampling Types:
Random Sampling or Probability Sampling o Simple Random Sampling = each item is equal to
be selected o Cluster Sampling = randomly selected from each cluster o Stratified Sampling =
selected from homogeneous groups o Systematic Sampling = selected at a uniform interval
Judgment Sampling or Non-Probability Sampling
o Quota o Purposive o Snowball o Self-Selection o Convenience o Used for: descriptive studies
(identify and describe the variability in different phenomena), explanatory studies (examine and
explain relationships between variables)
Biased Sampling: choose those with strong feelings to one side Designing a Questionnaire:
Step 1: Review the literature carefully Step 2: Define the variables (independent/dependent
variables) Step 3: Specify the questions Step 4: Assess validity and reliability o Validity:
Internal validity (Do the conclusions we draw about a demonstrated experimental relationship
truly imply cause?) o Validity: External validity (Does an observed causal relationship
generalize to the population?)
Questionnaire Methods:
o Self-Administered: delivery and collection (online or postal) o Interviewer-Administered:
structured interview (telephone)

Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann

Questionnaire Types: o Open o Closed:
Category: only one answer can be selected from a given set of categories List: a list of items
in which any item can be selected Rating (scale): collecting opinion through a rating device
(must be odd number of choices by including neutral) Ranking: place the items in a specific
order Quantity: e.g. what is your year of birth? Grid: recoding 2 or more similar questions at
the same time (e.g. how often do you eat: please check on box per category)
Questionnaire Rules:
o Rule One: try to avoid leading questions (e.g. what is your favorite brand of ice-cream: do not
assume anything) o Rule Two: try to use shared vocabulary (questions to the public should be
restricted to the 2,000 most common words in English) Typical problems: should, could,
would, any, often, average o Rule Three: try to avoid any unsupported assumptions (e.g. who
selects your clothes? You or the man in your life) o Rule Four: give adequate alternative (yes, no,
no opinion)

Research Design
Observation
Complete Participant: researchers identity is unknown to any of the
participants Participant as Observer: researcher makes clear that he is doing a research, but he
fully participates in-group activities. Observer as Participant: researcher makes clear that he is
doing a research, and only participates in-group activities superficially.
Complete Observer: researchers identity is unknown to all, without any
participation in the activities. Naturalistic Observation: researcher makes no effort to manipulate
variables or control activities. e.g. Jean Piaget Stimulation: researcher creates a situation and
asks subjects to act out certain roles=simulate Reactivity, curiosity, disguise Interviews
Structural Interview:
o Interviewer-administered questionnaires o Record on standardized scale o Aim at collecting
quantifiable data
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
Semi-Structural Interview
o Vary in interviews, non-standardized o Audio-record data o Aim at collecting qualitative data
Unstructured Interview
o In-depth interviews, non-directive o No predetermined list of questions o Informant interview
(interviewees perceptions guide the interview) o Talk freely about events, behaviors, and beliefs
in relation to the topic area
Advantages of Audio Taping
o Allows interviewer to concentrate on questioning and listening o Allows questions formulated
at an interview to be accurately recorded for use in later interviews where appropriate o Can re-
listen to the interview o Accurate and unbiased record provided o Allows direct quotes to be used
o Permanent record for others to use
Disadvantages of Audio Taping
o May adversely affect the relationship between interviewee and interviewer o May inhibit some
interviewee responses and reduce reliability o Possibility of a technical problem o Time required
to transcribed the audio-recording
Reliability: Quantitative Study
o Instrument A, week one Instrument A, week 2 o Can be reliable but not valid o If unreliable,
must not be valid
Reliability: Qualitative Study
o Researcher A, Researcher B o Reveal similar information Reliability needs to be taking into
account
o The interviewer bias may influences the way the interviewees respond to the questions being
asked. o The interviewee bias may be caused by perceptions about the interviewer, or may be
sensitive to certain themes. They may also choose not to reveal and discuss an aspect of the topic
that you wish to explore, providing you a partial picture. o Bias may also result from the nature
of the individuals or organizational participants, for example, a reduction in willingness.
Requirements for Success
o The interviewee must possess the information. o The interviewee must understand the role in
the interview as the provider of accurate information. o The interviewee must perceive adequate
motivation to cooperate.
Techniques of Probing
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
o A brief assertion of understanding and interest. o An expectant pause. o Repeating the question
o Repeating the participants reply. o A neutral question or comment. o Question clarification.
Questionnaire o Descriptive Study: identify and describe the variability in different
phenomena o Explanatory Study: examine and explain relationships between variables
Design Questionnaire
o Step 1: review the literature carefully o Step 2: define variables (dependent, extraneous,
independent) o Step 3: Specify the questions o Step 4: Assess validity and reliability
Questionnaire Reliability o Test re-test
o Internal consistency: cronbachs alpha o Alternative form
Validity
o Internal Validity: Do the conclusions we draw about a demonstrated experimental relationship
truly imply cause? o External Validity: Does an observed causal relationship generalize to the
population?

Writing a Research Proposal

Proposal Content Statement of the research question Brief description of research strategy
1. Research Question (management decision without research) 2. Budget and Value Assessment
(management decision without research) 3. Develop Research Proposal (management decision
without research) 4. Obtain Budget and Design Approval (management decision without
research) 5. Execute Research Design Writing a Research Report Questions that you need to ask
before writing o What is the purpose of this report? o Who will read the report?
o What are the limitations under which you are writing?
Introduction
o Problem Statement
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
o Research Objectives o Background
Methodology
o Sampling Design o Research Design o Data Collection o Data Analysis o Limitations
Findings
o Summary and Conclusions o Recommendations o Appendix o Bilbliography o Abstract /
management summary (1 page)
Research objective Method used Main results Main conclusion(s) o Quality, not
Quantity
Questions you need to ask yourself after writing
o Readability o Comprehensibility o Tone o End users do not want the Information System
Department telling them what software to buy. o End users want more autonomy over their
computer software choices.
Analyze the data
o (Check)List questions
Each checklist item = separate variable (values Yes / No)
Multiple response variable =on BB -assignments (multiple response questions and recoding
values)
o Ranking questions
Various possibilities Example:
Transform into rating (scale) question Each ranking item = separate variable Values ranging
from: Very important Not important at all
o SPSS Code Book

Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann

Variables and levels of numerical measurement
 Descriptive Statistics
o Quantitative & Qualitative Variables
T Test = 2 Categories
o Independent Variable = Categorical o Dependent Variable = Numerical
Chi- Square
o Independent Variable = Categorical o Dependent Variable = Categorical One Way ANOVA
Test = 3 or more Categories o Independent Variable = Categorical o Dependent Variable =
Numerical Correlation Test o Independent Variable = Numerical o Dependent Variable =
Numerical Visualize the Data WHY and HOW
To show (all, any) specific values: table (frequency distribution) To show (compare) high / low
values: bar graph / histogram To show proportions (emphasis on part): pie chart (or bar graph /
histogram) To show a trend: line graph / bar graph / histogram Italics: level of numerical
measurement= scale
Checklist for Graphs and Tables For both graphs and tables
Does it have a brief but clear and descriptive title? Are the units of measurement used clearly
stated? Are there notes to explain abbreviations and unusual terminology? Does it state the
size of the sample on which the values in the table are based?
For graphs
Does it have clear axis labels? Are bars and their components in the same logical sequence?
Is a key or legend included (where necessary)?
SPSS example
descriptive nominal nominal Gender; nationality; color; car make ranked ordinal
ordinal Service: low high; Opinion: agree - disagree discrete interval Nr of X
items bought; continious ratio Weight; age; distance;
categorical
quantifiable
scale
Summary Research Methods For Business Students Aenne Stckmann
For tables
Does it have clear column and row headings? Are columns and rows in a logical sequence?
Do not put SPSS results directly into your report You need to interpret as:
o We are not able to reject at the .05 level the null hypothesis that population means on medical
anxiety differ for low- and middle-income people using the independent-samples t test, t(28) =
1.572, p=.127. It can be concluded that there is no significant difference between low- and
middle-income person regarding their medical anxiety. o We can reject at the .05 level the null
hypothesis that population proportions are equal across the ______ categories, 2=(2, N=50) =
6.040, p=.049. It can be concluded that _____ significantly depends on __________
1. Interview at your placement 2. Literature review 3. Research proposal 4. Analyze data
5. Collect data and write report 6. Complete in the form of a thesis Tips: 1. Research questions?
2. Research objective?
3. Choose one likert-scale question in the case study. 4. Put another question so that you can test
the reliability of your questionnaire. Q.8/9 5. Convert Q.7 into a ranking question 6. Define the
sample size at confidence level 95%, supposing you have 1000 as population size. 7. If you email
this questionnaire to your samples, how to ensure that you have a satisfying response rate?
8. Distinguish validity and reliability for quantitative study. 9. In order to gain an insight, what is
the next step for this research?