Business Research Methods

Research Methods for Collecting

Primary Data
by
Prof. Nazrul Islam, PhD
Canadian University of Bangladesh
 AFTER STUDYING THIS CHAPTER,
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTANT:

1. Types of Research
2. Survey Research
3. Observation Research
4. Experimental Research
5. Question & aNSWER
Types of Research Methods

1. Survey Research
2. Observation Research
3. Experimental Research
 Survey Research
A Survey is defined as a research method
used for collecting data from a pre-defined
group of respondents to gain information and
insights on various topics of interest.

Surveys have a variety of purposes and can

be carried out in many ways depending on the
methodology chosen and the objectives to be
achieved.
 Survey Research, Contd.,
A survey involves asking people for
information through a questionnaire, which
can be distributed on paper, although with
the arrival of new technologies it is more
common to distribute them using digital
media such as social networks, email, QR
codes or URLs.
 Observation Research
‘Observation involves the systematic observation,
recording, description analysis and interpretation
of people’s behaviour’ - Saunders et al. (2009).

The term observational research is used to refer

to several different types of non-
experimental studies in which behavior is
systematically observed and recorded.

The goal of observational research is to describe

a variable or set of variables.
Observation Research, Contd.,
For Example,
Observation is a market research technique in
which highly trained researchers generally watch
how people or consumers behave and interact in
the market under natural conditions. It is
designed to give precisely detailed and actual
information on what consumers do as they
interact in a given market niche.
Experimental Research, Contd.,
Experimental research is best suited for
explanatory research (rather than for descriptive
or exploratory research), where the goal of the
study is to examine cause-effect relationships.

It also works well for research that involves a

relatively limited and well-defined set of
independent variables that can either be
manipulated or controlled.
Experimental research can be conducted in
laboratory or field settings.
Experimental Research, Contd.,
Experimental research is applicable in social
research when determining a causal relationship
among variables.

You must select the experimental group (where

you can apply treatment) and the control group.

The effects of the treatment on

the experimental group can then be compared to
the control group.
Thanks You