Systematic inquiry that provides information to guide decision

Difference with Decision Support System (DSS) and Business Intelligence System (BIS)
DSS data collected from day-to-day operation BIS to provide managers ongoing information about events and trends in micro and macro environment BS supplement DSS and BIS

Visionaries use research as a fundamental step in all decision and use creative visions to establish proprietary methodology
Will provide managers knowledge that useful for decision-making hierarchy of research-based decision makers

Standardized occasionally turn to research but only rely on the tried-and-true method

Intuitive rely on intuition and judgment rather than business research

Business Research

Good research characterized by

Clearly defined purpose; Detailed research process; Thoroughly planned design; High ethical standards; Limitations addressed; Adequate analysis; Unambiguous presentation; Conclusions justified; Credentials

Applied discover solutions for immediate problems or opportunities Categories

Basic (pure) solve perplexing questions or obtain new knowledge of an experimental or theoretical nature that has little direct or immediate impact on action, performance, or policy decisions
Reporting provide a summation of data to achieve a deeper understanding or to generate statistics for comparison Descriptive tries to discover answers to the questions who, what, where, and sometimes, how

Types of studies Explanatory attempts to explain the reasons for the phenomenon that the descriptive study only observed

Predictive attempts to predict when and in what situations an event will occur

Clarifying the Research Question

Sponsor nondisclosure Sponsors right to quality research Sponsors right of purpose nondisclosure

Research Proposal

Researchers right to absence of sponsor coercion Researchers right to absence of sponsor deception Participant deception
Research Design Strategy

Sponsors right to quality research Participant's right of informed consent Participant's right to privacy (refusal) Sponsors right to quality research Researchers right to absence of sponsor coercion

To ensure that no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities

Ethics in Business Research

Ethical treatment during research process

Data collection and sampling design

Instrument development

Sponsor's right to quality research

Participant's right to privacy

Participant deception
Data collection and preparation

Sponsor's right to sponsor nondisclosure Researcher's right to safety Sponsor's right to findings nondisclosure Participant's right to confidentiality Sponsor's right to quality research Researcher's right to absence of sponsor coercion

Data analysis and interpretation

Research reporting

Terms used in research:

Concepts Constructs Conceptual schemes Operational definition Variables Propositions/hypothesis Theory Models

Success of research:
Clear conceptualization of concepts Shared understanding of concepts

Thinking Like a Researcher

Formulate a solid research hypothesis

Adequate for its purpose (can explain what it claims to explain) Testable Better (has greater range, probability, and simplicity) than rivals

The role of reasoning

To enhance business research results Models are developed through the use of inductive and deductive reasoning Inductive reasoning allows the modeler to draw conclusions from the facts or evidence in planning the dynamics of the model. The modeler may also use existing theory, managerial experience or judgment, or facts (deductive reasoning)

Clarifying the Research Question Discover the management dilemma Define the management question Define the research question(s) Refine the research question(s)

Research Proposal Resource allocation and budgets Valuing research information The research proposal

Research Design and Strategy Selecting the research resign Identify the target population Carefully selected the samples that represent the population Pilot testing (may be skipped to condense the project time frame)

Data Collection and Preparation Collecting the data using questionnaire, standardized test, observational forms, laboratory notes, or instrument calibration logs Preparing the data by editing it to ensure consistency across respondents and to locate omissions and putting the edited data into form to make analysis possible

Data Analysis and Interpretation Analysing the data by: reducing the accumulated data to a manageable sizes developing summaries looking for patterns applying statistical techniques Interpreting the findings in light of researh question or determine the results are consistent with hypothesis and theories

Research Report A written report describing the studys findings

Management Decision