Business and Management Research

WELCOME

Lecture 5

Learning Objectives

• By the end of this lecture you should be:• able to understand the different types of

research methodology• able to aware of the the different data

collection tools.• able to understand sampling design• able to learn how to structure a

questionnaire

• Methods: present tense to describe a method that can replicated

• he research method is chosen based on:– the objectives of the study

– the costs involved in conducting the study

– the availability of the data

Research Methodology

• There are four basic methods of conducting a research study:– Surveys

– Experiments

– Secondary data studies

– Observation.

– Interviews.

Research Methodology

• A survey is a research technique, which is used to gather information from a sample of respondents by employing a questionnaire.

•

• Surveys are normally carried out to obtain primary data.

• Primary data are the data that are gathered first hand to answer the research question being investigated.

Survey

• Surveys are conducted by:– Meeting the respondents in person

– Contacting the respondents through the telephone

– Conducting surveys through email

– Conducting online surveys through the Internet

• Researchers adopt any of these methods depending on their requirement.

Survey

• In business research, experiments can be conducted for studying cause-and-effect relationships.

Experiments

• A secondary data study is concerned with the analysis of already existing data that is related to the research topic in question.

Secondary Data

• Observation technique is a process where the respondents are observed without any interruption by the observers.

• Example:– The shopping patterns of customers in supermarkets

assessed by the researcher or by counting the number of vehicles can qualify as observation research.

Observation

• An interview is a purposeful discussion between two or more people (Kahn and Cannell 1957).

• Help to gather valid and reliable data that are relevant to research question(s) and objectives.

Interview

• In sampling, we gather data on an entire “population” by measuring only a subset of that population, known as the sample.

• A population consists of all of the individual elements in a defined area.

Sampling Design

• Are there too many people in the group that you are studying?

• Are you limited in time and resources?

• If you answered yes to one or both questions, you might want to select a sampling design to carry out your study.

Sampling Design

• A simple random sample is a selection of individuals chosen so that each point in the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Sampling Design

• A well-defined sample has the same characteristics as the population as a whole

• It is very important to:– define the population before selecting the sample

– decide the size of the sample.

• How big should a sample be? – The bigger the sample size the greater will be its accuracy.

• Once a researcher decides on a sample, he needs to obtain data from this sample.

Sampling Design

– The data were collected using an internet questionnaire survey. Six hundred Saudi engineering companies were selected from 2,002 companies obtained from the Chamber of commerce database.

• Determine the used research method, sample and population in the above statment?

Example

• Well designed questionnaires are highly structured so that the data can be analyzed quantitatively and systematically.

• Proper questionnaire design is essential to ensure that you obtain valid responses to the questions asked.

• In order to obtain accurate relevant information:– give some thought to what questions we ask

– how we ask questions ,

– the order we ask questions, and the general layout of the questionnaire.

Questionnaire structure

• Plan Ahead

– Set aside time to prepare questions

• Identify Goals

– Clearly identify the information that you want to obtain from the survey

• Provide Instruction

– Explain why you are conducting the survey and provide any additional instructions that they will need to complete the questionnaire.

• Length of Survey/Questionnaire

– short (1-2 pages) and simple questionnaires usually attract higher response rates than long (4 + pages) and complex ones.

How do I organize a survey?

• Closed Format– Respondents are forced to choose between several

given options.– multiple choice, yes/no and ranking

• Advantages of closed format:– Easy and quick to fill in– Easy to code, record, and analyze results

quantitatively– Easy to report results

Types of Questions:

• Open Format: the respondents can formulate their own answers.

– use the open format if you are looking for respondents to provide specific comments or feedback.

• Advantages of open format:

• Allows exploration of the range of possible themes arising from an issue

Types of Questions:

• Use short and simple sentences.• Ask for only one piece of information at a time.

– Example: Please rate the Global Environment Class in terms of its content and presentation

– Should be divided into two parts:

– question one: “Please rate the class in terms of its content”

– question two: “Please rate the class in terms of its presentation.

– Avoid negatives if possible.

How do I ask the questions?

• Some general rules are:

– Go from general to specific.

– Go from easy to difficult.

– Start with closed format questions.

– Start with questions relevant to the main subject.

– Do not start with demographic and personal question

• Questionnaires must first be piloted and evaluated before the actual survey

How should I arrange the questions?

• It is good to have a personalized cover letter or an introductory statement that:

– explains the purpose of the survey, the importance of the respondent’s participation, the person who is responsible for the survey.

• A good way to start is:

– “Hello. My name is ___(your name)___ and I am student at _(your

school or institution). I’m working on a research project looking at __(title of your research project)_ for a course called ‘ ( your course name).’ I was wondering if you have a few minutes to answer some questions dealing with my research.”

• At the end always thank the respondent for participating in your questionnaire.

How should I begin?

• Online surveys can be developed for little or no cost through services such as Survey Monkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/).

• • This site and similar services may help you to set up

your questions, administer your response, and analyze your responses.

Online resources