How to make a ResearchQuestion?

Jorge A. Restrepo M.

Maestría Logística

UdeM

Seminario I

2014

Almost never have time to do the things well since first time…

“But always it is to repeat them" Murphy

Introduction

Discussion/Conclusion

Methodology(What you did/used)

Results(What you found/saw)

Abstract

Central ReportSection

Source: Adapt fromHilary Glasman Deal

Justification

References

TheorycalBackground

Research isan

Organizedand

systematicway onfinding

Answersto

questions

In order to solve

Problems

Questioneverything

Question everything is a must-do habit for designers, marketers,

researches and sucessfull people

Whitout a question, research has no focus, drive or purpose

It´s a matterof attitude

ResearchLines

Great Thematics

Economic, social and

legal problems

International Trade, Financial,

Logistics, Comercial

Management, Competitiveness

Operative Risk, Profitability, Investment,

Analytic HierarchyProcess, Customer

service, Chainmanagement supply,

among others

Weakness exports capabilities, poorprofitability, low internationaltrade, high operative risk, bad

turnover assets, high internationalcompetence, sign free trade

agreements

1. Defining the question

• Define the information problem / Identifyinformation needed.

• What´s the main question? What are thesubquestions?

2. Information Seeking Strategies

• Determinae the range of possible sources

• Select the best sources

3. Locate and access the information

• Locate sources (intellectually and physically

• Find information within sources (references)

4. Getting the information

• Extract the information from a source (data base, books, library , website, users, experts)

• Read, Listen, Observe

5. Putting it all togheter

• Organizating the information which you getfrom multiples sources

• Present the information

6. Evaluation

• Judge the answers

• Did the information lead to an answer of thequestion?

Did the information lead to an answer of the question?

If not…

1. Defining thequestion

•Define the informationproblem / Identifyinformation needed.

•What´s the mainquestion? What are thesubquestions?

The research process, is a fuzzy process

You will probably feellike drowning here –Information overload

Problems

QuestionsHyphotesis

Operating Creative

Logical

TheorycalFrameworkObjectivs

Justification

Legal Framework

ConclusionsMethodology

Problem/Question

Findings

¿How to make a research question?

Something About Export Capability problem…

Something About Export Capability…

How to assessment a

exportcapacity?

Is there anyway to

assessment a SMES exportcapability?

Is there any wayto assessment a

SMEs exportcapability by using

a Fuzzy Logic?

Is there a way to assessment a Valle de Aburra´s SMEs exportcapability by using a Fuzzy Logic trought a Mamdani Model ?

Let´s seethe most

Importantelements

(keywords)

Of thequestion

are…

Export Capability

SMSe

Fuzzy Logic

Export Capacity SMEs

Fuzzy Logic System

Subject. For whichcontext / problem /

Space

What is a Export Capacity? Artefact

With what? Tool/Mean.

Export Capacity SMEs

Fuzzy Logic System

Is there a Fuzzy Logic System for SMEs?

What is a SMES Export Capacity?

What kind a Fuzzy Logic System for Export Capacity?

How can SMES enhanced

their exportcapacity using a

Fuzzy Logic System?

Use a mindmap to organize yourquestions

Define the mainquestion…thendefine the sub

questionsWrite down

all thequestionsyou can think of, even the

stupidquestions

The answers of thesub questions willeventually lead to the answer ot the

main-question

How can SMES enhanced

their exportcapacity using a

Fuzzy Logic System?

What goals are they trying to

achieve? What productsthey do export?

What is exportcapacity? Why do

enterprisesexport?

What are theneedes and wants of thetarget group? Why do target group import?

What does fuzzylogic system

mean? What system is

available?What to design a

exports? What countriesthey do exports?

Wha is important to them?

Failure to deliver on time

dissatisfiedcustomers

Product Recall

Lost Selling

CarrierPerfomance

QualityProblems

Lead-Time tooshort

Capacity Constrains

InadequateSupplier

Management

Main Problem

Causes

Efects

Problem Tree

Return goods

Low Profitability

Not Stock Available

Poor control process

Estructura del párrafo

Main Problem

Cause 1 Cause 2 Cause 3 Cause 4

Idea principal

Ideas secundarias

Conectores

Efect 1 Efect 2 Efect3 Efect 4

Question-Research

Detalles

Conclusión

Estructura del párrafo

Low profitability

The reduction in sales has led toan increase on unit fixed costsdecreasing contribution margin

The absorbing costing system assignsfixed costs by apportionment,

therefore fixed costs for operating unit tend to go up in a reduced

the carrier performance and increasethe capacity constrains

Loss of sales, increasing inventories and customer dissatisfaction generate negativelyimpact business profitability

The return of sales showsa negative impact on thevolume by reducing operating income

The dissatisfaction consumers creates a snowballing effect which a negative impact on sales

The quality problems produce a returning products generate arise in stock levels, reducing

production and increasing fixed Costs for keeping inventory

Inadequate supplier managementproduce a delay in lead-time and Increase the consumer dissatisfaction and rise the cost of customer retention

First Second Finally

So

How to write a problem research?

Estructura del párrafo

Low profitability

Dupont SystemCamel ModelBreakevenOperative RiskCost Systems

The absorbing costing system assignsfixed costs by apportionment,

therefore fixed costs for operating unit tend to go up in a reduced

the carrier performance and plus thecapacity constrains

A research to assessment the customer dissatisfaction and the main causes andits impact in SMES low profitability

Data Envelope AnalysisValue at RiskLinear RegressionDinamic SystemLoss Distribution Aggregatedd

Country´s IndustrySectorEnterpriseUnitEmployee

The D.E.A generate a productivity global index to let us make decisions about

Inefficient production units. It has been applied successfully in different analysis efficiency and productivity for hospitals,

universities and companies

At SMEs Inadequate carrier performance produce a

delay in lead-time and Increase the consumer dissatisfaction

and rise the operative cost unit

Teories Methodology Practice

So

How to write a Justification?

2. InformationSeeking Strategies

•Determinae the rangeof possible sources

•Select the best sources

Extract the information from books, websites, database, users, experts by

reading, listening, observing

What theories and approaches have been

used?

How it has been

addressed in the literature?

Which havebeen the

contributions?

Which will be my contribution?

Useful for my job

Abstract/Introduction Analysis Category

Paper ID

What ?Why?For what?

How?Whom?When?Where?

What theories and approaches have been used?

How it has been addressed in the literature?

Which have been thecontributions?

Which will be my contribution?

Useful for my job

If you are not an experienced reader, reading can be tedius…

But should you read a paper/book from page one

to the very last one

So if you read the firstchapters/abstract/conclusions…you get an

idea what they are trying to explain

If you are having problems withEnglish literature?

Don´t try to translate everyword by looking it up in a

dictionary

Keep reading, and try to grasp the essence of the text, only trnaslate words which are

crucial…and use a english-english dictionary

How to organize all the material which you get from several sources?

Make notes, writesummaries of interesting

thigs you see

Use del.icio.us or OneNote, Skydrive, Dropbox or a Notebook

Very important ¡¡¡¡…think of an inspiring wayto communicate your research results

theanswer to

thequestion?

Is theinformation,

whic youfound,

…refine and redefine your

question

If not, startwith step 1

again…

How to DesignResearch Logistics

Projects?

What is the logistics reality at the company?What situations are unsatisfactory and what are its causes?

M2

M3

What are the design basics of projects in logistics?

Where and why failed previous projects?

How was the effectiveness and efficiency of the system?What with the projects implementations: time - cost - quality?

How do they perceive reality customers-competition?

Who and why we supported or fought?Was the previous system feasible?

What we explain?

Thanks