the research process · the research process 1. define the research problem –formulate and...

An Overview

The Research Process


1. Define the research problem

– Formulate and clarify the research topic.

– Develop research objectives & questions.

– Identify scope and significance of the study.

2. Critically review the literature

– Review concepts and theories.

– Review previous study findings.

– Develop a theoretical/conceptual framework.

2 MMBA 8109 - Research Methods


3. Formulate your research design

– Understand your philosophy and approach.

– Develop data collection and sampling design.

– Develop instrument and pilot-test it.

4. Collect data

– Negotiate access.

– Observe ethical considerations.

– Aim for data completeness.



5. Analyse and interpret the data

– Prepare data for analysis.

– Apply appropriate analytical techniques.

– Use suitable data presentation formats.

6. Report-writing and presentation

– Address your research questions.

– Relate your results/findings to the literature (theories and previous studies).

– Provide management recommendations.


MMBA 8109 - Research Methods 5

Defining the research problem

• A research problem can be defined as any situation where a gap exists between the actual and desired ideal states.

• It could be a management dilemma or difficulty which a researcher identifies in the context of either a theoretical or practical situation and wants to obtain a solution or explanation for the same.


• A research problem is often triggered by a question, curiosity or uncertainty in the mind of the researcher regarding some aspect of the business/organizational environment.

• This is followed by exploration of relevant published sources on the subject.



• An analytical review of existing literature helps the researcher to clarify the overall research question or research purpose.

• In one sentence the researcher should be able to say what is to be achieved by conducting the study.


Examples

1. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the factors that affect the performance of women entrepreneurs in Kenya.

2. The objective of the study was to establish the talent retention strategies of Generation Y employees in the Kenyan mobile telephony industry.


The problem statement

• The problem statement introduces the key problem that is addressed in the research study. It is a clear, precise and succinct statement of the specific issue that a researcher wishes to investigate.

• In addition, is it relevant, feasible and interesting?



Research objectives and questions

• The objectives constitute the sub-components which together constitute the overall research question/ research purpose.

• In developing research questions, consider:

– Internal environment (organization).

– External environment (industry).

Example

Research Purpose:

• The objective of the study is to determine talent retention strategies of Generation Y employees in the Kenyan mobile telephony industry.


Example

Research objectives:

1. To establish the retention rate of Generation Y employees in the Kenyan mobile telephony industry.

2. To identify and analyze the retention factors as perceived by Generation Y employees.

3. To analyze the retention strategies used by mobile operator employers in Kenya for Gen Y employees.

4. To propose recommendations for Gen Y retention strategies in the mobile telephony industry.


Research Objectives

• The formulation of objectives will help you to:

– Focus the study.

–Avoid the collection of unnecessary data.

–Organise the study into clearly defined phases (process) and sections (structure).


Research Objectives

NB: In the examination of your research project, the results will be evaluated by the objectives. Clear objectives therefore greatly enhance the successful evaluation of your research project.

• Research questions follow directly from research objectives.


Examples


Research Objective 1

To establish the retention rate of Generation Y employees in the Kenyan mobile telephony industry.

Research Question 1

• What is the retention rate of Generation Y employees in Kenyan mobile telephony industry?

Examples



To identify and analyze the retention factors as perceived by Generation Y employees.

Research Question 2

• What are the factors affecting retention as perceived by Generation Y employees?

– How do they affect the retention of Gen Y employees?

Examples



To analyze the retention strategies used by mobile operator employers in Kenya for Gen Y employees.

Research Question 3

• What strategies have the mobile operator employers in Kenya put in place to retain Gen Y employees?

Why is theory important?

• Theory informs practice. It may also inform your research question (Why questions).

• Theory provides a set of variables or concepts that you can test to determine whether, how and why they are related in the context of your own research.



• If you adopt a clear theoretical position that you will test through the formulation of hypotheses, your research project will be theory-driven and you will be using a deductive approach.

• If you wish to explore the data collected and develop a theoretical explanation, you will be adopting an inductive approach.



• It is crucial to be able to explain how variables or concepts are related and why they are related (This distinguishes research reports from consultancy reports).

• Research questions that encourage the production of theoretical explanations are favoured over descriptive outcomes. (Inferential vs. descriptive statistics)


Conceptual Framework


Independent

Variables

Recruitment strategies

Career management strategies

Rewards & benefits strategies

Management support strategies

Work-life policies

Dependent

Variable

Talent Retention

MMBA 8109 - Research Methods

22

Designing the research

• The Research Design is the blueprint for fulfilling objectives and answering questions.

• It involves asking questions such as:

– What type of data will be collected – Numerical figures or Words and images?

– What design is most appropriate – Experiment, Survey, Narrative Inquiry or Case Study?

– What methods will be used in the research – questionnaires or interviews?

Research Design

• Other relevant questions:

– Should all relevant data be collected at one time (cross-sectional) or at regular intervals over a period of time (longitudinal)?

– How will the data be analyzed?

– How will reliability and validity be achieved?

– What ethical considerations should apply?


Operationalizing variables

• The conceptual framework identifies the variables for measurement.

• These variables need to be operationalized i.e. identifying the observable and measurable aspects.

• The design of the instrument should ensure that all the measurable aspects of the variables have been captured.


Examples Corporate governance practices

• Independent directors

• Independence of sub-committees

• Split Chairman/CEO roles

• Frequency of board meetings

• Competence of audit committee members

• Size of board

Measures of financial performance

• Return on equity

• Return on investments

• Return on assets

• Earnings/share

• Price earnings ratio



Sampling Design

• A sample is a part of the target population, carefully selected to represent that population. – Who will be interviewed/ complete the

questionnaire?

– How many people/ institutions will be involved?

– If using published information, how many records will be inspected? For what period of time?

Example

Research Purpose:

• The objective of the study is to determine talent retention strategies of Generation Y employees in the Kenyan mobile telephony industry.

Sample design:

• Study population – all 4 mobile operators (Airtel, Essar Yu, Safaricom & Orange)

• Target population – Generation Y employees & Recruitment managers.



Measurement questions

• These questions are actually asked to respondents and appear in the questionnaire or interview guide.

Example: Under career management strategy 1. Provision of learning opportunities 2. Job rotation for young employees 3. Challenging assignments 4. Fair and equal opportunities to grow 5. Awareness of career paths/prospects


Pilot testing

• Pilot testing is conducted to detect weaknesses in design and instrumentation and to provide proxy data for selection of an appropriate sampling design.

• It should draw subjects from the target population and simulate procedures and protocols that have been designed for data collection.

Pilot testing

• Where the target population is small, pre-testing may be conducted using colleagues or surrogate respondents (similar in profile but different from actual respondents) to help refine the measuring instrument.



• Data = the facts presented to the researcher from the study environment.

In collecting data, consider the following:

– Data can be abstract – e.g., “Our staff productivity is higher than industry average because our employees are highly motivated.”

– What do these terms mean? How are they different from what is done by other companies?

Data Collection


– Data should be verifiable: The research questions should consistently produce similar results.

– Data capturing can be elusive due to the speed with which events occur, the ability of respondents to remember facts and the reality that opinions, preferences and attitudes vary with the passage of time.

Data Collection


– If possible, the research study should draw from recent occurrences, to minimize compromising the reliability of the data due to inability to recall information.

Data Collection


Analysis and Discussion

• Data analysis involves reducing accumulated data to a manageable size, developing summaries and applying statistical techniques.

• The Discussion involves:

– answering the research questions.

–explaining any variations in the findings.

– comparing research findings to previous studies.


Generalization and Interpretation

• If there appears to be patterns and trends in the results/findings, then generalizations can be made, which is the value of research.

– In Quantitative research, we refer to statistical generalizations: extrapolating results from a sample to the population.

– In Qualitative research, analytical generalizations apply: transferring concepts to other study populations or settings.


Generalization and Interpretation

• The researcher may seek to explain the findings on the basis of some theory. This is known as interpretation. The process of interpretation often triggers off new questions which lead to further research.


Reporting the findings

1. Front Matter: An abstract, table of contents, declaration, acknowledgements, lists of figures, list of tables.

2. Body of the report – Background, research problem, objectives and questions, literature review, research methodology, findings, discussions, conclusions and recommendations.

Reporting the findings

3. End matter – list of references, Appendices (such as introduction letter, research instrument(s), permission to undertake the research, raw data).


the research process · the research process 1. define the research problem –formulate and...

Documents