The dictionary meaning of the word research is it is a systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Research is defined as careful consideration of study regarding a particular concern or a problem using scientific methods.
According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict and control the observed phenomenon. Research involves inductive and deductive methods.”
Fred Kerlinger (1986) stated that ‘Scientific research is a systematic, controlled and critical investigation of propositions about various phenomena.’
management research is an unbiased, structured, and sequential method of enquiry, directed towards a clear implicit or explicit business objective. This enquiry might lead to proving existing theorems and models or arriving at new theories and models.
According to Easterby-Smith, a business research must have some practical consequences, either immediately, when it is conducted for solving an immediate business problem or when the theory or model developed can be implemented and tested in a business setting. The advantage with doing research is that one is able to take a decision with more confidence as one has tested it through research. Without the tool of research there would be no new business practices or methods, as no one would want to start something new without testing it through research.
What we can do with research?
Categorise:
Categorize means to put people or things into groups with the same features. This involves forming a typology of objects, events or concepts into which these can be sorted. This can be useful in explaining which ‘things’ belong together and how. It allows a user to find an individual object quickly on the basis of its kind or group. It makes it easier to detect duplicate objects.
Describe:
Describe means to say or write what someone or something is like. Descriptive research relies on observation as a means of collecting data. It attempts to examine situations in order to establish what is the norm, i.e. what can be predicted to happen again under the same circumstances. Thus it is useful in prediction.
Explain:
Explain means make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts. This is a descriptive type of research specifically designed to deal with complex issues. It aims to move beyond ‘just getting the facts’ in order to make sense of other elements involved, such as human, political, social, cultural and contextual.
Evaluate:
Evaluate means to judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount, or value of something. This involves making judgments about the quality of objects or events. Quality can be measured either in an absolute sense or on a comparative basis. To be useful, the methods of evaluation must be relevant to the context and intentions of the research. It is used to quantify or measure the result of reseach.
Compare:
Compare means to examine or look for the difference and similarities between two or more things. Two or more contrasting cases can be examined to highlight differences and similarities between them, leading to a better understanding of phenomena.
Correlate:
Correlate means to find a mutual relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on another. The relationships between the two phenomena are investigated to see whether and how they influence each other. The relationship might be just a loose link at one extreme or a direct link when one phenomenon causes another. These are measured as levels of association.
Predict:
Predict means to say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something. This can sometimes be done in research areas where correlations are already known. Predictions of possible future behaviour or events are made on the basis that if there has been a strong relationship between two or more characteristics or events in the past, then these should exist in similar circumstances in the future, leading to predictable outcomes.
Control:
Control means the power to influence or direct people’s behaviour or the course of events. Once we understand an event or situation, we may be able to find ways to control it. For this we need to know what the cause and effect relationships are and that we are capable of exerting control over the vital ingredients. All of the technology relies on this ability to control.
We can combine two or more of these objectives in a research project, with sometimes one objective needing to be successfully achieved before starting the next.
Research Methodology:
Research methodology refers to the procedures used in making systematic observations or otherwise obtaining data, evidence, or information as part of a research project or study. It defines what the activity of research is, how to proceed, how to measure progress, and what constitutes success. Research helps in decision making, especially in business. Effective decisions lead to managerial success, and this requires reducing the element of risk and uncertainty. Research activities may range from a simple collection of facts to validation of information to an exhaustive theory and model construction.
Objectives of Research Methodology
- To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it;
- To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group;
- To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else;
- To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables.