Business and Management Research
WELCOM E
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.
