Contents
Research Methods
Rationale
Research is often described as an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry aimed at discovering, interpreting and revising facts. This intellectual investigation produces a greater understanding of events, behaviors, or theories, and makes practical applications through laws and theories. The term research is also used to describe a collection of information about a particular subject, and is usually associated with science and the scientific method. The word research derives from Middle French (see French language); its literal meaning is 'to investigate thoroughly'. Thomas Kuhn, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, traces an interesting history and analysis of the enterprise of research. The purpose of business research is to assist managers in making more informed and responsible decisions. The basic intention of this course is to sharpen critical thinking processes by studying and applying scientific methods to problem solving. The main topics covered in the course include research design,sources and data collection methods, data analysis and interpretation, report preparation and presentation and the ethics of business research. |
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- Basic research
- Applied research
- Research methods
- Research process
- Publishing
- Research funding
- References
- Academic conference
- Demonstrative evidence
- Empirical research
- European Charter for Researchers
- Internet research
- Innovation
- Lab notebook
- Marketing research
- Open research
- Operations research
- Original research
- Participatory action research
- Psychological research methods
- Research and development
- Social research
Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. It is applicable to a wide variety of academic disciplines, from the physical and social sciences to the humanities; it is also used for making informed decisions in all areas of business and government.
Statistical methods can be used to summarize or describe a collection of data; this is called descriptive statistics. In addition, patterns in the data may be modeled in a way that accounts for randomness and uncertainty in the observations, to draw inferences about the process or population being studied; this is called inferential statistics. Both descriptive and inferential statistics can be considered part of applied statistics. There is also a discipline of mathematical statistics, which is concerned with the theoretical basis of the subject.
The word statistics is also the plural of statistic (singular), which refers to the result of applying a statistical algorithm to a set of data. Thus we speak of employment statistics, accident statistics, etc.
- Historical overview
- Conceptual overview
- Statistical methods
- Specialized disciplines
- Software
- Criticism
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Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
Upon completion of the module students will
- understand the role of applied research, using
primary and secondary data in social and economic research
- be aware of the relationship between research
design and data analysis
- understand the various types of research methods, including
their uses and limitations
- understand various concepts of measurement
- understand the principles and practical aspects of surveys
and questionnaire design
- understand the principles and practical aspects of sampling
procedures
- understand the principles of various univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical procedures for data analysis
Skills
Upon completion of the module students will be able to
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propose, manage and evaluate social and economic research projects
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design business related surveys
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prepare and present research reports
Teaching and Learning
- Teaching Strategies
- Learning Contents (ppt)
- Learning Environment (ppt)
Click on title
Introduction to Business Research
- Research in Business
- Applying Scientific Thinking to Management Problems
- The Research Process
- The Research Proposal
- Ethics in Business Research
- Research Guides
- Guide to Library Research at Cornell
- Research Process Flowchart
- Proposal Writer's Guide
Workshops
The Design of Research
Tutorials
Readings
Research design provides the glue that holds the research project together. A design is used to structure the research, to show how all of the major parts of the research project -- the samples or groups, measures, treatments or programs, and methods of assignment -- work together to try to address the central research questions. Here, after a brief introduction to research design, I'll show you how we classify the major types of designs. You'll see that a major distinction is between the experimental designs that use random assignment to groups or programs and the quasi-experimental designs that don't use random assignment. [People often confuse what is meant by random selection with the idea of random assignment.
You should make sure that you understand the distinction between random selection and random assignment.] Understanding the relationships among designs is important in making design choices and thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of different designs. Then, I'll talk about the heart of the art form of designing designs for research and give you some ideas about how you can think about the design task. Finally, I'll consider some of the more recent advances in quasi-experimental thinking -- an area of special importance in applied social research and program evaluation.
Sources and Collection of Data
Tutorials
- Exploring Secondary Data
- Survey Methods: Communicating with Participants
- Instruments for Participant Communication
- Observational Studies
- Experimentation
Readings
Statistical surveys are used to collect quantitative information about items in a population. Surveys of human populations and institutions are common in political polling and government, health, social science and marketing research. A survey may focus on opinions or factual information depending on its purpose, and many surveys involve administering questions to individuals. When the questions are administered by a researcher, the survey is called a structured interview or a researcher-administered survey. When the questions are administered by the respondent, the survey is referred to as a questionnaire or a self-administered survey.
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Analysis and Presentation of Data
Tutorials
- Data Preparation and Description
- Exploring, Displaying, and Examining Data
- Hypothesis Testing
- Measures of Association
- Multivariate Analysis: An Overview
- Presenting Results: Written and Oral Reports
Readings
Data analysis is the process of looking at and summarizing data with the intent to extract useful information and develop conclusions. Data analysis is closely related to Data mining , but data mining tends to focus on larger data sets, with less emphasis on making inference , and often uses data that was originally collected for a different purpose. In statistical applications , some people divide data analysis into descriptive statistics , exploratory data analysis and confirmatory data analysis , where the EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data, and CDA on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses.
Data analysis assumes different aspects, and possibly different names, in different fields.
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Recommended Texts
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Business
Research Methods,
8/e Donald R Cooper, Florida Atlantic University Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
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Methods In Behavioral Research, 8/e Paul
C. Cozby, Cal State Fullerton & Northcentral
University
Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
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Check the availability and buy your books from our Bookshop. |
Resources
