Formal Research Methods Business Communication Formal Research Methods

Formal Research Methods Business Communication

Formal Research Methods � Long reports and complex business problems generally require some use of formal research methods. Let’s say you are a market specialist for Coca-Cola, and your boss asks you to evaluate the impact on Coke sales of New Age natural beverages. Or, assume you must write a term paper on the same subject for a college class. Both tasks require more data than you have in your head or at your fingertips

Formal Research Methods � Search manually � Access electronically � Go to the source � Conduct scientific experiments

Search manually � You will find helpful background and supplementary information through manual searching of resources in public and college libraries. These traditional sources include books and newspaper, magazine, and journal articles. Other sources are encyclopedias, reference books, handbooks, dictionaries, directories, and almanacs.

Access electronically � Much of the printed material just described is now available from the Internet, databases, CDs, or DVDs that can be accessed by computer. College and public libraries subscribe to retrieval services that permit you to access most periodic literature. You can also find extraordinary amounts of information by searching the Web

Go to the source � For first hand information, go directly to the source. For the Coca-Cola vs. New Age beverages report, for example, you could find out what consumers really think by conducting interviews or surveys, by putting together questionnaires, or by organizing focus groups. Formal research includes structured sampling and controls that enable investigators to make accurate judgments and valid predictions.

Conduct scientific experiments � Instead of merely asking for the target audience’s opinion, scientific researchers present choices with controlled variables. Let’s say, for example, that Coca-Cola wants to determine what age group and under what circumstances consumers would switch from Coca-Cola to a New Age beverage. The results of experimentation would provide valuable data for managerial decision making.

Informal Research Methods � Look in the files � Talk with your boss � Interview the target audience � Conduct an informal survey � Brainstorm for ideas

Look in the files � If you are responding to an inquiry, you often can find the answer to the inquiry by investigating the company files or by consulting colleagues

Talk with your boss � Get information from the individual making the assignment. What does that person know about the topic? What slant should be taken? What other sources would she or he suggest?

Interview the target audience � Consider talking with individuals at whom the message is aimed. They can provide clarifying information that tells you what they want to know and how you should shape your remarks.

Conduct an informal survey � Gather unscientific but helpful information by using questionnaires or telephone surveys. In preparing a memo report predicting the success of a proposed fitness center, for example, circulate a questionnaire asking for employee reactions.

Brainstorm for ideas � Alone or with others, discuss ideas for the writing task at hand, and record at least a dozen ideas without judging them. Small groups are especially fruitful in brainstorming because people spin ideas off one another