The Research Process Step 1 4 IBC 464

The Research Process Step 1 -4 IBC 464 International College http: //library. spu. ac. th

Step 1 -4 • The broad problem area • Preliminary data gathering • Problem definition • Theoretical framework

Step 1: The broad problem area • 1 Observation • a problem currently existing • A situation requiring improvement • To find some answer empirically • The broad problem area would be narrowed down to specific issues for investigation after some preliminary data are gathered by the researcher.

Step 2: Preliminary data gathering (Literature review) • Types of data – Primary data – Secondary data • Nature of data to be collected – Background information of the organization – Managerial philosophy, company policies – Perception, attitudes, behavioral responses, client systems – Relevant surveys or research

Step 3: Problem definition • Or problem statement is a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question or issue that is to be investigated with the goal of finding an answer or solution. • Ex. What are the components of “quality of life”?

Step 4: Theoretical framework • Is a conceptual model of how one theories or make logical sense of the relationships among the several factors that have been identified as important to the problem. • Then hypotheses can be developed • Variables – Dependent variable – Independent variable

• Variables – Dependent variable is the variable of primary interest to the researcher. The researcher’s goal is to understand describe the dependent variable. – Independent variable is one that influences the dependent variable in either a positive or a negative way. Ex. The development of a successful new product influences the stock market price.

Survey Research • http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/survey. php • Types Of Questions • Survey questions can be divided into two broad types: structured and unstructured • http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/questype. php • Question Content • http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/quescont. php • Response Format • http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/quesresp. php • Likert Scaling • http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/scallik. php

Research Design • http: //www. waier. org. au/forums/2002/siragusa. html http: //www. ccsr. ac. uk/methods/projects/posters/benchmarking. shtml

Step 1 Problem definition

Step 2: Hypothesis generation

• http: //www. fao. org/docrep/W 3241 E/w 3241 e 02. htm

Levels Of Measurement And Scaling • http: //www. fao. org/docrep/W 3241 E/w 3241 e 04. htm#Top. Of. Page

Probability Sampling A probability sampling method is any method of sampling that utilizes some form of random selection http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/sampprob. php

Levels of Measurement http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/design. php

Descriptive Statistics • Frequency distribution table formula for the standard deviation: Frequency distribution bar chart. http: //www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/statdesc. php