Sanjivani College of Engineering, Kopargaon

Unit 1 : Introduction to Research

Methodology
SYBBA-IB Semester
IV AY 2023-24

Presented By:
Dr. S.P. Ghodake
HOD, MBA, SCOE.

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 Content

• Meaning & Definition of Research

• Significance & Limitations of Research
• Types of Research

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 Research
• Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.

• Research is the careful consideration of study regarding a particular

concern or problem using scientific methods.

• Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and

control the observed phenomenon.

• Research is a scientific & systematic search for pertinent information

on a specific topic.

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• According to Clifford Woody
• Research comprises defining and redefining problems,
formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting,
organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and
reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the
conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating
hypothesis.

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According to (Thyer, 2001)
“The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search. re is a prefix meaning
again, anew or over again, search is a verb meaning to examine closely and carefully,
to test and try, or to probe. Together they form a noun describing a careful,
systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge,
undertaken to establish facts or principles."

According to (Rocco, 2011)

"Research is a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts
in any branch of knowledge."

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 OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH

The purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through the application of scientific
procedures. The main aim of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not
been discovered as yet. Though each research study has its own specific purpose, we may think
of research objectives as falling into a number of following broad groupings:
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it (studies with this
object in view are termed as exploratory or formulative research studies);
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group
(studies with this object in view are known as descriptive research studies);
3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with
something else (studies with this object in view are known as diagnostic research
studies);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables (such studies are known as
hypothesis-testing research studies
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 MOTIVATION IN RESEARCH
What makes people to undertake research? This is a question of fundamental importance. The possible motives
for doing research may be either one or more of the following:
1. Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits;
2. Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems, i.e., concern over practical problems initiates
research;
3. Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work;
4. Desire to be of service to society;
5. Desire to get respectability.
However, this is not an exhaustive list of factors motivating people to undertake research studies. Many more
factors such as directives of government, employment conditions, curiosity about new things, desire to
understand causal relationships, social thinking and awakening, and the like may as well motivate (or at times
compel) people to perform research operations.

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 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH

• All progress is born of inquiry.

• Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry, and
inquiry leads to invention” is a famous Hudson Maxim in context of
which the significance of research can well be understood.
• Increased amounts of research make progress possible.
• Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and it promotes the
development of logical habits of thinking and organisation

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 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH
1. The role of research in several fields of applied economics, whether related to business or
to the economy as a whole, has greatly increased in modern times.
2. Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our economic system.
3. Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning problems
of business and industry.
4. Research is equally important for social scientists in studying social relationships and in
seeking answers to various social problems.
5. In addition to what has been stated above, the significance of research can also be
understood keeping in view the following points:
a. To those students who are to write a master’s or Ph.D. thesis, research may mean a
careerism or a way to attain a high position in the social structure;
b. To professionals in research methodology, research may mean a source of livelihood;
c. To philosophers and thinkers, research may mean the outlet for new ideas and
insights;
d. To literary men and women, research may mean the development of new styles and
creative work;
e. To analysts and intellectuals, research may mean the generalisations of new theories.

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 Research Methods versus Methodology
Research methods may be understood as all those methods/techniques that are used for
conduction of research.

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be

understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically

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Research Process Flow

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 Characteristics of research
1. Good research follows a systematic approach to capture accurate data.
2. Researchers need to practice ethics and a code of conduct while making observations or
drawing conclusions.
3. The analysis is based on logical reasoning and involves both inductive and deductive
methods.
4. Real-time data and knowledge is derived from actual observations in natural settings.
5. There is an in-depth analysis of all data collected so that there are no anomalies associated
with it.
6. It creates a path for generating new questions.
7. Existing data helps create more research opportunities.
8. It is analytical and uses all the available data so that there is no ambiguity in inference.
9. Accuracy is one of the most critical aspects of research. The information must be accurate
and correct. For example, laboratories provide a controlled environment to collect data.
Accuracy is measured in the instruments used, the calibrations of instruments or tools, and
the experiment’s final result.

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 CRITERIA/ ESSENTIALS OF GOOD RESEARCH

1. The purpose of the research should be clearly defined and common concepts be used.
2. The research procedure used should be described in sufficient detail to permit another
researcher to repeat the research for further advancement, keeping the continuity of what has
already been attained.
3. The procedural design of the research should be carefully planned to yield results that are as
objective as possible.
4. The researcher should report with complete frankness, flaws in procedural design and
estimate their effects upon the findings.
5. The analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate to reveal its significance and the methods
of analysis used should be appropriate. The validity and reliability of the data should be
checked carefully.
6. Conclusions should be confined to those justified by the data of the research and limited to
those for which the data provide an adequate basis.
7. Greater confidence in research is warranted if the researcher is experienced, has a good
reputation in research and is a person of integrity.

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 TYPES OF RESEARCH
• Descriptive Research
• Analytical Research
• Applied Research
• Fundamental Research
• Quantitative Research
• Qualitative Research
• Conceptual Research
• Empirical Research
• Field-setting research or laboratory research
• Clinical or diagnostic research.
• Exploratory Research.
• Historical research

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 Descriptive Research
• Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds.
The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it
exists at present. In social science and business research we quite often use the term
Ex post facto research for descriptive research studies. The main characteristic of
this method is that the researcher has no control over the variables; he can only
report what has happened or what is happening. Most ex post facto research
projects are used for descriptive studies in which the researcher seeks to measure
such items as, for example, frequency of shopping, preferences of people, or
similar data. Ex post facto studies also include attempts by researchers to discover
causes even when they cannot control the variables. The methods of research
utilized in descriptive research are survey methods of all kinds, including
comparative and correlational methods.

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 Analytical Research
• In analytical research, on the other hand, the researcher has to use facts or
information already available, and analyze these to make a critical
evaluation of the material.
• Examples:
1. Medical Research: Analyzing clinical trial data to determine the effectiveness of a new
drug in treating a specific condition.
2. Economic Analysis: Examining historical stock market data to predict future trends
3. Social Research: Identifying social, economic, or political trends that may affect a
particular institution.
4. Environmental Research: Predicting environmental conditions from biological
observations

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 Applied Research
• Research can either be applied (or action) research or fundamental (to
basic or pure) research.
• Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem
facing a society or an industrial/business organisation, Research to identify
social, economic or political trends that may affect a particular institution
or the copy research (research to find out whether certain communications
will be read and understood) or the marketing research or evaluation
research are examples of applied research.
• Thus, the central aim of applied research is to discover a solution for some
pressing practical problem,

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 Fundamental Research
• Fundamental: fundamental research is mainly concerned with
generalisations and with the formulation of a theory. “Gathering
knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research.”
Research concerning some natural phenomenon or relating to pure
mathematics are examples of fundamental research. Similarly, research
studies, concerning human behaviour carried on with a view to make
generalisations about human behaviour, are also examples of fundamental
research,
• The basic research is directed towards finding information that has a broad
base of applications and thus, adds to the already existing organized body
of scientific knowledge

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 Quantitative Research
• Quantitative research based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is
applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity.\
• Quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of any
phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. The objective
of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories
and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena.
• Quantitative research is generally made using scientific methods, which can
include:
• The generation of models, theories and hypotheses
• The development of instruments and methods for measurement
• Experimental control and manipulation of variables
• Collection of empirical data
• Modelling and analysis of data
• Evaluation of results

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 Qualitative Research
• Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. For instance,
when we are interested in investigating the reasons for human behaviour (i.e., why
people think or do certain things), we quite often talk of ‘Motivation Research’, an
important type of qualitative research.
• This type of research aims at discovering the underlying motives and desires, using
in depth interviews for the purpose.
• Qualitative research is specially important in the behavioural sciences where the
aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behaviour. Through such
research we can analyse the various factors which motivate people to behave in a
particular manner or which make people like or dislike a particular thing. It may be
stated, however, that to apply qualitative research in practice is relatively a difficult
job and therefore, while doing such research, one should seek guidance from
experimental psychologists.

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 Conceptual Research
• Conceptual research : is that related to some abstract idea(s) or
theory.
• Conceptual research is defined as a methodology wherein
research is conducted by observing and analyzing already
present information on a given topic.
• Conceptual research doesn’t involve conducting any practical
experiments. It is related to abstract concepts or ideas.
• Philosophers have long used conceptual research to develop
new theories or interpret existing theories in a different light.

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 Empirical Research
• Empirical research ; It is data-based research, coming up with conclusions which
are capable of being verified by observation or experiment. We can also call it as
experimental type of research.
• Empirical research is a type of research methodology that makes use of verifiable
evidence in order to arrive at research outcomes.
• In other words, this type of research relies solely on evidence obtained through
observation or scientific data collection methods.
• Empirical research can be carried out using qualitative or quantitative observation
methods, depending on the data sample, that is, quantifiable data or non-numerical
data.
• Unlike theoretical research that depends on preconceived notions about the
research variables, empirical research carries a scientific investigation to
measure the experimental probability of the research variables

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 Exploratory Research
• The objective of exploratory research is the development of
hypotheses rather than their testing, whereas formalized
research studies are those with substantial structure and with
specific hypotheses to be tested.

• Historical research is that which utilizes historical sources like

documents, reports, etc. to study events or ideas of the past,
including the philosophy of persons and groups at any remote
point of time.

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 Other Types of Research:
• One-time research or longitudinal research - In the former case the
research is confined to a single time-period, whereas in the latter case the
research is carried on over several time-periods.
• Field-setting research or laboratory research or simulation research,
depending upon the environment in which it is to be carried out.
• Clinical or diagnostic research - Such research follow case-study methods
or in-depth approaches to reach the basic causal relations.
• Conclusion-oriented and decision-oriented. While doing conclusion-
oriented research, a researcher is free to pick up a problem, redesign the
enquiry as he proceeds and is prepared to conceptualize as he wishes.

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Thank You

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