1. Chapter Three THE RESEARCH PROCESS

2. Research Process Development of Research questions Research Proposal
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Research Report

3. The Management-Research Question Hierarchy
Management Dilemma
Measurement Questions
Investigative Questions
Research Questions
Management Questions
Management Decision 1 2 3 4 5 6

4. Working with the Hierarchy
Management Dilemma
The symptom of an actual problem
Not difficult to identify a dilemma, however choosing one to focus on may be difficult
Management Question Categories
Choice of purposes or objective
Generation and evaluation of solutions
Troubleshooting or control situation

5. Working with the Hierarchy
Research Questions
Hypothesis of choice that best states the objectives of the research study
Fine-tuning the research questions is necessary
Examine concepts and constructs
Break research questions into specific second-and-third-level questions
Verify hypotheses with quality tests
Determine what evidence answers the various questions and hypothesis
Set the scope of your study

6. Working with the Hierarchy
Investigative Questions
Questions the researcher must answer to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion about the research question

7. Working with the Hierarchy
Measurement Questions
The questions we actually ask or extract from respondents or data

8. Research Process Problems
The Favored Technique Syndrome
Company Database Strip-Mining
Unresearchable Questions
Ill-Defined Management Problems
Politically Motivated Research

9. Designing the Study Research Design Sampling Design
Select a research design from the large variety of methods, techniques, procedures,and protocols.
Sampling Design
Estimating population values
Testing statistical hypotheses

10. Resource Allocation & Budgets: Cost
Guides to plan a budget
Project planning
Data gathering
Analysis, interpretation, and reporting
Types of budgeting
Rule-of-thumb
Departmental or functional area
Task

11. Evaluation Methods :Benefit
Ex Post Facto Evaluation
Prior or Interim Evaluation
Option Analysis (Cost-benefit analysis)
Several alternatives
Decision Theory
Selection according to a chosen decision rule.

12. Contents of a Research Proposal
Statement of the research question
Brief description of research methodology
Pilot Testing
Data collection
Data preparation
Data analysis and interpretation
Research reporting

13. Data Collection Characterized by Types abstractness verifiability
elusiveness
closeness to the phenomenon
Types
Secondary data
Primary data

14. Final Steps in Research
Data analysis
Reporting the results
Executive summary
Overview of the research (or main body of research)
Implementation strategies for the recommendations
Technical appendix