CH. 4 THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Steps 1 to 3 The broad problem area Preliminary data gathering Problem definition

The Research Process

Broad Problem Area Broad problem area refers to the entire situation where one sees a possible need for research and problem solving. Such issues might pertain to: Problems currently existing in an organizational setting that need to be solved Areas that a manager believes need to be improved in the organization A conceptual or theoretical issues that needs to be tightened up for the basic researcher to understand certain phenomena Some research questions that a basic researcher wants to answer empirically

Preliminary Data Collection Interviews Literature research: the documentation of a comprehensive review of the published and unpublished work from secondary sources of data in the areas of specific interest to the researcher.

Literature Survey The purpose of the literature review : To ensure that no important variable that has been in the past been found repeatedly to have had an impact on the problem is ignored To prevent researcher to “discover” something that has already been thoroughly researched Could be the basis of qualitative research Provide the foundation for developing a comprehensive theoretical framework from which hypotheses can be developed for testing

Literature Survey (Cont’d) Extracting the relevant information: Detailed information on the problem that was researched The design details of the study (such as sample size and data collection methods) Ultimate findings

Problem Definition Problem: many situations where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal states. Problem definition or problem statement: 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