Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Designing the Research Tool(s)

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Designing the Research Tool(s) Research Design Types of Primary Research Questionnaire Construction

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Research Design Primary vs. Secondary Research Reliability and Validity Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Research Design Primary Research Focus groups Interview Observation Questionnaire survey Secondary Research Unpublished –Academic theses, reports Published –Books, magazines, journals, newspapers, internet websites

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Reliability Replicates research with same results Ensure a significant sample size Validity Test what you set out to test Think through, design and construct carefully Research Design

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Research Design Quantitative Data Completely objective Easy to tabulate –Discrete –continuous Qualitative Data Qualities or attributes Difficult to measure quantitatively

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Focus groups Observation Interview Questionnaire survey Types of Primary Research

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Focus Group Discussions Can be an important tool for –programme evaluation –Marketing, advertising –Policy-making –communication Consists of a number of individuals Lasts between 1 to 2½ hours Records or observes the session

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Focus Group Discussions Advantages Used for exploratory research Obtain data quickly and less costly Interact, probe and clarify Observe non-verbal behaviour Disadvantages Cannot extrapolate to a larger population Affect the thought processes of respondents and researcher Collating the information and its interpretation may be difficult

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Observation Involves watching or seeing what is happening Obtain data through the use of the five senses Example : Counting the number of buses that run on time

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Observational Tally Sheet No. of buses that run on time at specific time intervals Observer _________________________ Date ________ Place _____________________________ Day _________ Time

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Observation Advantages May be the only method at times Generally objective Easy to tally and work with Disadvantages Limited to those phenomenon observed Cannot explain why May be influenced by observer bias May be expensive and time-consuming

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Interviews Used when in-depth understanding is needed Can be used with other research tools to –Supplement information –Clarify the problem, limit the scope etc. –Help interpret unusual findings –Put data into perspective

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Interviews Structured Interview Cannot vary the way the questions are asked Can only repeat the question Speak in as neutral a tone as possible Purpose: Limit the interviewer bias Unstructured interview Conversational in tone Informal way of eliciting information Example: Job interview information to be elicited – qualifications, experience, ability to work with others etc.

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Interviews Advantages Relatively more flexible and adaptable Permits probing Can observe the non- verbal behaviour Ambiguity can be clarified Disadvantages Interviewer bias can affect the interviewee’s responses Time-consuming and expensive Difficult to tabulate

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Questionnaire Survey An orderly list of questions to –obtain facts, opinions, attitudes etc. –provide answers to how and why people think or behave in a certain way Helps researchers – make decisions – improve products – recommend policies/procedures – suggest changes

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Questionnaire Survey Advantages Eliminates researcher’s prejudices Time and cost effective Reaches a large number of respondents Respondents’ privacy maintained Easy to tabulate Disadvantages Returns may not be representative Answers may not be as desired May be invalid and unreliable Time-consuming to design and refine

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Types of Questions Open-ended question In your opinion, how can Resident Committees meet the needs of people living in the neighbourhood? Dichotomous question Only people with degrees should be promoted. Agree ___ Disagree ___ No opinion ___ Multiple-choice question Tick the radio station you listen to most frequently : Class 95 FM ____ FM92.4 ____ 93.8 FM ____ Gold 90FM ____

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Types of Questions Rating question How do you rate the efficiency of this department? Excellent Good Average Fair Poor Ranking question Rank the following subjects in order of preference. (1 being the most preferable) : Applied Statistics __________ Business Finance __________ International Economics __________ Managerial Accounting __________ Management Sciences __________

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Questionnaire Construction Be as clear as possible Designed to elicit as accurately and quickly as possible from the respondent –obtain facts, opinions, attitudes etc. –provide answers to how and why people think or behave in a certain way Helps researchers – make decisions – improve products – recommend policies/procedures – suggest changes

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Example Purpose: To evaluate the effect of training programme on staff morale Hypothesis: Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Hypothesis: Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures. 1. How would you rate the present selection procedures used to identify staff for the new training programme? good1234 poor

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Hypothesis: Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures. 2. If you gave a rating of either 3 or 4, please indicate your reasons (you may tick more than one option):  it is embarrassing to be nominated  it doesn't identify the people who really need the training  people who might want to attend the course are not able to  others; please elaborate ______________________

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Structure of the Questionnaire Be personal and friendly – Show appreciation – Introduce yourself and subject Be logical – Provide clear instructions – Place simple questions first – Categorise questions – Make transitions smooth – Use filter/classification questions

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Content of Questions Make questions easy to answer –Avoid sensitive or personal questions –Avoid asking for difficult information Provide realistic options –offer choices that are mutually exclusive –avoid multi-topic questions –include “don’t know”, “others”, no opinion” categories

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Phrasing of Questions Phrase questions unambiguously –Use question words Eg. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? –Avoid words with vague meanings Eg. Do you drink regularly?

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Use objective phrasing –Phrase questions concisely –Eg. Has it happened to you that over a long period of time, when you neither practiced abstinence nor birth control, you did not conceive? Phrasing of Questions

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Use objective phrasing –Avoid leading questions Eg. Is Phua Chu Kang your favourite sitcom? –Avoid loaded questions Eg. Do you practise good dental hygiene? Phrasing of Questions

Business Writing: Problem-solving Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Business Communication: Designing the Research Tool(s) Basic Principles Be brief –Keep the questionnaire short –Make each question count Be professional –Make questionnaire visually appealing –Use good quality paper –Use correct grammar Plan for easy tabulation –Avoid open-ended questions –Provide range categories