1. Clarifying the Research Question through Secondary Data and Exploration
Chapter 5 組員
黎旭崴
李承霖

2. Learning Objectives The purpose and process of exploratory research.
The two types and three levels of management decision- related secondary sources.
The five types of external information and the factors for evaluating the value of a source and its content.
The process of using exploratory research to understand the management dilemma and work through the stages of analysis necessary to formulate the research question (and, ultimately, investigative questions and measurement questions).
What is involved in internal data mining and how internal data-mining techniques differ from literature searches.

3. Exploratory phase search strategy
Discovery and analysis of secondary sources
Group
Discussions
Individual
Depth Interviews
Expert
Interview

4. Objectives of exploratory research phase
Expand your understanding of the management dilemma
Gather background information
Identify information that should be gathered
Identify sources for and actual questions
Identify sources for and actual sample frames

5. Literature search has five steps
1.Define management dilemma or management question
2. Consult books for relevant terms
3. Apply these key terms to searching
4. Locate and review specific secondary sources
5. Evaluate the value of each source and its content

7. Levels of information Primary sources
Memos Letters Interviews Speeches Laws Internal records
Secondary sources
Encyclopedias Textbooks Handbooks Magazines Newspapers Newscasts
Tertiary sources
Indexes Bibliographies Internet search engines

9. Types of information source
Indexes and Bibliographies
Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Handbooks
Directories

10. Evaluating information sources
Purpose
Authority
Scope
Evaluation
Factors
Audience
Format

11. Mining Internal Sources
The tern data mining describes the process of discovering knowledge from databases stored in data marts or data warehouses.The purpose of data mining is to identify valid, novel, useful, and ultimately understandable patterns in data.
A data warehouse is an electronic repository for databases that organizes large volumes of data into categories to facilitate retrieval, interpretation, and sorting by end users.

12. Evoulution of Data Mining(cont.)
Evolutionary Step
Investigative Question
Enabling Technologies
Characteristics
Data collection (1960s)
“What was my average total revenue over the last five years?”
Computers, tapes, disks
Retrospective, static data delivery
Data access (1980s)
“What were unit sales in California last December?”
Relational databases (RDBMS), structured query language (SQL), ODBC
Retrospective, dynamic data delivery at record level
Data navigation (1990s)
“What were unit sales in California last December? Drill down to Sacramento.”
Online analytic processing (OLAP), multidimensional databases, data warehouses
Retrospective, dynamic data delivery at multiple levels
Data mining (2000)
“What’s likely to happen to Sacramento unit sales next month? Why?”
Advanced algorithms, multiprocessor computers, massive databases
Prospective, proactive information delivery

13. Data Mining Process
Sample: The researcher must decide whether to use the entire data set or sample of the data.
Explore :After the data are sampled,the next step is to explore them visually or numerically for trends or groups .

14. Data Mining Process
Modify: a data reduction program, such as factor analysis 、correspondence analysis or clustering may be used.
Model:Modeling techniques in data mining include neural networks as well as decision tree, sequence- based, classification and estimation and genetic- based models.
Assess: the final step in data mining is to assess the model to estimate how well it performs.A common method of assessment involves applying a portion of data that was not used during the sampling stage.If the model is valid,it will work for this ”holdout” sample.

15. Data Mining Process

16. The Question Hierarchy： How Ambiguous Question Become Actionable Research

17. WHAT IS MANAGEMENT QUESTION?
Management questions are the restatement of the management dilemma in question form.
No matter how the management question is defined,many research directions can be taken.
A specific question can lead to many studies.
Therefore,it is the joint respon-sibility of the researcher and the makerter to choose the most productive project.

18. Management-Research Question Hierarchy

19. Management Question Categories General Question
Types of Management Questions
Categories
General Question
Choice of Purpose or
Choice of Objectives
What do we want to achieve?
Generalization and Evaluation of Solutions
How can we achieve the ends that we seek?
Troubleshooting or Control
How well is our marketing program meeting its goals?

20. Management Question Exploration
To move forward in the management-research question hierarchy and define the research question, we need to collect some exploratory information.

21. The Research Question Research Question:
Research question best states the objective of the business research study.It is a more specific manage-ment question that must be answered.

22. Research Question Fine – Tuning
Fine-tuning the question is precisely what a skillful practitioner must do after the exploration is complete.
At this point, a clearer picture of the management and research questions begins to emerge.

23. Fine-Tuning the research
Research Question
Evaluate hypotheses
Examine
variables
Break questions down
Fine-Tuning the research
question
Determine necessary evidence
Set the scope of study
The researcher should address other research question-related activities in this phase to enhance the direction of project.
1.Examine variables
2.Evaluate hypothesis
3. Determine necessary evidence
4. Set scope of study

24. Investigative Question
Investigative Question: Investigative questions represent the information that the decision maker needs to know;they are the questions the researcher must answer to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion about the research question.

25. Investigative Question
As you develop your information needs, think broadly.In de-veloping your list of investigative questions,include
1. Performance Considerations
2. Attitudinal Issues
3. Behavioral Issues

26. Measurement Question
Measurement questions are the actual questions that researchers use to collect data in a study.
Two types of measurement questions are common in business research：
1.Predesigned measurement questions
2.Custom-designed measurement questions

27. Thank You for listening ^0^