Business Research - Dissertation Example

? Business Research Exploratory research generally conducted by the researchers in order to define the research problem clearly. Researchersgenerally undertake this exploratory research in order to formulate desired strategies that can help the researchers to accomplish research objectives. Qualitative research method is popular research tool that is highly implemented in market research and social science. This study will discuss several aspects of exploratory research and qualitative research method. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Body 4 Exploratory Research 4 Qualitative Research 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction Exploratory research helps a researcher to define a research problem effectively. Moreover, exploratory research helps to determine effective data collection method, research design and subject selection. Researchers can draw definitive conclusions with extreme caution through this exploratory research. Depending upon the fundamental nature, this exploratory research generally concludes a perceived problem that may not truly exist. This exploratory research generally relies on secondary research methods (Tracy, 2012, p.96). On the other hand, qualitative research is a specific method of enquiry implemented in several academic disciplines. This qualitative research method can be applied in market research and social science field. Qualitative research method can be applied in the research based on the exploratory nature of the research. Body This part of the study will discuss several aspects exploratory research and qualitative research. Exploratory Research Exploratory research highly depends upon available literature review and review of several qualitative approaches, such as informal discussion with employees, management, competitors and consumers. Moreover, this exploratory depends upon several formal data collection methods like focus groups, in-depth interviews, pilot studies or case studies and projective method. The results of exploratory research are not generally useful for decision making process but these results can provide major insight in a given circumstance. Exploratory research helps to identify and clarify a problem. Exploratory research allows the researchers to familiarize themselves with the research study or research problem. Moreover, it helps the researchers to generate research hypothesis. Exploratory research is undertaken as the initial and fundamental research approach. Major objective of exploratory research method is to test the hypothesis or concepts before putting them into the marketplace. This research is always considered as the costly endeavour. Consumers are generally provided with either a prototype or a written concept for new, repositioned or revised product or service strategy. Exploratory research considered as the important market research tool. Exploratory research plays an important role in market research. Marketers or researchers do not have any machines to peer inside a particular decision problem. Therefore, they use this exploratory research technique to open up the problem significantly. This exploratory research has single broad purpose. It clarifies the research question quite significantly that helps the researchers to guide entire project. In addition, the concept of exploratory research suggests that it leads to more formal and larger research project. This exploratory research helps the researchers to draw an effective conclusion of a study. Exploratory research techniques generally provide insights and information to the researchers (Churchill and Lacobucci, 2009, p.61). Moreover, it helps the researchers to prepare for several larger research efforts, such as experiments and surveys. Researchers need to consider broadly speaking and reflective data to conduct this exploratory research. Exploratory research helps the researchers to find the possible cause and outcome of the problem statements or research problems. Extensive amount of exploratory research conform the possible outcomes. Moreover, this exploratory research reveals future avenues for reaching the objectives of marketers and decision makers. For an example, a marketing manager of an organization receives an objective from the top management that the sales of products need to be increased by 25 percent in next three years. Depending upon the objective it can be stated that managers should consider all the available strategies in order to meet the organizational objectives. Then they need to formulate effective strategy base. The manager should initially employ exploratory research to determine effective data collection method, research design and subject selection in order to achieve the objective. Exploratory research answers the research questions by administrating an expensive and large database. For an example, researchers can implement exploratory research in order to learn and understand phrases and words that are meaningful for the study. Moreover, it helps the researchers to incorporate effective research design and method. There are several key categories of exploratory research, such as experience surveys, pilot studies, focus groups, in-depth interview, unstructured method or qualitative research, stimulating examples’ analysis, literature review and other sources of secondary data. Secondary data collection is one of the important categories. In exploratory research, researchers generally try to find relevant data and information from several secondary sources like text books, online journals and review of literature. Focus group interview is another important category of exploratory research. Focus groups are considered as small research groups of six to ten research participants and one moderator (Stebbins, 2001, p.18). Moderator helps the researchers to bring all the research participants together in order to discuss on the issue of interest to the specific decision makers or researchers. Focus group interviews take lesser time comparing to other data collection methods. It helps to provide various benefits to the decision makers or the researchers. This focus group interview process is less daunting due to limited number of research participants. In-depth interview is another category of exploratory research. Researchers generally try to choose employee of the organizat6iuons, management executives or the customers to gather their views in specific subject matter. This collected data can be considered as the real time primary data. Researchers can draw an effective research conclusion based on the interview data and several interesting and valuable views of participants. Qualitative Research Qualitative research method can be considered as an important research tool in social science and market research field. Qualitative researchers try to gather an effective and valuable in-depth understanding of various human behaviours (Zikmund and Babin, 2007, p.155). Qualitative research method investigates the decision making and sampling process. Qualitative research does not establish manipulate variables. Moreover, it does not impose the decision maker’s operational definitions on the participants. Qualitative research method is more flexible comparing to other research methods. Researchers can apply this qualitative research method based on the exploratory nature of the study (Patton, 2002, p.193). For an example, if the top management of an organization asked the managers to conduct a marketing research in order to determine the consumer behaviour and market demand for the products in competitive market, then the researcher can undertake qualitative research method to achieve the objective of the research based on the exploratory nature of the study. A researcher or a decision maker can identify and determine the current market trend thorough internal aspects of people (Weinberg, 2002, p.23). They need to undertake focus group interview process or in-depth interview process in order to determine the consumer behaviour of people. Consumer behaviour depends upon cultural trend of people, purchasing power of people and current market demand. Face-to-face interview, focus group interview or pilot study can help the researchers to gather effective data to draw an effective research conclusion. This process can justify the research objective. Qualitative research method generally applied in research projects based on the exploratory nature of the research. A researcher can use both primary and secondary data collection method in qualitative research method. Secondary data collection generally implemented in qualitative method to complete the research within a quick period of time. On the other hand, researchers implement primary data collection method in order to achieve accurate and appropriate research outcome. Conclusion Exploratory research helps to determine effective data collection method, research design and subject selection in order to define a research problem effectively. Researchers can draw ultimate conclusions with tremendous caution through this exploratory research. Researchers try to gather an effective in-depth understanding of several human behaviours through qualitative research method. Qualitative research method investigates the decision making and sampling process that helps a researcher to draw effective research outcome. Qualitative research can be applied on the basis of the exploratory nature of the study. Exploratory research is an important and initial research step that helps the researchers to formulate strategy. References Churchill, G., and Lacobucci, D., 2009. Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Patton, M., 2002. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. London: Sage. Stebbins, R., 2001. Exploratory Research in the Social Science. London: Sage. Tracy, S., 2012. Qualitative Research Methods. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Weinburg, D., 2002. Qualitative Research Method. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Zikmund, W., and Babin, B., 2007. Exploring Marketing Research. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Read More