The Purpose of the Business Research and Its Methods - Assignment Example

Business Research Methods Purpose of the research There are three major purposes of undertaking research and these could be possible determinants of research designs that can be undertaken. The purpose of any research could either be exploration, description of explanation of a given phenomenon which forms the hypothesis of the study. Exploration research seeks to provide the researcher with information aimed at familiarizing themselves with the topic being studied (Saunders & Lewis 2012). It mainly aims at satisfying the researcher’s curiosity through answering basic questions and consequently improving the understanding of the researcher on the topic. These forms of study are mainly undertaken before conducting a more extensive study that will provide concrete answers to the researcher’s questions. Utilisation of this research design, therefore, is limited to areas in which there is limited knowledge as the researcher seeks to develop background information on the topic being explored. Within the business profession, exploratory research focuses on discovering business ideas rather than provision of statistically accurate data. It can provide a company with a definition of issues pertaining alternative courses of action and even prioritization of areas for further research. This design mainly utilises open ended questions and can be able to provide ideas that might not have been thought. The utilisation of the open ended questions however becomes a basic shortfall of the research design since the information collected could be extensively varied and analysis becomes difficult as it cannot be grouped. Description research seeks to provide information and describes situations based on scientific observation (Saunders & Lewis 2012). The fundamental reasons behind utilisation of scientific observations are the provision of accurate and precise information on the topics being investigated. In seeking to get this level of accuracy and precision scientific methods are utilised in statistically analysing the collected data. This research is limited by the complexity of the processes involved in undertaking the analysis of data being presented. Unlike the exploratory design, descriptive study is generally structured and pre-planned. This ensures that the information gathered within the process can be statistically inferred on a given population like the workforce of the company. The fundamental idea behind the utilisation of descriptive research design is defining, opinions, attitudes and behaviours of a group of people in a better and more informed manner (Robson 2011). The manager can effectively utilise this research design in seeking to determine the kind of rewards that would increase motivation, performance and job satisfaction independently rather than generalisation of the rewards. While it might not be unique insights like the exploratory research, the grouping of variables enables the research to produce inferable data. Explanatory research design mainly focuses on answering questions involving when, what, how and where (Saunders & Lewis 2012). The information collected, which might include both qualitative and quantitative data enables the researcher to accurately make conclusions and consequently answer the research questions. This method seeks to provide answers regarding the existence of relationships between variables through experimentation. It differs from the descriptive process in that it attempts to explain the cause and effect relationship existing between variables which have been defined in the study. This type of research is mainly undertaken with two major objectives in mind. The first one is understanding the variables that are causes and those that are effects of a phenomena like the low output level which the manager has observed. And the second objective determining the type of relationship existing between the variables in order to be able to make predictions of the effects (Anastas 2013). Data collection methods Research design can also be based on the methods of data collection which are utilised within the process. The data collected could either be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative methods seek to provide numerical data which can be quantified through mathematical process which qualitative data seeks to answer questions like why, what and how. The data collected cannot be quantified numerically but can be grouped and utilised in answering study questions. In most business cases however, it would be extremely difficult to utilise either of these methods independently and a mixed methods research becomes ideal (Creswell 2009). This involves a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. In seeking to eliminate the general perceptions which are created in research following observation of certain phenomena, case studies are utilised in assessment of best practices. The scenarios that have been observed within a company can be compared to other similar scenarios through case studies of research which has been conducted within such fields. The utilisation of case studies provides actual information which is not based of statistical presumptions but on actual events which occurred. The findings can then be applied within the scenario which has been described. When the cases available do not completely fit within the scenario, a survey can be conducted within the working environment to establish the facts pertaining to the observation that has been made. The results of a survey can be published as a case study which could be applied to another population within a different setting. The survey enables the researcher to overcome the shortcomings of case studies which are difficult to be exactly the same. Conducting a survey within the organisation can enable a researcher to gain specific knowledge about the issues which employees within the organisation might consider to be causing poor satisfaction and motivation on the job which they undertake (Widener 2014). Conclusion In seeking to develop a research for answering the questions regarding the phenomena which the manager in the described scenario has observed, it would be essential to consider the purpose as well as the data collection methods which can be utilised. Much of the background information has been established and the manger within this scenario is seeking an explanation to the situation, therefore, it would be best to consider utilisation of an explanatory research design as opposed to the exploratory and descriptive. This method will be able to provide the manager with answers that can be used in making decisions on the way for improving performance and job satisfaction. Regarding data collection, it would be best to have a specific focus on the company rather than generalisation. A survey of the employees of the company would therefore fit as there are particular elements within the working environment which might also be contributing to the poor output, and which might not be among the elements which the manager has suggested. References Anastas, J.W., 2013. Research Design for Social Work and the Human Services 2nd ed., New York: Columbia University Press. Creswell, J.W., 2009. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches 3rd ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Robson, C., 2011. Real world research: a resource for users of social research methods in applied settings, Chichester: Willey. Saunders, M. & Lewis, P., 2012. Doing research in business and management: An essential guide to planning your project, London: Prentice Hall. Widener, S., 2014. Researching the Human Side of Management Control: Using Survey-Based Methods. In D. T. Otley & K. Soin, eds. Management Control and Uncertainty. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 69–82.  Read More