National WorkshopOn

“RECENT ADVANCES IN RESEARCH METHODOLOGY & DATA

ANALYTICAL TOOLS”

Research methodology for social sciences – The research process

Prof. AJAY PANDITFMS, Delhi University

May 14, 2011

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

• Scientific investigation in to an area of interest to the researcher

• Key attributes of being scientific?

Attributes of being Scientific

• Systematic

• Accurate

• Authentic

Research Defined• Research is systematic collection, analysis and

interpretation of data [for managerial decision making.]

• No method known to man can entirely eliminate uncertainty. But scientific method, more than any other procedure, can minimize those elements of uncertainty which result from lack of information. By so doing, it reduces the danger of making a wrong choice between alternative courses of action

Research process - Steps

Problem Definition

Research design

Design of data collection methods and forms

Sample design and data collection

Analysis and interpretation of data

Research report

RESEARCH DESIGN

EXPLORATORY DESCRIPTIVE CAUSAL

TYPES OF RESEARCHES

EXPLORATORY DESCRIPTIVE CAUSAL

- Low prior info

- Qualitative / Desk / `Expert’

- Unstructured

- Defines state of market and consumer as of today

- Can check out hypo

“If … then …”Method- Experimentation- field / lab- Tracking of real life events

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

• Low a priori information

• Serves to provide an understanding, defines issues, hypothesis building and focusing / prioritisng research effort

• Methodologies include- literature search- Interviewing knowledgeable persons- case study analysis

• Exploratory research characterised by their flexibility

SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA

• Newspapers and magazines• Trade publications• Census• Government statistics• Annual reports of industry/trade associations• Stock exchange directories

PROBLEMS WITH SECONDARY DATA

• Rarely available

• When available,- rarely comprehensive- rarely updated- rarely accurate- not detailed

• Therefore, rarely usable, if available

USE OF AVAILABLE DATA

InitialAnalysis

Recordeddata

Unrecordeddata

Internaldata

Externaldata

Informalinterviews

Direct observation

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

- Word association- Sentence completion- Storytelling- Obituaries- Role plays- Psychodramas- Psychodrawings

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCHES

• Meant to describe- characteristics of the market/consumer- estimate size/composition of market

• Require a clear specification of

ho hat hen here hy & how of the research

W

CAUSALITY

• Causality means X causes Y

• But, how does one establish causality ?

• Association does not mean causality. Increase in number of cars on Indian roads is associated with electricity consumption. But, one is not the cause of the other.

• Causality usually remains a hypothesis.

Tasks Involved in Problem Definition

• Discussions with Decision Makers• Interviews with Industry Experts• Secondary Data Analysis• Qualitative Research

Proper Definition of the Research Problem

Research Problem

Broad Statement

Specific Components

Components of an Approach

Objective/Theoretical Foundations Analytical Model Research Questions Hypotheses Specification of the Information Needed

Objective/Theoretical Foundations

• Theory is a conceptual scheme based on foundational statements, or axiom, which are assumed to be true.

• Objective evidence is unbiased evidence supported by empirical findings.

Models

An analytical model is a set of variables and their interrelationships designed to represent, in whole or in part, some real system or process.

Types:- verbal- graphical- mathematical

Models

In verbal models, the variables and their relationships are stated in prose form. Such models may be mere restatements of the main tenets of a theory.

Graphical ModelsGraphical models are visual. They are used toisolate variables and to suggest directions ofrelationships but are not designed to providenumerical results.

Cognitive Loyalty

Affective Loyalty

Conative Loyalty

Repurchase

Mathematical models explicitly specify therelationships among variables, usually inequation form.

Wherey = degree of preference

= model parameters to be estimated statistically

Mathematical Models

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Development of Research Questions and Hypotheses

Components of the

Research Questions

Hypotheses

Objective/TheoreticalFramework

AnalyticalModel

Marketing Research Problem

Research Questions and Hypotheses

• Research questions (RQs) are refined statements of the specific components of the problem.

• A hypothesis (H) is an unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher. Often, a hypothesis is a possible answer to the research question.

Department Store Project• RQ: Do the customers of Pantaloon exhibit

store loyalty?

• H1: Customers who are store loyal are less knowledgeable about the shopping environment.

• H2: Store-loyal customers are more risk-averse than are non-loyal customers.

For a retail store like Pantaloon, following questions become important:

1. What criteria do households use when selecting department stores?2. How do households evaluate Pantaloon and competing stores in terms of the choice criteria identified in question 1?3. Which stores are patronized when shopping for specific

product categories?4. What is the market share of Pantaloon and its competitors for specific product categories?5. What is the demographic and psychological profile of the

customers of Pantaloon? Does it differ from the profile of customers of competing stores?

6. Can store patronage and preference be explained in terms of store evaluations and customer characteristics?

Pantaloon Study

Pantaloon StudySpecification of Information Needed

Component 1 The researcher identified the following factors as part of the choice

criteria: quality of merchandise, variety and assortment of merchandise, returns and adjustment policy, service of store personnel, prices, convenience of location, layout of store, credit and billing policies. The respondents should be asked to rate the importance of each factor as it influences their store selection.

Component 2 The researcher identified nine department stores as competitors to

Pantaloon based on discussions with management. The respondents should be asked to evaluate Pantaloon and its nine competitors on the eight choice criteria factors.

Study on BlogsOBJECTIVES • Identify the profile of those who engage in blog writing and investigate their

behaviour.• Explore and substantiate with evidence – why do some people blog.• Examine the consequences of blogging, on behaviour of opinion leaders and

opinion seekers.• Measure the positive and challenging impact on consumers’ behaviour as a

result of blogs.• Develop a blog communication model impacting consumer decision process.• Establish blogs as an effective tool for Public Relations and corporate image

building. • Justify blogs as the emerging concept of Customer Relationship Management.

Digression

• Few Fundamental Concepts

• Measurement Scales• Central Limit Theorem• Socio-economic classification

Scales of Measurements

Scales of Measurement

Scale BasicCompa-risons

TypicalExamples

Measuresof

AverageNominal Identity Male-female

User-nonuser

OccupationsUniform

Numbers

Mode

Scales of MeasurementScale Basic

Compa-risons

TypicalExamples

Measuresof

Average

Ordinal Order Preferencefor brands

Social classHardness of

mineralsGraded

quality oflumber

Median

Scales of MeasurementScale Basic

Compa-risons

TypicalExamples

Measuresof

AverageInterval Compari

son ofIntervals

Temperaturescale

Grade-pointaverage

Attitudetowardbrands

Awarenessofadvertising

Mean

Scales of MeasurementScale Basic

Compa-risons

TypicalExamples

Measures ofAverage

Ratio Comparisonof absolutemagnitudes

Units soldNumber of

purchasersProbability

ofpurchase

Weight

Geometricmean

What sort of a scale would consumer responses to the following questions generate?

1. Have you purchased toothpaste in the last one week?2. How many children do you have?3. What size of pack did you last purchase-0.5 kg, 1.0 kg or1.5k4. Please put these five brands of soft drinks [Pepsi, Coca Cola, 7- Up, Limca,

Fanta] in the order of your preference?.5. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the computer course you have just

completed?6. How much money did you spend last month on entertainment ?

Questionnaire Design Process

The Sampling Design Process

Define the Population

Determine the Sampling Frame

Select Sampling Technique(s)

Determine the Sample Size

Execute the Sampling Process

Data Analysis

Data Analysis involves three stages:

1. Testing association between variables2. Determining the degree of association

between the variables3. Estimating the values of the variables

Identifying the technique

Technique shall largely depend upon the scales of measurement of variables i.e. nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio.

Bi-variate Analysis

Independent

Nom Int/Ratio

Nom Chi-Sq. χ2 Discriminant

Dependant

Int/Ratio ANOVA Reg/Co-Rel

Thanks!

Any Questions Please!