RESEARCH METHODOLOGY - COMMERCE

04/08/2023K. BARANIDHARAN.M.COM,M.PHIL.PH.D,M.B.A.,

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

K. BARANIDHARAN.M.COM.,M.B.A.,M.PHIL.,PH.D.,

[email protected]

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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RESEARCHThe man is faced with many problems; and he alone is responsible

for their solutionProblem is a technical process which not only requires ingenuity

but also a fund of accumulated knowledge and wisdomAccumulation of new knowledge is essential for humanity’s survival

and progress; and research provides the means for achieving such knowledge. But,mere accumulation of knowledge will be of little use unless it is organised and systematized for broader genralization and for identifying the patterns and laws of human behaviour

Research is a systematic effort at gathering, analysis and interpretation of the problems confronted by humanity

It is possible to employ scientific method without research, it is not possible to do research without employing scientific method

Research is considered to be the more formal systmatic, intensive process of carrying on the scientific method of analysis. It involves a more systematic structure of investigation usually resulting in some sort of a formal record of procedures and a report of result or conclusions

K. BARANIDHARAN.M.COM,M.PHIL.PH.D,M.B.A.,

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RESEARCHThe man is faced with many problems; and he alone is responsible

for their solutionProblem is a technical process which not only requires ingenuity

but also a fund of accumulated knowledge and wisdomAccumulation of new knowledge is essential for humanity’s survival

and progress; and research provides the means for achieving such knowledge. But,mere accumulation of knowledge will be of little use unless it is organised and systematized for broader genralization and for identifying the patterns and laws of human behaviour

Research is a systematic effort at gathering, analysis and interpretation of the problems confronted by humanity

It is possible to employ scientific method without research, it is not possible to do research without employing scientific method

Research is considered to be the more formal systmatic, intensive process of carrying on the scientific method of analysis. It involves a more systematic structure of investigation usually resulting in some sort of a formal record of procedures and a report of result or conclusions

K. BARANIDHARAN.M.COM,M.PHIL.PH.D,M.B.A.,

04/08/2023 K. BARANIDHARAN.M.COM,M.PHIL.PH.D,M.B.A.,

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NEED FOR RESEARCHIt must have utility to the society; result in new findings and ,

or truth must be brought out. Best, views that, “its importance is attested by the

tremendous amount of time, manpower and sums of money spent on “research by industry, universities and government.

The secret of our cultural development has been research, pushing back the areas of ignorance by discovering new truths which in turn, lead to better ways of doing things and new and better products”.=========

As the human society is expanding in terms of its material wealth, problems associated with such expansion also developed in various fields.

To study such problems of varied nature and to find solutions to such problems, research serves as an essential aid it is the only scientific way of analysing a problem

The research is essential for the researcher to acquire and familiarize himself with various tools of research the research tools and techniques are also refined from time to time.

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Need of research

The research has occupied a rightful place in all government departments, industrial concerns and business organisations.

Majority of the concerns have started separate department called ‘Research and Development Wing’ to evaluate the programmes, to find solution to problems and to make new discoveries.

Research encourages inter-disciplinary approaches in the process As environment is changing, problems get more complicated They are not merely discipline-based, research, problem solving

method as it is, should aim at mounting a multipronged attack on the different faces of the problem

The inter-disciplinary approach provides a common forum for researchers engaged in diverse fields to coordinate their activities


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DEFINITIONS“Research is a careful inquiry or examination to discover new

information or relationships and to expand and to verify existing knowledge” === FRANCIS RUMMEL =====

“It is manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalising and to extend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in the construction of a theory or in practice or an art” ===== ENCYCLOPADIA OF SOCIAL SCIENCE =========

‘Careful or critical inquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles; diligent investigation in order to ascertain something’

=== WEBSTER’S NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY ========

SIMPLIGY THE MEANINGIt is an enquiry or examination seeking facts :- To findout the

truth a researcher on spend any number of years and may come out with the truth though his findings, enquiry or examination must be conduced deeply


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Characteristics

Research aims at finding new truth or knowledge and/or it can confirm the established truth or knowledge :- when problems occur daily in our life, they provide inspiration to find out new truth-even the established truths or knowledge or theories can be proved or disproved by research

The purpose of research is not find out solutions to problems:If a researcher does not come out with any solution to the problem under enquiry, it is not research: it is “pseudo research

Research involves use of accepted scientific tools and statistical methods:-Before a resercher engages himself into the task of research, he must acquire a fair knowledge of the methods and techniques of research.===========pointed out by JOHN BEST ==========

1.Research gathers new knowledge or data from primary or first hand sources. It is not research when one merely relates or reorganizes which is already known or what has been written. Research places emphasis upon the discovery of general principles.

2.Research is expert, systematic and accurate investigation3.Research is logical and objective, applying every possible test to

verify the data collected and the procedures employed. The researcher constantly strives to eliminate personal feeling and preference.


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4.Research endeavours to gather origional data in quantitative terms if possible and to express them as numerical measures. Research is patient and unhurried. The researcher is willing to exert painstaking effort, suspending judegement to permit the data and logic to lead to a sound conclusion.

5.Research requires courage6.Research is carefully recorded and reported, all

procedures are described in detail, all limiting factors are recognized, all references are carefully documented an all results are objectively recorded

7.Conclusions and genralisations are cautiously arrived at, with due consideration for all of the limitations of methodology, data collected and errors of human interpretaion.===theory and research=book exple,


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SOCIAL RERSEARCHResearch should aid in understanding a problem and

offering solution for the problem, while solutions for individual problems cannot be found out because of their heterogeneity, solutions for problems of groups of human beings could be attempted

With some homogeneity of members in a group, it would be relatively easier to analyse and offer solutions for the problems of the group

Again, these solutions may or may not be applicable o all the members in a group

It is also an established fact that what is true of an individual need not be true or a society, but what is true of a society may be true and applicable to majority of individuals

Hence, while formulating policies for social problems, researchers always focus on group problems that individual problems = example: conducting research on the unemployment


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Definition of SOCIAL RESEARCH“a method of studying, analysing and conceptualizing social life in

order to extend, modify, correct or verify knowledge whether that knowledge aids in construction of a theory or in practice of an art” = P.V. YOUNG ==

“it is devoted to a study of mankind in his social environment and is concerned with improving his understanding of social orders, groups, institutions and ethics” === RUMMEL ====

Social research involves application of scientific procedures of observation, analysis and synthesis to the social-human phenomena with a view to test, modify and enlarge the systematic knowledge about social facts and social life.

such a type of research aims at discovering new facts or verify old ones, to analyses their sequences, inter-relationships, causal explnations and natural laws governing human behaviour

Once the human behaviour is influenced, this affects the social institutions = example:-dowry-

Social research helps to analyse and understand h7uman behaviour which forms the basis for all decisions and policies = example: unemployment, poverty, population, etc.,


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Usefulness of social research

In planning: sr helps in formulating and guiding social planning –ex-rural unemployment

Control over social phenomen: as knowledge about working of the society and the institutions is acquired though sr, it helps to have grater control over the social phenomena –ex-increasing awareness of evils of dowry, public are now encouraged to report

Achieve social cohesion: with sr better understanding and social cohesion can be achieved. Consequent to the understanding of ills of communal riots, peace committees, ‘Samathuvapuram’(different communities and beliefs, live in an area)

Relationship among variables: sr analyses the problems in the total context it is able to explain better the relationship among various complex variables.

This helps in findings solutions for majority of the social problems –ex-more aware of the consequences of POLIO type of diseases , vaccinate their children against such diseases.

Help reasonable prediction: the base of making reasonable predictions which in turn helps in social planning and control – ex -through wide publicity on the impact of population explosion, control birth rate , family planning projects are better understood

Identify new solutions: the social phenomena undergo changes, the sr comes out with new solutions or modified solutions to solve the social problems, through improvements in the tools and techniques of research. -Ex- criminals, punishing, reasons turning out to be ,opportunities to change


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Criteria of good research1.research is half complete, when the objectives or purposes

of it are clearly spelt out-objectives, as far as possible, should be quantified so as to avoid any ambiguity

2.unless the concepts associated with the research topic are explained clearly it is not possible to make the work understandable to others.

3.it is necessary that every step followed in the process of research is explained fully-this is because any other person who wants to repeat such a work to achieve further improvement or test the validity of the research work, should be able to do it.

4the research design adopted for he study should be clear and match with the objectives-a detailed planning is necessary before finalising the design

5.the researcher should be honest in reporting the facts andrevealing the flaws in the work-he should pinpoint the specific part of the work, which needs further support or evidence

6.data is the basis for all research work, to complie the required volume of data so that the conclusions are relevant and scientifically derived, data collection should be carefully planned, collected and classification and tabulation of data


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7.every research work should b e based on carefully selected analytical tools-mere knowledge of the tools is not adequate for intelligent application of them in the research work

8.conclusions of the research work should emerge from the data and analyses – borrowing conclusions from other research work should be resisted and if it is inevitable, then it should be used only for validation of the conclusions.

9.the research work is incomplete without acknowledging the sources of various facts or data – unless the sources are acknowledged, the work amounts to plagiarism

10.referencing, footnote, bibliography, and several other minor points like punctuation, page numbering, etc., should also be conforming to the standard prescribed, other wise, the work may fail to get the appreciation it deserves.

11.apart from being scientific and logical, the research work should useful to the society – it must help in finding solution for some important problems it should be empirical and relevant.


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Qualities of a Researcher Truthful & focused: the researcher should be truthful and

focused on what he is in search for-to achieve accuracy in observation and be precise in his statement-avoid any misconception or bias influencing his observation or interpretations-he should be truthful to admit that his findings are not fully accurate

Altertness: the researcher should be alert and be receptive to everything that is happening around him connected with the research-he should be conscious of even very small hints or clues, and examine even the incidents that may have very remote connections with his area of work-unless the researcher develops a clear perception of all the related things, his conclusions can always be questioned.

Self-confidence: the research demands an extreme degree of courage and self-confidence – the researcher should overcome the tendency to give up and remain with supreme courage of conviction – disappointments should be treated as lessons to avoid committing mistakes and determination should drive him to reach the ultimate-it is well known that none of the discoveries were achieved overnight-especially scientifi researches require a lot of sacrifice


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Guareded utterance: a very important quality required of a food researcher is that he should be very cautious in his statement, that is he should always question his findings or discoveries, especially when he had worked with incomplete data or facts – he should not be hasty in making judgement and reaching conclusions – every finding should be critically examined, free from the personal prejudices or bias

Strive to find out facts: yet another quality expected of researcher is that he should never stop his efforts in finding out or collecting relevant data or facts – he should tap all the sources possible to get at the complete information, if not, he would be like a detective who makes a hurried conclusion with limited information and arrest an innocent man- data collected would always be scrutinised for their authenticity and reliability

Time conscious: a researcher should be time conscious but that does not mean he should hasten up his work wthout completing the scientific procedures properly – the object of research is not to produce something exciting within stipulated time, but to perservere to bring to light the facts and relationship – as is often said ‘research cannot be a time –bound activity’ but inordinate delay in brining out the facts may result in the facts themselves becoming out of date.

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Open to ideas: it is necessary that a researcher develops an open mind when he is pursuing his research work – that is, he should take the views and comments of others seriously and give them the attention they deserve – this quality implies that the researcher should develop endurance and be positively reacting to criticisms and remarks- until he is certain that his findings or discoveries are indisputeable, he should continue to weigh the views and remarks of others.

Ability to identify guide: a successful researcher is one who is able to identify the specialist or expert in his field or study – his interactions with such persons will sharpen his understanding and help him in proceeding on the right directions

Discuss his views: it is also a good practice to give clear expression to his findings by participating in seminars, conferences, etc., - participation in such academic exercises will help the researcher to evaluate his work in terms of the standards set in the field.

Updating knowledge: the researcher should also be up-to-date in his knowledge about the field of his work –


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this means that he should keep his eyes and ears always open so as to be receptive to every development and changes taking place around him – reads his findings and conclusions in the light of the latest developments, he would not be able to validate his work – at the same time, under the pretext of validating his conclusions, he should not be harping only on facts, which corroborate his work – that is, he has o be highly objective in his evaluation and strictly avoid any subjective or sentimental beliefs

classification social researchSocial researchmay be brodly classified into two main categories:

THEORETICAL TYPE OF RESEARCH: such researchers also called PURE RESEARCHES, such researcher neither depende on primary data nor on secondary data and make contribution to the relam of the theory and to the existing literature on the subject a by way of interpretation or a different approach to the problem: example: in Economics, the theory of utility and consumer’s behaviour propounded by Marshall falls under this category/the short comings of this theory provided an opportunity for ALLen and HicksEMPIRICAL TYPE OF RESEARCH: such researches aim at discovering of facts based on the empirically gathered primary data/Such fact finding studies aim at an accurate assessement of the conditions prevailing in the society/Such researches also aim at discovering root causes of the problem and solving them example a study of the impact of direct taxes on different components of the economy falls under this category


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Objective of social research:1.DEVELOPMENT OF KNOWLEDGE: every science tries to

collect a systematised body of knowledge about the branch or the subject matter that it studies /to acquire further knowledge about the social phenomenon and social facts

2.SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF SOCIAL LIFE: the researcher makes study of the collective processes, social change, social structure, social processes etc,/apart from it, it takes study of human being, human behaviour and collects data about various aspects of the social life of man and formulates laws in this regard

3.WELFARE OF HUMANITY: he has to direct his study to some higher aim which invariably is “welfare of humanity”./to promote the welfare of humanity by the results of investigation may be the ultimate aim of one scientis/another may set as his goal the achievement of material security and social prestige for himself/a third may find scientific enquiring an end in itself, in the sense that the satisfaction he derive from his scientific work is reason enough for his engaging in it.

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4.CLASSIFICATION OF FACTS: in the words of P.V.Young “Social research aims to clarify facts/in a given universe of discourse to find the specific determined sequences and inter relationship of facts and their social setting/to develop a series of clear-cut concepts and to examine the old concepts which are to define social life”.

5.SOCIAL CONTROL AND PREDICTION: social research thus studies the social values, beliefs, traditions, events etc/it is finds out new facts and verifies the old fact on the basis of the touchstone or tests applied to old facts/it is in fact the scientific method for the study of the social life in scientific manner/it also studies the dynamics of social relationship and social phenomenon.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY - COMMERCE

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