Defining and Refining the

Problem

CHAPTER 3

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Chapter Objectives
1. Discuss how problem areas can be
identified.
2. State research problems clearly and
precisely.
3. Explain how primary and secondary data
help the researcher to develop a problem
statement.
4. Develop relevant and comprehensive
bibliographies for any research topic.
5. Write a literature review on any given topic.
6. Develop a research proposal.
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Broad Problem Area
◼ The broad problem area refers to the
entire situation where one sees a
possible need for research and
problem solving. Such issues might
pertain to:
1. Problems currently existing in an
organizational setting that need to be
solved. →
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Broad Problem Area
2. Areas that a manager believes needs
to be improved in the organization.
3. A conceptual or theoretical issue that
needs to be tightened up for the basic
researcher to understand certain
phenomena.
4. Some research questions that a basic
researcher wants to answer
empirically.
4
Examples of Broad Problem Areas that
Could be Observed at the Work Place

◼ Training programs are perhaps not as

effective as anticipated.
◼ The sales volume of a product is not picking
up.
◼ Inventory control is not effective
◼ Some members in organization are not
advancing in their careers.
◼ The introduction of flexible work hours has
created more problems than it has solved in
many companies.
5
Preliminary Data Collection
◼ The nature of data to be gathered could
be classified under three headings:
1. Background information of the organization
(the contextual factors).
2. Prevailing knowledge on the topic (relevant
findings from previous research).

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Preliminary Data Collection
◼ The background details of the company
can be obtained from available
published records, the web site of the
company.
◼ Company policies, procedures, and
rules can be obtained from the
organization’s records and documents.
◼ Data gathered through such existing
sources are called secondary data. 7
Preliminary Data Collection
◼ Secondary data, are data that already
exist and do not have to be collected by the
researcher.
◼ Some secondary sources of data are
statistical bulletins, government publications,
information published or unpublished and
available from either within or outside the
organization, library records, data available
from previous research, online data, web
sites, and the Internet.
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Preliminary Data Collection
◼ Other types of information such as the
perceptions and attitudes of employees are
best obtained by talking to them; by
observing events, people, and objects; or by
administering questionnaires to individuals.
◼ Such data gathered for research from the
actual site of occurrence of events are called
primary data.

9
Defining the Problem
Statement
◼ After the literature review, the
researcher is in position to narrow down
the problem from its original broad base
and define the issues of concern more
clearly.

10
Business Problems Translated
into Problem Statements

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What makes a good problem
statement?
▪ The problem statement introduces
the key problem that is addressed in
the research project.
▪ Problem statement is a clear,
precise, and short statement of the
specific issue that a researcher wishes
to investigate.

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The three key criteria for
problem statement
◼ There are three key criteria to assess
the quality of the problem statement:
1. It should be relevant
2. It should be feasible
3. It should be interesting

13
From an academic perspective,
research is relevant if:

1. Nothing is known about the topic.

2. Much is known about the topic, but the
knowledge is scattered.
3. Much research on the topic is
available, but the results are
contradictory.
4. Established relationships do not hold in
certain situations.
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A problem statement is feasible
◼ If you are able to answer the problem statement
within the restrictions of the research project.
◼ These restrictions are possibly related to time and
money and the expertise of the researcher (a
problem statement may be too difficult to answer).

◼ Thus, it is important that you develop a

narrowly defined question that can be
investigated with a reasonably amount of time
and efforts.

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The problem statement is
interesting

◼ Because research is a time-

consuming process and you will go
through many ups and downs before
you present a final version of your
research report. It is therefore vital that
you are interested in the problem
statement that you are trying to
answer, so you can stay motivated
throughout the entire process.
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Examples of broad problem areas that a
manager could observe at the workplace:

◼ Training programs are not as effective as

anticipated.
◼ The sales volume of a product is not picking up.
◼ Minority group members are not advancing in their
careers.
◼ The newly installed information system is not
being used by the managers for whom it was
primarily designed.
◼ The introduction of flexible work hours has
created more problems than it has solved in many
companies.

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Examples of Well-Defined
Problem Statements
◼ To what extent do the structure of the organization and type
of information systems installed account for the variance in
the perceived effectiveness of managerial decision making?
◼ To what extent has the new advertising campaign been
successful in creating the high-quality, customer-centered
corporate image that it was intended to produce?
◼ How has the new packaging affected the sales of the
product?
◼ What are the effects of downsizing on the long-range
growth patterns of companies?

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Basic Types of Questions

A problem statement includes both a statement of ◼

the research objective(s)
and the research questions

There are three basic types of questions that ◼

research projects can address: exploratory and
descriptive questions.

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Exploratory Research Questions

Exploratory research questions are typically developed when: a)

not much is known about a particular phenomenon; b) existing
research results are unclear or suffer from serious limitations; c)
the topic is highly complex; or d) there is not enough theory
available to guide the development of a theoretical framework

Exploratory research often relies on qualitative approaches to

data gathering such as informal discussions (with consumers,
employees, managers), interviews, focus groups, and/or case
studies. As a rule, exploratory research is flexible in nature

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Descriptive research questions

The objective of a descriptive study is to obtain data that

describes the topic of interest. For instance, if we want
to know what percent of the population likes Coca‐Cola
better than Pepsi in a double‐blind test, we are interested
in describing consumers’ taste preferences.
Descriptive studies are often designed to collect data that
describe characteristics of objects (such as persons,
organizations, products, or brands), events, or situations.

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Descriptive research questions

Descriptive research is either quantitative or qualitative in

nature. It may involve the collection of quantitative data
such as satisfaction ratings, production figures, sales figures,
or demographic data, but it may also entail the collection of
qualitative information.
For instance, qualitative data might be gathered to describe
how consumers go through a decision‐making process or to
examine how managers resolve conflicts in organizations.

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Causal research questions

Causal studies test whether or not one variable causes another

variable to change. In a causal study, the researcher is interested
in delineating one or more factors that are causing a problem.
Typical examples of causal research questions are: “What is the
effect of a reward system on productivity?” and “How does
perceived value affect consumer purchase intentions?” The
intention of the researcher conducting a causal study is to be able
to state that variable X causes variable Y. So, when variable X is
removed or altered in some way, problem Y is solved.

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Causal research questions

THE POSITIVIST VIEW ◼

Causal studies are at the heart of the scientific approach. For a

positivist, the world operates by laws of cause and effect that can
be discerned if a scientific method to research is used. Exploratory
research is needed when there is not enough theory available to
guide the development of a theoretical framework.
In such cases, exploratory research needs to be done to
understand what is going on. Based on this preliminary work, we
will be able to set up more rigorous (read: causal) designs for
further investigation.

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The research proposal
contains the following:
◼ Key elements:
◼ Purpose of the study
◼ Specific problem to be investigated.
◼ Scope of the study
◼ Relevance of the study
◼ Research design:
◼ Sampling design
◼ Data collection methods
◼ Data analysis
◼ Time frame
◼ Budget
◼ Selected Bibliography

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MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
Managers sometimes look at the symptoms in
problematic situations and treat them as if they are the
real problems, getting frustrated when their remedies
do not work. Understanding the antecedents–problem–
consequences sequence and gathering the relevant
information to get a real grasp of the problem go a long
way towards pinpointing it.

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Example
◼ While Chrysler’s minivans, pickups, and
sports utilities take a big share at the
truck market, its cars trail behind those
of General Motors, Ford, Honda, and
Toyota. Quality problems include,
among other things water leaks and
defective parts
( Business Week, No.10, 2007).
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Example-cont.
1. Identify the broad problem area.
2. Define the problem?
3. Explain how you would proceed
further.

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Answers

1. The broad problem is that the Chrysler

cars are lagging in market share.
2. The problem statement: How can the
market share of Chrysler cars be
improved?

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answers
3. It is best to interview the users of GM, Ford,
Honda, and Toyota car users and obtain from
them their reaction – both positive and
negative- to the cars they use, and why they
prefer them.
◼ Similar reactions from the users of Chrysler

cars should also be gathered. One should

proceed further based on the analysis of
these responses.
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