Introduction to Business Research

Cue Column Research:

Keywords: - Careful, systematic study in a field of knowledge that is undertaken
- Research to discover or establish facts or principles (Webster)
- Business Research - Systematic process of collecting and analyzing data to find an
- Value of Research answer to a question or a solution to a problem, to validate or test an
- Functions of existing theory (David)
Research Business Research:
- General types of - acquisition of information or knowledge for professional or
Research commercial purpose to determine opportunities and goals for a
- Descriptive business.
Research Value of Research
- Physical - Students
Environments - Academe
- Conditions/Situations - Business Community
- Explanatory - Policy Makers
- Health Service Providers
Research - Media
- Experimental Functions of Research
Research - Helps us answer questions, solve problems and make decision
- Evaluation Research - Enables us to see and understand how and why a situation or
- Pure Basic Research problem exists
- Applied Research - Helps us discover new things and ideas
- Exploratory - Allows us to validate existing theories and/or generate new ones
- Explanatory - Helps us identify and understand the causes and effects of situation
- Research Design or a phenomenon
- Quantitative Connection between research and improvement of society
Research
- Secondary analysis
- Experimental design
- Independent variable
- Dependent variable
- Intervening variable
- Control group
- Hawthorne Effect
- Experimental Group
- Survey research Research Process
- Population
- Sample As a scientific process, research can be used to:
- Qualitative research - Determine/Describe an existing situation (situation analysis)
- Ethnographic - Describe a population (people, objects, institutions, etc.)
interview - Compare two conditions or groups of population
- Participant - Evaluate and/or compare effectiveness of an intervention, treatment
observation or exposure, and
- Case studies - Predict the value of certain characteristic
- Triangulation Role of Research in Development
- Content analysis - Development process:
Study Prompts: o Planning
- What is Business o Implementation
Research? o Monitoring
- Give examples of o Evaluation
Descriptive - In each stage of development, research plays an important role
Research - Research is needed in describing and analyzing existing social or
- Give examples of economic problems or conditions
Correlation - Research data are important inputs to planning and in designing a
Research program or activity intended to address an existing problem
- Why research is so
important? General Types of Research
- Can you consider Descriptive Research
descriptive o What and How?
researches as o Who, what, when, where, and how
exploratory, o Describes a situation or a given state of affairs in terms of
exploratory, or both? specified aspects or factors
What about What may be described?
correlation research? Examples:
- Characteristics of individuals or groups
- Chronic cheating among students
- Financial concerns of farmers
- Teaching methodologies of SBG Faculty
- Trends in Fashion Among Tweens
Physical Environments
Examples:
- Crime Rate in Davao City
- Top Ranking Universities in Asia
- CSR Practices among Banks in the Philippines
- Online Learning Platforms
Conditions/Situations
Examples:
- Spending habits of Ateneo College students
- Social Anxiety of Typhoon Victims
- Smoking Habits of Medical Professionals
Correlation or Association Research/Explanatory Research
o An explanatory study goes beyond description of the problem
or situation.
▪ It attempts to explain the possible factors related to a
problem which have been observed in a descriptive
study.
▪ Explain social phenomena
▪ It answers the question what, why and how?
o This is also called correlation research, in which the research
investigates relationships between factors or variables
Examples:
- Effect of Blended Learning on the Study Habits of High School Students
- Street Food and Health Conditions of Grade School Students
- Academic Qualification and Teacher Performance among University Professors
- Access to Technology and Academic Performance Among College Students
- Frequency of Online Exposure and Mental Health of Generation Z

Experimental or Intervention Research

 o Evaluates the effect or outcome of a particular intervention or
treatment.
o It studies “cause or effect” relationship between certain
factors on a certain phenomenon under controlled conditions.
o What do you have here?
▪ Intervention or Treatment
▪ Controlled situations
▪ Control group and Experimental group
Examples:
- The Effect of Blended Learning of AdDU on the Academic Performance Students of AdDU
- The Impact of AUS-AID Projects on the Living Conditions of Tacloban Residents
- The Effect of CCTVs on Violent Incidence at Malls

Evaluation Research
o Research that measures the effectiveness of a program

Pure Basic vs. Applied Research

- Pure Basic Research
o The intention is to accumulate knowledge about a certain phenomenon
o The goal is to offer descriptions and better understanding
- Applied Research
o The intention is to see an immediate solution to a problem
o The goal is to use the result of the research to improve business decisions
or physical conditions or impose interventions.

Exploratory vs. Explanatory Research

- Exploratory Research
o Designed to describe an existing problem situation, why it exists
o Factors contributing to the problem is not yet known
o Since the causes of the problem are not yet known, you explore through
research
- Explanatory Research
o Designed to understand or explain a prevailing situation or explain a
relationship between factors
o Seek answers to “why” and “how” questions
Research Design
Quantitative Research
- Measured, can be analyzed using numbers
- Quantified
Examples:
- The Socio-Economic Profile of Employees in the Local Government Units
- Financial Health Status of Cooperatives in Mindanao
- Effects of Online Shopping to Regular Mall Operations
• Secondary Analysis
o Analysis of existing data
• Experimental Design
o Attempts to discover a cause-and-effect relationship between two
variables
• Independent Variable
o Variable that brings about change in another variable (i.e., the cause)
• Dependent Variable
o A variable that is changed by the independent variable (i.e., the effect)
 • Intervening Variable
o Variables that may come between the independent and dependent
variables in an experiment
• Control Group
o Subjects not exposed to the experimental variable in an experiment
• Hawthorne Effect
o Phenomenon where subjects’ behavior is influenced by the fact that they
are being studied
• Experimental Group
o Subjects exposed to the independent variable in an experiment
• Survey Research
o Research using a questionnaire or interview to obtain data
• Population
o An entire body of people to which the sociologist would like to generalize
research findings
• Sample
o Segment of the population

Qualitative Research
- Cannot be measured
- Explained and described
- Systematic observation and focuses on the meanings people give to
their social actions
Examples:
- Challenges of Online Education
- Mental Health Concerns of Work from Home Teachers
- Emotional Adjustments During Pandemic

• Ethnographic Interview
o Qualitative technique where the researcher talks with people in an effort to
learn as much as possible about them and their behavior
• Participant Observation
o Qualitative method in which the researcher systematically observes the
people being studied while participating with them in their activities
• Case Studies
o Qualitative techniques that involve intensive observation of a particular
person, group, or event
• Triangulation
o The use of multiple (usually three) techniques to gather or analyzed
research data
• Content Analysis
o Research that examines and analyzes communications

Summary:
Research involves careful and systematic data and information gathering to investigate phenomena, test theories and make predictions. It
creates new knowledge and understanding about a certain phenomena or topic. Also, it solves problems and helps reduce the probability of
making poor decisions through investigating ideas and beliefs if its indeed factual or not. Eventually, enables improvement within our society
because it is the force behind everything we do (i.e., policy making, medicine, media, etc.). Different types of research and research designs
help researchers to know how the study should be done, how it should be conducted, and the necessary methods and procedures on how to
obtain the data. Descriptive research (what and how), explanatory research (what, why and how), experimental (cause and effect),
evaluation (effectiveness), pure basic, applied research, exploratory, and explanatory research are the general types of research. Research
can be done in a quantitative (using numbers or statistics) or qualitative way (observation and description).