Research Methodology

Module 1: Lecture 2
5. General Characteristics/Criteria
of a Good Research
The following characteristics may be collected from the definitions of “research”:
• It collects new knowledge or data from primary or first-hand sources.
• It places confirmation upon the discovery of general principles.
• It is an extent systematic and accurate investigation.
• It uses certain valid data gathering devices.
• It is logical and exact.
• The researcher eliminates personal feelings and preferences.
• Research is patient and unhurried activity
• Research is carefully recorded and reported.
• Conclusions and generalisations are arrived at carefully and cautiously
(Singh,2006).
2
3
1) Systematic:
- Research is structured with some specific steps to be taken in specific order in
accordance with some well defined set of rules.
This implies that the procedures adopted to undertake an investigation
follow a certain logical sequence. The different steps cannot be taken in a
haphazard way. Some procedures must follow others.

- Systematic characteristic of the research does not rule out creative

thinking, but certainly does reject the use of guessing and intuition in arriving at
conclusions.

2&3) Valid and Verifiable or replicable:

- Verifiable means research can be tested and proven to be true by replicating
the study.
- This concept implies that whatever we conclude on the basis of our findings is
correct and can be verified by you and others.

4
4) Empirical (verifiable by observation/ experience):
- Research is based on direct experience/observation by a researcher.
- This means that any conclusions drawn are based upon hard evidence gathered
from information collected from real-life experiences or observations.

5) Logical:
- This implies that research is guided by the rules of logical reasoning and the
logical process of induction and deduction are of great value in carrying out
research. Induction is the process of reasoning from a part to the whole;
whereas, deduction is the process of reasoning from some premise. In fact,
logical reasoning makes research more meaningful in the context of decision
making.

5
6) Critical:
- The process of research must be full proof and free from
drawbacks, so, the process adopted and the procedures used
must be able to withstand critical scrutiny.

- Critical scrutiny of the procedures used and the methods

employed is crucial to a research inquiry.

6
7) Controlled:
- There are many factors that affect an outcome. In a study of cause and effect
relationships, it is important to be able to link the effect(s) with the cause(s)
and vice versa. The concept of control implies exploring your study in a way
that minimizes the effects of other factors affecting the relationship.
- This can be achieved to a large extent in physical sciences, as most of the
researches are done in laboratory.
- In social sciences, research is carried out on issues relating to human beings
living in society, where such controls are impossible. Therefore, in the social
sciences, as you cannot control external factors, you attempt to quantify their
impact.

8) Rigorous:
- You must be scrupulous in ensuring that the procedures followed to find
answer to questions are relevant, appropriate and justified.
- Again, the degree of rigor varies between the physical and the social sciences.

7
 Research Methods versus Methodology
Research methodology has many dimensions and research methods
do constitute a part of the research methodology. The scope of
research methodology is wider than that of research methods.

 Research methods refer to the methods the researchers use in

performing research operations. In other words, all those
methods which are used by the researcher during the course of
studying his research problem are termed as research methods.

Research methods can be put into the following three groups:

1. In the first group, we include those methods which are concerned with
the collection of data. These methods will be used where the data already
available are not sufficient to arrive at the required solution;
2. The second group consists of those statistical techniques which are
used for establishing relationships between the data and the unknowns;
3. The third group consists of those methods which are used to evaluate
the accuracy of the results obtained.
8
When we talk of research methodology, we not only talk of the
research methods but also consider the logic behind the methods we
use in the context of our research study and explain why we are
using a particular method or technique and why we are not using
others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either
by the researcher himself or by others.
Researchers also need to understand the assumptions underlying
various techniques and they need to know the criteria by which they
can decide that certain techniques and procedures will be applicable
to certain problems and others will not. All this means that it is
necessary for the researcher to design his methodology for his
problem as the same may differ from problem to problem.
 Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the
research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying
how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various steps
that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research
problem along with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the
researcher to know not only the research methods/techniques but
also the methodology.
9
Why a research study has been undertaken, how the research
problem has been defined, in what way and why the hypothesis has
been formulated, what data have been collected and what particular
method has been adopted, why particular technique of analyzing data
has been used and a host of similar other questions are usually
answered when we talk of research methodology concerning a
research problem or study.

For example, an architect, who designs a building, has to

consciously evaluate the basis of his decisions, i.e., he has to
evaluate why and on what basis he selects particular size, number
and location of doors, windows and ventilators, uses particular
materials and not others and the like.

Similarly, in research, the scientist has to expose the research

decisions to evaluation before they are implemented. He has to
specify very clearly and precisely what decisions he selects and why
he selects them so that they can be evaluated by others also.

10
Need of Research in Social Science:
 Social sciences refer to business, commerce, demography, psychology,
sociology, etc. Social sciences directly involve people.
 Research in social sciences arena deals with the behavior of people in
their different roles, such as consumers, competitors, producers,
executives, salespersons, leaders, workers, followers, teachers, students,
opinion-makers, etc.
 Research in social sciences deals with the systematic method of
discovering new facts or of verifying old facts, their sequence, inter-
relationship, casual explanations and the natural laws which cover them.
 The importance that social science research wields today is
immeasurable and enlarging.
 As social, business and economic problems abound, the significance of
social research gets enhanced as it provides workable solutions.

11
The following points bring out the significance of research in social sciences:
1) Problems solving:
 Problems solving is the thrust of most researches.
 Social problems are felt directly by people and the research by offering solutions to
such problems ameliorates the conditions of people at large.

2) Societal Behavior:
 All our social problems could be attributed to certain societal behavior.
 Social research thrusts on societal behavior which is studied, analyzed and
proposed steps needed to modify the same to achieve certain broad goals.

3) Development of methodology:
 Development of methodology to deal with social issues is one of the contributions
of social research.
 Executive stress, worker ethics, leadership style, child labor, women illiteracy, drug
addiction, labor absenteeism, etc are social issues related to organizations, labor
units, and such other social groups. To deal with these issues, appropriate
methodology is needed. Social research provides the same.
12
4) Societal Development:
 Social research contributes to societal development. The research
develops scientific temper, creativity and innovation, basic and applied
new knowledge.
 All this adds to up-gradation of society.
 Knowledge is power and that power is powered by research.

5) Formulation of new theories and reevaluation:

 Formulation of new theories and reevaluation of already accepted
theories are attempted by social research.
 There are several theories on leadership, motivation, human attitude
and behavior and so on. All these theories help in designing suitable
packages to uplift societal behavior.

13
6) Social Planning, Prediction and Control:

a) Social Welfare:
 By stating, what is and what is not good for the economy, for the
industry, for the consumers, for the students, for the stock-market and the
like, social research helps to contribute to social welfare.
 Social research is a tool for social planning, prediction and control.
 Any constructive action needs to be planned, outcome predicted and
deviation of actual from the desirable predicted outcome needs to be
controlled.

b) Social institutions and phenomena:

 Social research catches the dynamics of social institutions and
phenomena. Social institutions and phenomena are never static; these
keep changing.
 To gauge the change, research is needed and such research helps in
dynamically responding to social institutions and phenomena.
14
Need of Research in Business:
1. A business research program is surely a preferred way for businesses
to train and educate their managers and other staff members in a vast
array of different fields.

2. Business research can relate to economics, business strategy and

ethics, in fact, anything associated with modern business and trade.

3. Undertaking research in business management is important, since it

aids a business plan for the future based on what have occurred in earlier
times.

4. If performed effectively, it can help an organization to make plans on

how to become more viable in its field.

15
Importance of Research in Business Management:

1) Testing of new products:

 Business research tests the possible success of fresh products.
Businesses need to know what kinds of services and products consumers
want before they produce them.
 Research will reduce risk. Research can help design a new product or
service figuring out what is needed and ensure that the development of a
product is highly targeted towards demand.

2) Guaranteeing adequate distribution:

 Businesses can also use research to guarantee sufficient distribution of
their products.
 For instance, a consumer products’ company might want to speak with
merchants about the various brands they offer.
 The outcomes of the business research can help managers to decide
where they need to increase their product distribution.
16
3) In-house research is required for professional and self
development of the workers through training and mentoring:

 Organizational research and analysis would also be needed for

assessment of performance management, process reengineering,
departmental assessment and well-being of staff members.

4) Undertaking research can help a company avoid future failure:

 Carrying out research can also help a business to determine whether

now is the right time to expand in to another town or whether it needs to
apply for a new loan.
 It may also help a small business to decide if a process should be
altered or if more needs to be done to meet the requirements of the
customer base.

17
 Problems Encountered by Researchers in India

Researchers in India, particularly those engaged in empirical research, are

facing several problems. Some of the important problems are as follows:

1. The lack of a scientific training in the methodology of research is a

great impediment for researchers in our country. There is paucity of
competent researchers. Many researchers take a leap in the dark without
knowing research methods. Most of the work, which goes in the name of
research is not methodologically sound. Research to many researchers and
even to their guides, is mostly a scissor and paste job without any insight
shed on the collated materials. The consequence is obvious, viz., the
research results, quite often, do not reflect the reality or realities. Thus, a
systematic study of research methodology is an urgent necessity. Before
undertaking research projects, researchers should be well equipped with all
the methodological aspects. As such, efforts should be made to provide
short duration intensive courses for meeting this requirement.

18
2. There is insufficient interaction between the university research
departments on one side and business establishments, government
departments and research institutions on the other side. A great deal of
primary data of non-confidential nature remain untouched/untreated by the
researchers for want of proper contacts. Efforts should be made to
develop satisfactory liaison among all concerned for better and
realistic researches. There is need for developing some mechanisms of a
university—industry interaction programme so that academics can get
ideas from practitioners on what needs to be researched and practitioners
can apply the research done by the academics.

3. Most of the business units in our country do not have the

confidence that the material supplied by them to researchers will not
be misused and as such they are often reluctant in supplying the
needed information to researchers. The concept of secrecy seems to be
sacrosanct to business organizations in the country so much so that it
proves an impermeable barrier to researchers. Thus, there is the need for
generating the confidence that the information/data obtained from a
business unit will not be misused.

19
4. Research studies overlapping one another are undertaken quite
often for want of adequate information. This results in duplication and
fritters away resources. This problem can be solved by proper compilation
and revision, at regular intervals, of a list of subjects on which and the
places where the research is going on. Due attention should be given
toward identification of research problems in various disciplines of applied
science which are of immediate concern to the industries.

5. There does not exist a code of conduct for researchers and inter-
university and interdepartmental rivalries are also quite common. Hence,
there is need for developing a code of conduct for researchers which, if
adhered sincerely, can win over this problem.

6. Many researchers in our country also face the difficulty of adequate

and timely secretarial assistance, including computerial assistance. This
causes unnecessary delays in the completion of research studies. All
possible efforts be made in this direction so that efficient secretarial
assistance is made available to researchers and that too well in time.
University Grants Commission must play a dynamic role in solving this
difficulty.
20
7. Library management and functioning is not satisfactory at many
places and much of the time and energy of researchers are spent in
tracing out the books, journals, reports, etc., rather than in tracing out
relevant material from them.
8. There is also the problem that many of our libraries are not able to
get copies of old and new Acts/Rules, reports and other government
publications in time. This problem is felt more in libraries which are away
in places from Delhi and/or the state capitals. Thus, efforts should be made
for the regular and speedy supply of all governmental publications to reach
our libraries.
9. There is also the difficulty of timely availability of published data
from various government and other agencies doing this job in our country.
Researcher also faces the problem on account of the fact that the
published data vary quite significantly because of differences in coverage
by the concerning agencies.
10. There may, at times, take place the problem of conceptualization
and also problems relating to the process of data collection and
related things.
21