UNIT 2 Business Research Methods

Concept, Purposes, and Steps in Literature Survey

Concept

A literature survey involves systematically reviewing existing research and publications on a specific topic to understand the current state of knowledge. In other words, it is the analysis of previous studies for knowing the research in detail.

A literature review is all about connecting the dots. It's like assembling a puzzle where each piece of information fits together to create a comprehensive understanding of your topic. By reviewing existing literature, you can identify patterns, trends, and gaps in knowledge. This process helps you build a solid foundation for your research and ensures that your work is grounded in the existing body of knowledge.

Purposes

The major purposes of literature review are explained below:

Ø To know the research conducted in the chosen field: It provides information regarding the issues on which researches were conducted in the past and then provides idea about the issues that are relevant to undertake research.

Ø Identification of gap: After going through the literature, researcher can find out the area of contradiction and discover what has not been studied yet, which can help in identifying new research opportunities.

Ø To develop theoretical framework: It helps in developing a theoretical framework by identifying key theories and concepts relevant to your research. By reviewing existing studies, you can understand how different variables are defined and related, which helps you build a solid foundation for your study.

Ø Avoiding Duplication: It helps avoid duplication by highlighting gaps in existing knowledge. By understanding what has already been studied, you can ensure that your research addresses new questions and contributes original insights, rather than repeating previous work.

Ø Developing Research Design: A literature review aids in developing research design by providing insights into methodologies and data collection techniques used in previous studies. This helps you choose the most appropriate methods for your research, ensuring that your study is well-structured and effective.

 

Steps in Literature Review

1. Identifying Relevant Sources

Start by identifying sources that are relevant to your research topic. This involves searching academic databases, journals, books, and credible websites for studies related to social media marketing and customer engagement in small businesses. Search for articles, research papers, and case studies on social media marketing strategies, customer engagement metrics, and the impact on small businesses.

2. Evaluate and Select Sources: Assess the credibility, relevance, and quality of the sources you find. Consider the author's credentials, publication date, peer-reviewed status, and relevance to your research question. For example, choose recent, peer-reviewed articles by reputable authors in the field of marketing. This step ensures that you use high-quality and relevant sources in your review.

3. Organizing, Reading, Analyzing, and Extracting Relevant Information

Categorize the selected sources based on themes, methodologies, or other criteria. Read the obtained literature thoroughly to understand the key findings, methodologies, and conclusions. Summarize the key findings from the literature and identify patterns, trends, and gaps. Extract the relevant information from the literature that directly relates to your research question. This includes key findings, theories, methodologies, and any data that supports your study.

4. Develop a Theoretical Framework: Create a structure that explains the relationships between the variables in your study. For example, use theories like the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain how small businesses adopt social media marketing. This step provides a theoretical basis for your research.

5. Writing Up the Literature Review

Structure your review with an introduction, body (organized by themes or chronological order), and conclusion. Write a literature review that starts with an introduction to social media marketing, discusses various strategies and their impact on customer engagement, highlights gaps in the research, and concludes with the need for further studies on small businesses.

6. Citing Sources Properly

Ensure all sources are properly cited to give credit to the original authors and avoid plagiarism. Use citation styles like APA, MLA, or Chicago. Use APA style to cite articles and books in your literature review, ensuring that all references are accurately documented.

 

Literature Search through the Internet

Conducting a literature search through the internet is a crucial step in the research process. It involves systematically searching for and evaluating existing research and publications related to your topic. This process helps you gather valuable information, identify gaps in knowledge, and build a solid foundation for your study. Here are some techniques involved:

1. Identify Keywords: Start by identifying specific terms related to your research topic. These keywords will help you find relevant literature. For example, if you're researching the impact of social media marketing, your keywords might include "social media marketing," "consumer behavior," "digital marketing," and "online advertising."

2. Use Academic Databases: Access academic databases to find scholarly articles, research papers, and other credible sources. The internet provides access to a wide range of academic databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, PubMed, etc. For instance, you can use Google Scholar to search for articles on "social media marketing and consumer behavior."

3. Evaluate Sources: Assess the credibility, relevance, and quality of the sources you find. Consider the author's credentials, publication date, peer-reviewed status, and relevance to your research question. Choose recent, peer-reviewed articles by reputable authors in the field of marketing.

 

Theoretical Framework

A theoretical framework is a structure that guides your research by providing a clear perspective and context. It consists of theories and concepts that are relevant to your research topic and helps in defining the relationships between variables. It is a logically developed, described, and elaborated network of associations among variables that have been identified through literature review.

Theoretical frameworks, as previously discussed, encompass concepts, their definitions, and the theories pertinent to a particular study. They play a crucial role throughout the research process, from inception to conclusion. Theoretical frameworks support research in multiple ways. They allow readers to critically evaluate theoretical assumptions, connect researchers to existing knowledge, and provide a foundation for hypotheses and research methods.

For instance, consider the research topic "The Impact of Employee Training on Job Performance." In this context, the key concepts are employee training and job performance. Relevant theories such as Social Learning Theory and Human Capital Theory can be integrated to explain how providing employees with skills and knowledge enhances the quality of their work. Theoretical frameworks illustrate the relationships between variables based on prior studies, offering a structured approach for data collection and analysis. They help interpret results cohesively, ensuring that findings are grounded in established theories and concepts. By providing a comprehensive structure, theoretical frameworks enhance the clarity and coherence of research studies, making them indispensable tools for researchers.

 

Research Problem

A research problem is a specific issue or gap in knowledge that your study aims to address. It defines the focus and direction of your research.

Purpose

1. Focus the Study: Define the scope and direction of your research, ensuring it is manageable and relevant.

2. Justify the Research: Explain the significance of the problem and why it is worth investigating.

Example: In today's competitive business environment, companies are constantly seeking ways to improve employee performance and productivity. One of the key strategies employed by organizations is investing in employee training programs. However, the effectiveness of these training programs in enhancing job performance is not always clear. This creates a gap in knowledge that needs to be addressed.

Research Problem: "How does employee training impact job performance?"

This research problem highlights a specific issue that is relevant in the current business environment. With the increasing emphasis on employee development, understanding the impact of training programs on job performance is crucial for organizations to make informed decisions about their training investments.

 

Statement of Research Objectives

Research objectives are specific, clearly defined goals that a study aims to achieve. They serve as the foundation of the research process, providing a roadmap for the entire study. By outlining what the researcher intends to accomplish, research objectives ensure that the study remains focused, relevant, and aligned with its intended goals. These objectives are crucial for guiding the research process, as they help in determining the scope, direction, and methodology of the study.

The primary purpose of research objectives is to provide direction for the research. They help researchers stay on track by clearly stating what they aim to achieve. This focus is essential for maintaining the relevance and manageability of the study. Without well-defined objectives, research can become unfocused and overwhelming, leading to inconclusive or irrelevant results.

Additionally, research objectives play a vital role in measuring the success of a study. By setting specific goals, researchers can evaluate whether their study has met its intended outcomes. This evaluation is crucial for determining the effectiveness of the research and for making any necessary adjustments to the study design or methodology. For example, an objective like "To analyze the impact of training on employee performance and job satisfaction" provides a clear focus for the research and helps in evaluating its success. This objective outlines the specific areas of interest (training, employee performance, and job satisfaction) and sets the stage for data collection and analysis.

In summary, research objectives are essential for guiding the research process, ensuring that the study remains focused and relevant, and providing a basis for evaluating the success of the study. They help researchers define the scope and direction of their research, maintain clarity and focus, and measure the effectiveness of their study in achieving its goals.

 

Formulation of Research Hypothesis

A research hypothesis is a testable statement predicting the relationship between variables. It provides a basis for data collection and analysis. The purpose of a research hypothesis is to guide data collection by determining what data to collect and how to collect it. It also focuses the analytical process by providing a clear focus for testing. For instance, the hypothesis "Employee training increases job performance in tech companies" provides a clear prediction that can be tested through data collection and analysis. This hypothesis helps in structuring the research and ensuring that the study addresses specific relationships between variables.

Formulating a research hypothesis can be approached in different ways. Two common methods are through the observation of social events or conditions and through a literature review. Let's explore each method in detail:

1. Observation of Social Events

One way to formulate a hypothesis is by observing social events or conditions. This method involves closely examining real-world phenomena and identifying patterns or relationships that can be tested through research. By observing how certain variables interact in everyday life, researchers can develop hypotheses that reflect these observed relationships.

2. Literature Review

Another way to formulate a hypothesis is through a literature review. This method involves reviewing existing research and theories related to the topic of interest. By examining previous studies, researchers can identify gaps in knowledge, build on existing theories, and develop hypotheses that address these gaps.

Types of Hypothesis: Null and Alternative Hypothesis

When formulating a hypothesis, researchers often define two types of hypotheses: the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis.

Null Hypothesis (H0)

The null hypothesis is a statement that there is no relationship between the variables being studied. It serves as a default or baseline assumption that the researcher aims to test. The null hypothesis is typically formulated to be tested and potentially rejected based on the evidence collected.

Example: "Employee training has no effect on job performance."

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)

The alternative hypothesis is a statement that there is a relationship between the variables being studied. It represents the researcher's prediction or expectation and is tested against the null hypothesis. If the null hypothesis is rejected, the alternative hypothesis is supported.

Example: "Employee training increases job performance."

Criteria of Good Hypothesis

A good hypothesis is essential for guiding research effectively. Here are the key criteria that make a hypothesis robust and valuable:

Ø Testable: A good hypothesis must be testable, meaning it can be supported or refuted through empirical evidence. This requires that the hypothesis be formulated in a way that allows for observation and experimentation.

Ø Clear and Specific: A hypothesis should be clear and specific, outlining the expected relationship between variables in precise terms. This clarity helps in designing the research and ensures that the hypothesis is understood by others.

Ø Measurable: A hypothesis must be measurable, meaning that the variables involved can be quantified and analyzed. This allows for objective testing and validation.

Ø Simple: A good hypothesis should be simple and straightforward, avoiding unnecessary complexity. This simplicity makes it easier to test and interpret the results.

Ø Consistent with Existing Knowledge: The hypothesis should be consistent with existing theories and knowledge. It should build on what is already known and provide a logical extension or challenge to current understanding.

Approaches: Deduction and Induction

Deductive reasoning starts with a general theory and tests it with specific data. For example, testing the theory that "employee training increases job performance" by collecting data from various companies. If the data supports the theory, it is considered valid. 

 On the other hand, inductive reasoning starts with specific observations and develops a general theory. For instance, observing that employees in several companies perform better after receiving training and developing a theory based on these observations. This approach allows for the development of new theories based on empirical evidence.

Both deductive and inductive approaches are essential in research as they provide different pathways to understanding and validating relationships between variables.

Differences between Deduction and Induction

Basis	Deduction	Induction
Starting point	General theory or hypothesis	Specific observations or data
Testing	Tests specific predictions through data collection and analysis.	Formulates a general theory based on identified patterns.
Approach	Top-Down	Bottom-Up
Purpose	To test existing theories and establish cause-and-effect relationships.	To generate new theories and hypothesis based on empirical evidence.
Steps	1. Start with a general theory, 2. Derive specific predictions, 3. Collect data, 4. Analyze data, 5. Draw Conclusion.	1. Make specific observations, 2. Identify patterns, 3. Formulate a general theory, 4. Test the theory.
Example	Testing the theory that “employee training increases job performance by collecting data from various companies.”	Observing that employees in a several companies perform batter after receiving training and developing a theory based on these observations.