1.Why should a manager know about research when the job entails managing people products,
events, environments, and the like?
 Identify and effectively solve day-to-day problems in the work his
environment.
 Knowing about research raise the sensitivity of managers to the countless
internal and external factors from several influences operating in their work
and organizational environment.
 Knowledge of research greatly enhances the decision making skills of the
manager, by making the managers know how to make the right decisions.
 Knowledge of research helps managers to look at all the available
information in creative ways.
 Know how to discriminate good from bad research.
 Identifying the critical issues, gathering relevant information, analyzing the
data in ways that would help in decision making, and implementing the right
course of action
 Take calculated risks in decision making, knowing all the probabilities
associated with the different possible outcomes.
 Interact more effectively with research consultants who work for managers.
2. For what specific purposes is basic research important?
 To generate more knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon interest
and to build theories based on the research results. Such theories
subsequently form the foundation of further studies of many aspects of the
phenomenon.
3. When is applied research, as distinct from basic research, useful?
 Applied research is useful when the organization experience a specific
problems and needs to know the reasons and how to solve them, while basic
research is not useful in this case because it just builds knowledge in various
functional areas in business.
4. Why is it important to be adept in handling the manager-researcher relationship?
 Manager has to be knowledgeable about research, as by this way the
Manager will interact effectively with the research team.
 Manager must explicitly delineate the roles of the researchers and the
management by informing the researchers what type of information could be
provided to them and more important, and which of these records would not
be made available to them. Making these facts explicit at the beginning can
save a lot of frustration for both parties.
 If the researchers know the constraints right from the beginning, the
researchers might be able to identify alternate ways of tackling the problem
and to design the research in such a way as to provide the needed answers.
5. Explain, giving reasons, which is more important, applied or basic research
 Both of them are important, as the applied research is aimed at solving a
currently experienced problem, as current or prospective practicing
managers in organizations, they would be directly or indirectly engaged in
applied research.
 Managers would also be being alongside of new basic knowledge generated
by being in regular touch with the published research in the business
journals related to their sphere of work, some of which could be relevant and
applicable to their own business organizations.
6. Give two specific instances where an external research team would be useful and two other
scenarios when an internal research team would be deployed, with adequate explanations as to
why each scenario is justified for an external or internal team.
 Two scenarios where an external team would be useful:
1. If the problem is a complex one, as there is a possibility that even the
most highly qualified internal research teams are not perceived as “experts”
by the staff and management, and hence their recommendations do not get
the consideration and attention they deserve. However, the external team can
draw on a wealth of experience with different types of organizations that had
the same or similar types of problems, so that enabling them to think in a
divergent and convergent ways to an instant solution.
Ex: A company needs to make a research about the causes of losing
customers, and how to resolve it.
2. If there are likely to be vested interest due to certain powerful coalitions in
the organization to influence the internal team to conceal, distort, or misspresent certain facts.
Ex: A company needs to analyze in depth the reasons for absenteeism of
employees in the organization, and how to resolve this phenomenon.
 Two scenarios where an internal team would be useful:
1. If the time is of the essence in solving moderately complex problems, as
the internal team would require much less time to understand the structure,
the philosophy, climate, and the functioning & work systems of the
organization. However, there will be a considerable time in which the
external team will take to understand the organization.
Ex: A company needs to conduct a research about a low performance of its
manufacturing department. The internal team will be more knowledgeable
about the company and could resolve faster.
2. If there is a system-wide needed to establish procedures and policies of a
fairly routine nature, as the internal team will be available for implementing
their recommendations after the research findings for the new
procedures/policies are accepted. Moreover, they will be available for
evaluating the effectiveness of the new procedures/policies, and considering
further changes if and when necessary.
Ex: A company needs to conduct a research about the increase of corruption
in the sales department, and needs to apply certain policies and ethics to
resolve this problem.
7. Describe a situation where research will help you as a manager to make a good decision.
 For example, if the company experienced sales declines, so a manager must
conduct investigations of the factors causing the decline, where the location
of faults, synthesize information and how it happened, how to process
information and draw conclusions effectively to attract the right decision,
and ultimately what would happen if the process of solving the decision was
taken.
8. Given the situations below:
a. discuss, with reasons, whether they fall into the category of applied or basic research
Scenario
No.
Category of Research
Reasons
1
It is a Basic Research, however the It is classified as a basic research, because
example mentioned (Coca-Cola) is the research done chiefly to enhance the
an Applied Research.
understanding of such phenomenon (To
acquire or not to acquire other firms that
are operating in un-related realms of
business)) that is facing several
organizations whether it is risky or not.
However, the example is classified as an
applied research, because it has selected a
certain organization, a certain industry, a
certain micro-element, and a certain
macro-economical element.
2
The first statement can fall into a
Basic Research; however the
second statement can fall into an
Applied Research.
The first statement is classified as a basic
research, because the research done
chiefly to enhance the understanding of
the root causes for absenteeism of
employees that commonly occur in
organizations, and how to solve it.
The second statement is classified as an
applied research, because the research
done with the intention of applying results
of the findings to solve specific problem
(absenteeism of employees) currently
being experienced in a specific
organization.
3
Basic Research
This research will generate more
knowledge and understanding of this
phenomenon interest, as it will be
published in the medical journal to allow
other researchers in the future to build
theories based on these research results.
b. for Scenario 1, explain, with reasons, who will conduct the research.
An external team will be more effective to conduct such research, due to that this
problem is a complex one, as there is a possibility that even the most highly
qualified internal research teams are not perceived as “experts” by the staff and
management, and hence their recommendations do not get the consideration and
attention they deserve. However, the external team can draw on a wealth of
experience with different types of organizations that had the same or similar types
of problems, so that enabling them to think in a divergent and convergent ways to
an instant solution.
Scenario 1
To acquire or not to acquire: that is the question
Companies are very interested in acquiring other firms, even when the latter operate in totally
unrelated realms of business. For example, Coca-Cola has announced that it wants to buy
China Huiyuan Iuice Group in an effort to expand its activities in one of the world's fastest—
growing beverage markets. Such acquisitions are claimed to "work miracles." However, given
the volatility of the stock market and the slowing clown of business, many companies are not
sure whether such acquisitions involve too much risk. At the same time, they also wonder if they
are missing out on a great business opportunity if they fail to take such risk. Some research is
needed here!
Scenario 2
Reasons for absenteeism
A university professor wanted to analyze in depth the reasons for absenteeism of employees in
organizations. Fortunately, a company within 20 miles of the campus employed her as a
consultant to study that very issue.
Scenario 3
Effects of service recovery on customer satisfaction
A research scientist wants to investigate the question: What is the most effective way for an
organization to recover from a service failure? Her objective is to provide guidelines for
establishing the proper “fit” between service failure and service recovery that will generalize
across a variety of service industries.