Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
ELEMENTS (Components) OF RESEARCH DESIGN
Choose among each component that offers several critical choices
HOW (Criteria for selecting)
 What is the reason of the research?
 To what extent the result will affect your decision?
 Will it be used for a critical decision? (eg.like investment decision)
(strategic or tactical or operational importance of the decision)
 What is the required degree of precision and confidence?
 Extent of generalization required.
 Is there sufficient time available for such a research?
 What is the budget allocated for the research?
SUMMARY: Ask the following question at every point of selection
Whether the benefits that result from
a more sophisticated design
to ensure accuracy, confidence,
generalizability, etc., are
WORTH
the investment of more resources?
1
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
TYPES OF
RESEARCH 
(Common
classification)
EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH
DESCRIPTIVE CAUSAL
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
PURPOSE OF
THE STUDY
EXPLORATORY
DESCRIPTIVE HYPOTHESIS
TESTING
 It is the purpose rather than a technique that determines whether a
study is exploratory, descriptive or causal.
TYPE OF THE INVESTIGATION
CORRELATIONAL
CAUSAL
COMPARISON (Difference)
TYPE OF INVESTIGATION - Causal versus non causal (correlational)
Correlational  When the researcher is interested in delineating the important
variables that are associated with the problem. Study can be
conducted in the natural setting where events occur without
researcher interfering with the variables. (No manipulation of
independent variable)
Causal
When the researcher want to delineate the cause of a problem
Some variables have to be manipulated and others controlled
2
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
Make EXPLORATORY Study
FOR
Obtaining better understanding of the phenomena
To define the problem more clearly- refer: what is a problem
 Diagnosing a situation (hot issues in company, concern of employees,
customers, suppliers, concern of company, sector, countries)
 Discovering new ideas, seeking for new opportunities. (workers having
suggestions for improvement like increasing production, reducing cost,
customers suggestions for new products to develop.
THEN
Proceed with more rigorous research
Usually data is collected by interviews, observations and when the data reveal
some pattern regarding the phenomena of interest then
Theories are built - Hypothesis are developed
“NOT”s
 Doing a study for the first time in a particular organization does not make the
research exploratory in nature
 Purpose is to help formulate the problem and clarify concepts rather than
developing a conclusive evidence
THREE GENERAL CATEGORIES OF EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH
(Classified on the basis of data collection - information gathering)
 EXPERIENCE SURVEYS - Discussions with knowledgeable people, both
inside and outside the company.
 SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS - Not only used for exploring
(exploratory research but also for descriptive and conclusive research.
 CASE STUDIES
 PILOT STUDIES
1-FOCUS GROUP
2-PROJECTIVE METHODS
3-DEPTH INTERVIEWS
3
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
DESCRIPTIVE STUDY
Describing the characteristics of a
variable in a given situation
 Like demographic characteristics
of individuals,
like employees, customers
organizations
 like production levels, assets, locations,
sales, inventory levels, suppliers, profits,
financial ratios.
industries
 like economical, financial indicators
pertaining to the industries.
For the purpose of :




Understanding the characteristics of a group in a given situation
Aid in thinking systematically about aspects in a given situation
Offer ideas for further research
Can be ultimately used for decision purposes.
Exploratory  Qualitative data may help to understand the phenomena
Descriptive  More quantitative data in terms of frequencies,
measures of central tendencies (mean, median, mode, quartiles, percentiles)
measures of dispersion (standard deviation)
HYPOTHESIS TESTING
(refer to discussion on causal & correlational type of
investigation)
Nature of certain relationships
Establish the differences among groups
Independence of two or more factors(variables)
Discussion of null (Ho) and alternative hypothesis (Ha)
Final Word on selection among exploratory, descriptive and hypothesis testing
Rigorness increase
Cost increase
4
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
STUDY SETTING
CONTRIVED
- Artificial Setting
NONCONTRIVED - Natural environment where
events naturally occur
FIELD STUDY
- A noncontrived setting with minimal researcher
interference.
Correlational studies
FIELD EXPERIMENT - A noncontrived setting with researcher interference to a
moderate extent.
Cause -effect relationship
LAB EXPERIMENT
- A contrived setting with researcher interference to the
maximum extent.
Cause- effect relationship
UNIT OF ANALYSIS
INDIVIDUALS ; DYADS (Wife- Husband, Superior-Subordinate); GROUPS;
DIVISIONS; INDUSTRY; COUNTRIES.
TIME HORIZON: CROSS SECTIONAL ; LONGITUDINAL
VALIDITY
INTERNAL VALIDITY : Refers to the extent of the confidence in the cause
effect that variable X causes variable Y.
EXTERNAL VALIDITY: Refers to the extent of generalizability of the results
of a causal study to other people, events or settings.
There is a trade-off between external validity and internal validity
For  internal validity thight control
5
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
Most exploratory research is qualitative rather than
quantitative
Three interrelated purposes
Diagnosing a situation
Screening alternatives –
concept testing
Discovering new ideas
GENERAL CATEGORIES OF EXPLORATORY
RESEARCH
(Classified on the basis of data collection - information gathering)
CATEGORIES
EXPLANATIONS
Discussions with knowledgeable
EXPERIENCE SURVEYS people, both inside and outside the
company
Not only used for exploring
(exploratory research) but also for
SECONDARY DATA
descriptive and conclusive research.
ANALYSIS
Preliminary review of data to clarify
issues in the early stages
Investigating one or few situations
similar to the researchers’ problem
CASE STUDIES
and describing the case situation
Small scale exploratory research
technique that uses sampling but does
PILOT STUDIES
not apply rigorous standards
6
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
PILOT STUDIES
FOCUS
PROJECTIVE
DEPTH INTERVIEW
FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW
A-Advantages Explanations
Synergism
Combined effort
Serendipity
Opportunity to develop the idea to its full significance
Snowballing
Chain of responses
Stimulation
Stimulating, motivating the respondents to express.
Security
Focus is on the group rather than the indivual
Spontaneity
People speak if they have definite feelings
Specialization Group is interviewed by the highly trained interviewer
(moderator)
Scrunity
Structure
Speed
Observed by several people. As the session can be tape
recorded it can be later examined in detail
Moderator as a participant control the discussions.
Open and reopen the topics
Interviewing more than one respondent at the same time
B-Group composition: 6 to 10 individuals; homogenous groups with
similar lifestyles, job classes, experience and communication skills
7
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
C - Environmental conditions: Site should be research agency,
office conference room and or a hotel (relaxed and natural)
D- The moderators’ Job
 Everyone should get a chance to speak
 Promote interaction among members
 Should gain confidence of people
 Make them feel relaxed and eager to talk
 Manipulate the flow of the discussion to generate fresh ideas
E -Planning the focus group outline; Discussion guide
Written remarks and outline of topics that will be discussed
F - Focus group that use video conferencing–remote locations
G - Focus group as diagnostic tools
Can be used to diagnose problems suggested by quantitative
research. Quantitative research may be short on “why” though it
is possible to understand what is happening.
H – Shortcomings – Dominant participant
I - Interactive media and on line research - is beginning to
emerge
8
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES
An indirect means of questioning that enables a respondent to
“project” the beliefs and feelings on to a third party, onto an inanimate
object or into a task situation

Word association test: Subject is presented with a list of
words and asked to respond with the first word that comes to mind.
Used to pretest words or ideas to be used in questionnaire.

Sentence completion: e.g. A boss should not --------------
 Third person technique : Respondent is asked why a third
person (neighbor) does what he or she does or what he or she thinks
about an object, event, person,or activity. Respondent is expected
to transfer his or her attitutes to the third person.
 Thematic apperception test –picture frustration:
A test consisting of a series of pictures shown to research subjects
who are then asked to provide a description of the pictures. The
researcher analysis the content of these descriptions in an effort to
clarify a research problem.
DEPTH INTERVIEWS: A relatively unstructured,
extensive interview used in the primary stages of
research process.
9
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
DATA
INFORMATION
Recorded measures A body of facts that are in format
of certain phenomena suitable for decision making
GLOBAL INFIRMATION SYSTEMS AND
THE INTERNET
An organized collection of computer hardware and
software, data, and personnel designed to capture, store,
update, manipulate, analyse, and immeadiately display
information about worldwide business activity.
Decision support system is a computer based system that
helps decision makers confront problems through direct
interaction with databases and analytical software
Database is a collection of raw data or information arranged in
a logical manner and organized in aform that can be stored and
processed by a computer.
Software : Spreadsheets and statistical software is important
EDI : Networks link one or more computers to share data and
software.
10
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
Input management –Computerized data archieves : Input
includes all the numerical text, voice and image data that enter
data base systems. Input should be managed otherwise
garbage in - garbage out will occur.
Internet - Intranet – Extranet –host – server
File transfer protocol (ftp): a software that allows users to
establish an interactive file transfer sessions with a remote
host’s computer system so that the user can read and
download full-text versions of files from the remote system.
Search engines
SECONDARY DATA
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Less expensive
May not meet the researcher’s need
Obtained rapidly Format of the data may be inconvenient
Data conversion is necessary
Accuracy of the data should be verified Cross check
11
Research Methodology - Sule Ozmen
OBJECTIVE FOR SECONDARY DATA RESEARCH
DESIGN
1- Fact Finding : Statistics, facts about the population
2- Model building: Specifying relationship between two or
more variables. Developing descriptive or predictive
equations. Eg; market share; estimation of market
potential
CLASSIFICATION OF SECONDARY DATA
 Internal or proprietary data: Secondary data that are
created, recorded, or generated by the organization
 External sources:
 Books and periodicals,
 Government sources (DİE, HAZİNE)
 Stock market sources (İMKB, SPK)
 Chamber of commerce etc. İTO, İSO
12