The document discusses research methods and SPSS. It begins by defining scientific research and outlining the research process. It describes the different types of research including exploratory, descriptive, explanatory/causal research. It also discusses quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Finally, it provides instructions on using SPSS including entering sample data on price (P), sales (S), and distance (D) and changing the variable names.

1. With Applications in SPSS

2. The research problem
What is scientific research?
Types of Research
The research Process
Its Characteristics
Ethics and Research
Steps in Your Term Project
» Discussion/Question-Answer Session
» Group Activity: Select a research topic according to the
criteria discussed in the lecture.
» Activity in SPSS : Introduction to SPSS
(Statistical Package for Social Scientists)

3. “All scientific work is incomplete – whether it
be observational or experimental. All scientific
work is liable to be upset or modified by
advancing knowledge. That does not confer
upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we
already have, or to postpone the action that it
appears to demand at a given time.”
A.B. Hill, The environment and causation, p. 300

4. » Whether, it be a scientific invention,
» …... a national geographic documentary,
» ……. a politician’s policy decision,
» …….. a commercial campaign for a new
product

5. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of
Current English (1986:720) defines research
as: “systematic investigation undertaken in
order to discover new facts, get additional
information”.
For Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2003:3),
research is:
“……..Something that people undertake in order
to find new things in a systematic way,
thereby increasing their knowledge….”

6. Scientific Research is a systematic process designed to
help us make accurate decisions. It follows the
principles of empirical verification.
For example if I want to establish that smoking causes
lung cancer, then I would conduct a series of carefully
planned observations designed to test this proposition.
These observations may include careful examination of
the levels of lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers.
It is this process of careful and unbiased observation of
the real world that is seen as the only route to a true
understanding.

7. » Pure and Applied
» Exploratory
» Descriptive
» Explanatory or Causal
7

8. Fundamentally there are two types of research problems:
pure or basic research that is necessary to generate new
knowledge and technologies to deal with major
unresolved problems and;
applied research that is necessary to identify priority
problems and to design and evaluate policies and program
to achieve greatest benefits, making optimal use of
available resources.
However, it is often practical to consider slightly wider
range of research as follow:

9. Figure 1.1 Basic and applied research
Source: Authors’ experience, Easterby-Smith et al., 2002, Hedrick et al., 1993

10. Exploratory research - which involves investigating a new
problem or issue;
» Initial qualitative research conducted to clarify and define
the nature of a problem
» Does not provide conclusive evidence
» Subsequent research expected
Descriptive Research- which involves determining the
limits of the application of exploratory work;
Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon
» Some understanding of the nature of the problem; and
Explanatory or Causal Research
» Conducted to identify cause and effect relationships

11. Action Research, which involves starting out
with a practical problem from the real world and
applying the available knowledge and
intellectual resources to solving the problem.
Complex social processes can best be studied by
introducing changes into these processes and
observing the effects of these changes (Marsick
and Watkins 1997).
o Academics jointly work with practitioners solving
a problem.
o However, it often lacks scientific rigor.

13. Intensive research sets out to identify how
causal processes work in a particular
situation; this approach is often exemplified
by the undertaking of case studies.
Extensive research on the other hand, sets
out to describe and explain, usually through
statistical analysis, how large groups of
people who have, for example, similar
perceptions, attitudes or social climates,
behave under certain defined conditions.

14.  Quantitative research
 Qualitative research
 Testing theory)
 Developing theory)

15. 15

19. it is generated by a question;
 it necessitates clarification of a goal;
 it entails a specific program of work;
 it is aimed at increasing understanding by
interpreting facts and/or ideas;
 it involves reasoned arguments to support
research conclusions; and
 it is not a linear but a cyclical process, therefore it
is called re-search.

20. Honesty is an essential characteristic of
research
Copying or presenting the work of other
researchers
Researchers should not be selective in
their presentation of results

21. » Is trans-disciplinary
» Engages with both theory and
practice
» Involves undertaking systematic
research
» Should be undertaken with rigour

22. Societal Accountability
Corporate Accountability
Moral Accountability
Conflict among accountabilities
22

23. 23

24. STEPS
Wish to research
Formulate and clarify research topic
(Lecture – 2)
Critically review the literature
(Lecture – 3)
Choose research approach and strategy
(Lecture – 4 & 5)
Gaining access to data and ethical issues
(Lecture – 6)
The
research
Process
Your
term
project

25. Plan data collection and collect the data using
one or more of:
a. Sampling
(Lecture – 7)
b. Secondary data
(Lecture – 8)
c. Observation
(Lecture – 9)
d. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews
(Lecture – 10)
e. Questionnaires
(Lecture – 11)
Analyse the data using one or both of:
Write project report & prepare your presentation
(Lecture – 14)
Give your presentation
(Lectures – 14 & 15)
a. Quantitative methods
(Lecture – 12)
b. Qualitative methods
(Lecture – 13)

26. » Start working on a research proposal
just now,
» choose a leader and a recorder (Ideally
these duties should rotate amongst all
group-members, provided your group
wishes so).
» Form a group of 5 members that will
work on this research assignment as
long as each group presents its
research proposal in the 13th & 14th
classes,

27. » Each group member will study Appendix 1, i.e. “Example
research project titles”, page 1-7; provided in the ‘Additional
Reading Materials’, placed at Photocopying Shop.
» Every member is advised to select two research topics
including one he/she likes the most and one he/she dislikes,
with a brief justification of why you like or dislike the two
topics selected. The topic would be selected either from the
enlisted ones or of your own choice.
» The group should then have a brainstorming meeting
discussing each member’s ideas about the selected research
topics, and should come up with one research topic considered
best by the group.
Continues on next slide…….

28. In next class, each group will present their selected topic written on a
flip chart, and the class will be invited to provide their input on the topics.
The group, through its team leader, will also turn in a 6-page group activity
report of the last week, on the following format.
Page 1 (front-page)
Assignment 1
Topic selected by the group
Name of group leader
Name of group-recorder
Names of group members
Page 2 to 6 (one page for one student’s activity report)
Assignment 1
Name of the student
1. Topic selected (which student likes the most)
Justification why he/she likes it
2. Topic which student dislikes
Justification why he/she dislikes it

29. Introduction to SPSS
• The Data Editor, Data View & Variable View
• Entering data (Steps for data entry)
+ Open SPSS’s ‘Data Editor’
+ Enter data in ‘Data View’ taking data from next Slide
(You can even copy data from Excel sheet or from a MS
Word’s table)
+ Go to Variable View, and change ‘VAR00001’ with P,
‘VAR00002’ with S and ‘VAR00003’ with D.
+ Go back to ‘Data View’ and check whether names/titles
of the variables have been changed.

30. P S D
1 210 600
2 230 560
3 265 525
4 310 495
5 380 472
6 472 442
7 550 395
8 615 336
9 690 265
10 770 190

31. » Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. 2007.
Research methods for business students. 4th
ed. London: Prentice Hall.