Assignment No. 1

11/10/2020
Assignment No. 1
Research Methods
Submitted by: Gulzar Ahmad

SAP ID: 22388
Riphah International University Lahore

What is research?
“Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the
observed phenomenon. Research involves inductive and deductive methods.”
What is the research methodology?

Research methods are broadly classified as Qualitative and Quantitative.
Both methods have distinctive properties and data collection methods.
Qualitative Methods
Qualitative research is a method that collects data using conversational methods.

Participants are asked open-ended questions. The responses collected are essentially
non-numerical. This method not only helps a researcher understand what participants
think but also why they think in a particular way.
Types of qualitative methods include:
• One-to-one Interview: This interview is conducted with one participant at a

given point in time. One-to-one interviews need a researcher to prepare
questions in advance. The researcher asks only the most important questions
to the participant. This type of interview lasts anywhere between 20 minutes
to half an hour. During this time the researcher collects as many meaningful
answers as possible from the participants to draw inferences.
• Focus Groups: Focus groups are small groups comprising of around 6-10
participants who are usually experts in the subject matter. A moderator is
assigned to a focus group who facilitates the discussion amongst the group
members. A moderator’s experience in conducting the focus group plays an
important role. An experienced moderator can probe the participants by
asking the correct questions that will help them collect a sizable amount of
information related to the research.
• Ethnographic Research: Ethnographic research is an in-depth form of research
where people are observed in their natural environment without This method
is demanding due to the necessity of a researcher entering a natural
environment of other people. Geographic locations can be a constraint as
well. Instead of conducting interviews, a researcher experiences the normal
setting and daily life of a group of people.
• TextAnalysis: Text analysis is a little different from other qualitative methods
as it is used to analyze social constructs by decoding words through any
available form of documentation. The researcher studies and understands the
context in which the documents are written and then tries to draw meaningful
inferences from it. Researchers today follow activities on a social media
platform to try and understand patterns of thoughts.
• Case Study: Case study research is used to study an organization or an entity.
This method is one of the most valuable options for modern This type of
research is used in fields like the education sector, philosophical studies, and
psychological studies. This method involves a deep dive into ongoing
research and collecting data.
Quantitative Research Methods
Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. It uses a systematic
way of investigating events or data. It is used to answer questions in terms of
justifying relationships with measurable variables to either explain, predict, or control
a phenomenon.
There are three methods that are often used by researchers:
• Survey Research — The ultimate goal of survey research is to learn about a

large population by deploying a survey. Today, online surveys are popular as
they are convenient and can be sent in an email or made available on the
internet. In this method, a researcher designs a survey with the most
relevant survey questions and distributes the survey. Once the researcher
receives responses, they summarize them to tabulate meaningful findings and
data.
• Descriptive Research — Descriptive research is a method which identifies the
characteristics of an observed phenomenon and collects more information.
This method is designed to depict the participants in a very systematic and
accurate manner. In simple words, descriptive research is all about describing
the phenomenon, observing it, and drawing conclusions from it.
• Correlational Research— Correlational research examines the relationship
between two or more variables. Consider a researcher is studying a
correlation between cancer and married Married women have a negative
correlation with cancer. In this example, there are two variables: cancer and
married women. When we say negative correlation, it means women who are
married are less likely to develop cancer. However, it doesn’t mean that
marriage directly avoids cancer.
What are the types of research?
Following are the types of research methods:
Basic research: A basic research definition is data collected to enhance knowledge.

The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It is a non-commercial research that
doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing anything. For example: an experiment to
determine a simple fact.
Applied research: Applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life

problems. This type refers to the study that helps solve practical problems using
scientific methods. Studies play an important role in solving issues that impact the
overall well-being of humans. For example: finding a specific cure for a disease.
Problem oriented research: As the name suggests, problem-oriented research is

conducted to understand the exact nature of a problem to find out relevant solutions.
The term “problem” refers to multiple choices or issues when analyzing a situation.
For example, revenue of a car company has decreased by 12% in the last year. The
following could be the probable causes: there is no optimum production, poor quality
of a product, no advertising, or economic conditions.
Problem solving research: This type of research is conducted by companies to

understand and resolve their own problems. The problem-solving method uses applied
research to find solutions to the existing problems.
Qualitative research: Qualitative research is a process that is about inquiry. It helps

create in-depth understanding of problems or issues in their natural settings. This is a
non-statistical method.
Qualitative research is heavily dependent on the experience of the researchers and the
questions used to probe the sample. The sample size is usually restricted to 6-10
people. Open-ended questions are asked in a manner that encourages answers that
lead to another question or group of questions. The purpose of asking open-ended
questions is to gather as much information as possible from the sample.
The following are the methods used for qualitative research:
1. One-to-one interview
2. Focus groups
3. Ethnographic research
4. Content/Text Analysis
5. Case study research
Learn more: Qualitative Research Methods
Quantitative research: Qualitative research is a structured way of collecting data and

analyzing it to draw conclusions. Unlike qualitative methods, this method uses a
computational and statistical process to collect and analyze data. Quantitative data is
all about numbers.
Quantitative research involves a larger population — more people means more data.
With more data to analyze, you can obtain more accurate results. This method
uses close-ended questions because the researchers are typically looking to gather
statistical data.
Online surveys, questionnaires, and polls are preferable data collection tools used in
quantitative research. There are various methods of deploying surveys or
questionnaires.
Online surveys allow survey creators to reach large amounts of people or smaller
focus groups for different types of research that meet different goals. Survey
respondents can receive surveys on mobile phones, in emails, or can simply use the
internet to access surveys.
What are the points are to be norted while studying the a research?
To choose the appropriate types of research, you need to clearly identify the
objectives. Some objectives to take into consideration for your business include:
• Find out the needs of your clients.

• Know their preferences and understand what is important to them.
• Find an appropriate way to make your customers aware of your products and
services.
• Find ways to improve your products or services to suit the needs of your
customers.
After identifying what you need to know, you should ask what research methods will
offer you that information.
Organize your questions within the framework of the 7 Ps of marketing that influence
your company – product, price, promotion, place, people, processes, and physical
tests.
What are the steps in finding research problem?

A well-organized customer research process produces valid, accurate, reliable, timely,
and complete results. Results that rigorously reflect the opinions and needs of your
clients will help you grow your sales and improve your operations. To obtain the
results, you need to establish and follow the processes that you have detailed out for
your organization:
Set your goals
Consider the client’s objectives and define those that identify with yours. Make sure
that you set smart goals and objectives. Do not presume the results of your surveys.
Plan your research
Good planning allows the use of creative and logical approaches to select the methods
that gather the most accurate information. Your plan will be influenced by the type
and complexity of the information you need, the skills of your market research team,
and how soon you need the information. Your budget also plays a large role in your
ability to collect data.
Collect and collate your results
Make a list of how you are going to carry out the research process, the data you need
to collect, and collection methods. This will help you keep track of your processes and
make sense of your findings. It will also allow you to verify that your research
accurately reflects the opinions of your clients and your market. Create a record table
with:
• The consumer research activity

• The necessary data
• The methods for data collection
• The steps to follow for data analysis.
Remember, research is only valuable and useful when it is valid, accurate, and
reliable. Relying on imperfect research is dangerous. Incorrect results can lead
to customer churn and a decrease in sales.
It is important to obtain information about how the collection of customer information
was carried out, and to ensure that your data is:
• Valid– founded, logical, rigorous, and impartial.

• Accurate – free of errors and including required details.
• Reliable – that can be reproduced by other people who investigate in the same
way.
• Timely – current and collected within an appropriate time frame.
• Complete – includes all the data you need to support your business decisions.
Analyze and understand your research
Analysis of the data can vary from simple and direct steps to technical and complex
processes. Adopt an approach, and choose the method of data analysis based on the
methods you have carried out.
Keep the findings ready
Choose a spreadsheet that allows you to easily enter your data. If you do not have a
large amount of data, you should be able to manage them with the use of basic tools
available in survey software. If you have collected more complete and complex data,
you may have to consider using specific programs or tools that will help you manage
your data.
Review and interpret the information to draw conclusions
Once you have gathered all the data, you can scan your information and interpret it to
draw conclusions and make informed decisions. You should review the data and then:
• Identifythe main trends and issues, opportunities, and problems you observe.
Write a sentence describing each one.
• Keep track of the frequency with which each of the main findings appears.
• Make a list of your findings from the most common to the least common.
• Evaluate a list of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that have
been identified in a SWOT analysis.
• Prepare conclusions and recommendations about your research.
Review your goals before making any conclusions about your research. Keep in mind
how the process you have completed and the data you have gathered help answer your
questions. Ask yourself if what your research revealed facilitates the identification of
your conclusions and recommendations. Review your conclusions and, based on what
you know now:
Choose some strategies that will help you improve your business
• Act on your strategies

• Look for gaps in the information, and consider doing additional research if
necessary
• Plan to review the results of the research, and consider efficient strategies to
analyze and dissect results for interpretation.

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11/10/2020

Submitted by: Gulzar Ahmad

Riphah International University Lahore

What is the research methodology?

Both methods have distinctive properties and data collection methods.

Qualitative research is a method that collects data using conversational methods.

Types of qualitative methods include:

• One-to-one Interview: This interview is conducted with one participant at a

There are three methods that are often used by researchers:

• Survey Research — The ultimate goal of survey research is to learn about a

Basic research: A basic research definition is data collected to enhance knowledge.

Applied research: Applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life

Problem oriented research: As the name suggests, problem-oriented research is

Problem solving research: This type of research is conducted by companies to

Qualitative research: Qualitative research is a process that is about inquiry. It helps

The following are the methods used for qualitative research:

Quantitative research: Qualitative research is a structured way of collecting data and

• Find out the needs of your clients.

What are the steps in finding research problem?

Set your goals

Plan your research

Collect and collate your results

• The consumer research activity

• Valid– founded, logical, rigorous, and impartial.

Keep the findings ready

Review and interpret the information to draw conclusions

• Act on your strategies

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