Naval Bajpai - Business Research Methods, 2nd Edition

Research methods are such phenomena that every researcher wishes to learn. It has been observed that researchers find it difficult to conduct an in-depth analysis in their areas of specialization without a sound knowledge of the scientific process of conducting research. Researchers may consult many books and articles but their inherent inquisitiveness will remain unfulfilled if they lack patience in devoting time to understand research methods. They must remember that little knowledge is dangerous and devote time and energy to understand the essence of research before executing any type of research. This book provides an opportunity to understand the crux of research methodology in a scientific and systematic manner. Researchers who are potential readers of the book must systematically read all the chapters arranged in five broad segments. Resorting to any shortcut to focus on only a few chapters, leaving other chapters will not solve the purpose. This book is named business research methods as it deals with real examples from the business world that exemplify research method concepts. For example, it uses the example of consumer attitude or consumer satisfaction to deal with the different dimensions of research. It comes in handy even for a researcher involved in organizational behavior analysis, as any topic related to employee attitude or employee satisfaction can be dealt with using the same kind of research methodology by merely changing the dimension of study from business level to organization level. Similarly, other research topics related to varied streams, such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, social psychology, and so on can be analysed using the tools and techniques presented here. Broadly, any research related to primary data collection or field data collection can be effectively performed with the help of this book.

A basic prerequisite that any researcher who aims at becoming an expert at research methodologies needs to possess is sound knowledge in statistical techniques. Thus, before one sets out to read this book, it is advisable to first become familiar with application-oriented statistics. In fact, research methodology itself is designed using the concepts of statistics and hence, this book opens the dimensions of understanding research methods assuming that readers have prior knowledge of the fundamentals in statistics. For example, terms like average, median, mode, standard deviation and so on, which are dealt with in any good book on statistics, are used throughout the book. Similarly, readers must have a solid knowledge of probability and probability distributions. Business Statistics, a book developed by me and published by Pearson Education in 2009, provides a tool to understand some of the basic concepts of statistics commonly applied to research methods and will be a good read before a reader sets out to understand the business research methods presented here.

Designed to meet the requirements of students in business schools across India, the book presents case studies and problems developed using real data gathered from organizations such as the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) and Indiastat.com. Statistical concepts are explained in a simple manner without going into the derivation of formulas. The only prerequisite to understand these concepts is a basic knowledge of algebra. Further, the book uses a step-by-step approach to discuss the applications of MS Excel, Minitab, and SPSS in statistical analysis, thus familiarizing students with the software programs used in the business world. Clear instructions help readers to use these programs for statistical analysis and interpret the outputs obtained. The focus on interpretation rather than computation develops competencies that will aid students in their future careers as managers. This book guides students to make the best use of research methods by using a variety of learning tools. Each chapter opens with a list of learning objectives that introduce the reader to the topics covered in the chapter. This is followed by an opening vignette that links theory to actual industry practice. The introductory section in all chapters provides a broad outline of the subject. Scenarios from day-to-day life are used to illustrate complex theories. Problems are provided at the end of important sections to enable students to practice the ideas discussed. Solved examples framed using real data from organizations such as Indiastat. com and CMIE highlight the business applications of research methods. Unsolved numerical problems are designed to strengthen problem-solving skills. A case study at the end of each chapter acquaints the student with an assortment of organizational scenarios that they may encounter in future.