Includes content taken primarily from the
slides and exercises offered in Quarter 3
from the Methodology & Data analysis 1
class from Saxion Enschede’s International
Business & Management Studies.
Methodology &
Data Analysis 1
Summary
Kathleen Gaillot
,Table of Contents
Week 1: Introduction, the Research Process and Problem Definition................................................................................................ 1
What is Research ............................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Basic Vs Applied Research .......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Methodology and Research Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 1
The Research Process ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Problem Identification .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Week 2: Research Questions .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Research Objective ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Research Questions ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Types of Research Questions.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Normative Vs Empirical Questions ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Descriptive Vs Explanatory Questions........................................................................................................................................ 4
Units, Variables, Settings ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Research Questions Vs Questionnaire Questions .......................................................................................................................... 5
Sub Questions ................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Week 3: Research Proposal ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Purpose of Writing a Research Proposal ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Structure of a Research Proposal ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Week 4: Conceptualisation and Operationalisation ........................................................................................................................... 8
Conceptualisation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Conceptualisation Process ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Variables ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Research Design ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Week 5: Selecting Units (Sampling) .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Quality .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
The Sampling Process ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Week 6: Defining and Collecting Data - Questionnaires ................................................................................................................... 15
Types of Data: Primary Vs Secondary ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Data Collection: Questionnaires ................................................................................................................................................... 16
Cover Letter .................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
Questions Classifications .............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Types of Questions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Types of Closed Questions ....................................................................................................................................................... 18
Scaling Techniques ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Reliability and Validity .................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Ethics and Questionnaire.............................................................................................................................................................. 20
,Week 1: Introduction, the Research Process and Problem Definition
What is Research
Research is about answering questions and answering them in a systematic way.
The goal of research is answering research questions based on data & observations.
Only collecting data is not research.
Research Capacities: Must develop an inquiring attitude, learn to apply research conducted by others, learn
to conduct research in your profession, have a critical attitude, be critical when finding information.
Who does research:
– (Market) Research – Government (Funded) – Universities
Agencies Agencies)
Basic Vs Applied Research
Basic Research Applied Research
Conducted to get a deep picture of a field of study/ Seeks to solve practical problems / business problem.
phenomenon/theory. Gaining new insights. Basic Practical Problem Solution.
Understandings.
It is about increasing knowledge for the sake of It is used to find solutions to everyday problems, and
increasing the overall level of knowledge. Universal develop innovative technologies. Understanding
Principles business problems.
Does not seek to solve a problem. Undertaken by Undertaken by people in business and universities.
people in universities
“Why” knowledge “How to” knowledge
e.g. A study looking at how caffeine consumption impacts e.g. A study regarding the export strategy Philips can use best
the brain. to export its wake-up lights to Canada.
e.g. A study which classified different leadership styles. e.g. A study into the ways of improving the levels of customer
retention for Wal-Mart.
e.g. A study about which factors motivate employees e.g. IKEA wants to investigate how they can use social media
while doing their job. such as Twitter to increase their brand awareness
Methodology and Research Methods
Research Methodology: Set of systems you use to avoid giving the wrong answer to research questions
Research Methods: Procedures regarding how to do (your) research, a system.
Research as a Cyclical Process
o Problems within companies
o Implementation and Evaluation are linked to the PDCA cycle:
PDCA cycle: is used to generate improvements within the organisation
1. Plan: Develop a plan to do research: the research proposal. E.g. Revenues
Starbucks Deventer are declining due to a new competitor with more
product variation (information found based on research)
2. Do: Perform the research based on your research proposal. E.g.
Introducing more types of coffee to increase the amount coffee sold. Target
of the company (Increase of 5% within a year)
3. Check: You monitor the results of the research and you evaluate the them based on the set goals. E.g. did
the revenues actually increase by 5% (why or why not?)
4. Act: You alter the research when the results do not meet the goals. E.g. If revenues did not increase, what
to improve at the research proposal
1
, Research as an iterative Process: repeatedly perform the same type of operations to eventually reach the
desired result.
The Research Process
The research process is not a straightforward process, it is iterative.
There are always feedback loops with the need to rethink, redraft or revise the various elements in the process.
1. Problem Definition
2. Research Questions
The Research Process
3. Conceptualisation
4. Operationalisation
5. Selecting Units
6. Data Collection
7. Data Analysis
8. Interpreting Results
9. Conclusions
10. Recommendations
Problem Identification
[Part of step 1: Problem Definition, of the research process]
o Problem: any situation in which a company needs information
Describes the current situation of the company and the desired situation
Problems are not necessarily negative
o Problem Identification: finding the context of the problem in the first phase of research by gathering
information about the company; Products/services, markets the company is active in (B2C, B2B),
Structure of the organisation, goals, mission, vision, financial situation, etc.
Can be gathered from company website, annual reports, interview with the manager.
o Symptoms: signs that something
is wrong; but is not the actual
thing that is wrong; it is an
effect.←
Creating a Cause-and-Effect
diagram helps distinguish
between causes and effects:
o Defining the Scope of the
research: selecting a problem to
investigate.
– Defining the current &
desired situation. ↓
slides and exercises offered in Quarter 3
from the Methodology & Data analysis 1
class from Saxion Enschede’s International
Business & Management Studies.
Methodology &
Data Analysis 1
Summary
Kathleen Gaillot
,Table of Contents
Week 1: Introduction, the Research Process and Problem Definition................................................................................................ 1
What is Research ............................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Basic Vs Applied Research .......................................................................................................................................................... 1
Methodology and Research Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 1
The Research Process ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Problem Identification .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Week 2: Research Questions .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Research Objective ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Research Questions ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Types of Research Questions.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Normative Vs Empirical Questions ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Descriptive Vs Explanatory Questions........................................................................................................................................ 4
Units, Variables, Settings ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Research Questions Vs Questionnaire Questions .......................................................................................................................... 5
Sub Questions ................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Week 3: Research Proposal ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Purpose of Writing a Research Proposal ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Structure of a Research Proposal ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Week 4: Conceptualisation and Operationalisation ........................................................................................................................... 8
Conceptualisation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Conceptualisation Process ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Variables ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Research Design ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Week 5: Selecting Units (Sampling) .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Quality .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
The Sampling Process ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Week 6: Defining and Collecting Data - Questionnaires ................................................................................................................... 15
Types of Data: Primary Vs Secondary ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Data Collection: Questionnaires ................................................................................................................................................... 16
Cover Letter .................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
Questions Classifications .............................................................................................................................................................. 17
Types of Questions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Types of Closed Questions ....................................................................................................................................................... 18
Scaling Techniques ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Reliability and Validity .................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Ethics and Questionnaire.............................................................................................................................................................. 20
,Week 1: Introduction, the Research Process and Problem Definition
What is Research
Research is about answering questions and answering them in a systematic way.
The goal of research is answering research questions based on data & observations.
Only collecting data is not research.
Research Capacities: Must develop an inquiring attitude, learn to apply research conducted by others, learn
to conduct research in your profession, have a critical attitude, be critical when finding information.
Who does research:
– (Market) Research – Government (Funded) – Universities
Agencies Agencies)
Basic Vs Applied Research
Basic Research Applied Research
Conducted to get a deep picture of a field of study/ Seeks to solve practical problems / business problem.
phenomenon/theory. Gaining new insights. Basic Practical Problem Solution.
Understandings.
It is about increasing knowledge for the sake of It is used to find solutions to everyday problems, and
increasing the overall level of knowledge. Universal develop innovative technologies. Understanding
Principles business problems.
Does not seek to solve a problem. Undertaken by Undertaken by people in business and universities.
people in universities
“Why” knowledge “How to” knowledge
e.g. A study looking at how caffeine consumption impacts e.g. A study regarding the export strategy Philips can use best
the brain. to export its wake-up lights to Canada.
e.g. A study which classified different leadership styles. e.g. A study into the ways of improving the levels of customer
retention for Wal-Mart.
e.g. A study about which factors motivate employees e.g. IKEA wants to investigate how they can use social media
while doing their job. such as Twitter to increase their brand awareness
Methodology and Research Methods
Research Methodology: Set of systems you use to avoid giving the wrong answer to research questions
Research Methods: Procedures regarding how to do (your) research, a system.
Research as a Cyclical Process
o Problems within companies
o Implementation and Evaluation are linked to the PDCA cycle:
PDCA cycle: is used to generate improvements within the organisation
1. Plan: Develop a plan to do research: the research proposal. E.g. Revenues
Starbucks Deventer are declining due to a new competitor with more
product variation (information found based on research)
2. Do: Perform the research based on your research proposal. E.g.
Introducing more types of coffee to increase the amount coffee sold. Target
of the company (Increase of 5% within a year)
3. Check: You monitor the results of the research and you evaluate the them based on the set goals. E.g. did
the revenues actually increase by 5% (why or why not?)
4. Act: You alter the research when the results do not meet the goals. E.g. If revenues did not increase, what
to improve at the research proposal
1
, Research as an iterative Process: repeatedly perform the same type of operations to eventually reach the
desired result.
The Research Process
The research process is not a straightforward process, it is iterative.
There are always feedback loops with the need to rethink, redraft or revise the various elements in the process.
1. Problem Definition
2. Research Questions
The Research Process
3. Conceptualisation
4. Operationalisation
5. Selecting Units
6. Data Collection
7. Data Analysis
8. Interpreting Results
9. Conclusions
10. Recommendations
Problem Identification
[Part of step 1: Problem Definition, of the research process]
o Problem: any situation in which a company needs information
Describes the current situation of the company and the desired situation
Problems are not necessarily negative
o Problem Identification: finding the context of the problem in the first phase of research by gathering
information about the company; Products/services, markets the company is active in (B2C, B2B),
Structure of the organisation, goals, mission, vision, financial situation, etc.
Can be gathered from company website, annual reports, interview with the manager.
o Symptoms: signs that something
is wrong; but is not the actual
thing that is wrong; it is an
effect.←
Creating a Cause-and-Effect
diagram helps distinguish
between causes and effects:
o Defining the Scope of the
research: selecting a problem to
investigate.
– Defining the current &
desired situation. ↓
