Major Steps in Research:

Major Steps in Research:

* Development and Formulation of Research Problem (Discovering the Management Dilemma, defining the Research Question)

* Formulating the Theoretical Framework

* Research Methodology (Research Design Strategy)

* Gathering of Data

* Analysis and Presentation of Data

* Research Proposal/Reporting

Management Dilemma - the basic dilemma that prompts the research.

-usually a symptom of an actual problem such as:

* Rising costs.

* Increasing tenant move-outs from an apartment complex.

* Increasing employee turnover in a restaurant

Management Question – restates the dilemma in question form:

* What should be done to reduce costs?

* What should be done to increase tenant residency and reduce move-outs?

* What should be done to reduce employee turnover?

Once the researcher has a clear statement of the management question, he must translate it into a research question. A research question is the hypothesis of choice that best states the objectives of the research study. Consider the research question to be a fact-oriented, information-gathering question.

Theoretical Framework - is used in research to outline possible courses of action or to present a preferred approach to an idea or thought. A type of intermediate theory that attempts to connect to all aspects of inquiry (e.g., problem definition, purpose, literature review, methodology, data collection and analysis). Conceptual frameworks can act like maps that give coherence to empirical inquiry. Because conceptual frameworks are potentially so close to empirical inquiry, they take different forms depending upon the research question or problem.

Designing the study

Research Design – the blueprint for fulfilling objectives and answering questions. You may decide on a secondary data study, case study, survey, experiment, or simulation. If a survey is selected, should it be administered by mail, computer, telephone,...