BRM Chapter 2 - Dr. Xiao V1

Chapter 2
T H E R ES EA RC H P R O C E S S : A N OV E RV I E W
Copyright 2022 © McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.
2-1
Recap of Last Week
• What is research
– Deductive reasoning and Inductive reasoning
– Importance of Research in Business world
• Research language
– Concepts
– Construct
– Variables
– Hypotheses
– Theory
Copyright © 2020 UIC

Summary of Variable Types

Review: Variables
In any experiment, there are two main variables:
• The independent variable: the variable that an experimenter changes so
that they can observe the effects on the dependent variable.
• The dependent variable: the variable being measured in an experiment
that is “dependent” on the independent variable.

Review
Extraneous Variable
• Extraneous variables are all variables, which are not the independent variable, but could affect the results
of the experiment.
Extraneous variables should be

• (not important, and controlled) Control Variable: any factor that is controlled or held constant during
an experiment.
• (Important but not measure) In research that investigates a potential cause-and-effect relationship, a
confounding variable is an unmeasured third variable that influences both the supposed cause and the
supposed effect.
Example:
• Volume of Oxygen - > plant growth
• control variable: temperature
• confounding variable: humidity
Excise 1
IV Mediator DV
Venkatesh, V., Chan, F. K. Y., & Thong, J. Y. L. (2012). Designing e-government services: Key service
attributes and citizens’ preference structures. Journal of Operations Management, 30, 1–2, 116-
133. Copyright © 2020 UIC
Tang, X., & Rai, A. (2012). The moderating effects of supplier portfolio characteristics on the
competitive performance impacts of supplier-facing process capabilities. Journal of
Operations Management, 30, 1–2, 85-98.
IV Control variables
DV
Moderator
Kwon, K., Chung, K., Roh, H., Chadwick, C., & Lawler, J. J. (2012). The moderating effects of organizational
context on the relationship between voluntary turnover and organizational performance: Evidence from
Korea. Human Resource Management, 51, 1, 47-70..
DV
Control Variables
IV
Moderators
Interaction terms
Excise 2: Based on formula

Theory What you think
Cause Effect
Construct cause-effect construct Construct
operationalize operationalize
program-outcome
Program Observations
relationship
What you do What you see

What you test
Observation In this study
Differentiate with Hypothesis
• “A theory model is not simply a statement of
hypothesis”. A hypothesis is a representation
of a system that is studied. A theory is
systematic explanations of the propositions.
Theory Example
• Institutional Theory--Powell and DiMaggio (1991) 制度理论
institutional environment provides rule-like social expectations and
norms for appropriate organizational structures, operations, behaviors,
and practices 制度环境为企业结构、运营、行为和行动提供了规则
化社会期望和标准
 Coercive pressures 强制压力
 Normative pressures 标准化压力
 Mimetic pressures 模仿压力
Any examples/phenomena?
Theory Example – Institutional Theory
Teo, H. H., Wei, K. K., and Benbasat, I., (2003), "Predicting intention to adopt
interorganizational linkages: An institutional perspective", MIS Quarterly, 27, 19-49.
Theory Example
• Resource-based view (RBV)-- Wernerfelt (1984) 资源学派
• The basis for a competitive advantage of a firm lies primarily in the application of
the bundle of valuable resources at the firm's disposal 企业竞争优势主要来自于
它对企业内可支配的大量有价值资源应用
• Evaluate whether these resources fulfill the following (VRIN) criteria: 确定企业潜在
的核心资源评估这些资源是否符合以下标准
– 不可复制 In-imitable
– 有价值 Valuable
– 不可替代 Non-substitutable
• Care for and protect resources that possess these evaluations because doing so can
improve organizational performance 注意保护那些符合这些标准的资源，将有助
于提升企业绩效
Theory Example – Resource-based View (RBV)
Pavlou, P. A., and El Sawy, O. A., (2006), "From IT leveraging competence to

competitive advantage in turbulent environments: The case of new product
development", Information Systems Research, 17, 198-227.
Different Research Types
1-1 Structure of Research
1-2 Different Research Types

Structure of Research
Copyright © 2019 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 1-17
Business Research Type
Classification of main types of research
Type of research Basis of classification 分类标准
Applied or Basic research Outcome of the research
Deductive or Inductive research Logic of the research
Quantitative or Qualitative research Process of the research
Primary or Secondary research Data source of the research
Descriptive, Exploratory, Analytical or

Purpose of the research
Predictive research
Business Research Type - Outcome
Basic Research
• Attempts to expand the limits of knowledge.
• Not directly involved in the solution to a
pragmatic problem.
• Answer “why” question
• Answering questions Example: theory of relativity( 相
对论 ) -> Applying algorism to
Applied Research establish GPS （全球定位系统）
• Conducted when a decision must be made
about a specific real-life problem
• Answer “how” question
• Problem-solving
Business Research Type - Logic
Inductive Approach Deductive Approach
Business Research Type: Process
• What are we going to learn?
• What is the reasoning that the two
Quantitative Research 定量研究 types of research based on?
use of statistical, formulaic or numerical analysis 应用统计，公式、或数字分析
Main approach: analysis; causal determination, prediction, generalization of findings 主要
方式：分析、因果判断、预测、研究发现的概括
Main research method: experiment, survey, economics, modeling etc.
Qualitative Research 定性研究

Not quantitative; use of non-numeric techniques 非定量，用非数据性技术
Main approach: discovery; illumination, understanding, extrapolation to similar
circumstances 主要方式：发现、启发、理解、对相似情况的推断
Main research method: case study, interview, observations, documentations, ethnography,
phenomenology etc.
E.g. Ethnography ( 人种志 ): The Chrysanthemum and the Sword ( 菊与刀 )
Business Research Type: Process
定量 Quantitative 定性 Qualitative
论证类型 -- 演绎 Deduction -- 归纳 Induction
Type of -- 客观 Objectivity -- 主观 Subjectivity
reasoning -- 因果 Causation -- 意义 Meaning
问题类型 -- 先验指定 Pre-specified -- 开放式 Open-ended

Type of -- 结果导向 Outcome- -- 过程导向 Process-oriented
question oriented
分析类型 -- 数据评估 Numerical -- 叙述描写 Narrative
Type of estimation description
analysis -- 统计推断 Statistical -- 静态比较 Constant
inference comparison
Business Research Type – data source
Primary Research (field research) 初步研究（实地调查）

data does not already exist, research collect original data. 数
据不存在，需要去收集原始数据
Secondary Research (desk research) 次要研究（文案调

查）
information has already been put together by someone else 信
息已经被收集
Business Research Type-- purpose
研究类型例子
Exploratory To find out what motives IT staffs to increase their
productivity 找出促进 IT 职员提升个人产能的因素
Descriptive Describe the difference between staffs with high and low
productivity 描述高产能和低产能职员间的差异
Analytical Analyze the relationships between the rewards given to the
staffs and their productivity levels 分析职员奖励和他们产能
的关系
Predictive A forecast of which variables should be changed in order to
bring about a change in the productivity levels of IT staff 预
测什么因素改变了能带来 IT 职员产能的变换
Research Process
2-1 Introduction to Research Process
2-2 How to use e-resources of UIC to start your
research

Research Thought Leaders
“Today, individuals increasingly keep their emails

and documents on remote servers in data centers
—in short, in the cloud. But the transition to the
cloud does not alter people’s expectations of
privacy.”
Brad Smith,
president and chief legal officer,
Microsoft
Learning Objectives
Understand …
The standards of good research.
What is happening within each stage of the
research process.
Research process pitfalls and their solutions.
Ethical issues at each stage in the process.
A Simplified Scientific Research Process
and Types of Research
Research Process
Stage 1: Clarify the Research

Question
Stage 2: Design the Research
Stage 3: Collect & Prepare
the Data
Stage 4: Analyze & Interpret
the Data
Stage 5: Report Insights &
Recommendations
Research Process
Research Process
Stage 1: Clarify the Research

Question
What role
does
curiosity
play in
exploration?
Children are innately curious. As

adults, we need to foster our
curiosity and constantly strive for
better and deeper understanding
of the phenomena around us.
Exploration
• Exploration is itself a type of research

• Highly unstructured
• Start with a “Google” search
• Narrow down your idea
Research Process
• Data Collection Design: Choose most

appropriate method for data collection
• Sampling design: from who does the data need
to be collected, how, and from how many
• Target population
• Define a case
• Number of cases
• Define the procedures for finding the
enough cases
Research design is the blueprint for

Research fulfilling objectives. Chapter 6 identifies
various research designs and Chapters
Design 7-14 discuss specific methodologies.
A sample is a group of cases,
Research Sampling participants, events, or records that
Design constitute a portion of the target
Project population (discussed in Chapter 15).
Instrument A pilot test is conducted to test
Development & weaknesses in the research
methodology to provide proxy data for
Pilot Testing selection of a probability sample
PicProfile: Emerging Research Techniques
Research Process
Stage 3: Collect & Prepare

the Data
Stage 3: Data Collection, Preparation, Examination
Covered in
Chapter 13
Data are collective units of information (e.g., production defects, purchases

or returns, a person’s attitudes, behaviors, motivations, attributes, photos,
recorded comments, etc.) from a subject or case (people, events, machines,
personnel records, etc.) measured by a data collector (person or a sensing
device or machine, digital or mechanical) following consistent procedures.
Stage 3:
Data Collection, Preparation, Examination
Collect the data
Deal with data errors/omissions
Reduce data to manageable size
Develop summaries (to describe

your data)
Data Characteristics
Abstractness Data could be abstract such as job satisfaction
Verifiability The data should be consistent
If a newspaper describes one of its reports as

Elusiveness exclusive, they mean that it is a special report
which does not appear in any other publication.
Trustfulness Accurately reflect the phenomena
Data Collection Protocols
Honest
Keep
Consistency = Confidential
verifiable data.
Consistency =
truthfulness.
Data Types
• Primary data are data the research collects to address

Primary
the specific problem at hand.
• Secondary data are originally collected to address a

Secondary problem other than the one which require the
manager’s attention at the moment.
Data Levels & Characteristics (1/2)
Nominal Classification
Ordinal Order
Interval Equal distance
Ratio Natural Origin
Data Levels & Characteristics (2/2)
• Nominal: Simply names or call them set of characters
Example: Gender, name
• Ordinal: Nominal + They have order

Example: Education
• Interval: Ordinal + the intervals between each value are equally split
Example: temperature in Fahrenheit scale:10 20 30 etc.; Age, Income
• Note that 20F is not twice as cold as 40F. So multiplication does not make sense on
Interval data. But addition and subtraction works. Which brings us to next point: Ratio
Ratio: Interval + multiplication makes sense (has the zero)
Weight: 60KG, 120KG.120 KG = 2 * 60 KG
Height: 60cm, 120cm. 120cm = 2* 60 cm
Research Process
Stage 4: Analyze & Interpret

the Data
Steps in Data Analysis and Interpretation
Refine Preliminary Analysis Plan
Look for Patterns
Apply Statistical Techniques
Support or Refute Hypotheses
Develop Insights &

Recommendations
What’s more ( 不会考 ~ 听听就好 )
1. Find rules – Decision tree

2. Instrumental Variable
3. Difference in Difference
Research Process
Stage 5: Report Insights &

Recommendations
Factors that Influence
Management or Academic
Oral/Written
Perspective Method
Research
Sponsoring audience or wider Report
findings, insights, recommendations
Content Audience
Research Process Management
Research Project Time Frame
Research Project Time Frame
Gantt Chart ( 甘特图 )

Research Process Pitfalls to Avoid
•Unresearchable questions: Not all management

ill-defined Management Problem questions are answerable.
•An ill-defined problem is one that addresses too
Unresearchable Questions complex/board issues and cannot be expressed easily or
completely.
•Manager’s Hidden Agendas: Sometimes a research
Manager’s Hidden Agendas study is intended to win approval for a pet idea or to
protect a decision maker.
•Researcher Inexperience: can lead to an inappropriate
Researcher Inexperience everything.
Snapshot: Research Leaving Country
Research Process Problems to Avoid
Overembracing Data Analytics
Favored-Technique Syndrome
Over-embracing Data Analytics means
that managers may feel that they do not
want to collect more data until they have
thoroughly evaluated all existing data.
While data mining can be a good starting
point, it will rarely address all questions
related to a specific management
dilemma.
Ethical Issues in Research Process
Deception
Bias Privac
y
Respec
Notice
t
Security Choice
Acces
s
Research Process
Actions that Deliver Effective Research
(Exhibit 2-1 presents the detailed actions that deliver effective business research )
Clearly defined purpose

Detailed research process
Thoroughly planned design
High ethical standards
Adequate analysis
Limitations revealed
Unambiguous presentation
Insights justified
Conclusions justified
Key Terms
• Case • Ordinal data

• Census • Primary data
• Dashboard • Ratio data
• Data • Recommendations
• Data analysis • Research design
• Findings • Research process
• Insights • Research question(s)
• Interval data • Sample
• Key Performance Indicator • Secondary Data
• Management dilemma • Target population
• Nominal data
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Chapter 2

Copyright © 2020 UIC

Copyright © 2020 UIC

Copyright © 2020 UIC

Extraneous variables should be

Copyright © 2020 UIC

What you do What you see

Pavlou, P. A., and El Sawy, O. A., (2006), "From IT leveraging competence to

Copyright © 2020 UIC

Classification of main types of research

Type of research Basis of classification 分类标准

Applied or Basic research Outcome of the research

Deductive or Inductive research Logic of the research

Quantitative or Qualitative research Process of the research

Primary or Secondary research Data source of the research

Descriptive, Exploratory, Analytical or

Inductive Approach Deductive Approach

Qualitative Research 定性研究

问题类型 -- 先验指定 Pre-specified -- 开放式 Open-ended

Primary Research (field research) 初步研究 （实地调查）

Secondary Research (desk research) 次要研究 （文案调

Copyright © 2020 UIC

“Today, individuals increasingly keep their emails

Stage 1: Clarify the Research

Stage 1: Clarify the Research

Children are innately curious. As

• Exploration is itself a type of research

Stage 2: Design the Research

• Data Collection Design: Choose most

Research design is the blueprint for

Stage 3: Collect & Prepare

Data are collective units of information (e.g., production defects, purchases

Collect the data

Deal with data errors/omissions

Reduce data to manageable size

Develop summaries (to describe

Abstractness Data could be abstract such as job satisfaction

Verifiability The data should be consistent

If a newspaper describes one of its reports as

Trustfulness Accurately reflect the phenomena

• Primary data are data the research collects to address

• Secondary data are originally collected to address a

Interval Equal distance

Ratio Natural Origin

• Ordinal: Nominal + They have order

Stage 4: Analyze & Interpret

Refine Preliminary Analysis Plan

Look for Patterns

Apply Statistical Techniques

Support or Refute Hypotheses

Develop Insights &

1. Find rules – Decision tree

Stage 5: Report Insights &

Gantt Chart ( 甘特图 )

•Unresearchable questions: Not all management

Overembracing Data Analytics

Clearly defined purpose

• Case • Ordinal data

Copyright © 2020 UIC

Primary Research (field research) 初步研究（实地调查）

Secondary Research (desk research) 次要研究（文案调