Transcript Chapter 4 - McGraw Hill Higher Education

Chapter 5
Clarifying the Research
Question through Secondary
Data and Exploration
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Learning Objectives
Understand...
The purpose and process of exploratory research.
The two types and three levels of management
decision-related secondary sources.
The five types of external information and the
factors for evaluating the value of a source and
its content.
5-2
Learning Objectives
Understand . . .
The process of using exploratory research to
understand the management dilemma and work
through the stages of analysis necessary to
formulate the research question (and,
ultimately, investigative questions and
measurement questions).
What is involved in internal data mining and how
internal data-mining techniques differ from
literature searches.
5-3
Clarifying the Research Question
Reduces Information Overload
“Companies are certainly aware of data
mining, but most companies are not making
effective use of the data collected. They
are not so good at analyzing it or applying
these insights to the business.”
Gregory Piatetsky-Shapiro
president
Kdnuggets
5-4
PulsePoint:
Research Revelation
33
The percent of financial executives
who have full confidence in their
current risk strategies.
5-5
Exploratory Phase
Search Strategy
Discovery/ Analysis
Secondary Sources
Expert
Interview
Search
Strategy
Group
Discussions
Individual
Depth Interviews
5-6
Integration of Secondary Data
into the Research Process
5-7
Objectives of Secondary
Searches
• Expand understanding of management
dilemma
• Gather background information
• Identify information to gather
• Identify sources for and actual questions
• Identify sources for and actual sample
frames
5-8
Conducting a
Literature Search
Define management dilemma
Consult books for relevant terms
Use terms to search
Locate/review secondary sources
Evaluate value of each source
and content
5-9
Whiteboard technology makes an easier
discussion of symptoms relevant to the
management-research question hierarchy
5-10
Levels of Information
Primary
Sources:
Memos
Letters
Interviews
Speeches
Laws
Internal records
Secondary
Sources:
Encyclopedias
Textbooks
Handbooks
Magazines
Newspapers
Newscasts
Tertiary
Sources:
Indexes
Bibliographies
Internet
search engines
5-11
Integrating Secondary Data
5-12
The
U.S. Government
is the
world’s largest
source of data
5-13
Information Sources
Indexes/
Bibliographies
Directories
Dictionaries
Types
Handbooks
Encyclopedias
5-14
Evaluating Information Sources
Purpose
Format
Scope
Evaluation
Factors
Audience
Authority
5-15
The Evolution of Data Mining
Evolutionary Step
Investigative Question
Enabling Technologies
Characteristics
Data collection
(1960s)
“What was my
average total revenue
over the last five
years?”
Computers, tapes,
disks
Retrospective, static
data delivery
Data access (1980s)
“What were unit sales
in California last
December?”
Relational databases
(RDBMS), structured
query language
(SQL), ODBC
Retrospective,
dynamic data delivery
at record level
Data navigation
(1990s)
“What were unit sales
in California last
December? Drill down
to Sacramento.”
Online analytic
processing (OLAP),
multidimensional
databases, data
warehouses
Retrospective,
dynamic data delivery
at multiple levels
Data mining (2000)
“What’s likely to
happen to
Sacramento unit sales
next month? Why?”
Advanced algorithms,
multiprocessor
computers, massive
databases
Prospective, proactive
information delivery
5-16
Data Mining in Business
5-17
Data-Mining Process
5-18
Business Research Process
5-19
Stage 1: Clarifying the Research
Question
Management-research question hierarchy begins by
identifying the management dilemma
5-20
Management-Research Question
Hierarchy
5-21
SalePro’s Hierarchy
5-22
Formulating the
Research Question
5-23
Types of
Management Questions
5-24
The Research Question
Break
questions
down
Examine
variables
Determine
necessary
evidence
Fine-Tuning
Set
scope of
study
Evaluate
hypotheses
5-25
Investigative Questions
Performance Considerations
Attitudinal Issues
Behavioral Issues
5-26
Harris Interactive
answers “Why?”
for its research
clients
5-27
Gantt Chart
MindWriter Project Plan
5-28
Key Terms
Bibliography
Bibliographic Database
Data Mart
Data Mining
Data Visualization
Data Warehouse
Dictionary
Directory
Encyclopedia
Expert interview
Exploratory research
Handbook
Index
Individual depth interview
Investigative questions
Literature search
Management question
Measurement question
– Custom-designed
– Predesigned
Primary sources
Research questions
Secondary sources
Source evaluation
–
–
–
–
–
Purpose
Scope
Authority
Audience
Format
Tertiary sources
5-29
Appendix
5a
Bibliographic
Database Searches
Appendices
5b
Advanced Searches
5-30
Searching Databases vs. the
Web
5-31
Advanced Searching Process
5-32
Review of Advanced Search
Options
5-33