20 page paper

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

The Role of Business Research

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Understand how research contributes to business success

Know how to define business research

Understand the difference between basic and applied business research

Understand how research activities can be used to address business decisions

Know when business research should and should not be conducted

Appreciate the way technology and internationalization are changing business research

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©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

ESPN Hits a Home Run

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• ESPN has information in many databases.
• Business research integrated it so they could learn more about how fans use their media.
• Gaining intelligence had bottom-line implications for their own revenue and their advertisers'

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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Business Research Defined

• Business research is the application of the scientific method in searching for the truth about business phenomena.
• The process includes:

idea and theory development

problem definition

searching for and collecting information

analyzing data

communicating the findings and their implications

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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Business Research Defined

• This definition suggests that business research information is:

not intuitive or haphazardly gathered

accurate and objective

relevant to all aspects of the business

limited by one’s definition of business

• Not-for-profit organizations and governmental agencies can use research in much the same was as managers in for-profit organizations.

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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Applied and Basic Business Research

• Applied business research

conducted to address a specific business decision for a specific firm or organization.

Example:

Should McDonald’s add Italian pasta dinners to its menu?

Which health insurance plan should a business provide for its employees?

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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Applied and Basic Business Research

• Basic business research (also called pure research)

conducted without a specific decision in mind that usually does not address the needs of a specific organization.

Attempts to expand the limits of knowledge in general.

Not aimed at solving a pragmatic problem.

Example:

Do consumers experience cognitive dissonance in low-involvement situations?

Does employee tenure with a company influence productivity?

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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The Scientific Method

• Scientific Method

The way researchers go about using knowledge and evidence to reach objective conclusions about the real world.

The analysis and interpretation of empirical evidence (facts from observation or experimentation) to confirm or disprove prior conceptions

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

EXHIBIT 1.1 A Summary of the Scientific Method

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©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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Managerial Value of Business Research

• There are only a few business orientations:

Product-oriented

Production-oriented

Marketing-oriented

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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Managerial Value of Business Research

• The decision-making process associated with the development and implementation of a business strategy involves four interrelated stages:

Identifying problems and opportunities

Diagnosing and assessing problems or opportunities

Selecting and implementing a course of action

Evaluating the course of action

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Evaluating the Course of Actions

• Evaluation Research

The formal, objective measurement and appraisal of the extent a given activity, project, or program has achieved its objectives.

• Performance Monitoring Research

Research that regularly, sometimes routinely, provides feedback for evaluation and control of business activity.

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

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When is Business Research Needed?

• The determination of the need for research centers on:

Time constraints

The availability of data

The nature of the decision to be made

Benefits versus costs (the value of the research information in relation to costs)

Will the payoff or rate of return be worth the investment?

Will the information improve the quality of the managerial decision enough to warrant the expenditure?

Is the expenditure the best use of the available funds?

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Harley-Davidson Goes Abroad

• Consumers in different countries have different preferences.
• Even if consumers want it, government regulations can make it prohibitive (e.g., India).
• Harley is pursuing the U.S. women’s market for bikes.

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©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Business Class Success?

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• Business-class travelers want comfort, good food, and convenient boarding, but the price is hefty.
• Two start-ups offered “discount” business-class-only airlines but failed.
• Could more effective research have determined that these were not feasible business ventures?

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Business Research in the 21st Century

• Communication Technologies

Always “connected”—time, place, and distance are irrelevant.

Decreases in information acquisition, storage, access, and transmission costs.

©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Business Research in the 21st Century

• Global Business Research

Business research is increasingly global.

Must understand the nature of particular markets.

Cross-validation

Verify that the empirical findings from one culture also exist and behave similarly in another culture.

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©2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

“Jacques” Daniels

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• Research findings:

Japanese use JD as a dinner beverage

Australian’s drink distilled spirits at home

British like to drink at bars and restaurants

Chinese prefer “knock-offs” to save money and enjoy it with green tea