Selection & formulation of

research problem
Research Problem – is the first & most crucial step in the
research process
-specifies what you want to find out about or
-what research questions (problems) you want to find answers
to
Sources of research problems
1. Study Population i.e People: individuals, organisations,
groups, communities
2. Subject area
-Problems – issues/problems, associations, needs, attitude of
people towards an issue
- Programmes – evaluating he effectiveness of an
interventions,
-Phenomena – establishing the existence of an irregularity,
Sources cont.
Adedayo (2003) identifies 3
sources of a research problem
1. Researcher’s experience
◦ Employee motivation
◦ Organisational commitment
◦ Service delivery
◦ Corruption
◦ Company politics
-You observe but have no clear
explanations about relationships
between variables
Sources cont.
2. DEDUCTIONS FROM THEORY
-Formulate hypothesis to test theory e.g
relevance of Motivation theory to employees
in the mining industry
[Link] IN ONE’S OWN SUBJECT AREA
OF INTEREST e.g previous research
4. MOVEMENTS/DEVELOPMENTS -
originating outside own discipline or country -
expose us to new research paths e.g
globalization, global warming, gender issues,
Criteria for selecting a research
problem
Interest & intellectual curiosity –
to sustain required motivation
Magnitude- manageable given
resource constraints
Level of expertise- area which one
has knowledge & experience
Feasible- able to access information
Relevance- related to your field
Originality- no duplication but
repetition is acceptable
Criteria cont
Researchability- scientific
rather than philosophic
questions, variables that are
measurable or explainable
Significance – useful & reliable
knowledge contribution, no to
trivial problems
Steps in research problem
formulation
Identify a broad subject area of
interest to you
Dissect the broad area into sub
areas
Select what is of most interest to
you
Raise research questions
Formulate objectives
Formulate hypotheses
Steps cont
Example:
Step 1, Identify: Export
Marketing
Step 2, Dissect: reasons for
export marketing, success factors
for export marketing, barriers to
export marketing, benefits of
export marketing
Step 3, Select: Barriers to export
marketing
Steps cont.
Step 4, Raise questions
what impact have internal factors on
export marketing?
How do external factors affect export
marketing?
Step 5, Formulate objectives
To establish the effect of internal
barriers on export marketing
To determine the influence of
external barriers on export marketing
Steps cont
Step 6, Formulate hypotheses (an
educated guess about the problem
showing a relationship between different
factors, and waits to be approved)
-Internal barriers have a negative
influence on export marketing
-External barriers negatively impact on
export marketing
-External barriers have a stronger effect
on export marketing than internal barriers
Developing a Conceptual
framework
A research model showing the
relationships among variables in
the study
 Variables- indicators of a research
concept
factors which vary or change &
measurable
A variable is different from a
concept in that it is measurable,
hence a concept should be
converted into variables
Variables cont.
Researchers are mostly interested in
relationships between variables
shown by
(a) independent variable
(b) dependent variable
Independent variable- cause or bring
about change in other variables. Also
called Predictor/Precursor/Antecedent
Dependent variable- changed or
affected by independent variables,
sometimes through other variables.
Variable cont.
Also called an outcome factor
Examples:

An investigation of the impact of physical

exercises on job performance among
managers in the financial services sector
PHYSICAL JOP
EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

IV DV
An assessment of the influence
of servant leadership on
organisational commitment in
Zimbabwe state universities
SERVANT ORGANISATIONAL
LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT

IV DV
Variables cont.
 Other variables causing a change in a dependent are
(c) MODERATING VARIABLE-variable that has a
contributing effect on the originally stated
Independent-Dependent variable relationship

A moderator variable affects the direction or

strength of the relationship between the
predictor(ID) & the outcome (DV).
 E.g strategic planning (IV) leads to business
performance (DV) especially when managed by
educated managers (MV) or by female managers
(MV) or experienced managers (MV).
 Sex, race, level of reward, experience, age-
moderators
STRATEGIC BUSINESS
PLANNING PERFORMANCE

EDUCATED AGE OF
MANAGER MANAGER
Variables cont.
(d) MEDIATING/INTERVENING VARIABLES-accounts for the
IV-DV relationship, variable that is explained by
independent variables while also explaining dependent
variables
 -the nature of the mediated relationship is such that the
independent variable influences the mediator which, in
turn, influences the outcome
 the mechanism through which a predictor influences an
outcome variable (Baron & Kenny, 1986).
 In essence, a mediator plays dual roles in a causal
relationship. (a) being the dependent variable (b) acting
like an independent CUSTOME
QUALITY CUSTOMER
SERVICE SATISFACTION R LOYALTY
e.g:

ID MV DV
Example 2
A study to evaluate the
mediating impact of job
performance in the
Organisational support-business
performance relationship

ORGANISATIONAL BUSINESS
JOB
SUPPORT PERFORMANC
PERFORMANCE
E
A framework that combines all
important variables
A student’s intelligence
influences job prospects after
triggering the academic
achievement. However the effect
of student’s intelligence on
academic achievement also
depends on the effort invested by
the student in the learning
process.
Conceptual framework illustrated
as follows:
 EFFORT
(MV)

JOB
INTELLIGENC ACADEMIC
PROSPEC
E ACHIEVEMENT
TS
(IV) (MV)
(DV)
Variables cont.
Types of relationships among
Variables
Direct relationships eg one
predictor one outcome, one
predictor several outcomes,
several predictors one outcome.
Indirect relationships
Eg predictor, moderator &
outcome, or
predictor, mediator & outcome
Formulating research objectives,
questions & hypotheses

Research question
-Research questions help to develop
research objectives
How can the effectiveness of employee
training be measured?
How effective is the risk management
system in improving business performance?
How does gender moderate the relationship
between management styles and corporate
performance?
objectives.
Research objective
Indicate what the research study seeks to
achieve
-To establish suitable effectiveness criteria for
risk management system

-To determine those factors associated with the

effectiveness criteria for risk management met

-to develop an explanatory theory that

associates certain factors with the effectiveness
of risk management system
objectives
 Start objectives with words such as
 To determine
 To find out
 To evaluate
 To ascertain
 To measure
 To explore
 To describe
 To assess
 To analyse
 To compare
 To investigate
Hypothesis
An intelligent educated guess about the
possible answer to the problem
A tentative solution or view of
researcher
Hypothesis is subjected to rigorous
testing in view of findings
Variables measured must be testable
Specific outcomes may confirmed or
refuted hypothesis
Contains a dependent and independent
variable that are operationally defined
Categories of hypotheses
A hypothesis can be DESCRPTIVE or RELATIONAL
(a) Descriptive hypothesis
 Typically states the existence, size, form, or
distribution of some variables
Eg- Zimbabwean cities are experiencing budget
difficulties
-60% of Zim companies favour the reintroduction
of Zim dollar
- our potato chip market share stands at 13.7%.
- There are significant differences in the strategic
management practices between male and
female managers
 Researchers often use a research question
rather than a descriptive hypothesis.
 Either format is acceptable, but the descriptive
hypothesis has three advantages over the
research question.
1. Descriptive hypotheses encourage
researchers to crystallize their thinking about the
likely relationships.
2. Descriptive hypotheses encourage
researchers to think about the implications of a
supported or rejected finding.
3. Descriptive hypotheses are useful for testing
statistical significance
Relational Hypotheses
A relational hypothesis is a statement
about the relationship between two variables
with respect to some case.
Relational hypotheses may be Correlational or
Explanatory (causal).
(a) Correlational hypothesis-state merely that
the variables occur together in some specified
manner without implying that one causes the
other
(b) Explanatory or Causal hypothesis-there is an
implication that the existence of, or a change
in, one variable causes or leads to an effect on
the other variable
Cause means “help make happen”-the
independent variable needs to be the sole
reason for a change in the dependent variable
Stating of correlational hypothesis
 The number of suits sold varies directly with
the level of the business cycle
 People’s disposable income levels are
associated with a country’s economic
performance
Stating of causal hypotheses
An increase in family income leads to an
increase in the percentage of income saved.
Loyalty to a grocery store increases the
probability of purchasing that store’s private
brand products.
---- has a positive impact/influence on -----
High levels of ----- and associated with ----
---- leads to---
The role of hypothesis in
research
It serves important functions:
 It guides the direction of he study
 It limits what shall be studies and what shall not
 It identifies facts that are relevant and those
that are not
 It suggests which form of research design is
likely to be most appropriate
 It provides a framework for organising the
conclusions of the study
-therefore a good research hypothesis is one that
is adequate for its purpose and must be testable.
TOPICS
 Investigating students’ motivations to enroll
for an MBA degree
 The influences of sexual harassment on health,
psychological condition, work withdrawal and
turnover intention in Harare Metropolitan area.
 Perceived benefits and barriers to physical
exercise participation among first year
university students
 Service quality, Customer Satisfaction, Delight,
Trust and Loyalty as Predictors of Customer
Re-Purchase Intention in Mutare’s Retailing
Industry
 The Impact of employee involvement,
employee empowerment on Job Satisfaction
and Service Quality in Mash West Province.
TOPICS
 The effect of employee-customer
interactions and customer-customer
interactions on customer loyalty in
Zim’s cellular industry
 An analysis of factors leading to rising
credit risk in the Zimbabwe Banking
Sector
 The impact of enterprise risk
management practices on business
performance; the case of Zimbabwean
SMEs
 Analysing the perceived barriers to
innovation in SMEs in the Zimbabwean
panel beating industry
 Factors that patients consider in
selecting a health provider
Problem statement
 The researcher should identify a problem within
the organisation or the industry that the research
findings will help to solve (management
dilemma/management problem)
 a clear and concise description of the research
problem needs to be given.
 A clear expression of the truly existing
problem
 Challenging enough to deserve six month’s
study
 Solution of such would yield substantial
results
 This must be exclusively a management
problem
Research Gap
What previous research studies did not
address
Omissions or weaknesses of previous
research
How do we identify Research Gaps?
-Research gaps exist if the following exist:
1. Insufficient or Imprecise information
2. Biased information
3. Inconsistency or Unknown Consistency
4. Not the right information
Insufficient or Imprecise information
Insufficient information can arise is:
(a) No studies are identified in your proposed
research area
(b) A limited number of studies are identified
in your research area
(c) The information available in identified
studies is insufficient to allow a conclusion
(d) The sample sizes in the available studies
are too small to allow conclusions about
the question of interest
Biased Information
Information provided in research is
biased due to:
(a)Methodological limitations of
studies or the appropriateness of
the study design eg sampling
design, research approach,
research strategy used could result
in biased findings
Not the right information
Identified studies might not provide the
right information because:
(a) The results might not applicable to
the population and/or setting of
interest
(b) The optimal or most important
outcomes might not be assessed
(c) The study duration might be too short
to adequately assess some outcomes
which might be most important
Inconsistency or unresolved
issues/debates
-no universal agreement on a given
phenomenon eg academicians and
practitioners don’t agree on
-the impact of diversification on
company performance,
-impact of globalisation on the economy,
-organisational outcomes of dollarisation
in Zim
Creating a research
space/gap
X shows Y, however, this may not
be applicable in Hong Kong
While X shows Y, he fails to take
account of Z
Significance/Justification of the
research study
Should illustrate why the researcher is
conducting the research and whom it shall
benefit.
In this section the researcher describes the
values or the benefits that will accrue from
doing the study.
The significance of the study is concerned
with the relevance of the problem both to
the practice and theory.
That is, does the study explore an important
question, meet a recognized need or make
a useful contribution to practice and theory.
Introduction
A good introduction sets the tone and direction
of the report.
 It informs the reader what the research is
about, presents the overall research objective
and specific research question
 In particular, you need to make it clear what
specific business related problem or issue is
being addressed.
 What does your project contribute to address
this
particular problem or issue?
 What contribution do you hope to make to help
business with the problem or issue you have
identified and addressed?
 The introduction may also present and
summarise the contents of the remaining
sections to the reader
Background of the problem
 History of the problem under scrutiny is put
into context
 Explain shading more light as to how the
problem came into being, how it has become a
cause of concern , its magnitude &
consequences being caused by delay to find a
solution
 Statistics can be used to the seriousness of the
problem
 A review of efforts that have been made to
solve the problem in the past (previous studies)
with problem persisting
 How successful were these attempts (findings
of previous studies)
 Use a funnel approach to highlight the problem
(broader to specific eg from global to
continental to regional to country)
Topics
SMEs closing shop in the first 3 years. Ensuring
their longevity
Formalisation of informal sectors: success factor
 employees no longer commitment to
organisations: Factors that matter
Pre-paid water billing system: perceptions of
ratepayers
UZ MBA enrolment declining: determining
factors and strategies to arrest the problem
How Zim busisness environment influencing
women run enterprises
 Factors leading to high credit risk
Sections in chapter one
Introduction
Background to the study/problem
Statement of the problem
Research questions
Research objectives
Hypothesis/proposition
Justification/rationale/significance
Limitations
Scope of study
Chapter summary