business research methods

The following information is intended to give the reader some general guidance about planning a basic research work in their organization. The remainder of the information in the section presents an overview of methods used in business, how to apply them, and how to analyze and interpret and document results.

Research Designs Depend on Information You Need and Available Resources

Often, organization members need to know everything about their products, services, programs, etc. Your research designs depend on what information you need to collect in order to make major decisions about a product, service, program, etc. Usually, you are faced with a major decision due to, e.g., ongoing complaints from customers, need to persuade funders / bankers to loan money, unmet needs among customers, the necessity to polish an internal method, etc.

The more focused you are about what you need to gain by your research, the more effective and efficient you can be in your research, the shorter the time it will take you and ultimately the less it will cost you (whether in your own time, the time of your employees and/or the time of a consultant).

There’s trade offs, , in the breadth and depth of information you get. The more breadth you need, usually the less depth you’ll get (unless you have a great deal of resources to carryover out the research). On the other hand, in case you need to examine a sure aspect of a product, service, program, eta., in great detail, you will likely not get as much information about other aspects as well.

For those beginning out in research or who have limited resources, they can use various methods to receive a lovely mix of breadth and depth of information. They can understand more about sure areas of their products, services, programs, eta.,and not go bankrupt doing so.

Key Considerations to Design Your Research Approach

Think about the following key questions when designing your research plan:

1. For what purposes is the research being completed, i.e., what would you like to be able to choose due to the research?

2. Who are the audiences for the information from the research, e.g., funders / bankers, upper management, employees, customers, eta.

3. What kinds of information are needed to make the decisions you need to make and/or to enlighten your intended audiences, e.g., do you need information to understand a method, the customers who buy sure products, strengths and weaknesses of the product or service or program, benefits to customers, how the product or service or program failed some customers and why, etc.?

4. From what sources ought to the information be collected, e.g., employees, customers, groups of employees or customers, sure documentation, etc.?

5. How can that information be collected in a reasonable fashion, e.g., questionnaires, interviews, examining documentation, observing staff and/or clients in the program, conducting focus groups among staff and/or clients, etc?

6. When is the information needed (so, by when must it be collected)?

7. What resources are available to collect the information?