CLARIFYING THE RESEARCH QUESTION THROUGH SECONDARY DATA
AND EXPLORATION

A SEARCH STRATEGY FOR EXPLORATION

When researchers lack a clear idea of the problems they will meet during the study

Comprises

expert interviews

individual depth interviews

Discovery and analysis of secondary sources

literature search

Exhibit 5-1 Screenshot (382)

LEVELS OF INFORMATION

Secondary sources: interpretations of primary data, ex: encyclopedias, textbooks, handbooks, magazine and newspaper articles, and most newscasts

Tertiary sources: interpretations of a secondary source but generally are represented by indexes, bibliographies, and other finding aids

Primary sources: original works of research or raw data

TYPES OF INFORMATION SOURCES

ENCYCLOPEDIAS

HANDBOOKS

DICTIONARIES

DIRECTORIES

INDEXES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES

EVALUATING INFORMATION SOURCES

AUTHORITY

AUDIENCE

SCOPE

FORMAT

PURPOSE

MINING INTERNAL SOURCES

DATA MINING: discovering knowledge from databases stored in data marts or data warehouses to identify valid, novel, useful, and ultimately understandable patterns in data

DATA WAREHOUSE: an electronic repository for
databases that organizes large volumes of data
=> DINAMICALLY ACCESSIBLE

DATA MART: compile locally required information. The entire system must be constructed for integration and compatibility among the different data mart.

EVOLUTION OF DATA MINING

DATA-MINING PROCESS

Data collection => Data access =>data navigation => data mining

DATA MINING TECHNOLOGY

PATTERN DISCOVERY

PREDICTING TRENDS AND BEHAVIORS: examples of predictive problems: targeted marketing, forecasting bankruptcy and loan default

Modify: Modify or transform data.

Model: Develop a model that explains the data relationships.

Explore: Identify relationships within the data.

Assess: Test the model’s accuracy.

Sample: Decide between census and sample data.

THE QUESTION HIERARCHY:
HOW AMBIGUOUS QUESTIONS
BECOME ACTIONABLE RESAERCH

THE MANAGEMENT QUESTION

the restatement of the management dilemma in question form.

EXPLORATION

Exhibit 5-6 Screenshot (384)

An unstructured exploration allows the researcher to develop and revise the management question and determine what is needed to secure answers to the proposed question.

THE RESEARCH QUESTION

best states the objective of the business research study

more specific answers => more necessary
information to make decision

FINE-TUNING RESEARCH QUESTION

INVESTIGATIVE QUESTIONS

represent the information that the decision maker needs to know

must answer to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion

MEASUREMENT QUESTIONS

actual questions that researchers use to collect data in a study.

Custom-designed measurement questions

Predesigned measurement questions