The Research Process and Business Research Standards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the research process stages, business research standards, measurement scales, sampling concepts, and ethical considerations from BM2406 01 Handout 1.

Research

A systematic process encompassing the collection, recording, analysis, and interpretation of information to generate answers to questions and contribute to the advancement of knowledge.

Business Research

A series of processes that involve planning, gathering, analyzing, and reporting pertinent data, information, and insights to decision-makers to motivate organizational action and maximize performance.

Purpose Clearly Defined

Business Research Standard 1, which mandates that the research problem, its scope, limitations, and operational definitions of all relevant concepts, constructs, and variables be clearly articulated in writing.

High Ethical Standards Applied

Business Research Standard 3, which requires measures to prevent mental or physical harm, exploitation, invasion of privacy, and loss of dignity to participants while ensuring data integrity.

Management Dilemmas

Symptoms of actual problems within an organization, such as rising costs, declining sales, or increasing turnover, that serve as the starting point in clarifying research questions.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Metrics monitored by an organization at company, business unit, and individual levels to compare performance against past results and industry standards.

Exploration

A typically unstructured research activity that involves seeking existing information, historic company data, reports, or proprietary databases to identify dilemmas and understand decision options.

Research Design

The blueprint for collecting data that fulfills project objectives and answers research questions.

Primary Data

Raw or unprocessed data recorded directly from subjects or cases, such as responses collected during a personal interview.

Secondary Data

Data that contains at least one level of interpretation, such as summarized graphical data in published articles or reports.

Nominal Data

A type of data categorized or labeled without implying any order (e.g., gender, race, or brand names).

Ordinal Data

A type of data categorized in a meaningful order but without consistent intervals between categories (e.g., rankings, satisfaction levels).

Interval Data

A type of data with ordered categories and consistent intervals but no true zero point (e.g., temperature in Celsius, IQ scores).

Ratio Data

A type of data with ordered categories, consistent intervals, and a true zero point (e.g., weight, height, sales figures).

Target Population

The group or collection of units containing the necessary information to answer a specific research question.

Census

A sampling approach where every single case within the target population is examined.

Sample

A portion of cases selected for examination from a target population.

Data Editing

A phase in data preparation that ensures consistency and accuracy across responses and rectifies errors or omissions prior to analysis.

Voluntary Participation

An ethical principle specifying that participants can opt in or out of a research study at any time.

Informed Consent

An ethical principle where participants are informed about the purpose, benefits, risks, and funding of a study before agreeing to join.

Anonymity

An ethical condition where the researcher does not know the participants' identities and personally identifiable data is not collected.

Confidentiality

An ethical condition where the researcher knows the identities of participants but keeps them hidden from others by anonymizing personally identifiable data.

Republic Act No. 10173

Also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012, a Philippine law regulating general principles for collecting, processing, and retaining personal data.