Meaning of Research

1. Meaning of Research Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.

2. The Advance Learner’s Dictionary of Current English defines the research as “careful investigation or inquiry through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge”. Redman and Mory defines research as “Systemized efforts to gain new knowledge”. a movement from the known to unknown.

3. According to Clifford Woody research compromises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions, collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusions and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.

4. In general ‘research refers to the systematic method consisting of enunciation the problem, formulating a hypothesis, collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and researching certain conclusions ether in the form of solutions towards the concerned problem or in certain generalization for some theoretically formulation

5. Objectives: The main aim of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and has not been discovered yet. The research objectives are: • To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insight into it studies with this object in view are termed as exploratory or formulative research studies. • To portray accurately the characteristics of particular individual, situation or group. These are called descriptive research studies.

6. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else. This study is known as diagnostic research study. • To test a hypothesis of a casual relationship between variables. Such study is known as testing research studies.

7. Motivation in Research: The possible motives for doing research may be either one or more of the following: • Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits. • Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems, i.e. concern over practical problems initiates research. • Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work. • Desire to be of service of society. • Desire to get respectability.

8. Types of Research The basic types of research as follows: (a) Descriptive Vs Analytical: Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. Its major purpose is description of state of affaires, as it exists at present. Analytical researchers have to use facts or information already available and analyse these to make a critical evolution of material.

9. b) Applied Vs Fundamental: applied aims at finding solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial or business organisation. Research to identify social, economic or political trends that may affect a particular institution or the marketing research are the examples of applied research. Fundamental is mainly concerned with generalization and with the formulation of theory. Research concerning some natural phenomenon or relating to pure mathematics are examples of fundamental research.

10. c) Quantitative Vs Qualitative; Quantitative is based on measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity. Qualitative is based on the qualititative phenomena i.e. phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind.

11. (d) Conceptual Vs Empirical: Conceptual research is related to some abstract ideas or theory. It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing one. Empirical relies on experience or observation alone, often without due regards for system and theory. It is data based on research coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified by observation or experiments.

12. e) Other types of research: All types of research are variations of one or more of the above stated approaches, based on either the purpose of research, or the time required to accomplish research, on the environment in which research is done, or on the basis of some other similar factors. There are many other types of research based on their occurrence such as one-time research, field-setting research, clinical or diagnostic, historical and conclusion-oriented research etc.

13. Significance of Research • : All progress is born of inquiry. Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry and inquiry leads to invention. Some of the significance in various fields are as follows: • (a) Scientific and Inductive: Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and it promotes the development of logical habit of thinking and organisation. • (b) Aid to Economics Policy: The role of research in several fields of applied economics, whether related to business or to the economy as a whole has greatly increased in modern times. The increasingly complex nature of business and government has focused attention on the use of research in solving operational problems. Research as an aid to economic policy has gained added importance.

14. d) Operational and Planning: Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning problems of business and industry. Operation research refers to application of mathematical, logical and analytical techniques to the solution of business problems of cost minimization or profit maximization or optimization problems. Business budgeting, which ultimately results in a projected profit and loss account, is based mainly on sales estimates which in turn depend on business research. Thus research replaces intuitive business decisions by more logical and scientific decisions. • (

15. (c) Basis for Policies: Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our economic system. For instance, govt;s budget rest in part on an analysis of the need and desire of people and on the availability of revenues to meet these needs. The cost of need has to be equated to probable revenues and this is a field where research is most needed.

16. e) Social Relationship: Research is equally important for social scientists in solving social relationship and in seeking answers to social problems. Research in social science is concerned both with knowledge for its own sake and with knowledge for what it can contribute to practical concerns. • (f) To those student who are to write a master or Ph.D. thesis, research may mean careerism or a way to attain high position in the social structure. • (g) To professional in research methodology, I may mean a source of livelihood. • (h) To philosophers and thinkers, it may mean the outlet for new ideas and insight. • (j) To literary man and women, it may mean the development of new styles and creative work. • (k) To analysts and intellectuals, it may mean the generalisation of new theories.