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Summary Business Research Techniques notes of Grasple - PreMaster Tilburg University
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Notes of Grasple modules for Business Research Techniques, incl. questions and answers.
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BRT-Questions1 THE RESEARCH PROCESS
1) A manager would like to know what drives the job satisfaction of his employees. He asks
all of his 200 employees to fill out a survey. In this survey, employees are asked to fill out
their name and their evaluation of 50 different aspects of their job.
Which hallmark of good/sound research is not met?
Parsimony – The study is indeed not parsimonious. Stuffing it with so many variables is
not a good idea. The manager should not believe that he is going to solve all the
problems within a single study. Being parsimonious means simplifying (without
oversimplifying) one’s study. We often receive the question: ‘So how many variables
should we include in our study?” Our answer: “There is no specific number for this. It
depends on the topic that you investigate, so you will have to make a judgment.”
2) A manager would like to know how he can increase the job satisfaction of his employees.
He asks his employees to fill out a survey. In this survey, employees are asked to fill oud
their name, their satisfaction with various aspects of their job, and their satisfaction with
their manager.
Which hallmark of good/sound research is not met?
Rigor – The study is indeed not rigorious. A rigorous study should not ask biased
questions – questions that may introduce bias or incorrectness in the responses. In this
case, the survey was not anonymous and respondents were asked how satisfied they
were with their boss. They may have felt forced to indicate that they were very satisfied,
even if they weren’t.
3) Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) considers adding plant-based chicken nuggets to its
menu. To this extent, KFC would like to know whether its restaurants' sales will increase
when its restaurants also include plant-based chicken nuggets in their assortments. To
make a better-informed decision, KFC runs a test on Monday, February 3, 2021, in about
100 U.S. KFC restaurants. On this day and in these 100 restaurants, plant-based chicken
nuggets are added to the menu. The study finds that the restaurants' sales do not
increase. KFC concludes that it is best not to include plant-based nuggets in its
assortment.
Which hallmark of good/sound research is not met?
Generalizability – The results are indeed not generalizable. The study is carried out on a
single day: Monday, February 3, 2021. Different types of customers, with different
preferences, may visit KFC on weekdays versus weekends. Hence, it might well be
possible that offering the nuggets does not increase restaurants sales on Monday, but
does so on weekends or on other days of the week.
4) Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) considers adding plant-based chicken nuggets to its
menu. To this extent, KFC would like to know whether its restaurants' sales will increase
when its restaurants also include plant-based chicken nuggets in their
assortments. Beyond Meat (a plant-based chicken nuggets manufacturer) offers KFC to
run a test. One of Beyond Meat's researchers will also analyze the data.
Which hallmark of good/sound research is not met?
Objectivity – The study might not be objective, as there is a conflict of interests. The
researcher is employed by Beyond Meat and might benefit if the results lead in a certain
direction. Objectivity in research studies ensures that the findings are not tainted by such
potential biases and therefore makes them more convincing.
,5) "If it rains outside, everything becomes wet."
"It rains."
"The car is outside."
"So the car will become wet!"
Is this an example of inductive or deductive reasoning?
Deductive reasoning – This is an example of deductive reasoning. You start with a
general “theory”, which is subsequently applied to a specific situation. The theory is in the
first sentence of this example: “If it rains” and “The car is outside”—are your
observations. You observe that it rains and you observe that the car is outside. From
these two observations, you deduce that the car will become wet when you apply the
theory to your situation.
6) "The first duck in the park is brown."
"The second duck in the park is brown."
"The third duck in the park is brown."
"Every duck in the park is brown!"
Is this an example of inductive or deductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning – This is indeed an example of inductive reasoning because you
build a “theory” based on observations. The first three sentences are your observations.
Based on these observations, and these observations only (so no theory), you conclude
that every duck in the park is brown (which is your theory).
7) A low-cost airline flight is delayed.
Another 20 flights from low-cost airlines are delayed.
Low-cost airlines always have delays.
Is this an example of inductive or deductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning – This is indeed an example of inductive reasoning since you move
from specific observations to a broad generalization or “theory”. Specifically: The first
observation: A low-cost airline flight is delayed. The observation of a pattern: Another 20
flights from low-cost airlines are delayed. The development of a theory: Low-cost airlines
always have delays.
8) A BRT student notices that Anne van der Vliet is Dutch. The student wonders whether all
BRT lecturers have to be Dutch. The student gathers data and finds that all BRT lecturers
are Dutch. She concludes that all BRT lecturers have to be Dutch.
Is this an example of inductive or deductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning – The reasoning is indeed inductive. The student first makes
observations on the nationality of the lecturers: Anne is Dutch, as are all other BRT
instructors. On the basis of the pattern in these observations, the student draws
conclusions (formulates the “theory” that all lecturers have to be Dutch).
,2 DEFINING THE PROBLEM AND DEVELOPING THEORY
1) Consider the following business problem:
"An entrepreneurial startup would like to know what the best action is to increase its
sales."
This business problem is ___1___ and ___2___
1. not well demarcated 2. not expressed in terms of variables – The business problem is
not well demarcated. It is way too broad. A company’s sales can be affected by a zillion
things; it’s impossible to study and compare all of these to find out which one works best.
Also, the problem is not expressed in terms of variables. Company sales is a variable –
so that’s fine. But “actions”? That’s pretty vague!
2) Consider the following business problem:
"An entrepreneurial startup would like to know how much it should spend on social media
advertising to increase its sales."
This business problem is ___1___ and ___2___
1. well demarcated 2. expressed in terms of variables – This business problem is well
demarcated. The boundaries are very clear: the entrepreneur is particularly interested in
the effect of advertising expenditures ( not just any factor that might influence sales), and
even the type of advertising expenditures is demarcated: social-media advertising (not
TV or print advertising). Also, the problem is expressed in terms of variables. Sales is a
variable and so is advertising expenditures on social media. If the data can be found to
address this problem, it is definitely feasible!
3) In 2018, Elon Musk tweeted himself into serious trouble. The CEO tweeted that he was
considering to take Tesla private, which resulted in an incredible increase in Tesla's stock
price. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Musk for making "false
and misleading" statements to investors. Because the SEC would like to know whether
they should set a stricter policy regarding CEO tweeting, the SEC orders a study on the
effect of 250 CEOs' tweeting behavior on their companies' stock prices. The study has
the following problem statement: To what extent do a CEO's tweets affect his/her
company's stock price, and does this effect depend on the CEO's reputation, the
company's profitability, and the industry's concentration?
The study is managerially relevant for ______
CEOs from multiple industries, investors, and public-policy makers – As Twitter is
increasing used as a tool by CEOs to communicate with investors, this study is relevant
for CEOs in multiple industries (not just the industries in which Tesla operates).
Managers can use the results to strategically communicate through Twitter. The results
are also relevant to investors, as they will learn how CEO tweets may affect them. Finally,
the results are relevant to public-policy makers. For example, this study may provide the
SEC with evidence as to whether a stricter policy regarding CEOs’ Twitter use is needed.
4) One of the SEC's researchers indicates that two earlier studies found large (positive or
negative) effects of tweeting on stock price, while three other studies did not find an effect
all.
The SEC's study is academically relevant because _____
The research tries to understand why findings from prior studies were contradictory –
Findings from prior studies are contradictory: three prior studies find no effect, two prior
studies find a large effect. The proposed study tries to explain these differences by
considering three moderators: CEO reputation, firm profitability, and industry
concentration. Maybe the effect of CEO tweeting on stock price is large for reputable
CEOs, but non-existent for less well-know CEOs. Maybe the effect is large for not-so-
profitable firms, but less so for profitable the firms. And so on. By studying these
moderators, the research study may be able to reconcile prior findings.
, 5) A research consultant logically orders the formulated research questions, because
______.
It helps the reader to understand in which order the answers will be presented – Indeed.
As you will find out when carrying out a research study yourself (e.g., for Academic
Competences or for your Master thesis), it makes sense to first define the context,
followed by the variable in your study, and subsequently the relationships between these
variables. The order of your research questions helps you to structure your research
proposal, research report, or thesis.
6) The city of Tilburg would like to know how university students in different fields of study
(arts, humanities, economics, or law) evaluate living in the city.
Which of the problem statements below is most suited to address the business
problem above?
To what extent is university students’ field of study (arts, humanities, economics, or law)
related to their satisfaction with living in Tilburg? – Correct! Can you list the variables and
relationships here as well? The variables are field or study and satisfaction with living in
Tilburg. The proposed study aims to find out whether these two variables are related
(e.g., whether students in arts are more or less satisfied with living in Tilburg than
students in other fields of study).
7) Consider the following problem statement:
’’To what extent does lean manufacturing (lean versus not lean) affect the profitability of
car manufacturers?’’
Which of the questions below is an example of a practical research question that
fits the problem statement above?
To what extent does lean manufacturing (lean versus not lean) affect the profitability of
car manufactures? – This is indeed a practical relationship question. It is narrowed down
to the specific variables in the study (profitability, not the broader performance), and the
specific context in which it takes place (the car industry).
8) Consider the following problem statement:
’’To what extent does lean manufacturing (lean versus not
lean) affect the profitability of
car manufacturers?’’
and the accompanying research question:
"What is profitability?"
What is your opinion about this research question?
It’s a conceptualization research question but it is not really needed – This is a
conceptualization question. Whereas conceptualization questions are needed to explain
less straightforward concepts or new concepts, they are not needed to explain concepts
that are immediately clear to everyone (such as sales, profit, stock returns, …).
9) A researcher would like to know whether the effect of firms' social media on their online
sales is higher for firms in countries that are more individualistic. She carries out a study
using annual data (for 2020) from 100 Dutch firms.
Is the variable social media unambiguously labeled?
No – This variable is indeed ambiguously labeled. What does this variable capture? Does
it capture whether or not a firm is present on a (any) social medium? Does it capture the
number of social media channels a firm is present on? Or does it capture a firm’s social
media activity (e.g., a firm’s number of posts)? The reader cannot infer unambiguously
what social media captures. In fact, different readers might infer completely different
things.
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