The Fundamentals of Research

 

The Fundamentals of Research

          Fundamental research, also known as basic research or pure research does not usually generate findings that have immediate applications in a practical level. Fundamental research is driven by curiosity and the desire to expand knowledge in specific research area. This type of research makes a specific contribution to the academic body of knowledge in the research area.

          Fundamental studies tend to make generalizations about the phenomenon, and the philosophy of this type of studies can be explained as ‘gathering knowledge for the sake of knowledge’. Fundamental researches mainly aim to answer the questions of why, what or how and they tend to contribute the pool of fundamental knowledge in the research area. Opposite to fundamental research is applied research that aims to solve specific problems, thus findings of applied research do have immediate practical implications.

Examples of Fundamental Research

The following are examples for fundamental researches in business:

·         A critical analysis of product placement as an effective marketing strategy

·         An investigation into the main elements of brands and branding

·         A study of factors impacting each stage of product life cycle

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fundamental Research

          Advantages of fundamental research are considered as disadvantages of applied research and vice versa. Fundamental researches are important to expand the pool of knowledge in any discipline. Findings of fundamental studies are usually applicable in a wide range of cases and scenarios. Fundamental studies usually do not have strict deadlines and they are usually driven by the curiosity of the researcher.

          At the same time, fundamental studies have disadvantages as well. Findings of this type of studies have little or no practical implications. In other words, fundamental studies do not resolve concrete.

Defining the Major Types of Research

            For the purpose of general research, a major type of research does not refer to conducting studies on a designated topic of choice (for example, sales research).

What defines a "major" type of essay?

            When categorising research into several key varieties, a "type of research" refers to a particular of research that can examine virtually any topic and its variables, though particular means and approaches. These approaches involve using distinct components such as methods, processes, and frequencies peculiar to one kind of research. These components are from the core of the research type, making it feasible to differentiate them from others. Each variety of education is also bound by a unique purpose. His thesis is not thematic, as it can be applied to all kinds of subjects of study. Despite operating through different approaches and methods, some forms of research have several flaws, including the purpose of the study and the kind of results it seeks to some extent.

The Need to Understand the Different types of Research

            Whether you operate as a B2C or a B2B business, as a business owner or a manager, you ought to familiarise yourself with the different types of research. This includes being able to distinguish between them and not confusing one for the other. Before tackling any concept to investigate for your research needs, make sure you're setting yourself up for success. In order to form an effective research campaign, you’ll need to be methodical. This means you’ll need to give attention to several considerations to build a successful campaign. This involves organising your topic of study and inquiring into a particular variety of research.

            Doing so will ensure you apply the correct market research techniques and methods, the kinds that best suit the inquiries and needs of your topic of research, thus, best tending to your concerns. When you use the correct type of research for your study, you’ll be able to understand it more thoroughly and thereby find more fitting changes and solutions. This is especially true when your area of study is a problem you would like to minimize or reverse. Using the correct form of research will also ensure that you are measuring and observing the correct elements and by way of a frequency best suited towards your research issue. Moreover, when you employ the proper type of research, it is far less likely to come upon errors and gaps that require answers. Thus, there is less of a need to start again or switch to a different type of research. All of these areas of importance would be impossible to fulfill if you do not become familiar with them and are not able to tell them apart. The following explains the six most critical types of research.

Exploratory Research

            Used to reveal facts and details around a topic with little to no research, exploratory research forms the foundation of the research process. It identifies a topic, be it an issue or a phenomenon with scant details and seeks to find its basic properties. As such, it finds the correct variables the researcher needs in order to begin the study understand its basic elements and form a hypothesis. The key issue at hand, its variables and its hypothesis are used for further research.

            Essentially, this kind of research forms the premise of a research campaign, assuring that the variables and other components are indeed what the researcher needs to study in the next steps (other types of research). How it benefits a business: Before a business can explore an issue in-depth, it needs to decide on a specific topic, the existing problem within the topic and its key variables. This ensures the business is equipped to enter the next research stage (type) and that it does not have any extraneous variables or concerns that do not contribute to solving the problem.

Descriptive Research

            This type of research is premised on describing a phenomenon, behavior or problem discovered in an earlier stage of research, usually in exploratory research, although it can also be focused around that which was discovered in explanatory research. Descriptive research describes the nuances of a population, a variable or occurrence that a researcher requires further study on. Its objective centers on finding previously unknown facts or extracting more details on facets with fewer details. It focuses on the what, how, when and where of a study rather than on the why.

 Explanatory Research

            Explanatory research is based on research that explains the already established aspects in a research campaign. It fills in the gaps and connects the dots from exploratory and descriptive research. This type of research is unique in that it can be conducted either prior to or after descriptive research. As such, it rests in the early to mid-stages of the overall research process.

            Like descriptive research, it works to shine a light on the various details that make up a research subject of study. However, contrary to descriptive research, it does not simply seek to describe, but rather to explain. Thus, this research category falls under qualitative research. It helps find the why of a problem or phenomenon. It is not conclusive. Stage in the research process: Early to mid-stages (can be performed before or after descriptive research, depending on a business’s needs).

Correlational Research

            Correlational research is a study into the relationship between two variables. Inspecting precisely two variables, this type of research seeks to discover and render the relationship between variables suspected of relating in some way. This research seeks to make sense out of the variables identified in earlier stages of research. Although correlational research is not sufficient to conclude on cause and effect relationships, it is necessary to conduct to find whether a relationship between variables exists to begin with.

            An observational form of research, it is non-experimental; there is no controlling or manipulation of the variables involved. The relationship between the variables can be either positive, negative or zero (nonexistent). How it benefits a business: Being able to determine if there is a positive, negative or zero correlation between two variables allows researchers to know how to move on to the next step: finding a cause and effect relationship between the variables. A zero correlation informs a business that there’s no need to further study the relationship between two particular variables, saving the business money and time. A negative or positive correlation dictates that further research is needed to discover whether there is cause and effect relationship.

            Either way, the results derived from this type of research are highly influential on the next steps a business decides to take in their research process: whether to end it, continue and how. Above all, it reveals how two variables relate to one other, giving a business a clearer picture of the environment they operate within, whether the variables concern sales figures, impressions or something more abstract like customer loyalty.

Causal Research

            Causal research is founded on the undertaking of determining cause and effect relationships. As such, it involves conducting experiments and testing markets in a controlled setting. It is more scientific than any of the previous types of research. This kind of research uses the findings from correlation and explanatory research in an attempt to unearth causal relationships. Since correlation does not equal causation, causal research studies whether the variables with a negative or positive correlation have any effect on the other variable(s) in the study. Causal research has two objectives: finding which variable forms the cause and which makes up the effect, and understanding the relationship of the causal variables after the effect occurs.