Defining Business Research

Research is systematic inquiry of a topic for the purposes of solving a problem. Pure research is theoretical in nature and deals with problem solving which has little direct impact on business action items or policy decisions. Applied research has a more practical foundation in that its resulting conclusions have a direct influence on specific actions taken or policies developed. Pure research is often not the first type of research to take place in a given field of investigation. Applied research is more often the first type of research undertaken because it involves addressing a specific problem. After the problem is more adequately defined, pure research studies defined from what was concluded in applied research studies can tackle the more complex issue of developing a more complete theoretical framework for understanding a whole category of related business problems.

Establishing a definition of research is important in that it sets a minimum threshold for what is considered to be an original and valuable inquiry as opposed to studies which simply report what is commonly understood within a body of knowledge. Descriptive research is useful for defining a subject, but it is often not deep enough to provide working models of processes or explanation of phenomena. Explanation of a phenomenon that required a more penetrating study of the subject data and could lead to a predictive model. Prediction involves the development of a working model that forecasts certain outcomes based upon specific courses of action or natural occurrences. Mere reporting of a set of circumstances in a well-understood body of knowledge is often of little value in that it does not advance the body of knowledge, so it does not qualify as research, per se. In a general sense, a study, regardless of its nature, which advances understanding in a specific area such as a business problem, uses systematic, pre-defined procedures, and has specific goals may be considered to be research.

Reference

Cooper, D.R., & Schindler, P.S. (2003). Business research methods, (8th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.