Following are the steps in research design:

1. The Problem – The first step involves the proper selection and then carefully defining the problem. By this researcher will be enabled to know about what he has to search, but it should be kept in mind that the problems selected should not be unmanageable in nature and also should not be based on the desires.

2. Objective of the study – The objective should be very clear in the mind of the researcher as this will lead to the clarity of the design and proper response from the respondents.

3. Nature of the study – The research design should be very much in relation with the nature of the study, which is to be carried out.

4. Data sources – The various sources of the data or the information should be very clearly stated by the researcher.

5. Techniques of data collection – For the collection of the required information, it sometimes becomes very necessary to use some especial techniques.

6. Social cultural context – Research design based on the social cultural concept is prepared in order to avoid the various study variations.

7. Geographical limit – This step becomes a necessity at this point of time as with the help of this step, research linked to the hypothesis applies only to certain number of social groups.

8. Basis of selection – Selecting a proper sample acts as a very important and critical step and this is done with the help of some mechanics like drawing a random stratified, deliberate, double cluster or quota sample etc.

Introduction
Designing of the research is done mainly to solve the problem of getting the various stages of the research under control. This control factor is very important for the researcher during any of the research operation. Preparation of the design for the research forms a very critical stage in the process of carrying out some research work or a research project.

Research Design in general terms can be referred to as the scheme of work to be done or performed by a researcher during the various stages of a research project.

With the help of the research design, one can very easily handle and operate research work as research design acts as a working plan, which is made by a researcher even before he starts working on his research project. By this, researcher gets a great help and guidance in achieving his aims and goals.

According to Russell Ackoff, research design is the process of making decisions before a situation arises in which the decision has to be carried out. It is actually a process of deliberate anticipation directed towards bringing an unexpected situation under control.

Russell Ackoff has in a great way explained about the research design in his book ‘Designs of Social Research’.

Meaning of research design
Like an architect prepares a blue print before he approves a construction – in the same way researcher makes or prepares a plan or a schedule of his own study before he starts his research work. This helps the researcher to save time and also save some of his crucial resources. This plan or blue print of study is referred to as the research design.

Research design is also called as the research strategy and the various steps or stages that a research design may include can be summarized as follows –
1. Research problem selection
2. Problem presentation
3. Hypothesis formulation
4. Conceptual clarity
5. Methodology
6. Literature survey
7. Bibliography
8. Collection of the data
9. Hypothesis testing
10. Interpretation of the result
11. Report writing

This specific presentation of the various steps in the process of research was given by Cook Jahoda.

Factors affecting research design
1. Availability of scientific information
2. Availability of sufficient data
3. Time availability
4. Proper exposure to the data source
5. Availability of the money
6. Manpower availability
7. Magnitude of the management problem
8. Degree of Top management’ s support
9. Ability, knowledge, skill, technical understanding and technical background of the researcher
10. Controllable variables
11. Un – controllable variables
12. Internal variables
13. External variables

Advantages of research design
1. Consumes less time.
2. Ensures project time schedule.
3. Helps researcher to prepare himself to carry out research in a proper and a systematic way.
4. Better documentation of the various activities while the project work is going on.
5. Helps in proper planning of the resources and their procurement in right time.
6. Provides satisfaction and confidence, accompanied with a sense of success from the beginning of the work of the research project.

Introduction and definition of scientific method
Research has been observed to play a very essential role not only in the general management but also in the various functional fields related to the management. This type of research in typical language is very often referred to as the Managerial research. This type of research acts as a great tool for the scientific methods hence now we will have a look and will try to understand the scientific methods.

According to George A. Lundberg, scientific method can be defined as the “method which consists of the systematic observation, classification and the interpretation of the data the main difference between our day to day generalization and the conclusions usually recognized as a scientific method lie in the degree of the formality, rigorousness, verifiability and the general validity of the later.”

Scientific method is a method, which is very systematic in nature and plays a very critical role in the field of investigation, evaluation, experimentation, interpretation and theorizing.

This type of method is also very effective in the cases of physical sciences as the various physical phenomenon can be easily verified and also evaluated but in case of the managerial factors (e.g. behavioral factors of an organization) cannot be absolutely verified and evaluated physically.

All this affects the scope of the scientific methods, so it can be said that the scientific methods are not able to verify and evaluate all the management related problems empirically. Also the scientific method affects the working schedule as it very greatly increases the demand for the time, resources, exposure and also the man – powers.

Characteristics of scientific method
1. Is a very systematic method, offering convenient working.
2. Helps in obtaining very accurate classification of facts.
3. This method is marked by the observation of heavy co relation and sequence.
4. Helps in the discovery of the scientific laws.
5. Depends and aims at achieving actual facts and not the desired ones.
6. Relies on the evidence.
7. Has a definite problem for solving, as every inquiry has a specific sense.
8. Results drawn from the scientific method are capable of being observed and then measured.
9. It links and tries to establish very general propositions.
10. Scientific results can be estimated with sufficient accuracy.
11. Scientific conclusions are very true in nature and working.
12. Observer’s own views find no place during the observation as the observation is made in a very true form.

The collection of the data is followed by the analysation of the data, which further is followed by the interpretation of the data. This step enables the researcher to interpret the results which have been obtained from the analysation of the data.

According to C. William Emory, “Interpretation has two major aspects namely establishing continuity in the research through linking the results of a given study with those of another and the establishment of some relationship with the collected data. Interpretation can be defined as the device through which the factors, which seem to explain what has been observed by the researcher in the course of the study, can be better understood. Interpretation provides a theoretical conception which can serve as a guide for the further research work”.
Interpretation of the data has become a very important and essential process, mainly because of some of the following factors –

1. Enables the researcher to have an in – depth knowledge about the abstract principle behind his own findings.

2. The researcher is able to understand his findings and the reasons behind their existence.

3. More understanding and knowledge can be obtained with the help of the further research.

4. Provides a very good guidance in the studies relating to the research work.

5. Sometimes may result in the formation of the hypothesis.

In this step, the data which is collected is arranged according to some pattern or a particular format and this analysation of the data is mainly done to provide the data with a meaning.

In the beginning the data is raw in nature but after it is arranged in a certain format or a meaningful order this raw data takes the form of the information. The most critical and essential supporting pillars of the research are the analysation and the interpretation of the data.

Both these aspects of the research methodology are very sensitive in nature and hence it is required that both these concepts are conducted by the researcher himself or under his very careful and planned supervision. With the help of the interpretation step one is able to achieve a conclusion from the set of the gathered data.

Analysis of the data can be best explained as computing some of the measures supported by the search for relationship patterns, existing among the group of the data.

Research depends a great deal on the collected data but it should be seen that this collected data is not just a collection of the data but should also provide good information to the researcher during the various research operations. Hence to make data good and meaningful in nature and working, data analysis plays a very vital and conclusive role. In this step data is made meaningful with the help of certain statistical tools which ultimately make data self explanatory in nature.

According to Willinson and Bhandarkar, analysis of data ‘involves a large number of operations that are very closely related to each other and these operations are carried out with the aim of summarizing the data that has been collected and then organizing this summarized data in a way that helps in getting the answers to the various questions or may suggest hypothesis.’

Purpose of Analysis of data
The purpose of the scientific analysis was first explained by Leon Festinger and Daniel Katz and according to both of them; the purpose of the analysis of the data can be explained as follows –

1. Should be very productive in nature, with high significance for some systematic theory.
2. Should be readily disposed to the quantitative treatment.

Procedure for the Analysis of the data

Data collected can be used in the best possible effective manner by performing the following activities –
1. Carefully reviewing all the data collection.
2. Analyzing the data then with the help of certain suitable techniques.
3. Results obtained from the analysation of the data should then be related to the study’s hypothesis.

Analysation Steps
The various steps of the analysation of the data were given by Herbert Hyman and can be summarized as follows –

1. Tabulation of the data after conceptualization, relating to every concept of the procedure is done which ultimately provides an explanation based on the quantitative basis.

2. Tabulation in the same way is carried out for every sub group, which gives quantitative description.

3. To get statistical descriptions consolidating data for different aspects is brought into use.

4. Examination of such data is then done, which helps in improving the evaluation of the findings.

5. Different qualitative and non statistical methods are brought into the use for obtaining quantitative description but only if it is needed.

Types of Analysis
1. Descriptive Analysis –
• Also referred to as the One Dimensional Analysis.
• Mainly involves the study of the distribution of one variable.
• Depicts the benchmark data.
• Helps in the measurement of the condition at a particular time.
• Acts as the prelude to the bi – variate and multivariate analysis.
• Such an analysis may be based on the one variable, two variables or more than two variables.
• Helps in getting the profiles of the various companies, persons, work groups etc.

2. Casual analysis –
• Also referred to as the Regression Analysis.
• Has their root in the study of how one or more variables affect the changes in the other variable.
• Explains the functional relationship between two or more variables.
• Helps in experimental research work.
• Explains the affect of one variable on the other.
• Involve the use of the statistical tools.

3. Co – Relative Analysis –
• Involves two or more variables.
• Helps in knowing correlation between these two or more variables.
• Offers better control and understanding of the relationships between the variables.

4. Inferential Analysis –
• Involves tests of significance for the testing of the hypothesis.
• Helps in the estimation of the population values.
• Helps in the determination of the validity data which can further lead to draw some conclusion.
• Takes an active part in the interpretation of the data.