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Business Research Methods

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Business research involves the systematic and objective process of gathering data and transforming it into useful information. The research process is not confined around a single universal methodology. Infact it differs from one research study to another depending on the purpose of the research, the industry/ sector of the client company concerned, the research method/ tools used etc. As the research process differs, researcher faces different problems and issues pertaining to the research at almost every stage of the research process. It is important to note that the research problems are more complicated in studies involving subjective issues such as customer satisfaction surveys because in such a study, the quality and effectiveness of the service/ product varies among different customers depending on the customer''s perceived value of the offering, their prefferences and varying needs and demands. One of the most common problem the researcher faces are budgetary constraints. This occurs in almost all the business researches regarless of the company sector, nature of the problem, the location where the study is conducted etc. However, budget constraints are higher when researches are conducted for SME (Small and medium enterprise) clients. Such clients have limited budget for such research

activities as the company needs to ensure that the value generated by the research activity exceeds the cost involved in conducting the research. Depending on their project size these companies allocated the budget to conduct such research activites. Therefore, it is essential for the researcher to optimally utilize the resources it needs for gatheirng data and producing the required information within the agreed budget between the client and the researcher. Another important and most common constraint for every business regardless of the company size is

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