Aug 27, 2025
Version 1
Business Research Process V.1
- Didi Sundiman1
- 1KBU
- a Joyful Day
Protocol Citation: Didi Sundiman 2025. Business Research Process. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.n92ld6mkng5b/v1
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: August 21, 2025
Last Modified: August 27, 2025
Protocol Integer ID: 225159
Keywords: business research process, business research process the source, conducting business research, business research, detailed research proposal, application of the scientific method, structured process, scientific method, foundational role of theory, application, fundamental aspect
Abstract
The source outlines the fundamental aspects of conducting business research, emphasizing a structured process, the foundational role of theory, and the application of the scientific method, which culminates in a detailed research proposal.
Troubleshooting
Business Research Process
The Business Research Process provides a structured roadmap for conducting studies, differentiating it from business analysis and analytics.
The business research process serves as a roadmap with directions for conducting a business research project, generally involving three phases: formulation, execution, and analysis. These phases include several steps, though studies may skip steps or not follow them in strict sequence, acting as a guide rather than a rigid set of rules. The source clarifies that business research, business analysis, and business analytics are related but distinct elements of information discovery for business decision-making.
- Business research focuses on optimizing business performance by analyzing all aspects of business operations using methods such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups, investigating both internal and external areas, and employing both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Business analysis examines business processes and develops solutions for future needs, utilizing process and organizational analysis methodologies that may lead to internal strategy and policy changes.
- Business analytics involves examining business performance and forecasting future trends using mathematical and statistical methods with existing data, primarily focusing on secondary data.
Theory is a crucial input in business research, explaining and predicting phenomena, and guiding the development of research questions and hypotheses. Theory is defined as a set of systematically related statements, including lawlike generalizations, that can be tested empirically, and also as a proposed explanation for an event. Theories, whether confirmed or proposed, provide key inputs by explaining and predicting business phenomena, which helps decision-makers assess the accuracy of explanations and predictions. Theory helps shape research questions and specific predictions (hypotheses), suggests what to measure, and can lead to normative decision rules. In situations where existing theory is insufficient, qualitative research can be used to generate new theories or revise existing ones.
The scientific method underpins rigorous business research, while research proposals formalize the investigative plan and agreement between parties.
The scientific method is the approach researchers use to gain knowledge, involving observation, discovery, hypothesis development, and rigorous testing through data collection and analysis. Key characteristics of good science include being empirical (compared against reality), replicable (objective results), analytical (addressing research questions with chosen facts), theory-driven (relying on existing knowledge), logical (conclusions drawn from results), and rigorous (minimizing error). While scientific rigor is paramount, it is often balanced with the pragmatics of business, where expediency may lead to some trade-offs, provided decision-makers are informed. To formalize this process, a research proposal is a critical document that summarizes the problem, outlines the investigation method, details costs, and specifies the timeline for completion. It functions as a contract, clarifying the problem, outlining the researcher's approach, specifying deliverables, and documenting the agreement between the researcher and the client, ensuring mutual understanding and enabling project evaluation.
Protocol references
Hair, J.F.Jr., Page, M., Brunsveld, N., Merkle, A., Cleton, N. 2023. Essentials of Business Research Methods, NY, Routledge.