Computer Technology and Business Research & Research Design IBC464

1. Computer Technology and Business Research&Research DesignIBC464 International College http://library.spu.ac.th

2. Information needs in business • To run a business, useful,timely,accurate,reliable,and valid data are needed. • When data in the raw form are evaluated, analyzed, and synthesized,useful information becomes available to managers for making good business decisions.

3. Information needs in business • Almost every organization has to engage in research at some level to stay competitive. • Companies gather data both from within and outside the organization. • The methods used to gather,analyze,and synthesize information from the externaland internal environments are becoming increasingly sophisticated to the immense scope of computer technology.

4. What information does business needs? • The difference between data and information. • http://tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_business_information.htm • Use of information in business. • Planning • Recording • Controlling • Measuring • Decision making : three types, • Strategic information • Tactical information • Operational information • http://tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_business_information.htm

5. Sources of data and information • Internal information • External information • http://tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_information_sources.htm • Secondary Sources Of Information • http://www.fao.org/docrep/W3241E/w3241e03.htm#TopOfPage • The information for marketing research tends to come from three main sources: • Internal Company Information – e.g. sales, orders, customer profiles, stocks, customer service reports • Marketing intelligence –include all the everyday information about developments in the market that helps a business prepare and adjust its marketing plans. It can be obtained from many sources, including suppliers, customers and distributors. • Market Research – existing data from internal sources may not provide sufficient detail. Similarly, published reports from market intelligence organisations cannot always be relied upon to provide the up-to-date, relevant information required.

6. Computer Technology and Business • ICT • Information • Communication • Technology • http://tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_what_is_ict.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/implications/0moralandsocialissuesrev1.shtml

7. Q: A travel agent has recently introduced a computer system into their High Street branches. Describe two reasons why they might have introduced this system. (4 marks) • The answer • The computers can be connected to the Internet (or they may use leased lines) to access industry databases to find the best deal for the customer. The company can also use the computers to send emails to all its branches. Email arrives quickly and so is much quicker than the postal service. • The question is worth 4 marks, and so a full explanation is needed. Each reason is worth 2 points, and needs to cover why the system was introduced, and how the company benefits from it.

8. Information Systems in Organization • Types of information systems: • http://tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_information_system_types.htm • Information Systems: http://www.uh.edu/~mrana/try.htm

9. Research Design • http://www.waier.org.au/forums/2002/siragusa.html http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/methods/projects/posters/benchmarking.shtml

10. Marketing research • Marketing research can be concerned with any of a variety of aspects of the market: the product, sales, buyer behaviour, promotion, distribution, pricing, packaging, etc. • Since the researcher cannot investigate everything about a market, he/she must be selective. The question remains as to how the researcher decides where to focus the study, and to what depth each issue should be investigated. • The research design is a set of guidelines given to the researcher by the person(s) who have commissioned the research and/or the individual(s) who are to make use of the results in their decision making.

11. Step 1 Problem definition

12. Step 2: Hypothesis generation

13. http://www.fao.org/docrep/W3241E/w3241e02.htm

15. Levels Of Measurement And Scaling • http://www.fao.org/docrep/W3241E/w3241e04.htm#TopOfPage

16. Probability SamplingA probability sampling method is any method of sampling that utilizes some form of random selection http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampprob.php

17. Levels of Measurement http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/design.php

18. Descriptive Statistics • Frequency distribution table formula for the standard deviation: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/statdesc.php Frequency distribution bar chart.

19. Correlation • The correlation is one of the most common and most useful statistics. A correlation is a single number that describes the degree of relationship between two variables. http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/statcorr.php