The exploratory phase of the research process uses information to expand understanding of the management dilemma, look for ways others have addressed and/or solved problems similar to the management dilemma or management question, and gather background information on the topic to refine the research question. Exploration of the problem is accomplished through familiarization with the available literature, interviews with experts and other individual depth interviews, and group discussions or some combination of these. Revision of the management or research questions is a desirable outcome of exploration and enhances the researcher's understanding of the options available for developing a successful design.
Researching secondary sources is complex and challenging. There are two categories of sources available (external and internal) and three types of sources (primary, secondary, and tertiary). Primary sources are original works of research or raw data without interpretation. Secondary sources are interpretations of primary data. Tertiary sources may be interpretations of secondary sources or, more commonly, finding aids such as indexes, bibliographies, and Internet search engines.
There are generally five types of information sources used in most literature searches, including indexes and bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and directories. Each is useful to an exploratory phase literature search in a variety of ways. One of the harder tasks associated with using secondary sources is evaluating the quality of the information. Five factors to consider when evaluating the quality of the source are purpose, scope, authority, audience, and format.
How one structures the research question sets the direction for the project. A management problem or opportunity can be formulated as a hierarchical sequence of questions. At the base level is the management dilemma. This is translated into a management question and then into a research question— the major objective of the study. In turn, the research question is further expanded into investigative questions. These questions represent the various facets of the problem to be solved, and they influence research design, including design strategy, data collection planning, and sampling. At the most specific level are measurement questions that are answered by respondents in a survey or answered about each subject in an observational study.
