Significance of Research in Social Sciences

Social sciences refer to business, commerce, demography, psychology, sociology, etc. Social sciences directly involve people. Research in social sciences arena deals with the  behavior  of people in their different roles, such consumers, competitors, producers, executives, salespersons, leaders, workers, followers, teachers, students, opinion-makers, etc. Research in social sciences deals with the systematic method of discovering new facts or of verifying old facts, their sequence, inter-relationship, casual explanations and the natural laws which cover them.

The importance that social science research wields today is immeasurable and enlarging. As social, business and economic problems abound, the significance of social research gets enhanced as it provides workable solutions. We know the objectives of social research are elaborate. From these emanate the significance of research. The following points bring out the significance of research in social sciences.

  • Problems solving is the thrust of most researches. Social problems are felt directly by people and that research by offering solutions to such problems ameliorates the conditions of people at large. Hence the significance of social research.
  • Social research thrusts on societal  behavior  which is studied, analysed and steps needed to modify the same to achieve certain broad goals. All our social problems could be attributed to certain societal  behavior. So, by modifying the same in the right lines, social good is achieved.
  • Development of methodology to deal with social issues is one of the contributions of social research. Executive stress, worker ethics, leadership style, child  labor   women illiteracy, drug addiction,  labor  absenteeism, etc are social issues related to organisations, labor units, and, such other social groups. To deal with these issues appropriate methodology is needed. Social research provides the same.
  • Social research contributes to societal development. The research develops scientific temper. Creativity and innovation are developed Basic and applied new knowledge is developed. All this adds to  up-gradation  of society. Knowledge is power. And that power is powered by research.
  • Formulation of new theories and reevaluation of already accepted theories are attempted by social research. There are several theories on leadership, motivation, human attitude and  behavior  and so on. All these theories help designing suitable packages for societal  behavioral  upliftment.
  • Social research is a tool for social planning, prediction and control. Any constructive action need to be planned, outcome predicted and deviation of actual from the desirable predicted outcome need to be controlled. Social research aids in designing appropriate models of social planning, prediction and control.
  • Social research contributes to social welfare. Social research is generally normative emphasizing what is good for the society. By stating, what is and what is not good for the economy, for the industry, for the consumers, for the students, for the stock-market and the like, social research helps to contribute to social welfare.
  • Social research catches the dynamics of social institutions and phenomena. Social institutions and phenomena are never static. These keep changing. To gauge the change research is needed and such research helps in dynamically responding to social institutions and phenomena.

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