JUNE 2011 EXAMINATION
eGM07
Research Methodology
Time : Three Hours
Maximum Marks : 100
Note :
1.
2.
3.
4.
The paper is divided in three sections: Section A, Section B and Section C.
Section A consists of 30 Multiple Choice Questions, each of 2 Marks. Examinees are required
to attempt all of them.
Section B has 10 Short Answer Type Questions, each of 5 Marks. Attempt any six.
Section C consists of a Case Study, followed by two case based questions, each of 5 Marks.
Attempt both the questions.
SECTION A
1.
The design which consists of bringing together a group of people to have a detailed, free discussions in
relation to their opinions or experience is called:
a. Focus group
b. Panel Design
c. Cross-sectional Design
d. In-depth interviews
2.
The sampling method where a member is selected at fixed interval from the universe is called:
a. Systematic sampling
b. Stratified sampling
c. Cluster sampling
d. Convenience sampling
3. Respecting the respondent’s privacy, feelings, and dignity and ensuring the integrity of the data collection
process are aspects of _____.
a. ethics in marketing research
b. evaluation of field workers
c. training of field workers
d. supervision of field workers
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4. Which of the following is not a disadvantage of secondary data?
a. The objectives, nature, and methods used to collect the secondary data may not be appropriate to the
present situation.
b. Secondary data may be lacking in accuracy.
c. Secondary data may be expensive and time consuming
d. Secondary data may not be completely current or dependable.
5. What is the variable called that a researcher manipulates in an experiment:
a. Dependent variable
b. Extraneous variable
c.
Independent variable
d
Moderating variable
6. Exploratory research is used to:
a. Determine degree of association between variables
b. Make specific predictions
c. Formulate a problem
d. Determine cause and effect relationship
7. A sampling procedure in which each element of the population has a fixed probabilistic chance of being
selected for the sample.
a..Nonprobability sampling
b..Probability sampling
c.Convenience sampling
d.Judgmental sampling
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8. A research method in which the researcher does not depend on the respondent and the latter does not
participate in the research process is known as:
a.
Experimental study
b.
Descriptive study
c.
Observation method
d. Case study
9.
The contents of questions in a questionnaire are influenced by:
a. Respondents ability to answer accurately
b. The sequence of questions
c. The expertise of the researcher
d. The nature of research
10. Which of the words below is not an ambiguous word?
a. frequently
b. twice
c. often
d. occasionally
11. A pre-test of questionnaire will enable us to
a. Have legible data
b. Fill the missing items
c.
Remove inconsistency in the data
d.
Identify misinterpreting of questions
12. The rankings of teams in a tournament constitute a _____ scale.
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
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13. In Analysis of variance the test statistic used is:
a. Chi-square test
b. Z- test
c. F- test
d. t- test
14. Which of the following is not a qualitative research?
a. Direct interviewing
b. Indirect interviewing
c. Focus Group Interview
d. Internet data downloading
15. When developing a questionnaire, the six Ws (who, what, when, where, why, and way) are used when
_____.
a. defining the issue
b. choosing question wording
c. avoiding generalizations and estimates
d. determining the content of individual questions
16. The statement ‘An effect cannot be produced by an event that occurs after the effect has taken place,’
refers to _____.
a. the time order of occurrence of variables
b. the role of evidence
c. concomitant variation
d. the elimination of other possible factors
17. Qualitative research is usually:
a. Based on large samples
b.
Structured
c.
Not at all reliable
d.
Exploratory
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18. Which non-probability sampling that is very appropriate when it is necessary to reach small specialized
population?
a.
Quota sampling
b.
Snowball sampling
c.
Convenience sampling
d. Judgment sampling
19.
Which of the following methods is most expensive method of data collection when population units are
scattered?
a. Mailed questionnaire
b. Telephone interview
c. Tracking method
d. Personal interview
20. The choice between non-probability and probability samples should be based on all of the following
considerations except:
a. The nature of the research
b. size of the population
c. relative magnitude of non sampling versus sampling errors
d.
21.
Which survey method has the highest refusal rate?
a.
b.
c.
d.
22.
statistical and operational considerations
telephone
mall intercept
mail surveys
Internet
The investigator unable to contact a respondent listed in the sample would result into
a. Researcher error
b. Measurement error
c. Sampling error
d. Respondent error
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23. The response categories for a statement in a questionnaire “Privatisation and globalisation has enhanced
job prospects for young Indians”are: Strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree, strongly disagree. Identify the
scale used:
a. Likert Scale
b. Thurstone Scale
c.
Semantic Differential Scale
d.
Stapel Scale
24. ____ requires a detailed specification of how the sampling design decisions with respect to the population,
sampling frame, sampling unit, sampling techniques, and sample size are to be implemented.
a. Selection of a sampling technique(s)
b. Determination of the sampling frame
c. Determination of the sample size
d. Execution of the sampling process
25. “Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty and refreshing soft drink?” is an example of a _____.
a. structured question
b. dichotomous question
c. double-barreled question
d. branching question
26. _____ occurs when the sample results lead to the rejection of a null hypothesis that is in fact true:
a.
Type I error
b. Type II error
c. One-tailed eror
d. Two-tailed error
27 The degrees of freedom for the t statistic to test the hypothesis about two independent samples is
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a.
n
b.
n-1
c.
n1 + n2
d. n1 + n2 -2
28.
A complete enumeration of the elements of a population or study objects is a _____.
a. population
b. target population
c. element
d. census
29. Which of the following is not a part of text in a report:
a. Acknowledgemrnt
b. Table of contents
c.
Summary
d. Appendices
30.
refer to open-ended questions that respondents answer in their own words.
a. Dichotomous questions
b. Structured questions
c. Unstructured questions
d. Branching questions
SECTION B
(6 x 5 = 30)
Q.1. Differentiate between Depth Interview and Focus Group Interview Techniques in conducting research.
Explain the type of research problems for which each of the above are appropriate. Give a suitable example.
Q.2. Distinguish between Stratified Sampling and Cluster Sampling, and mention the conditions under which
these are used. What principles should be followed in establishing the strata for a stratified sample?
Q.3. Sample of sales in similar shops in two large towns are taken for a new product with the following results
Town A
Town B
Mean Sales
57
61
Sample Variance
5.3
4.8
Size of Sample
35
47
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Is there any evidence of difference in sales in two towns? Test at 5% level of significance.
Q.4. Is transportation mode used to shop goods independent of type of industry? To test this hypothesis the
following contingency table was obtained. The table represents frequency counts on types of transportation used
by the publishing, and computer hardware industries. Test the hypothesis at 5% level of significance.
Transportation Mode
Industry
Air
Train/Truck
Total
Publishing
32
18
50
Computer
Hardware
5
65
70
Total
37
83
120
Q.5. What are the steps that should be considered before designing a questionnaire? What problems do openended questions pose?
Q.6. How do experiments differ from survey method of data collection? Discuss briefly one experimental
design.
Q.7. Briefly define and discuss the steps of the Business research process. Why problem definition is most
important task in a business research project?
Q.8. What are the four levels of measurement? Discuss each with examples. Which statistics/statistical tests
are admissible in each level of measurement?
Q.9. Is it true that we must see to the availability of secondary data before we embark on primary data
collection? Discuss three ways to evaluate secondary data for your use in the study.
Q.10. What are the guiding principles to prepare a research report? What are major divisions of a report?
Discuss briefly.
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Section C
Hotel Trident is an important landmark in the city of tourist interest. Every tourist visitor coming to the
city makes it a point to visit the place. People have shown high admiration for the property. Managed by a
reputed group of entrepreneurs Hotel Trident has been over the years a viable economic entity. Though the
annual average room occupancy over the years has been around 50 %, it has been almost 100 % during the
tourist season from September to January every year. Last two tourist seasons were particularly rewarding,
when tourist flow was particularly high. However, the developments during last two months have been stressful
for hotel’s management. First, early last month there was a flash strike by front office staff, when one tourist
assaulted the baggage attendant on his refusal to carry his baggage to the taxi. Then, last week the room service
staff refused additional shift duty, when they were deputed for second duty after their regular shift duty.
The management of the hotel is feeling greatly concerned with these developments. It is realized that some
dissatisfaction among the employees may be at the root of the problem. The matter was considered at the
highest level in the management and it was resolved to probe the matter in depth. General Manager HR was
made responsible for initiating a detailed research and investigations through HR consultants in this respect..
You are engaged by the HR consultants to develop the following:
i.
ii.
Objectives of research ; and Method of study including sampling
A questionnaire which should include some rating scale questions, some ranking scale
questions, open-ended and closed ended questions, and Likert scale type of questions.
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