Practice Questions

MGT 632: Business Research Methods/ MGB 114: Research Methods

M1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Explain the protocol of conducting an academic research study

Prepare a note on the major types of research
Outline the importance of research in Business and Management
Outline the importance of research in Business and Management
Management decision, to a greater extent, is based on scientific research. Present your points
in defense of this statement.
6. Discuss the various types of research, with examples
7. President of a company has observed that employee motivation is very low, despite
competitive industry emoluments are given. Frame four objectives to conduct an exploratory
study on this research problem

M2
1. Give a logical justification of considering a sample study than population study. Explain the procedure
in simple random sampling.
2. Prepare two questions (items) for each measurement scale.
3. State a Research Problem on Disengagement of Students in Academics and develop at least three
research questions and objectives each for the research problem
4. Explain research problem. Outline the various steps to formulate a research problem
5. Analyse the following scenario and give logical response to four items presented underneath.
Retention of minority women at the workplace is becoming more and more difficult. Not finding an
influential mentor in the system, who is willing to help them, lack of an informal network with
influential colleagues, lack of role models and the dearth of high visibility projects result in
dissatisfaction experienced at work and the minority women ultimately decide to leave the
organization. Of course, not all the minority women quit the system. Only those who have the
wherewithal (for example, resources and self-confidence) to start their own business leave the
organization.
i. Define the problem
ii. Figure out two objectives and two research questions
iii. Identify two research questions to the problem formulated
iv. Develop two working (research) hypotheses
6. Explain the importance of research problem in a systematic study, and discuss the steps involved in
formulating a research problem

7. A family counselor, engaged in counseling of married couples who are both professionals, is caught in
a dilemma. He realises that the focus of the counseling sessions should be on both family satisfaction
and job satisfaction; however, he is not sure how they can be integrated in the dual career family.
Husbands, who are the traditional breadwinners, seem to derive more job satisfaction as they get more
involved in their jobs and also spend more discretionary time on job-related activities. This, however,
does not seem to be true in the case of the wives, who perform the dual role of career person and home
maker. However, both husbands and wives seem to enjoy high levels of family satisfaction when they
spend more time together at home and help each other in planning family-oriented activities.
Activities:
1. What would be the problem definition in this case?
2. Identify four research objectives in this case
8. Companies benefit through employee loyalty. Crude downsizing in organisations during the recession
crushed the loyalty of millions. The economic benefits of loyalty embrace lower recruitment and training
costs, higher productivity of workers, customer satisfaction and the boost of morale of fresh recruits. In
order that these benefits are not lost, some companies while downsizing try various gimmicks. Flex
leave, for instance, is one. This helps employees receive 20% of their salary, plus employer provided
benefits, while they take a 6 to 12 month sabbatical, with a call option on their service. Others try
alternatives like more communication, handholding and the like.
Activity:
State a research problem for the case.
9. A production manager is concerned about the low output levels of his employees. The articles he read
on job performance frequently mentioned four variables as important to job performance: skill required
for the job, rewards, motivation and satisfaction. In several of the articles indicated that only rewards
were attractive to the recipients did motivation, satisfaction and job performance increase not
otherwise.
Activity:
1. Define the problem
2. Formulate two research questions.
10. The GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) do an unacceptable job of accounting for the
principle activities of the information age companies. Today, investors are in the dark because the
accounting is irrelevant. The basic purpose of accounting is to provide useful information to help
investors make rational investment, credit and similar decisions, but todays most important assets and
activities intellectual capital and work knowledge are totally ignored.
Activity:
1. How do you define the problem in this case?
2. State a research problem.

M3
1. If you want to understand the factors underlying low productivity in your company, which
research approach will you follow? Develop a customized research design for it
2. Explain the research design with illustrations
3. Explain the various projective techniques, with examples.
4. Assuming yourself as a shop floor supervisor, prepare a short report of your observation (within
300 words limit) on one day at a retail shop, detailing the method followed with logical
justification.
5. Explain the various qualities of a good questionnaire.
6. Develop a brief questionnaire (with at least 10 items plus 5 questions on demographic profiles)
to conduct a study on consumer satisfaction
M4
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

Discuss the various interview methods

Explain the rating and ranking scales
Explain the various alternatives to identify sample respondents for a research study
Prepare five questions to understand dimensions of work stress under Likert scale
Prepare five questions to understand dimensions of work stress under semantic differential
scale
Explain the various scale construction techniques, with useful examples
Explain the various scale construction techniques, with useful examples
Develop a questionnaire to study the source and disbursal of pocket money by university
students
Explain the various alternatives to identify sample respondents for a research study
Explain the various techniques of rating scale construction.
How will you identify and categorize the data with their varying magnitudes of precision and
sophistication
State a Research Problem on DISENGAGEMENT OF STUDENTS IN ACADEMICS and develop at
least three research questions and objectives each for the research problem
Explain the basic concepts associated with Hypothesis testing. Also explain the procedure to
conduct a particular test of hypothesis
In case the research cannot use probability sampling techniques, explore the other possibilities
for identifying sampling units for a survey.
Give a logical justification of considering a sample study instead of population study. Explain the
procedure in simple random sampling
Develop a questionnaire to study the preference between two fast food outlets (at least 15
items)

M5
1. Explain the basic concepts associated with hypothesis testing. Also explain the procedure to
conduct a particular test of hypothesis

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Explain the steps in hypothesis testing. Discuss the two most widely used parametric tests
Give a detailed outline of parametric tests
Explain the basic concepts associated with testing of hypothesis
Discuss the importance of regression as an inferential statistics, outlining its application
Prepare a note on correlation and regression
Explain the role of correlation as a statistical tool in research. Distinguish between Product
moment correlation and rank correlation
8. Explain the steps in hypothesis testing. Discuss the two most widely used parametric tests.
9. Prepare a detailed note on Regression and discuss the important statistics that appear on the
typical SPSS output window
10. The following tables were obtained from the output table of t-Test using SPSS. Give suitable
interpretation to this result.
Group Statistics
MARITAL STATUS

Mean

Std. Deviation

Std. Error Mean

SINGLE

75

54240.00

96025.453

11088.064

MARRIED

32

50718.75

24521.530

4334.835

INCOME

Levene's
Test for
Equality of
Variances
F
Sig.

INCOME

Equal variances
assumed
Equal variances
not assumed

.685

.410

Independent Samples Test

t-test for Equality of Means

df

Sig. (2tailed)

Mean
Difference

Std. Error
Difference

.204

105

.839

3521.250

17252.274

95% Confidence Interval of

the Difference
Lower
Upper
-30686.822
37729.322

.296

93.154

.768

3521.250

11905.291

-20119.783

27162.283

11. Interpret the following SPSS output window of One way ANOVA

Job
Satisfaction

Between Groups
Within Groups
Total

Sums of Squares
1.659
39.645
41.304

12. Give suitable interpretations to the box plot below.

d
2
159
161

Mean Square
0.831
0.249

F
3.327

Sig.
0.038

13. Give suitable interpretation to the correlation output matrix obtained from SPSS.

Distributive justice
Burnout
Job satisfaction

Dist Just
1.000
-.347**
(.000)
.588** (.000)

Burnout

Job Sat

Job Char

Int to leave

1.000

-.474**
1.000
(.000)
Job characteristics
.169* (.015)
-.299**
.328** (.000)
1.000
(.000)
Intention to leave
-.357**
.328**
-.535** (.0000) -.274** (.000)
(.000)
(.0000)
Note: Figures in the parentheses are significance levels
* Correlation is significant at 0.05 (2 tailed) ** Correlation is significant at 0.01 (2 tailed)

1.000

14. Give a suitable interpretation to the two tables obtained from the output window of SPSS.
PROF * APPROXIMATE EXPENSE Cross-tabulation
Count
APPROXIMATE MONTHLY EXPENSE (Rs.)
0-250

251-500

501-750

Total

751-1000

1000+

NON PROFESSIONAL

17

11

42

PROFESSIONAL

12

38

SELF EMPLOYED

10

23

ERRACTIC JOB

16

24

35

12

21

108

Profession

Total

Chi-Square Tests
Value

df

Asymp. Sig. (2sided)

12

.006

Likelihood Ratio

30.003

12

.003

Linear-by-Linear Association

17.144

.000

Pearson Chi-Square

27.539

N of Valid Cases

108

a. 10 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .56.

15. Give suitable interpretation to the output window obtained from SPSS analysis.
Correlations
FOOD

SERVICE
FACTOR

LOCATION

.102

-.581**

.542

.765

.294

.000

108

108

108

108

108

-.059

1.000

-.285**

-.272**

-.282**

Sig. (2-tailed)

.542

.003

.004

.003

108

108

108

108

108

Correlation
Coefficient

.029

**

1.000

-.037

-.025

Sig. (2-tailed)

.765

.003

.705

.798

108

108

108

108

108

Correlation
Coefficient

.102

**

-.037

1.000

-.211*

Sig. (2-tailed)

.294

.004

.705

.029

108

108

108

108

108

**

**

-.025

-.211

1.000

Sig. (2-tailed)

Correlation
Coefficient
HELATH &
HYGIENE

HELATH &
HYGIENE

.029

Correlation
Coefficient

Spearman's
rho

LOCATION

-.059

PRICE
FACTOR

SERVICE
FACTOR

1.000

Correlation
Coefficient
FOOD

PRICE
FACTOR

-.581

-.285

-.272

-.282

Sig. (2-tailed)

.000

.003

.798

.029

108

108

108

108

108

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

16. The following table is an output table from ANOVA using SPSS. Present a logical interpretation.

Job
Between
Satisfaction Groups
Within Groups

Sums of
Squares

Mean
Square

Sig.

1.659

.831

3.227

.038

39.645

159

.249

41.304

161

Total
17. Give suitable interpretation to the correlation output matrix produced from SPSS.
Distributive justice
Burnout
Job satisfaction

Dist Just
1.000
-.347**
(.000)
.588** (.000)

Burnout

Job Sat

Job Char

Int to leave

1.000

-.474**
1.000
(.000)
Job characteristics
.169* (.015)
-.299**
.328** (.000)
1.000
(.000)
Intention to leave
-.357**
.328**
-.535** (.0000) -.274** (.000)
(.000)
(.0000)
Note: Figures in the parentheses are significance levels
* Correlation is significant at 0.05 (2 tailed) ** Correlation is significant at 0.01 (2 tailed)

1.000

18. A research was conducted to explore the impact of such variables as income, age and years of stay in
a particular place on savings. SPSS has produced the following result. Present a logical interpretation of
the results.

Model Summary
Model
R
R Square
Adjusted R
Std. Error of the
Square
Estimate
1
.374a
.140
.118
1.61913
a. Predictors: (Constant), Income,Year_of_stay, Age

Model
Regression
1

Sum of Squares
50.160

ANOVAa
df
3

Mean Square
16.720
2.622

Residual

309.348

118

Total

359.508

121

a. Dependent Variable: Savings

b. Predictors: (Constant), Income, Year_of_stay, Age

F
6.378

Sig.
.000b

Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Coefficients

Model

Std. Error

(Constant)
Age
1
Year_of_stay
Income
a. Dependent Variable: Savings_

5.082

.469

-.126
.135
-.470

.203
.108
.122

Standardized
Coefficients
Beta

Sig.

10.838

.000

-.619
1.248
-3.862

.537
.215
.000

-.076
.143
-.364

19. Give a logical interpretation to the SPSS output given below.

KMO and Bartlett's Test
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy.

.655

Approx. Chi-Square
Bartlett's Test of Sphericity

380.946

df

105

Sig.

.000

Total Variance Explained

Initial Eigenvalues
Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings

Component

Total

% of
Variance

Cumulative
%

Total

% of
Variance

3.685

24.569

24.569

3.685

24.569

1.642

10.947

35.515

1.642

10.947

1.390

9.269

44.784

1.390

9.269

1.252

8.350

53.134

1.252

8.350

1.174

7.829

60.963

.989

6.594

67.557

.889

5.924

73.481

.828

5.520

79.001

.653

4.354

83.355

10

.583

3.885

87.240

11

.542

3.612

90.852

12

.456

3.039

93.892

13

.365

2.431

96.323

14

.308

2.056

98.379

15

.243

1.621

100.000

1.174

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotated Component Matrixa

7.829

Cumulative
%
24.569

Rotation
Sums of
Squared
Loadings
Total
2.392

% of
Variance
15.947

Cumulative
%
15.947

35.515

1.867

12.446

28.392

44.784

1.831

12.207

40.600

53.134

1.802

12.015

52.615

60.963

1.252

8.347

60.963

CLEANLINESS OF RESTURANT

1
.847

ACCEBILITY TO PLACE

.707

PROMPT COMPLAINT-HANDLING MECHANISM

.705

BRAND PERCEPTION

.510

EXTERNAL LOOK AND FEEL

.750

PRESENTATION OF FOOD

.719

FREINDLINESS OF SERVICE PERSONS

.503

Component
3
4

PROMOTIONAL OFFERS

.835

RECOMMENDATION FORM OTHERS

.615

PAYMENT OPTIONS OFFERED

.453

MENU-ITEM VARIETY

.742

SPEED OF SERVICE

.631

AMBIENCE

.503

TASTE OF FOOD
PRICE

.773
-.557

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.
a. Rotation converged in 15 iterations.

M6
1. How significant is the global academic communitys zero tolerance to plagiarism? How will you
perceive it as a researcher?
2. Prepare the template for a research report