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Summer 2015 Exam Oct / Nov 2015
Masters of Business Administration
Semester 3
MB0050 – Research Methodology
Assignments
BK ID-B1700
Q.1 What do you mean by Focus Group Discussion? Explain the key elements of a focus
group.
Answer:
Explanation of Focus group discussion:
Focus group discussion (FGD) is a highly versatile and dynamic method of collecting primary
data from a representative group of respondents. The process generally involves a moderator
who steers the discussion on the topic under study. There are a group of carefully selected
respondents who are specifically invited and gathered at a neutral setting.
Key elements:
 Size: Ideal recommended size for a group discussion is 8 to 12 members. Less than eight
would not generate all the possible perspectives on the topic and the group dynamics
required for a meaningful session. And more than 12 would make it difficult to get any
meaningful insight.
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 Nature: Individuals who are from a similar background—in terms of demographic and
psychographic traits—must be included; otherwise disagreement might emerge as a
result of other factors rather than the one under study.
 Acquaintance: It has been found that knowing each other in a group discussion is
disruptive and hampers the free flow of the discussion. It is recommended that the
group should consist of strangers rather than subjects who know each other.
 Setting: The space or setting in which the discussion takes place should be as neutral,
informal and comfortable as possible. In case one-way mirrors or cameras are installed,
there is a need to ensure that these gadgets are not directly visible.
 Time period: The discussion should be held in a single setting unless there is a ‘before’
and ‘after’ design, which requires group perceptions, initially before the study variable is
introduced; and later in order to gauge the group’s reactions. The ideal duration of
conduction should not exceed an hour and a half.
 The moderator: The moderator is the one who manages the discussion. He might be a
participant in the group discussion or he might be a non-participant. He must be a good
listener and unbiased in his conduct of the discussions.
Q2. Discuss the concepts involved in Testing of Hypothesis. Also discuss the steps involved in
testing the hypothesis.
Answer:
Concepts in testing the hypothesis:
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. A
hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in your study. For
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example, a study designed to look at the relationship between sleep deprivation and test
performance might have a hypothesis that states, "This study is designed to assess the
hypothesis that sleep deprived people will perform worse on a test than individuals who are
not sleep deprived."
Steps for procedure of testing hypothesis:
Five Steps in Hypothesis Testing:
1. Specify the Null Hypothesis
2. Specify the Alternative Hypothesis
3. Set the Significance Level (a)
4. Calculate the Test Statistic and Corresponding P-Value
5. Drawing a Conclusion
Step 1: Specify the Null Hypothesis:
The null hypothesis (H0) is a statement of no effect, relationship, or difference between two or
more groups or factors. In research studies, a researcher is usually interested in disproving the
null hypothesis.
Examples:
• There is no difference in intubation rates across ages 0 to 5 years.
• The intervention and control groups have the same survival rate (or, the intervention
does not improve survival rate).
• There is no association between injury type and whether or not the patient received an
IV in the pre hospital setting
Step 2: Specify the Alternative Hypothesis:
The alternative hypothesis (H1) is the statement that there is an effect or difference. This is
usually the hypothesis the researcher is interested in proving.
Examples:
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• The intubation success rate differs with the age of the patient being treated (two-
sided).
• The time to resuscitation from cardiac arrest is lower for the intervention group than for
the control (one-sided).
• There is an association between injury type and whether or not the patient received an
IV in the pre hospital setting (two sided).
Step 3: Set the Significance Level (a):
The significance level (denoted by the Greek letter alpha— a) is generally set at 0.05. This
means that there is a 5% chance that you will accept your alternative hypothesis when your null
hypothesis is actually true. The smaller the significance level, the greater the burden of proof
needed to reject the null hypothesis, or in other words, to support the alternative hypothesis.
Step 4: Calculate the Test Statistic and Corresponding P-Value:
In another section we present some basic test statistics to evaluate a hypothesis. Hypothesis
testing generally uses a test statistic that compares groups or examines associations between
variables. When describing a single sample without establishing relationships between
variables, a confidence interval is commonly used.
Step 5: Drawing a Conclusion:
1. P-value <= significance level (a) => Reject your null hypothesis in favor of your
alternative hypothesis. Your result is statistically significant.
2. P-value > significance level (a) => Fail to reject your null hypothesis. Your result is not
statistically significant.
Hypothesis testing is not set up so that you can absolutely prove a null hypothesis.
Q.3 What do you mean by Exploratory research design? Explain the types of exploratory
research design.
Answer:
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Definition of Exploratory design:
Exploratory designs, as stated earlier, are the simplest and most loosely structured designs. As
the name suggests, the basic objective of the study is to explore and obtain clarity about the
problem situation. It is flexible in its approach and mostly involves a qualitative investigation..
Types of exploratory design:
 Secondary Resource Analysis: Secondary sources of data, as the name suggests, are
data in terms of the details of previously collected findings in facts and figures—which
have been authenticated and published. It is a fast and inexpensive way of collecting
information.
 Case Study Method: Another way of conducting an exploratory research is the case
study method. This requires an in-depth study and is focused on a single unit of analysis.
This unit could be an employee or a customer; an organization or a complete country
analysis. They are by their nature, generally, post-hoc studies and report those
incidences which might have occurred earlier. The scenario is reproduced based upon
the secondary information and a primary interview/discussion with those involved in
the occurrence. Thus, there might be an element of bias as the data, in most cases,
becomes a judgmental analysis rather than a simple recounting of events.
 Expert Opinion Survey: At times, there might be a situation when the topic of a
research is such that there is no previous information available on it. In these cases, it is
advisable to seek help from experts who might be able to provide some valuable
insights based upon their experience in the field or with the concept. This approach of
collecting particulars from significant and knowledgeable people is referred to as the
expert opinion survey. This methodology might be formal and structured and is useful
when authenticated or supported by a secondary/primary research or it might be fluid
and unstructured and might require an in-depth interviewing of the expert.
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 Focus Group Discussions: Another way to conduct a exploratory analysis is carry out
discussions with individuals associated with the problem under study. This technique,
though originally from sociology, is actively used in business research. In a typical focus
group, there is a carefully selected small set of individual’s representative of the larger
respondent population under study.
Q 4. Explain the Structure of the Research Report. What are the guidelines for effective report
writing?
Q 5. Explain the any three types of comparative and non-comparative scales of each in detail.
Q.6 What do you mean by Research Problem? Explain the steps involved in research problem
identification process.
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