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Dear MBA students,

As agreed please find attached the Final Term Exam, you should:
1. Answer ALL questions, Part1 & Part2
2. Use your text book, extra text book, the internet, and other references.
3. DON'T discuss or share, by any means of communication, with any other class students (even for those who are
4. It is NOT ACCEPTED to just copy and paste from any source, your interpretation and write-up is a MUST to g
5. Reply with your file .xls, of your answer to ME ONLY, to ashraf@ashrafelsafty.com .
6. MUST include your first name and family name WITHIN the file name (ex.: DrAshrafElsafty-E-RM-42E-Final
7. Use BLUE color for your text answers, or just fill in the shaded blocks.
8. Email directly to ME ONLY no later than agreed deadline day and time 25th Jan. 2014, 10:00 pm) otherw

As I mentioned before for the mid-term and during our classes, we are studying to learn, and we are now leveragin
So please focus on your time and answers to learn while filling the exam.

I hope I did met your expectations, and now you as a researcher, you will be responsible for what you have learned
country and your people.

Hope you gained the ultimate scientific benefit from the course and me as well.

May Allah bless you all.

Kind Regards,

Dr. Ashraf Elsafty


Adjunct Professor, Strategist
Strategic Management & Research Methods.
ESLSCA, MIU, Riti/MsM cairo outreach.
Dr. Ashraf Elsafty
Research Methods
ESLSCA 42E
Final Exam
Part ONE
Q
Part 1:
1 Develop a conceptual model for the scenario below:
Incidence of smoking in movies has started to increase again, after
having declined for several decades. According to the National
Cancer Institute smoking is seen in at least three out of four
contemporary box-office hits. What’s more, identifiable cigarette
brands appeared in about one-third of all movies in 2008. Exposure to
smoking in movies is an important predictor of adolescent smoking
initiation: smoking in movies has been shown to affect adolescents’
intentions to start smoking. In turn, the intentions to start smoking
are determined by a more positive attitude toward smoking after
seeing a film character smoke. Recent research has revealed that the
relationship between seeing a film character smoke and the attitude
toward smoking is stronger when a person’s identification with a film
character increases. These findings are consistent with social learning
theory, which predicts that attitudes and behaviors are modeled by
observing the behaviors of others.

2 What are the basic research design issues? Describe them in


some detail.(2 paragraphs)

3 “An exploratory study is just as useful as a predictive study”.


Discuss this statement. (2 Paragraphs)

4 Discuss the inter-relationships among: non-contrived setting,


purpose of the study, type of investigation, researcher
interference, and time horizon of the study.

5 Why is the unit of analysis an integral part of the research


design? (1-2 paragraphs)

6 Why is the ratio scale the most powerful of the four scales? (1
paragraph, use example)
7 Below are three scenarios. For each, indicate how the
researcher should proceed with the following, giving reasons
covering:
The purpose of the study
The type of investigation
The extent of researcher interference
The study setting
The time horizon for the study
The unit of analysis.
Scenario A: Ms. Joyce Lynn, the owner of a small business (a
woman’s dress boutique), has invited a consultant to tell her how she
is different from similar small businesses within a 60-mile radius, in
regard to her usage of the most modern computer technology, sales
volume, profit margin, and staff training.

Scenario B: Mr. Paul Hodge, the owner of several restaurants is


concerned about the wide differences in the profit margins of the
various restaurants. He would like to try some incentive plans for
increasing the efficiency levels of those restaurants that are lagging
behind. But, before he introduces this, he would like to be sure that
the idea will work. He asks a researcher to help him on this issue.

Scenario C: A manager is intrigued why some people seem to derive


joy from work and get energized by it, while others find it
troublesome and frustrating.

From your text book:


8 Exercise 4.6

Variable
Dependent variable
Independent variable
Moderating variable

9 Exercise 4.7
Situation 1

Situation 2
Situation 3

10 Exercise 4.8
Variable
Dependent variable
Independent variable
Intervening variable
Moderating variable

11 Write a full research proposal/research project, using the


book studied examples and guided by the sample thesis
provided, regarding a problem/opportunity about “Egypt’s
needed development”, from a business and management
perspective, it is of your selection to set the whole story to
guide your proposal or to define the context to support
developing a clear research proposal. (Should cover all topics
studied within research methods; mention the item on the
left and your answer on the right, and within 1 or 2 pages
length only).

Item 1
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Item (as much as you can of items learned)
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MAKE SURE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION FULLY.

Answer 1
Answer 2
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Dr. Ashraf Elsafty
Research Methods
ESLSCA 42E
Final Exam
Part TWO

Which of the following is most suitable when there is little to no insight in a


certain problem or when there is no information available on how similar
problems or research issues have been solved in the past?

a. Exploratory research.
b. Descriptive research.
c. Causal research.
d. Experimental research.

What cannot be seen as purpose of a causal study?


a. Understanding the dependent variable.
b. Predicting the dependent variable.
c. Making sure that all relevant variables are included in the study.
d. Explaining variance in the dependent variable.

If a bank manager wants to analyze the relationship between interest rates and
bank deposit patterns of clients, a ‘field study’ is the most suitable method of
investigation.
A. true
B. false

A marketing manager aims to investigate the relationship between customer


satisfaction and store loyalty among British consumers. For this purpose, data
will have to be collected from British stores and the ‘unit of analysis’ is the
country.
A. true
B. false
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a multinational corporation wants to know
the profits made during the past 5 years by each of the subsidiaries in England,
Germany, France, and Spain. It is possible that there are many regional offices
of these subsidiaries in each of these countries. The profits of the various
regional centers for each country have to be aggregated and the profits for
each country for the past 5 years provided to the CFO. Hence, the ‘unit of
analysis’ is the country.

A. true
B. false

Studies, when data on the dependent variable are gathered at two or more
points in time to answer the research question, are called:
a. Cross-sectional studies.
b. Longitudinal studies.
c. Exploratory studies.
d. Case studies.

Experimental designs invariably are longitudinal studies since data are


collected both before and after a manipulation.
A. true
B. false

Which of the following studies is a causal study? The researcher tries to find
out:
a. What percentage of the population thinks commercials are annoying
compared to 10 years ago.
b. Why unemployment in Europe is higher than in Asia.
c. If smoking is related to cancer.
d. All the above answers are correct.

A bank manager wants to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between


interest rate and the inducements it offers to clients to save and deposit money
in the bank. What is the appropriate study setting?

a. A field study.
b. A field experiment.
c. A lab experiment.
d. None of the above.

The goal of a _____________ study, hence, is to offer to the researcher a profile of


the phenomena of interest from an individual, organizational, industry-oriented,
or other perspective.
a. Exploratory.
b. Descriptive.
c. Causal.
d. Experimental.

____________ studies are also necessary when some facts are known, but more
information is needed for developing a viable theoretical framework.

a. Exploratory.
b. Descriptive.
c. Causal.
d. Experimental.

Whether a study is a causal or a correlational one depends on the type of


research questions asked and how the problem is defined.
A. true
B. false

The extent of interference by the researcher with the normal flow of work at the
workplace has a direct bearing on whether the study undertaken is causal or
correlational.
A. true
B. false

A causal study is conducted in the natural environment of the organization with


minimum interference by the researcher with the normal flow of work.

A. true
B. false

In studies conducted to establish cause-and-effect relationships, the researcher


tries to manipulate certain variables so as to study the effects of such
manipulation on the dependent variable of interest.

A. true
B. false

Correlational studies are invariably conducted in contrived settings, whereas


most rigorous causal studies are done in non-contrived lab settings.

A. true
B. false

The unit of analysis refers to the level of aggregation of the data collected
during the subsequent data analysis stage.
A. true
B. false

Our research question determines the unit of analysis.


A. true
B. false

A study can be done in which data are gathered just once, perhaps over a
period of days or weeks or months, in order to answer a research question. Such
studies are called:
a. Cross-sectional studies.
b. Longitudinal studies.
c. Exploratory studies.
d. Case studies.

A marketing manager is interested in tracing the pattern of sales of a particular


product in four different regions of the country on a quarterly basis for the next
2 years. This is an example of a:
a. Cross-sectional study.
b. Longitudinal study.
c. Exploratory study.
d. Case study.

Knowledge of research design details also helps managers to study and


intelligently comment on research proposals.
A. true
B. false

Methodological rigor increases as we move progressively from an exploratory


study to a hypothesis-testing study, and with this, the costs of research also
increase.
A. true
B. false

Measurement is the assignment of numbers or other symbols to characteristics


of objects according to a pre-specified set of rules.
A. true
B. false

Objects include:
a. Persons, strategic business units, and companies.
b. Countries, cars, and arousal seeking tendency.
c. Elephants, kitchen appliances, and shopping enjoyment.
d. Restaurants, shampoo, and service quality.

Examples of characteristics of objects are:


a. Length, weight, and country.
b. Arousal seeking tendency, strategic business unit, and shopping enjoyment.

c. Service quality, conditioning effects, and taste.


d. Restaurants, shampoo, and service quality.

Attributes of objects that can be physically measured by some calibrated


instruments pose no measurement problems.
A. true
B. false

Reduction of abstract concepts to render them measurable in a tangible way is


called operationalizing the concepts.
A. true
B. false

Operationalizing is done by looking at the behavioral dimensions, facets, or


properties denoted by the concept. These are then translated into observable
and measurable elements so as to develop an index of measurement of the
concept.
A. true
B. false

Operationalizing a concept involves a series of steps.


1. Come up with a definition of the construct.
2. Develop a response format.
3. Assess the validity and reliability of the measurement scale.
4. Develop an instrument (one or more items or questions) that actually
measures the concept that one wants to measure.
What is the correct order?
a.   1-4-2-3.
b.   4-2-1-3.
c.   4-2-3-1.
d.  3-1-4-2.

Operationalizing a concept consists of delineating the reasons, antecedents,


consequences, or correlates of the concept.
A. true
B. false

You cannot measure objects; you measure _____________ of objects.


a. Elements.
b. Dimensions.
c. Antecedents.
d. Attributes.

Operationalizing is:
a. Designing questionnaires.
b. Translating a problem definition into a research question.
c. Making an abstract concept measurable.
d. Defining difficult concepts in the research proposal.

A variable or construct must always be directly observable.


A. true
B. false

Operationalizing a variable precedes defining a variable.


A. true
B. false

The construct ‘hunger’ is a typical example of a construct that must be


operationalized because it is an abstract and subjective concept.

A. true
B. false

What is the type of scale of the variable ‘age’ if it is measured in the following
way?
“What is your age? ____ years.”
a. Nominal.
b. Ordinal.
c. Interval.
d. Ratio.

What is the measurement level of income, measured in the following way:


“What is your annual gross income?”
< €15.000
€20.000 - €30.000
€30.000 - €45.000
> € 45.000
a. Nominal.
b. Ordinal.
c. Interval.
d. Ratio.

“As the calibration or fine-tuning of a scale increases in sophistication, so does


the power of the scale”. What is therefore the most powerful scale?

a. A nominal scale.
b. An ordinal scale.
c. An interval scale.
d. A ratio scale.
The difference between an ordinal and a ratio scale is that a ratio scale has an
arbitrary zero point.
A. true
B. false

Army rank (such as lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, general, etc.) is ordinal
in nature.
A. true
B. false

Temperature is usually measured on a ratio scale.


A. true
B. false

A lady stands on a pair of scales three times in a row. The first time she weighs
69 kilo, the second time 69 kilo, and the third time 69 kilo. Her real weight is 51
kilo. What is the matter with the scales?
a. The pair of scales is not reliable and not valid.
b. The pair of scales is reliable but is not valid.
c. The pair of scales is not reliable but is valid.
d. The pair of scales is reliable and valid.

The following scale is a: “Ugly __ __ __ __ __ Beautiful”


a. A likert-scale.
b. A semantic differential scale.
c. A numerical scale.
d. An itemized rating scale.

Which of the following is not a source of primary data?


a. A focus group.
b. A panel.
c. Company records.
d. A video conference.

Whereas panels meet for a one-time group session, focus groups meet more
than once.
A. true
B. false

The Delphi Technique is a forecasting method that uses a cautiously selected


panel of experts in a systematic, interactive manner.

A. true
B. false

The advantage of seeking secondary data sources is savings in time and costs
of acquiring information.
A. true
B. false

Unstructured interviews are so labeled because the interviewer does not enter
the interview setting with a planned sequence of questions to be asked of the
respondent.
A. true
B. false

Structured interviews are those conducted when it is known at the outset what
information is needed.
A. true
B. false

When conducting interviews, it is unethical that the researcher makes written


notes as the interviews are taking place, or as soon as the interview is
terminated.
A. true
B. false

The principles of wording refers to which of the following factors?


a. The appropriateness of the content of the questions
b. How questions are worded and the level of sophistication of the language
used.
c. The type and form of questions asked.
d. All of the above.

The way questions are sequenced could also introduce certain biases,
frequently referred to as the ordering effects.
A. true
B. false

Instead of phrasing all questions positively, it is advisable to include some


negatively worded questions as well, so the tendency in respondents to
mechanically circle the points toward one end of the scale is minimized.

A. true
B. false

“Do you think there is a good market for the product and that it will sell well?”

This question is:


a. Leading.
b. Loaded.
c. Double-barreled.
d. Ambiguous.

“Don’t you think that in these days of escalating costs of living, employees
should be given good pay raises?”
a. Leading.
b. Loaded.
c. Double-barreled.
d. Ambiguous.

The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that the


respondent is led from questions of a general nature to those that are more
specific.
A. true
B. false

The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that the


respondent is led from questions that are relatively easy to answer to those that
are progressively more difficult.
A. true
B. false

The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that you end
with questions that respondents refuse to answer.
A. true
B. false

The biggest disadvantage of secondary data is:


a. That they are not meeting the specific needs of the particular situation or
setting.
b. That it is generally more expensive to collect secondary data than primary
data.
c. That they are generally qualitative in nature.
d. That they cannot be used for forecasting purposes.

Probability sampling designs are used when the representativeness of the


sample is of importance in the interests of wider generalizability.

A. true
B. false
Convenience sampling and quota sampling are examples of probability
sampling.
A. true
B. false

A researcher who investigates the relationship between the loyalty program of a


specific supermarket and the loyalty towards this supermarket, collects his data
by questioning consumers who leave the specific supermarket on several daily
periods. The sampling method used by this researcher is called:

a. Convenience sampling.
b. Simple random sampling.
c. Stratified sampling.
d. Quota sampling.

When the properties of the population are not over-represented or under-


represented in the sample, we will have a representative sample.

A. true
B. false

From a statistical perspective, probability sampling is preferred over non-


probability sampling.
A. true
B. false

The results of probability sampling are less generalizable than the results of
non-probability sampling.
A. true
B. false

The sampling frame is a (physical) representation of all the elements in the


population from which the sample is drawn.
A. true
B. false

The payroll of an organization would serve as the sampling frame if its members
are to be studied.
A. true
B. false

The type of probability and non-probability sampling designs that is chosen


depends on:
a. The extent of generalizability desired.
b. The demands of time and other resources.
c. The purpose of the study.
d. All of the above.

A sample size of 40 is large enough.


A. true
B. false

As a sampling technique, qualitative research generally uses non-probability


sampling as it does not aim to draw statistical inference.
A. true
B. false

Thanks
Dr Ashraf Elsafty
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