WINTER

2015

Exam APRIL/MAY 2016

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 backgroundin terms of

demographic and psychographic traitsmust 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 groups 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:

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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 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).

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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:

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
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groups or examines associations between variables.

single

sample

without

establishing

relationships

When describing a

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:
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

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findings in facts and figureswhich 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.
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 individuals representative of the larger
respondent population under study.
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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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