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MBA – FINANCE

Semester 3

MB0034 – Research Methodology  

Assignment Set- 1 & Set- 2

Submitted By :

Name : Jojo Joy

Reg No : 511035886

Center Name : Sensorium

Center Code : 205

ate o! Su"mission : 22#06#2011

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 SET - 1

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Q.1. Why should a manger know about research when the job entails managing people, products,

events, environments, and the like?

Ans. Research simply means a search for facts – answers to questions and solutions to

 problem. t is a purposive investigation. t is an organi!ed inquiry. "anaging people is only a

fraction of a manager#s responsibility $ they have to manage the operations of the department,and often have responsibilities towards the profitability of the organi!ation. %nowledge of 

research can be very helpful for a good manager.

 PURPOSE OF RESEARCH 

• &he research e'tends knowledge of human beings, social life and environment. &he

search is for answers for various types of questions.

• Research brings into light information that might never be discovered fully during the

ordinary course of life.

•Research establishes generali!ation and general laws and contributes to theory building invarious fields of knowledge

• Research verifies and tests e'isting facts and theory and those help improving our 

knowledge and ability to handle situations and events.

• (eneral laws developed through research may enable us to make reliable predictions of 

events yet to happen

• Research aims to analy!e inter$relationships between variables and to derive casual

e'planations) and thus enable us to have a better understanding of the world in which we

live.

• *pplied research aims at finding solutions to problems, such as socio$economic problems, health problems, human relations problems in organi!ations and so on.

• Research also aims at developing new tools, concepts and theories for a better study of 

unknown phenomena.

• Research aids planning and thus contributes to national development.

Research also assumes a significant role in solving various operational and planning

 problems associated with business and industry. n several ways operational research, marketing

research, and motivational research are vital and their result assist in taking business decisions.

+perational research relates to the application of logical, mathematical and analytical techniquesto find solutions to business problems such as cost minimi!ation or profit ma'imi!ation or the

optimi!ation problems.

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Q.2. a. ow do you evolve research design for e'ploratory research? -riefly analy!e?

  b. -riefly e'plain ndependent dependent and e'traneous variables in a research design?Ans:

a.  EXPLORATORY RESEARCH 

&he central purpose is to formulate hypotheses regarding potential problems and

opportunities present in the decision situation. &he hypotheses can be tested at a later phase with

a conclusive research design /0einhardt and 0einhardt, 1234.

 Exploratory research design applies when the research objectives include the following:

a. identifying problems /threats or opportunities

 b. developing a more precise formulation of a vaguely identified problem/threat or opportunity

c. gaining perspective regarding the breath of variables operating in a situation

d. establishing priorities regarding the potential significance of various problems /threats or 

opportunitiese. gaining management and researcher perspective concerning the character of the problem

situation

f. identifying and formulating alternative courses of action5 and

g. gathering information on the problems associated with doing conclusive research.

h. identification of problems /threats or opportunities can be assisted through the following)

i 6earching secondary sources

ii nterviewing knowledgeable persons

iii 7ompiling case histories.

b.) INDEPENDENT VARIABLE 

* variable that you believe might influence your outcome measure. &his might be a variable that

you control, like a treatment, or a variable not under your control, like an e'posure. t also mightrepresent a demographic factor like age or gender. 7ontrast this with the definition of the

dependent variable. *n independent variable is a hypothesi!ed cause or influence on a dependent

variable. +ne way to distinguish these variables is to ask yourself what you are want to learnfrom this research. &he dependent variable is a variable you are trying to predict. *ny variable

that you are using to make those predictions is an independent variable. * recently published

research study e'amined the relationship of dietary fat consumption and the development of 

ischemic stroke in a cohort of 389 men who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline/12::$12:2 and who were followed for a twenty year period. n this study, the independent

variables were)

•  percentage of total fat in the diet,

•  percentage of saturated fat, and

• the percentage of monounsaturated fat.

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 DEPENDENT VARIABLE 

n a research study, the variable that you believe might be influenced or modified by sometreatment or e'posure. t may also represent the variable you are trying to predict. 7ontrast this

with the definition of an independent variable. 6ometimes the dependent variable is called the

outcome variable. &his definition depends on the conte't of the study. n a study of prenatal care,the birthweight is an outcome or dependent variable, but in neonatology, it is more likely to be an

independent variable. * recently published research study e'amined the relationship of dietary

fat consumption and the development of ischemic stroke in a cohort of 389 men who were freeof cardiovascular disease at baseline /12::$12:2 and who were followed for a twenty year 

 period. n this study, the dependent variable was) incidence of ischemic stroke.

 EXTRANEOUS VARIABLE 

  &he independent variables which are not directly related to the purpose of the study butaffect the dependent variable are known as e'traneous variables. ;or eg, if a researcher wants to

test the hypothesis that there is relationship between children

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Q 3. a. >ifferentiate between =7ensus survey< and = 6ample 6urvey

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• ncludes an uncomfortable visit from a government worker if the census is not filled

out on time

Sampling

• Gathers information from only a section of the population

•

!ay have a significant degree of sample variance, since the data is derived from onlya small section of a population

• !ay not provide enough information about smaller groups or smaller geographical

sections of a place

 b. MULTISTAGE SAMPLING 

"ultistage sampling is a comple' form of cluster sampling. @sing all the sample

elements in all the selected clusters may be prohibitively e'pensive or not necessary. @nder these

circumstances, multistage cluster sampling becomes useful. nstead of using all the elementscontained in the selected clusters, the researcher randomly selects elements from each cluster.

7onstructing the clusters is the first stage. >eciding what elements within the cluster to use is the

second stage. &he technique is used frequently when a complete list of all members of the

 population does not e'ist and is inappropriate.

n some cases, several levels of cluster selection may be applied before the final sample

elements are reached. ;or e'ample, household surveys conducted by the *ustralian -ureau of 

6tatistics begin by dividing metropolitan regions into #collection districts#, and selecting some of 

these collection districts /first stage. &he selected collection districts are then divided into blocks, and blocks are chosen from within each selected collection district /second stage. Ae't,

dwellings are listed within each selected block, and some of these dwellings are selected /third

stage. &his method means that it is not necessary to create a list of every dwelling in the region,only for selected blocks. n remote areas, an additional stage of clustering is used, in order to

reduce travel requirements.B1C

*lthough cluster sampling and stratified sampling bear some superficial similarities, they

are substantially different. n stratified sampling, a random sample is drawn from all the strata,where in cluster sampling only the selected clusters are studied, either in single stage or multi

stage.

 SEQUENTIAL SAMPLING 

6equential sampling is a non$probability sampling technique wherein the researcher picks

a single or a group of subjects in a given time interval, conducts his study, analy!es the resultsthen picks another group of subjects if needed and so on.&his sampling technique  gives the

researcher limitless chances of fine tuning his research methods and gaining a vital insight into

the study that he is currently pursuing.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cluster-samplinghttp://www.answers.com/topic/australian-bureau-of-statisticshttp://www.answers.com/topic/australian-bureau-of-statisticshttp://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/25EBCE8C88824592CA25710E007321C3?opendocumenthttp://www.answers.com/topic/stratified-sampling-1http://www.answers.com/topic/stratified-sampling-1http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-sampling.htmlhttp://www.answers.com/topic/australian-bureau-of-statisticshttp://www.answers.com/topic/australian-bureau-of-statisticshttp://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/25EBCE8C88824592CA25710E007321C3?opendocumenthttp://www.answers.com/topic/stratified-sampling-1http://www.answers.com/topic/stratified-sampling-1http://www.experiment-resources.com/what-is-sampling.htmlhttp://www.answers.com/topic/cluster-sampling

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Q 4. 0ist down various measures of central tendency and e'plain the difference between them?

Ans:

 ARITHMETIC MEAN 

&he arithmetic mean is the most common measure of central tendency. t simply the sum

of the numbers divided by the number of numbers. &he symbol m is used for the mean of a

 population. &he symbol " is used for the mean of a sample. &he formula for m is shown below)

where DE is the sum of all the numbers in the numbers in the sample and A is the number of numbers in the sample. *s an e'ample, the mean of the numbers

regardless of whether the numbers constitute the entire population or just a sample from the

 population. &he table, Aumber of touchdown passes, shows the number of touchdown /&>

 passes thrown by each of the 81 teams in the Aational ;ootball 0eague in the 9444 season. &hemean number of touchdown passes thrown is 94.FG1: as shown below.

*lthough the arithmetic mean is not the only HmeanH /there is also a geometic mean, it is by far 

the most commonly used. &herefore, if the term HmeanH is used without specifying whether it isthe arithmetic mean, the geometic mean, or some other mean, it is assumed to refer to the

arithmetic mean.

 MEDIAN 

&he median is also a frequently used measure of central tendency. &he median is the midpoint of a distribution) the same numbers of scores are above the median as below it. ;or the data in the

table, Aumber of touchdown passes, there are 81 scores. &he 1:th highest score /which equals

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94 is the median because there are 1G scores below the 1:th score and 1G scores above the 1:th

score. &he median can also be thought of as the G4th percentile. 0et#s return to the made up

e'ample of the qui! on which you made a three discussed previously in the module ntroductionto 7entral &endency and shown in &able 9.

 

;or >ataset 1, the median is three, the same as your score. ;or >ataset 9, the median is F.

&herefore, your score is below the median. &his means you are in the lower half of the class.;inally for >ataset 8, the median is 9. ;or this dataset, your score is above the median andtherefore in the upper half of the distribution.

Computation of the Median: When there is an odd number of numbers, the median is simply

the middle number. ;or e'ample, the median of 9, F, and I is F. When there is an even number of numbers, the median is the mean of the two middle numbers. &hus, the median of the

numbers

 

 MODE 

&he mode is the most frequently occuring value.;or the data in the table, Aumber of touchdown

 passes, the mode is 13 since more teams /F had 13 touchdown passes than any other number of 

touchdown passes. With continuous data such as response time measured to many decimals, thefrequency of each value is one since no two scores will be e'actly the same. &herefore the mode

of continuous data is normally computed from a grouped frequency distribution. &he (rouped

frequency distribution table shows a grouped frequency distribution for the target response timedata. 6ince the interval with the highest frequency is :44$I44, the mode isthe middle of that

interval /:G4.

 

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Q 5. 6elect any topic for research and e'plain how you will use both secondary and primary

sources to gather the required information.?

Ans:

 PRIMARY SOURCES OF DATA

rimary sources are original sources from which the researcher directly collects data that

has not been previously collected, e.g., collection of data directly by the researcher on brandawareness, brand preference, and brand loyalty and other aspects of consumer behavior, from a

sample of consumers by interviewing them. rimary data is first hand information collected

through various methods such as surveys, e'periments and observation, for the purposes of the project immediately at hand.

&he advantages of primary data are –

1 t is unique to a particular research study

9 t is recent information, unlike published information that is already available

&he disadvantages are –

1 t is e'pensive to collect, compared to gathering information from available

sources

9 >ata collection is a time consuming process

3  t requires trained interviewers and investigators  

 SECONDARY SOURCES OF DATA

&hese are sources containing data, which has been collected and compiled for another 

 purpose. 6econdary sources may be internal sources, such as annual reports, financial statements,sales reports, inventory records, minutes of meetings and other information that is available

within the firm, in the form of a marketing information system. &hey may also be e'ternal

sources, such as government agencies /e.g. census reports, reports of government departments, published sources /annual reports of currency and finance published by the Reserve -ank of 

ndia, publications of international organi!ations such as the @A, World -ank and nternational

"onetary ;und, trade and financial journals, etc., trade associations /e.g. 7hambers of 

7ommerce and commercial services /outside suppliers of information.

 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 

&he researcher directly collects primary data from its original sources. n this case, the

researcher can collect the required data precisely according to his research needs and he cancollect them when he wants and in the form that he needs it. -ut the collection of primary data is

costly and time consuming. Jet, for several types of social science research, required data is notavailable from secondary sources and it has to be directly gathered from the primary sources.

rimary data has to be gathered in cases where the available data is inappropriate, inadequate or 

obsolete. t includes) socio economic surveys, social anthropological studies of ruralcommunities and tribal communities, sociological studies of social problems and social

institutions, marketing research, leadership studies, opinion polls, attitudinal surveys, radio

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listening and &.K. viewing surveys, knowledge$awareness practice /%* studies, farm

management studies, business management studies etc.

&here are various methods of primary data collection, including surveys, audits and panels,observation and e'periments. 

1. Survey Research

* survey is a fact$finding study. t is a method of research involving collection of data directly

from a population or a sample at a particular time. * survey has certain characteristics)

1 t is always conducted in a natural setting. t is a field study.

9 t seeks responses directly from the respondents.

8 t can cover a very large population.

F t may include an e'tensive study or an intensive study

G t covers a definite geographical area.

* survey involves the following steps $

1 6election of a problem and its formulation

9 reparation of the research design

8 +peration concepts and construction of measuring inde'es and scales

F 6ampling

G 7onstruction of tools for data collection

: ;ield work and collection of data

I rocessing of data and tabulation

3 *nalysis of data

2 Reporting

&here are four basic survey methods, which include)

1 ersonal interview

9 &elephone interview

8 "ail survey and

F ;a' survey

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Q 6. a. L'plain the role of (raphs and >iagrams?

 b. What are the &ypes and (eneral rules for graphical representation of data?

Ans:a. ROLES OF GRAPHS 

(raph is a diagram, as a curve, broken line, or series of bars, representing various kinds

of quantitative information and relationships, such as the successive changes in a variable

quantity or quantities.&he graphs which are most commonly used in visual aids are -ar graphs,ie 7harts, 0ine graphs and 6catter diagrams. (raphs play a very important role during

 presentations because they make the data easier to understand and interpretations and

comparisons can be made quickly. &hey are useful in presentations also because they cansummari!e large amounts of data and can convey the basic idea of the research.

(raphs really help the audience in absorbing the data as they are simple to interpret andare appealing. -y using graphs, variations and trends in data can be showed clearly and they

show how the values of particular variables change over time. (raphs also help in determiningthe relationship between variables. * graph is an abstract data structure  that is meant to

implement the graph and hypergraph concepts from mathematics. * graph data structure consists

of a finite /and possibly mutable set of ordered pairs, called edges or arcs, of certain entitiescalled nodes or vertices. *s in mathematics, an edge /',y is said to point or go from ' to y. &he

nodes may be part of the graph structure, or may be e'ternal entities represented by integer 

indices or references. * graph data structure may also associate to each edge some edge value,such as a symbolic label or a numeric attribute /cost, capacity, length, etc..

 ROLES OF DIAGRAMS 

>iagram is a graphic representation of an algebraic or geometric relationship. Role

*ctivity >iagrams /R*>s are a useful way of describing processes. &hey are valuable in

documenting processes as they are now, and as they might be in the future. &he main part of the6RA& -R "ethodology describes the ways in which Role *ctivity >iagrams can be used

within a broader change project. &his guide tells you how to draw Role *ctivity >iagrams. &he

guide will show you that Role *ctivity >iagrams are a reasonably simple diagrammingtechnique. t is not difficult to learn how to draw them and it is not difficult for most people to

interpret them. &he guide progresses by introducing each of the main constructs of the Role

*ctivity >iagram. t describes these in turn, giving advice about the drawing conventions. &his is

syntactic guidance. n addition to these syntactic skills, the creation of Role *ctivity >iagramsrelies upon an ability to scope a study, to decide on the level of interest and to determine the

 boundaries of each role in a diagram. &his is where the real skill of using Role *ctivity >iagrams

comes in but such issues are addressed only partially in this report. n reality the reader will relyupon e'perience gained through using Role *ctivity >iagrams in projects. &his e'perience will

teach how Role *ctivity >iagrams can best be used, and what they are most useful for.

 b. REPRESENTATION OF DATA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_data_structurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_data_structurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(mathematics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(mathematics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergraphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergraphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(computer_science)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_(computer_science)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_data_structurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph_(mathematics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergraphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(computer_science)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_(computer_science)

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-esides the tabular form, the data may also be presented in some graphic or diagrammatic form.

M&he transformation of data through visual methods like graphs, diagrams, maps and charts is

called representation of data.N

The need of representing data graphically:

(raphics, such as maps, graphs and diagrams, are used to represent large volume of data. &hey

are necessary"

  f the information is presented in tabular form or in a descriptive record, it becomes difficultto draw results.

  Graphical form makes it possible to easily draw visual impressions of data.

  #he graphic method of the representation of data enhances our understanding.

  t makes the comparisons easy.

  $esides, such methods create an imprint on mind for a longer time.

  t is a time consuming task to draw inferences about whatever is being presented in non%graphical form.

  t presents characteristics in a simplified way.

  #hese makes it easy to understand the patterns of population growth, distribution and the

density, se& ratio, age%se& composition, occupational structure, etc.

eneral Rules for !ra"ing raphs# !iagrams and Maps

1. Selection of a Suitable raphical Method : Lach characteristic of the data can only be

suitably represented by an appropriate graphical method. ;or e'ample,

  O&o show the data related to the temperature or growth of population between different periods in

time line graph are used.

  O6imilarly, bar diagrams are used for showing rainfall or the production of commodities.

  O&he population distribution, both human and livestock, or the distribution of the crop producing

areas are shown by dot maps.

  O&he population density can be shown by choropleth maps.

&hus, it is necessary and important to select suitable graphical method to represent data.

$. Selection of Suitable Scale : 'ach diagram or map is drawn to a scale which is used to

measure the data. #he scale must cover the entire data that is to be represented. #he scale

should neither be too large nor too small.

%. !esign

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#he diagram or map should have following design"

    #itle" #he title of the diagram(map must be clear and include

o #he name of the area,

o *eference year of the data used and

o #he caption of the diagram.

#hese are written with different font si+es and thickness. #he title, subtitle and the

corresponding year is shown in the centre at the top of the map(diagram.

    egend or nde&" #he inde& must clearly e&plain the colours, shades, symbols and signs

used in the map and diagram. - legend is shown either at the lower left or lower right sideof the map sheet.

    irection the maps should show the direction /orth and properly placed on the top.

Types of !iagrams

#he diagrams and the maps is of following types"

0i) 1nedimensional diagrams such as line graph, poly graph, bar diagram, histogram, age,

se&, pyramid, etc.2

0ii) #wodimensional diagram such as pie diagram and rectangular diagram2

0iii) #hreedimensional diagrams such as cube and spherical diagrams.

#he most commonly drawn diagrams and maps are"

3 ine graphs

3 $ar diagrams

3 Pie diagram

3 4ind rose and star diagram

3 5low Charts

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 SET - 2

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Q 1. What is questionnaire? >iscuss the main points that you will take into account while

drafting a questionnaire?

Ans:

* questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other 

 prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. *lthough they are oftendesigned for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case. &he questionnairewas invented by 6ir ;rancis (alton.

Puestionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap,

do not require as much effort from the questioner as verbal or telephone surveys, and often havestandardi!ed answers that make it simple to compile data. owever, such standardi!ed answers

may frustrate users. Puestionnaires are also sharply limited by the fact that respondents must be

able to read the questions and respond to them. &hus, for some demographic groups conducting asurvey by questionnaire may not be practical.

*s a type of survey, questionnaires also have many of the same problems relating toquestion construction and wording that e'ist in other types of opinion polls. Puestionnaires may

 be classified as)

Structured& Standardi'ed (uestionnaire:

6tructured questionnaires are those in which there are definite, concrete and preordainedquestions with additional questions limited to those necessary to clarify inadequate answers or to

elicit more detailed responses. &he questions are presented with e'actly the same wording and in

the same order to all the respondents.

)nstructured (uestionnaire: 

n unstructured questionnaires the respondent is given the opportunity to answer in his

own terms and in his own frame of reference.

*oints to ta+e into account "hile drafting a ,uestionnaire:

Writing an effective questionnaire is not a task for novices. *t the very least it requires anunderstanding of four basics. &hese are)

7onsidering the differences that e'ist when writing a questionnaire that respondent

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&here are some basic differences in how the questionnaire should be constructed if it is to

 be filled out personally by the respondent or if an interviewer is going to administer it. &hese are)

6elf$administered questionnaires should be simple, straightforward and logical. Puestion

9 should follow question 1. Puestion 8 should follow question 9, and so forth. ;urther,

the going$in assumption with self$administered questionnaires should be that respondentswill not complete a questionnaire when there are comple' skip patterns, when pages arecrowded or hard to read or when instructions for completion are overly comple'.

t has been estimated that as many as G4Q of respondents who start a self$administeredquestionnaire will not complete it because they become irritated and annoyed at the way

it is constructed. When writing a self$administered questionnaire, then, every care must

 be taken to ensure that it is easy to complete in that it almost answers itself.

6elf$administered questionnaires should be written with an eighth grade mentality in

mind while interviewer$administered questionnaire can be quite comple'. -ecause

interviewers are trained in the flow of the questionnaires they administer and will conducta number of practice interviews prior to confronting a respondent, developing a comple'

questionnaire that is interviewer$administered does not present a problem for the

respondent.

%eep the respondent in one mind$set at a time. f at all possible, complete all your 

questions about one topic before moving on to the ne't. ;or e'ample, don

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Q 2. What do you mean by primary data? What are the various methods of collecting primary

data?

Ans:

rimary >ate is data that has not been previously published, i.e. the data is derived from anew or original research study and collected at the source, e.g., in marketing, it is information

that is obtained directly from first$hand sources by means of surveys, observation or 

e'perimentation. >ata observed or collected directly from first$hand e'perience. ublished dataand the data collected in the past or other parties are called secondary data. rimary data are

directly collected by the researcher from their original sources. n this case, the researcher can

collect the required date precisely according to his research needs, he can collect them when hewants them and in the form he needs them. -ut the collection of primary data is costly and time

consuming. Jet, for several types of social science research required data are not available from

secondary sources and they have to be directly gathered from the primary sources.

rimary data are always collected from the source. t is collected either by the

investigator himself or through his agents. &here are different methods of collecting primary

data. Lach method has its relative merits and demerits. &he investigator has to choose a particular method to collect the information. &he choice to a large e'tent depends on the preliminaries to

data collection some of the commonly used methods are discussed below.

6) !irect *ersonal observation:

&his is a very general method of collecting primary data. ere the investigator directly

contacts the informants, solicits their cooperation and enumerates the data. &he information are

collected by direct personal interviews. &he novelty of this method is its simplicity. t is neither 

difficult for the enumerator nor the informants because both are present at the spot of datacollection. &his method provides most accurate information as the investigator collects them

 personally. -ut as the investigator alone is involved in the process, his personal bias may

influence the accuracy of the data. 6o it is necessary that the investigator should be honest,unbiased and e'perienced. n such cases the data collected may be fairly accurate. owever, the

method is quite costly and time$consuming. 6o the method should be used when the scope of 

enquiry is small.

7) -ndirect ral -ntervie"s:

&his is an indirect method of collecting primary data. ere information is not collected

directly from the source but by interviewing persons closely related with the problem. &hismethod is applied to apprehend culprits in case of theft, murder etc. &he information relating to

one#s personal life or which the informant hesitates to reveal are better collected by this method.

ere the investigator prepares #a small list of questions relating to the enquiry. &he answers

/information are collected by interviewing persons well connected with the incident. &heinvestigator should cross$e'amine the informants to get correct information. &his method is time

saving and involves relatively less cost. &he accuracy of the information largely depends upon

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the integrity of the investigator. t is desirable that the investigator should be e'perienced and

capable enough to inspire and create confidence in the informant to collect accurate data.

8) Mailed (uestionnaire method:

&his is a very commonly used method of collecting primary data. ere information iscollected through a set of questionnaire. * questionnaire is a document prepared by the

investigator containing a set of questions. &hese questions relate to the problem of enquirydirectly or indirectly. ere first the questionnaires are mailed to the informants with a formal

request to answer the question and send them back. ;or better response the investigator should

 bear the postal charges. &he questionnaire should carry a polite note e'plaining the aims andobjective of the enquiry, definition of various terms and concepts used there. -esides this the

investigator should ensure the secrecy of the information as well as the name of the informants,

if required. 6uccess of this method greatly depends upon the way in which the questionnaire is

drafted. 6o the investigator must be very careful while framing the questions. &he questionsshould be)

6hort and clear  ;ew in number 

6imple and intelligible

7orroboratory in nature or there should be provision for cross check 

mpersonal, non$aggressive type

6imple alternative, multiple$choice or open$end type

9) Schedule Method:

n case the informants are largely uneducated and non$responsive data cannot becollected by the mailed questionnaire method. n such cases, schedule method is used to collect

data. ere the questionnaires are sent through the enumerators to collect information.Lnumerators are persons appointed by the investigator for the purpose. &hey directly meet the

informants with the questionnaire. &hey e'plain the scope and objective of the enquiry to theinformants and solicit their cooperation. &he enumerators ask the questions to the informants and

record their answers in the questionnaire and compile them. &he success of this method depends

on the sincerity and efficiency of the enumerators. 6o the enumerator should be sweet$tempered,good$natured, trained and well$behaved. 6chedule method is widely used in e'tensive studies. t

gives fairly correct result as the enumerators directly collect the information. &he accuracy of the

information depends upon the honesty of the enumerators. &hey should be unbiased. &hismethod is relatively more costly and time$consuming than the mailed questionnaire method.

:) /rom 0ocal Agents:

6ometimes primary data are collected from local agents or correspondents. &hese agents

are appointed by the sponsoring authorities. &hey are well conversant with the local conditions

like language, communication, food habits, traditions etc. -eing on the spot and well acquaintedwith the nature of the enquiry they are capable of furnishing reliable information. &he accuracy

of the data collected by this method depends on the honesty and sincerity of the agents because

they actually collect the information from the spot. nformation from a wide area at less cost and

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time can be collected by this method. &he method is generally used by government agencies,

newspapers, periodicals etc. to collect data. nformation is like raw materials or inputs in an

enquiry. &he result of the enquiry basically depends on the type of information used. rimarydata can be collected by employing any of the above methods.

Q 3. a. *naly!e the case study and descriptive approach to research.

 b. >istinguish between research methods research "ethodology.Ans:

a. CASE STUDY AND DESCRIPTIVE APPROACH TO RESEARCH 

>escriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics

about the population or phenomenon being studied. >escriptive research answers the questionswho, what, where, when and how. *lthough the data description is factual, accurate and

systematic, the research cannot describe what caused a situation. &hus, >escriptive research

cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects another. n other words,descriptive research can be said to have a low requirement for internal validity. &he description is

used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations. +ften the best approach, prior to

writing descriptive research, is to conduct a survey investigation. Pualitative research often hasthe aim of description and researchers may follow$up with e'aminations of why the observations

e'ist and what the implications of the findings are.

n short descriptive research deals with everything that can be counted and studied. -ut

there are always restrictions to that. Jour research must have an impact to the lives of the people

around you e.g. finding the most frequent disease that affects the children of a town. &he reader 

of the research will know what to do to prevent that disease thus5 more people will live a healthylife. >escriptive research does not fit neatly into the definition of either quantitative or 

qualitative research methodologies, but instead it can utili!e elements of both, often within the

same study. &he term descriptive research refers to the type of research question, design, and

data analysis that will be applied to a given topic. >escriptive statistics tell what is, whileinferential statistics try to determine cause and effect. * case study is a research method common

in social science. t is based on an in$depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event.7ase studies may be descriptive or e'planatory. &he latter type is used to e'plore causation in

order to find underlying principles. &hey may be prospective, in which criteria are established

and cases fitting the criteria are included as they become available, or retrospective, in which

criteria are established for selecting cases from historical records for inclusion in the study.

Rather than using samples and following a rigid protocol /strict set of rules to e'amine

limited number of variables, case study methods involve an in$depth, longitudinal /over a long period of time e'amination of a single instance or event) a case. &hey provide a systematic way

of looking at events, collecting data, analy!ing information, and reporting the results. *s a resultthe researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, andwhat might become important to look at more e'tensively in future research. 7ase studies lend

themselves to both generating and testing hypotheses. *nother suggestion is that case study

should be defined as a research strategy, an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenonwithin its real$life conte't. 7ase study research means single and multiple case studies, can

include quantitative evidence, relies on multiple sources of evidence and benefits from the prior 

development of theoretical propositions. 7ase studies should not be confused with qualitative

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research and they can be based on any mi' of quantitative and qualitative evidence. 6ingle$

subject research provides the statistical framework for making inferences from quantitative case$

study data

 b. DISTINCTION BETWEEN RESEARCH METHODS AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: 

Research Methods Research Methodology

Research methods are the various procedures,

schemes, algorithms, etc. used in research. *ll

the methods used by a researcher during a

research study are termed as research methods.

&hey are essentially planned, scientiSc and

value$neutral. &hey include theoretical

 procedures, e'perimental studies, numerical

schemes, statistical approaches, etc. Research

methods help us collect samples, data and Snd

a solution to a problem. articularly, scientiScresearch methods call for e'planations based

on collected facts, measurements and

observations and not on reasoning alone. &hey

ac$ cept only those e'planations which can be

veriSed by e'periments.

Research methodology is a systematic way to

solve a problem. t is a science of studying

how research is to be carried out. Lssentially,

the procedures by which researchers go about

their work of describing, e'plaining and

 predicting phenomena are called research

methodology. t is also deSned as the study of 

methods by which knowledge is gained. ts

aim is to give the work plan of research.

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Q 4. L'plain the important concepts in Research design?

Ans:

&he research designer understandably cannot hold all his decisions in his head. Lven if he

could, he would have difficulty in understanding how these are inter$related. &herefore, he

records his decisions on paper or record disc by using relevant symbols or concepts. 6uch a

symbolic construction may be called the research design or model. * research design is a logicaland systematic plan prepared for directing a research study. t constitutes the blue print for the

 plan is the overall scheme or program of research. * research design is the program that guides

the investigator in the process of collecting, analysing and interpreting observations. t provides asystematic plan of procedure for the researcher to follow ellti!, Tahoda and >estsch and 7ook 

describe, M* research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data

in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure.N

Components of Research !esign:

 

t is important to be familiar with the important concepts relating to research design. &hey are)

1. !ependent and -ndependent variables:

* magnitude that varies is known as a variable. &he concept may assume different

quantitative values, like height, weight, income, etc. Pualitative variables are not quantifiable inthe strictest sense of objectivity. owever, the qualitative phenomena may also be quantified in

terms of the presence or absence of the attribute considered. henomena that assume different

values quantitatively even in decimal points are known as Mcontinuous variables. -ut, allvariables need not be continuous. When changes in one variable depends upon the changes in

one or more other variables, it is known as a dependent or endogenous variable, and the variables

that cause the changes in the dependent variable are known as the independent or e'planatory or 

e'ogenous variables. ;or e'ample, if demand depends upon price, then demand is a dependentvariable, while price is the independent variable.

$. 2traneous variable:

  &he independent variables which are not directly related to the purpose of the study but

affect the dependent variable are known as e'traneous variables. ;or instance, assume that aresearcher wants to test the hypothesis that there is relationship between children

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%. Control:

+ne of the most important features of a good research design is to minimi!e the effect of 

e'traneous variable. &echnically, the term control is used when a researcher designs the study insuch a manner that it minimi!es the effects of e'traneous independent variables. &he term control

is used in e'perimental research to reflect the restrain in e'perimental conditions.

3. Confounded relationship:

&he relationship between dependent and independent variables is said to be confounded by ane'traneous variable, when the dependent variable is not free from its effects.

Research hypothesis: When a prediction or a hypothesi!ed relationship is tested by

adopting scientific methods, it is known as research hypothesis. &he research hypothesis

is a predictive statement which relates a dependent variable and an independent variable.

(enerally, a research hypothesis must consist of at least one dependent variable and oneindependent variable. Whereas, the relationships that are assumed but not be tested are

 predictive statements that are not to be objectively verified are not classified as research

hypothesis.

2perimental and control groups: When a group is e'posed to usual conditions inan e'perimental hypothesis$testing research, it is known as Ucontrol group. +n the other hand, when the group is e'posed to certain new or special condition, it is known as an

Ue'perimental group. n the afore$mentioned e'ample, the (roup * can be called a

control group and the (roup - an e'perimental one. f both the groups * and - are

e'posed to some special feature, then both the groups may be called as Ue'perimentalgroups. * research design may include only the e'perimental group or the both

e'perimental and control groups together.

Treatments: &reatments are referred to the different conditions to which the

e'perimental and control groups are subject to. n the e'ample considered, the two

treatments are the parents with regular earnings and those with no regular earnings.

0ikewise, if a research study attempts to e'amine through an e'periment regarding thecomparative impacts of three different types of fertili!ers on the yield of rice crop, then

the three types of fertili!ers would be treated as the three treatments. 

2periment: *n e'periment refers to the process of verifying the truth of a statistical

hypothesis relating to a given research problem. ;or instance, e'periment may be

conducted to e'amine the yield of a certain new variety of rice crop developed. ;urther,L'periments may be categori!ed into two types namely, absolute e'periment and

comparative e'periment. f a researcher wishes to determine the impact of a chemical

fertili!er on the yield of a particular variety of rice crop, then it is known as absolutee'periment. "eanwhile, if the researcher wishes to determine the impact of chemical

fertili!er as compared to the impact of bio$fertili!er, then the e'periment is known as a

comparative e'periment.  2periment unit: L'perimental units refer to the predetermined plots, characteristics or 

the blocks, to which the different treatments are applied. t is worth mentioning here that

such e'perimental units must be selected with great caution.

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Q 5. What are the differences between observation and interviewing as methods of data

collection? (ive two specific e'amples of situations where either observation or interviewing

would be more appropriate.Ans:

OBSERVATION VS. INTERVIEWING AS METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION 

7ollection of data is the most crucial part of any research project as the success or failureof the project is dependent upon the accuracy of the data. @se of wrong methods of data

collection or any inaccuracy in collecting data can have significant impact on the results of a

study and may lead to results that are not valid. &here are many techniques of data collection

along a continuum and observation and interviewing are two of the popular methods on thiscontinuum that has quantitative methods at one end while qualitative methods at the other end.

&hough there are many similarities in these two methods and they serve the same basic purpose,there are differences that will be highlighted in this article.

bservation: +bservation, as the name implies refers to situations where participants areobserved from a safe distance and their activities are recorded minutely. t is a time consuming

method of data collection as you may not get the desired conditions that are required for your 

research and you may have to wait till participants are in the situation you want them to be in.7lassic e'amples of observation are wild life researchers who wait for the animals of birds to be

in a natural habitat and behave in situations that they want to focus upon. *s a method of data

collection, observation has limitations but produces accurate results as participants are unawareof being closely inspected and behave naturally.

-ntervie"ing: nterviewing is another great technique of data collection and it involves asking

questions to get direct answers. &hese interviews could be either one to one, in the form of questionnaires, or the more recent form of asking opinions through internet. owever, there are

limitations of interviewing as participants may not come up with true or honest answers

depending upon privacy level of the questions. &hough they try to be honest, there is an elementof lie in answers that can distort results of the project. &hough both observation and interviewing

are great techniques of data collection, they have their own strengths and weaknesses. t is

important to keep in mind which one of the two will produce desired results before finali!ing.

bservation vs. intervie"ing:

bservation -ntervie"ing

+bservation requires precise analysis by theresearcher and often produces most accurate

results although it is very time consuming.

nterviewing is easier but suffers from thefact that participants may not come up with

honest replies.

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-ntervie" format:

nterviews take many different forms. t is a good idea to ask the organisation in advance

what format the interview will take.

Competency&criteria based intervie"s:

&hese are structured to reflect the competencies or qualities that an employer is seeking

for a particular job, which will usually have been detailed in the job specification or advert. &he

interviewer is looking for evidence of your skills and may ask such things as) V(ive an e'ample

of a time you worked as part of a team to achieve a common goal.

Technical intervie"s:

f you have applied for a job or course that requires technical knowledge, it is likely that

you will be asked technical questions or has a separate technical interview. Puestions may focuson your final year project or on real or hypothetical technical problems. Jou should be prepared

to prove yourself, but also to admit to what you do not know and stress that you are keen tolearn. >o not worry if you do not know the e'act answer $ interviewers are interested in your 

thought process and logic.

The Screening -ntervie":

7ompanies use screening tools to ensure that candidates meet minimum qualificationrequirements. 7omputer programs are among the tools used to weed out unqualified candidates.

/&his is why you need a digital resume that is screening$friendly. 6ee our resume centre for 

help. 6ometimes human professionals are the gatekeepers. 6creening interviewers often havehoned skills to determine whether there is anything that might disqualify you for the position.

Remember they do not need to know whether you are the best fit for the position, only whether 

you are not a match. ;or this reason, screeners tend to dig for dirt. 6creeners will hone in on gapsin your employment history or pieces of information that look inconsistent. &hey also will want

to know from the outset whether you will be too e'pensive for the company.

The -nformational -ntervie":

+n the opposite end of the stress spectrum from screening interviews is the informationalinterview. * meeting that you initiate, the informational interview is underutili!ed by job$seekers

who might otherwise consider themselves savvy to the merits of networking. Tobseekers

ostensibly secure informational meetings in order to seek the advice of someone in their currentor desired field as well as to gain further references to people who can lend insight. Lmployers

that like to stay apprised of available talent even when they do not have current job openings, are

often open to informational interviews, especially if they like to share their knowledge, feelflattered by your interest, or esteem the mutual friend that connected you to them. >uring an

informational interview, the jobseeker and employer e'change information and get to know one

another better without reference to specific job opening.

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Q 6.6trictly speaking, would case studies be considered as scientific research? Why or why not?Ans:

7ase studies are a tool for discussing scientific integrity. *lthough one of the most

frequently used tools for encouraging discussion, cases are only one of many possible tools.

"any of the principles discussed below for discussing case studies can be generali!ed to other approaches to encouraging discussion about research ethics.

7ases are designed to confront readers with specific real$life problems that do not lendthemselves to easy answers. 7ase discussion demands critical and analytical skills and, when

implemented in small groups, also fosters collaboration /imple, 9449. -y providing a focus for 

discussion, cases help trainees to define or refine their own standards, to appreciate alternative

approaches to identifying and resolving ethical problems, and to develop skills for analy!ing anddealing with hard problems on their own. &he effective use of case studies is comprised of many

factors, including)

  appropriate selection of case/s /topic, relevance, length, comple'ity

method of case presentation /verbal, printed, before or during discussion

format for case discussion /Lmail or nternet$based, small group, large group

leadership of case discussion /choice of discussion leader, roles and responsibilities for 

discussion leader

outcomes for case discussion /answers to specific questions, answers to general

questions, written or verbal summaries

Research methods don#t seem so intimidating when you#re familiar with the terminology. &his isimportant whether you#re conducting evaluation or merely reading articles about other studies to

incorporate in your program. &o help with understanding, here are some basic definitions used.

Variable: 7haracteristics by which people or things can be described. "ust have more

than one level5 in other words, to be able to change over time for the same personobject,or from person to person, or object to object. 6ome variables, called attributes, cannot be

manipulated by the researcher /e.g., socioeconomic status, P score, race, gender, etc..6ome variables can be manipulated but are not in a particular study. &his occurs when

subjects self$select the level of the independent variable, or the level is naturally

occurring /as with e' post facto research. Manipulation:  Random assignment of subjects to levels of the independent variable

/treatment groups.

-ndependent variable: &he treatment, factor, or presumed cause that will produce a

change in the dependent variable. &his is what the e'perimenter tries to manipulate. t isdenoted as HEH on the hori!ontal a'is of a graph.

!ependent variable: &he presumed effect or consequence resulting from changes inthe independent variable. &his is the observation made and is denoted by HJH on thevertical a'is of a graph. &he score of HJH depends on the score of HE.H

*opulation: &he complete set of subjects that can be studied) people, objects, animals,

 plants, etc.

Sample:  * subset of subjects that can be studied to make the research project more

manageable. &here are a variety of ways samples can be taken. f a large enough random

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samples are taken, the results can be statistically similar to taking a census of an entire

 population$$with reduced effort and cost.Case Study:

* case study is conducted for similar purpose as the above but is usually done with a smaller 

sample si!e for more in$depth study. * case study often involves direct observation or interviewswith single subjects or single small social units such as a family, club, school classroom, etc.&his is typically considered qualitative research.

*urpose: 2plain or *redict

Type of Research to )se: Relational Study

n a relational study you start with a research hypothesis, that is, is what you#re trying to Hprove.H

L'amples of research hypotheses for a relational study)

&he older the person, the more health problems he or she encounters. F$ members attending F$ summer camp stay enrolled in F$ longer.

&he greater the number of money management classes attended, the greater the amount of 

annual savings achieved.

&ypes of relational studies include correlational studies and e' post facto studies.

Correlational Study:

* correlational study compares two or more different characteristics from the same group of  people and e'plains how two characteristics vary together and how well one can be predicted

from knowledge of the other. * predictive correlational study could predict a later set of data

from an earlier set. ;or e'ample, a student#s grade point average might predict the same student#sgrade point average during senior year. * predictive correlational study could also use one

characteristic to predict what another characteristic will be at another time. ;or e'ample, a

student#s 6*& score is designed to predict college freshman grade point average.

2 *ost /acto 4After the /act5 Study:

*n e' post facto study is used when e'perimental research is not possible, such as when people have self$selected levels of an independent variable or when a treatment is naturally

occurring and the researcher could not HcontrolH the degree of its use. &he researcher starts by

specifying a dependent variable and then tries to identify possible reasons for its occurrence aswell as alternative /rival e'planations such confounding /intervening, contaminating, or 

e'traneous variables are HcontrolledH using statistics. &his type of study is very common anduseful when using human subjects in real$world situations and the investigator comes in Hafter 

the fact.H ;or e'ample, it might be observed that students from one town have higher grades thanstudents from a different town attending the same high school. t is important to recogni!e that,

in a relational study, Hcause and effectH cannot be claimed. *ll that can be claimed is that that

there is a relationship between the variables. ;or that matter, variables that are completelyunrelated could, in fact, vary together due to nothing more than coincidence. &hat is why the

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researcher needs to establish a plausible reason /research hypothesis for why there might be a

relationship between two variables before conducting a study.