Smu Assignment Semester-3

MB00 50 Research Methodology

Set-1
SUBMITTED BY: Name Program Code Roll No Centre Code

:SAYAD IMRAN ALLI :MBA :571119224 :2765

Roll NO-571119224

MB00 50 Research Methodology 1: a. Types of research i)Pure research It is undertaken for the sake of knowledge without any intention to apply it in practice ,e.g.,/ Einsteins theory of relativity, Newtons contributions, Galileos contribution, etc. It is also known as basic or fundamental research. it is undertaken out of intellectual curiosity or inquisitiveness. ii)Applied research It is carried on to find solution to a real-life problem requiring an action or policy decision. It is thus problem-oriented and action-directed.it seeks an immediate and practical result, e.g., marketing research carried. iii)Exploratory research It is also known as formulative research. It is preliminary study of an unfamiliar problem about which the researcher has little or no knowledge. iv)Descriptive study It is a fact-finding investigation with adequate interpretation. it is the simplest type of research. it is more specific than an exploratory research. v)Diagnostic study It is similar to descriptive study but with a different focus.It is directed towards discovering what is happening, why it is happening and what can be done about. vi)Evaluation studies It is a type of applied research. It is made for assessing the effectiveness of social or economic programmers implemented or for assessing the impact of developmental projects on the development of the project area. v)Action research It is a type of evaluation study. It is a concurrent evaluation study of an action programme launched for solving a problem for improving an exiting situation. b. The significance of research in social and business sciences According to a famous Hudson Maxim, All progress is born of inquiry. Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry, and inquiry leads to invention. It brings out the significance of research, increased amounts of which makes progress possible. Research encourages scientific and inductive thinking, besides promoting the development of logical habits of thinking and organization. The role of research in applied economics in the context of an economy or business is greatly increasing in modern times. The increasingly complex nature of government and business has raised the use of research in solving operational problems. Research assumes significant role in formulation of economic policy, for both the government

Roll NO-571119224

and business. It provides the basis for almost all government policies of an economic system. Government budget formulation, for example, depends particularly on the analysis of needs and desires of the people, and the availability of revenues, which requires research. Research helps to formulatealternative policies, in addition to e xamining the consequences of thesealternatives. Thus, research also facilitates the decision making of policy-makers, although in itself it is not a part of research. In the process, research also helps in the proper allocation of a countrys scare resources. Research is also necessary for collecting information on the social and economic structure of an economy to understand the process of change occurring in the country. Collection of statistical information though not a routine task, involves various research problems. 2: Validity: A measurement scale may be considered to be valid if it effectively measures a specific property or characteristic that it intends to measure. The question of validity does not arise in the case of measurement of physical characteristics such as length, weight and height. This is because the measurement is direct and can be done through standard measuring devices.On the other hand, the measurement of abstract characteristics such as motivation and attitudes is more indirect and thereforeposes the problem of validity. Types of Validity i)Content validity: This type of validity may be of two types a) Face validity and b) Sampling validity. Face validity is determined through a subjective evaluation of a measuring scale. However, the limitation of this type of validity is that it is determined by opinions, rather than through a statistical method. Sampling validity refers to how representative the content of the measuring instrument is. In other words, the measuring instruments content must be representative of the content universe of the characteristic being measured. ii) Predictive validity: This type of validity refers to the extent to which one behavior can be predicted based on another, based on the association between the results yielded by the measuring instrument and the eventual outcome. One limitation of determining predictive validity using this statistical association is that the eventual outcome, in this case, the grade point average of students during the first semester, may be influenced by other extraneous variables or factors. iii) Construct validity: A construct is a conceptual equation that is developed by the researcher based on theoretical reasoning. Various

Roll NO-571119224

kinds of relationships may be perceived by the researcher between a variable under study and other variables. These relationships must be tested in order to determine the construct validity of a measuring instrument. The instrument may be considered to have construct validity only if the expected relationships are found to be true. 3: a.Literature survey is important in research Frequently, an exploratory study is concerned with an area of subject matter in which explicit hypothesis have not yet been formulated. Doing a literature survey before you begin you investigation enables you to take advantage of the unique human capacity to pass on detailed written information form one generation to another. Reading all the knowledge thats accumulated so far on the problem you want to study can be timeconsuming and event tedious. But careful evaluation of that material helps make your investigation worthwhile by alerting you to knowledge already gained and problems already encountered in your areas of interest.A literature survey amounts to reading available material on a given topic, analyzing and organizing findings, and producing a summary. There are may sources for literature reviews, including journals of general interest in ,each discipline, such as the American political science review. There are also journals for specific topics such as the leadership and organisation development journal. Governments publish great quantities of data on many topics. The united nations and the united state government printing office are two major sources. In addition, businesses and private organizations gather and publish information you might find useful. For certain problems you may want to scarce through popular or non scholar periodicals as well. While its customary to include only data from sources that actually research the problem in a prcis fashion, articles in more popular sources may provide interesting insight or orientations. b.Criteria of good research problem i)Verifiable Evidence: That is factual observations which other observers can see and check. ii)Accuracy: That is describing what really exists. It means truth or correctness of a statement or describe things exactly as they are and avoiding jumping to unwarranted conclusions either by exaggeration or fantasizing. iii)Precision: That is making it as exactly as necessary, or giving exact number or measurement. This avoids colourful literature and vague meanings. iv)Systematization: That is attempting to find all the relevant data, or collecting data in a systematic and organized way so that the conclusions

Roll NO-571119224

drawn are reliable. Data based on casual recollections are generally incomplete and give unreliable judgments and conclusions. v)Objectivity: That is free being from all biases and vested interests. It means observations are unaffected by the observers values, beliefs and preferences to the extent possible and he is able to see and accept facts as they are, not as he might wish them to be. vi)Recording: That is jotting down complete details as quickly as possible. Since human memory is fallible, all data collected are recorded. vii)Controlling Conditions: That is controlling all variables except one and then attempting to examine what happens when that variable is varied. This is the basic technique in all scientific experimentations allowing one variable to vary while holding all other variables constant. viii)Training Investigators: That is imparting necessary knowledge to investigators to them understand what to look for, how to interpret in and avoids inaccurate data collection. 4: procedure for Testing Hypothesis To test a hypothesis means to tell (on the basis of the data researcher has collected) whether or not the hypothesis seems to be valid. In hypothesis testing the main question is: whether the null hypothesis or not to accept the null hypothesis? Procedure for hypothesis testing refers to all those steps that we undertake for making a choice between the two actions. The various steps involved in hypothesis testing are stated below: i) Making a Formal Statement The step consists in making a formal statement of the null hypothesis (Ho) and also of the alternative hypothesis (Ha). This means that hypothesis should clearly state, considering the nature of the research problem ii) Selecting a Significant Level The hypothesis is tested on a pre-determined level of significance and such the same should have specified. Generally, in practice, either 5% level or 1% level is adopted for the purpose. iii) Deciding the Distribution to Use After deciding the level of significance, the next step in hypothesis testing is to determine the appropriate sampling distribution. The choice generally remains between distribution and the t distribution. The rules for selecting the correct distribution are similar to those which we have stated earlier in the context of estimation. iv)Selecting A Random Sample & Computing An Appropriate value Another step is to select a random sample(S) and compute an appropriate value from the sample data concerning the test statistic utilizing the relevant distribution. In other words, draw a sample to furnish empirical data. v) Calculation of the Probability

Roll NO-571119224

One has then to calculate the probability that the sample result would diverge as widely as it has from expectations, if the null hypothesis were in fact true. vi) Comparing the Probability Yet another step consists in comparing the probability thus calculated with the specified value for , the significance level. 5: a. Components of Research Designi)Dependent and Independent variables : A magnitude that varies is known as a variable. The concept may assume different quantitative values, like height, weight, income, etc. Qualitative variables are not quantifiable in the strictest sense of objectivity. However, the qualitative phenomena may also be quantified in terms of the presence or absence of the attribute considered. Phenomena that assume different values quantitatively even in decimal points are known as continuous variables ii)Extraneous variable: The independent variables which are not directly related to the purpose of the study but affect the dependent variable are known as extraneous variables. For instance, assume that a researcher wants to test the hypothesis that there is relationship between children school performance and their self-concepts, in which case the latter is an independent variable and the former, the dependent variable. In this context, intelligence may also influence the school performance. iii)Control: One of the most important features of a good research design is to minimize the effect of extraneous variable. Technically, the term control is used when a researcher designs the study in such a manner that it minimizes the effects of extraneous independent variables. The term controls used in experimental research to reflect the restrain in experimental conditions. iv)Confounded relationship: The relationship between dependent and independent variables is said to be confounded by an extraneous variable, when the dependent variable is not free from its effects. b.Types of Research Design i)Philosophical/discursive This may cover a variety of approaches, but will draw primarily on existing literature, rather than new empirical data. A discursive study could examine a particular issue, perhaps from an alternative perspective (eg feminist). Alternatively, it might put forward a particular argument or examine a methodological issue. ii)Literature review This may be an attempt to summarise or comment on what is already known about a particular topic. By collecting different sources together, synthesising and analysing critically, it essentially creates new knowledge

Roll NO-571119224

or perspectives. There are a number of different forms a literature review might take. iii)Case study This will involve collecting empirical data, generally from only one or a small number of cases. It usually provides rich detail about those cases, of a predominantly qualitative nature. There are a number of different approaches to case study work (eg ethnographic, hermeneutic, estrogenic, etc) and the principles and methods followed should be made clear. iv)Evaluation This might be an evaluation of a curriculum innovation or organisational change. An evaluation can be formative (designed to inform the process of development) or summative (to judge the effects). Often an evaluation will have elements of both. v)Experiment This involves the deliberate manipulation of an intervention in order to determine its effects. The intervention might involve individual pupils, teachers, schools or some other unit. Again, if the researcher is also a participant (eg a teacher) this could be described as action research. 6: a. Assumptions of case study method i)case study would depend upon wit, commonsense and imagination of the person doing the case study. The investigator makes up his procedure as he goes along. These, include a variety of items like working environment, inter-organizational context, coordination, activities, problem areas, history of events, inhibiting factors on, decision making, etc.. This type increases 'awareness' about the environment and helps in the decision making process. This also helps in the evaluation of consequences of a decision. ii) These involve research and educational interests.if the life history has been written in the first person, it must be as complete and coherent as possible. iii)Life histories should have been written for knowledgeable persons. Social welfare rehabilitation or introduction of ideas and analytical concepts form the basis for these cases: These types of' cases help-to analyzing psycho/ social problems like drug addiction, alcoholism amongst workers, etc."' iv)it is advisable to supplement case data by observational, statistical and historical data since these provide standards for assessing the reliability and consistency of the case material. v)Efforts should be made to ascertain the internal consistency of the material.

Roll NO-571119224

vi)A judicious combination of techniques of data collection is a prerequisite for securing data that are culturally meaningful and scientifically significant. b. Sampling process. The decision process is a complicated one. The researcher has to first identify the limiting factor or factors and must judiciously balance the conflicting factors. The various criteria governing the choice of the sampling technique are: i)Purpose of the Survey: What does the researcher aim at? If he intends to generalize the findings based on the sample survey to the population, then an appropriate probability sampling method must be selected. ii)Measurability: The application of statistical inference theory requires computation of the sampling error from the sample itself. Only probability samples allow such computation. iii) Degree of Precision: Should the results of the survey be very precise, or could even rough results serve the purpose. iv)Information about Population: How much information is available about the population to be studied? Where no list of population and no information about its nature are available, it is difficult to apply a probability sampling method v)The Nature of the Population: In terms of the variables to be studied, is the population homogenous or heterogeneous? In the case of a homogenous population, even simple random sampling will give a representative sample. If the population is heterogeneous, stratified random sampling is appropriate. vi)Geographical Area of the Study and the Size of the Population : If the area covered by a survey is very large and the size of the population is quite large, multi-stage cluster sampling would be appropriate.

Roll NO-571119224