Research Methodology: Dr. Hamsa ElSaid

Final Exam: 25/5/2013

Part One: Answer ALL questions: 

1. Research done with the intention of applying the results of the findings to solve specific problems
currently being experienced in an organization
o rganization is called basic research.

a. T
b. F

2. Scientific investigation is characterized by a good theoretical base and a sound methodological

design. These characteristics are both related to the of the investigation.
a. Rigor.
b. Precision and confidence.
c. Objectivity.
d. Parsimony.

3. ‘Confidence’ , as a characteristic of scientific investigation, refers to:

‘Confidence’,
a. The probability that our estimations are correct.
b. The idea that a simple model that explains a certain phenomenon has preference over a

complex model.
c. The fact that findings are generalizable.
d. The fact that an investigation has a clear theoretical foundation.

4. Parsimony refers to:

a. The probability that our estimations are correct.
b. The idea that a simple model explaining a certain phenomenon is preferred to a complex
model.
c. The fact that findings are generalizable.
d. The fact that an investigation has a clear theoretical base.

5. Both theory generation (induction) and theory testing (deduction) are essential parts of the
research process.

a. T
b. F

6. A researcher who observes individual phenomena, and on this basis attempts to arrive at
general conclusions, works inductively.
a. T
b. F

7. Which of the following answers is not an objective of preliminary research?

a. One does not run the risk of “reinventing the wheel”. 
wheel”.  
b. Important variables that are likely to influence the problem situation are not left out of the
study.
c. The problem statement can be made with precision and clarity.

d. To determine
mediating whether
variable, or a amoderating
variable is an independent variable, a dependent variable, a
variable.

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8. Data gathered for research from the actual site of occurrence of events are called primary
data.
a. T
b. F

9. Articles and books that were written thirty or even forty years ago should not be included in
the literature review.
a. T
b. F

10. The ________

________________
________ is the variable of primary interest to the researcher.
a. Independent variable.
b. Intervening variable.
c. Moderating variable.
d. Dependent variable.

11. Which of the following does not include the process of building a theoretical framework?
a. Definitions of the concepts or variables in the model.

b. An operationalization of the concepts or variables in the model.

c. A logical explanation of the relationships within a model.
d. A graphical representation of the model.

12. Job satisfaction is:

a. An independent variable.
b. A dependent variable.
c. A moderating variable.
d. This is not clear based on the above information.

13. Hypotheses cannot be tested with qualitative data.

a. T
b. F

14. If a bank manager wants to analyze the relationship between interest rates and bank deposit
patterns
patter ns of clients, a ‘field study’ is the most suitable method of investigation.
a. T
b. F

15. 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. T
b. F

16. The goal of a __________

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

phenomena
perspective. of interest from an individual, organizational, industry-oriented, or other

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

17. _________
____________
___ 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.

18. The unit of analysis refers to the level of aggregation of the data collected during the
subsequent data analysis stage.
a. T
b. F

19. 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.
ye ars. This is an
example of a:

a. Cross-sectional study.
b. Longitudinal study.
c. Exploratory study.
d. Case study.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Julia 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
t ime 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.

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23. 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. T
b. F

24. happy?” 
“To what extent would you say you are happy?” 

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

25. The bigger the sample size, the better.

a. T
b. F

26. A researcher wants to investigate the relationship between the use of drugs and study results
of students. He would like to generalize the results to the population. Which of the following
sampling methods would usually be the best to use?
a. Stratified sampling

b. Judgement sampling
c. Simple random sampling
d. Quota sampling

27. The payroll of an organization would serve as the sampling frame if its members are to be
studied.
a. T
b. F

28. 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

29. The standard deviation offers an index of the spread of a distribution or the variability in the
data.
a. T
b. F

30. Data coding involves assigning a number to the participants’ responses so they can be entered
into a database.
a. T
b. F

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Part Two: Answer BOTH Questions:

Exercise #1 On Frequency Distributions

Below is a tabulation of the demographic data from the Frequency distribution of a

survey done by Ms. Sandra Jones. Her sample consisted of 115 of a total of 2,500
2,5 00 clerical
employees in three service organizations. Based on the tabulation provided below, describe the
sample characteristic
characteristics.
s.

Table 1: Frequency Distributions of Sample

RACE EDUCATION GENDER 
Non-whites = 15 (13%) High School = 88 (77%) Males = 100 (87%)
Whites = 100 (87%) College Degree = 14 (12%) Females = 15 (13%)
Masters Degree = 13 (11%)

AGE # OF YEARS IN ORG. MARITAL STATUS 

< 20 = 0(0%) < 1 year = 5 (4%) Single 15 (13%)
20-30 = 20(17%) 1-3 = 10(9%) Married 60 (52%)

31-40 = 25(22%) 4-10 = 80(70%) Divorced 40 (35%)

>40 = 70 (61%) >10 = 20(17%) Alternative0 (0%)

Exercise #2 on Means, Standard Deviations, and Other Statistics

Here is another tabulation of the Means, Standard Deviations, etc., for Ms. Jones’ data.
How would you interpret these data?

Table 2: Means, Standard Deviations and Other Statistics

VARIABLE MEAN STD. DEV MODE MIN MAX

Age 37.5 18 38 20 64
# of Years Married 12.1 24 15 0 32
Stress 3.7 0.79 3 1 7
Job Involvement 3.9 1.53 4 2 7
Performance 3.6 1.86 3 3 7

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