NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROURKELA

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Mid-term Examination, 2019
Session: 2019-20 (Autumn)

Subject code: SM-6611 Subject Name: Business Research Methodology

Dept. Code: SM No. of pages: 1 Full Marks: 30 Duration: 2 Hours

All parts of a question should be answered at one place.

Answer all questions

QN Questions Marks
1. In an attempt to estimate potential future demand, the National Motor Company did a study 05
asking married couples how many cars the average energy-minded family should own in
1998. For each couple, National averaged the husband’s and wife’s responses to get the
overall couple response. The answers were:

No. of cars 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Frequency 2 14 23 7 4 2
a) Calculate the variance and standard deviation.
b) Since, distribution is roughly bell shaped, how many of the observations should
theoretically fall between 0.5 and 1.5? Between 0 and 2?
2. What is research design? “Research design in exploratory studies must be flexible but in 05
descriptive studies, it must minimise bias and maximise reliability.” Discuss.
3. What is the meaning of measurement in research? Compare various levels of measurements 05
in research with the help of suitable examples.
4. Suppose we select 5 cards from an ordinary deck of playing cards. What is the probability of 05
obtaining 2 or fewer hearts?
5. Vehicles pass through a junction on a busy road at an average rate of 300 per hour. 06
a) Find the probability that none passes in a given minute.
b) What is the expected number passing in two minutes?
a) Find the probability that this expected number actually pass through on a given two-
minute period.
6. Write short notes on any two of following: 2*2=4
i) Pareto principle
ii) Contrived versus non-contrived studies
iii) Standard deviation versus coefficient of variation