MBA Research Methods - Fall 2023

METHODS OF BUSINESS RESEARCH

Faculty of Commerce, Suez Canal University
Fall 2023/2024

Amira Sami Mahmoud, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Faculty of Commerce, Suez Canal University

WEEK TOPICS COVERED

Week 1 Introduction and Syllabus Discussion

Week 2 Nature of Business Research

Week 3 Research Problems and Questions
Week 4 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework

Overview
Week 5 Hypotheses Development
Week 6 Research Design

Week 7 Review (1)

Week 8 Questionnaire Development
Week 9 Experiments

Week 10 Measurements: Scales, Reliability, and Validity

Week 11 Sampling Process

Week 12 Review (2)

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MBA Research Methods - Fall 2023

Multiple Choice Questions

(1) Which of the following statements is one of the advantages of online
questionnaires?
a. It provide access to groups and individuals who would be difficult to reach
through other channels.
b. The distribution of online questionnaires is easy and fast.
c. The extremely high response rates.
d. Both a and b.
e. Both a and c.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(2) Do you think there is a good market for the product and that it will sell well?
This is an example of a(n) _______.
a. Recall-dependent questions.
b. Leading question.
c. Loaded question.
d. Double-barreled question.
e. Ambiguous question.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(3) Which of the following statements is one of the principles of wording?
a. The nature of the variables to be studied will determine what kinds of
questions are asked.
b. The language of the questionnaire should approximate the level of
understanding of the respondents.
c. The choice of words will depend on respondent’s educational level, the usage
of terms and idioms in the culture, and their frames of reference.
d. None of the above.
e. All of the above.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(4) Randomization refers to _______.
a. The process by which individuals are drawn randomly.
b. The assignment of individuals to any particular group is random.
c. Distributing the confounding variables among the groups equally.
d. None of the above.
e. All of the above.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(5) Lab experiments have _______.
a. High external validity as the results are more generalizable to other similar
organizational settings.
b. High internal validity as confounding exogenous variables can be controlled.
c. Low external validity as several variables were controlled to establish the
cause-and-effect relationship.
d. Both a and b.
e. Both b and c.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(6) _______ is the assignment of numbers or other symbols to characteristics or
attributes of objects according to a prespecified set of rules.
a. Scale.
b. Validity.
c. Reliability.
d. Measurement.
e. Operationalization.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(7) Which of the following statements describes an interval scale?
a. A scale where numerically equal distances on the scale represent equal values
in the characteristics being measured.
b. Has an arbitrary origin point
c. Measures the magnitude of the differences between points on the scale.
d. None of the above.
e. All of the above.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(8) The dichotomous scale uses a(n) _______ scale to elicit the response.
a. Interval.
b. Ratio.
c. Ranking.
d. Nominal.
e. Ordinal.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(9) What is the name of the following scale?
How pleased are you with your new estate agent?
Extremely Pleased 5 4 3 2 1 : Extremely Displeased
a. Likert scale.
b. Stapel scale.
c. Semantic differential scale.
d. Numerical scale.
e. Itemized rating scale

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Multiple Choice Questions

(10) Reliability is _______.
a. A test of how consistently a measuring instrument measures whatever concept
it is measuring.
b. A test of how well an instrument that is developed measures the particular
concept it is intended to measure.
c. Concerned with stability and consistency of measurements.
d. Both a and c.
e. Both b and c.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(11) A(n) _______ is a subset of the population.
a. Sample.
b. Sampling unit.
c. Subject.
d. Population.
e. Element.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(12) The first step in the sampling process is to _______.
a. Determine the sampling design.
b. Determine the appropriate sample size.
c. Execute the sampling process.
d. Define the population.
e. Determine the sample frame.

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Multiple Choice Questions

(13) _______ means every element in the population has a known and equal
chance of being selected as a subject.
a. Convenience sampling.
b. Purposive sampling.
c. Simple random sampling.
d. Systematic sampling.
e. Stratified random sampling.

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True/False Questions
(14) Questions seeking highly sensitive information (e.g., income) are best placed at
the beginning of the questionnaire.
a. True.
b. False.

(15) Simple and short questions are preferable to long ones.

a. True.
b. False.

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True/False Questions
(16) Pretesting helps to rectify any inadequacies before administering the
instrument orally or through a questionnaire to respondents and thus reduces bias.
a. True.
b. False.

(17) External validity addresses the question “To what extent are the results found
in the lab setting generalizable to actual organizational or field settings?”.
a. True.
b. False.

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True/False Questions
(18) In field experiments, the treatment can be manipulated and control groups can
be set up.
a. True.
b. False.

(19) A scale is a tool or mechanism by which individuals are distinguished as to how

they differ from one another on the variables of interest to our study.
a. True.
b. False.

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True/False Questions
(20) Ordinal scales categorize individuals or objects into mutually exclusive and
collectively exhaustive groups.
a. True.
b. False.

(21) The itemized rating scale is designed to examine how strongly subjects agree
or disagree with statements on a 5-point scale.
a. True.
b. False.

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True/False Questions
(22) Subject is a single member of the population.
a. True.
b. False.

(23) When time or cost factors rather than generalizability are critical, probability
sampling is generally used.
a. True.
b. False.

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True/False Questions
(24) Nonresponse rate is the failure to obtain information from a number of
subjects included in the sample.
a. True.
b. False.

(25) Quota sampling can be considered a form of proportionate stratified sampling.

a. True.
b. False.

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Case Study Questions

Please read carefully the following short case and answer questions from 26 to 30.
A researcher was investigating the antecedents of salesperson performance. He
collected data from chief sales executives in the U.K. via mail questionnaires.
The sample was initially drawn from a published business register and
supplemented with respondent recommendations and other additions in a
judgment sampling methodology.
Before distributing the questionnaires, the researcher called each selected
company to obtain the name of the chief sales executive, who was contacted and
asked to participate in the study. The questionnaires were then distributed to chief
sales executives of 450 companies.

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Case Study Questions

(26) A researcher was investigating the antecedents of salesperson performance.
This is an example of research _______.
a. Hypothesis.
b. Variable.
c. Problem.
d. Objective.
e. Question.

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Case Study Questions

(27) What is the research strategy used?
a. Ethnography.
b. Case study.
c. Action research.
d. Experiment.
e. Survey research.

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Case Study Questions

(28) The published business register represents the _______.
a. Sample.
b. Sampling unit.
c. Subject.
d. Sampling frame.
e. Element.

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Case Study Questions

(29) The researcher used purposive sampling design.
a. True.
b. False.

(30) The researcher was interested in generalizability of the findings since he used a
sample of chief sales executives who were conveniently available to him.
a. True.
b. False.

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Question Answer Question Answer Question Answer

1 D 11 A 21 B
2 D 12 C 22 B
3 E 13 A 23 B

Answer Key 4
5
E
E
14
15
B
A
24
25
A
A
6 D 16 A 26 D
7 E 17 A 27 E
8 D 18 A 28 D
9 D 19 A 29 A
10 D 20 B 30 B

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The End ..
Good luck in the exam!

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