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NORTHERN CARIBBBEAN UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
BSAD371: BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS

SECTIONAL NO. 1 – FEBRUARY 8, 2024

LECTURER: Edward Morris STUDENT ID …………………….

INSTUCTIONS: This sectional consists of short-answer and application type questions only;
you are required to do ANY FOUR (4) questions; each is valued 15 marks.

Before you begin, kindly observe further instructions on page 3

1. Identify and discuss four (4) differences between quantitative and qualitative research

2. The Ministry of Health, Jamaica, wishes to develop guidelines for the best ways to feed
young children. They believe that a thorough research across multiple Jamaican
communities would provide them adequate data on which to build their guidebook; they
are aware that you are a research scholar so call you in to guide the process.

Required: Should they adopt a quantitative orientation towards this proposed study or a
qualitative approach? And what type of quantitative or qualitative design should they use
and why? Discuss.

Use this information as the background to answering questions 3 – 5 below: you

may wish to improvise when answering. Ensure that you keep this scenario in the
center of your discussions:

Lissan is a guidance counsellor at a high school in Central Jamaica. She has been noticing
a worrying trend, where an increasing number of students are coming to school under the
influence of narcotics, especially marijuana. Lissan shares these concerns with a few of
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her colleagues in the region, who also admit to the same phenomenon at their schools.
With the support of the regional education authority, they decide to conduct a research
across Central Jamaica into the use and abuse of narco products by high school students.
They hope that this will provide them with some instructive data on how to tackle this
frightening development. Please provide Lissan with information on the following issues
that could affect her research:

3. Discuss the following research terminologies, keeping the given scenario in mind:
a. Hypothesis
b. Correlation
c. Reliability

4. Explain the following terms, with the given scenario in mind:

a. Grounded theory
b. Inductive vs deductive research
c. Generalizability

5. Compile four (4) possible limitations and four (4) possible delimitations for the proposed
research project

6. What is a relevance tree and what purpose does it serve? Use any topic of your choice to
develop a relevance tree. NB: You may draw this tree free-hand and copy-paste it into
your answer document.

7. In your pursuit of data on a research topic, should you use journals or books? Elaborate.
How do both differ? Discuss.
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Further Instructions:

1. This is an individual examination which becomes due today (Thursday February 8,

2024), at 11:00am.

2. Clearly indicate the correct question number for each question being attempted.

3. You are to prepare your work in a fresh file and save it as “Your name – Business
Research, Sectional 1.”

4. Your work must be presented in Word format, Times New Roman size 12 font, double-
spaced, with an appropriate cover page.

5. You are NOT allowed to quote verbatim from the main text (Saunders, Lewis &
Thornhill); you must paraphrase

6. Ensure that all your discussions carry relevant examples; you may NOT use examples
from the main text.

7. Practice using separate paragraphs for each part of a response - to clearly delineate one
section from the next

8. Whenever answering multiple-part questions, do not lump all parts into one general
answer; please list/label the question part that you are addressing, e.g. (a) My approach to
this topic is… (b) Researchers often practise ………

9. This sectional must be uploaded to the LMS portal no later than 11:00am today, February
8, 2024; NO LATE OR EMAILED SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

End of examination paper

Best wishes!