BRDA QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

1. Define business research.

The application of the scientific method in searching for the truth about business
phenomena. These activities include defining business opportunities and problems,
generating and evaluating ideas, monitoring performance, and understanding the business
process.

2. Explain how research would help a manager to make better business decisions.
Business research is designed to facilitate the managerial decision-making process for all
aspects of the business: finance, marketing, human resources, and so on. Business research is
an essential tool for management in virtually all problem-solving and decision-making
activities. By providing the necessary information on which to base business decisions,
research can decrease the risk of making a wrong decision in each area. However, it is
important to note that research is an aid to managerial decision making, never a substitute for
it.
3. Do managers always need to conduct research to make business decisions? State the
criteria for deciding whether to conduct a business research or not.
The need to make intelligent, informed decisions ultimately motivates an organization to
engage in business research. Not every decision requires research. Thus, when confronting a
key decision, a manager must initially decide whether or not to conduct business research.
The determination of the need for research centers on (1) time constraints, (2) the availability
of data, (3) the nature of the decision to be made, and (4) the value of the research
information in relation to costs.
4. Describe the process of scientific research.
The scientific method is the way researchers go about using knowledge and evidence to
reach objective conclusions about the real world. The scientific method is the same in
social sciences, such as business, as in physical sciences, such as physics. In this case, it
is the way we come to understand business phenomena.
 5. What is review of literature? Why is it done?
A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a
particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description,
summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being
investigated. Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have
explored while researching a particular topic and to demonstrate to your readers how your
research fits within a larger field of study.
The purpose of a literature review is to:

 Place each work in the context of its contribution to understanding the research problem
being studied.
 Describe the relationship of each work to the others under consideration.
 Identify new ways to interpret prior research.
 Reveal any gaps that exist in the literature.
 Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies.
 Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort.
 Point the way in fulfilling a need for additional research.
 Locate your own research within the context of existing literature [very important].

6. List and briefly illustrate the four scales of measurement in statistics / data
analytics.
There are four measurement scales (or types of data): nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio.
Nominal scales are used for labeling variables, without any quantitative value. “Nominal”
scales could simply be called “labels.” Here are some examples, below. Notice that all of
these scales are mutually exclusive (no overlap) and none of them have any numerical
significance
With ordinal scales, the order of the values is what’s important and significant, but the
differences between each one is not really known. Ordinal scales are typically measures of
non-numeric concepts like satisfaction, happiness, discomfort, etc.
Interval scales are numeric scales in which we know both the order and the exact differences
between the values. The classic example of an interval scale is Celsius temperature because
the difference between each value is the same. For example, the difference between 60 and
50 degrees is a measurable 10 degrees, as is the difference between 80 and 70 degrees.
Ratio scales provide a wealth of possibilities when it comes to statistical analysis. These
variables can be meaningfully added, subtracted, multiplied, divided (ratios). Central
tendency can be measured by mode, median, or mean; measures of dispersion, such as
standard deviation and coefficient of variation can also be calculated from ratio scales
7. What are primary and secondary data? How are they useful in research?
Primary Data:
These are the data which are collected from some primary sources i.e., a source of origin
where the data generate. These are collected for the first time by an investigator or an
agency for any statistical analysis. “Data which are gathered originally for a certain
purpose are known as primary data.” — Horace Secrist

Research projects often begin with secondary data, which are gathered and recorded by
someone else prior to (and for purposes other than) the current project. Secondary data
usually are historical and already assembled. They require no access to respondents or
subjects.
Often research entails asking people—called respondents—to provide answers to written
or spoken questions. These interviews or questionnaires collect data through the mail, on
the telephone, online, or face-to-face
Secondary data are essential in instances when data cannot be obtained using primary
data collection procedures. For example, a manufacturer of farm implements could not
duplicate the information in the Census of Agriculture because much of the information
there (for example, amount of taxes paid) might not be accessible to a private firm.
8. What is the difference between a questionnaire and an interview schedule? Explain their
relevance to research.

9. What is focus group discussion and why it is undertaken?

A focus group could be defined as a group of interacting individuals having some
common interest or characteristics, brought together by a moderator, who uses the group
and its interaction as a way to gain information about a specific or focused issue.
A focus group is typically 7-10 people who are unfamiliar with each other. These
participants are selected because they have certain characteristics in common that relate
to the topic of the focus group. The moderator or interviewer creates a permissive and
nurturing environment that encourages different perceptions and points of view, without
pressuring participants to vote, plan or reach consensus (Krueger, 1988). The group
discussion is conducted several times with similar types of participants to identify trends
and patterns in perceptions. Careful and systematic analysis of the discussions provide
clues and insights as to how a product, service, or opportunity is perceived by the group.

WHAT FOCUS GROUPS CAN TELL YOU?

* Give information on how groups of people think or feel about a particular topic
* Give greater insight into why certain opinions are held
* Help improve the planning and design of new programs
* Provide a means of evaluating existing programs
* Produce insights for developing strategies for outreach
10. What is probability sampling? What are its various types?
For a design to be called random sampling or probability sampling, it is imperative that
each element in the population has an equal and independent chance of selection in the
sample. Equal implies that the probability of selection of each element in the population
is the same; that is, the choice of an element in the sample is not influenced by other
considerations such as personal preference.

11. What is non-probability sampling? When should go for it?

Non-probability sampling designs do not follow the theory of probability in the choice of
elements from the sampling population. Non-probability sampling designs are used when the
number of elements in a population is either unknown or cannot be individually identified. In
such situations the selection of elements is dependent upon other considerations
12. Explain descriptive and inferential statistics.
Descriptive statistics is the term given to the analysis of data that helps describe, show or
summarize data in a meaningful way such that, for example, patterns might emerge from
the data. Descriptive statistics do not, however, allow us to make conclusions beyond the
data we have analysed or reach conclusions regarding any hypotheses we might have
made. They are simply a way to describe our data. Typically, there are two general types
of statistic that are used to describe data: Measures of central tendency and Measure of
Speed
Inferential statistics use a random sample of data taken from a population to describe and
make inferences about the population. Inferential statistics are valuable when
 examination of each member of an entire population is not convenient or possible. For
example, to measure the diameter of each nail that is manufactured in a mill is
impractical. You can measure the diameters of a representative random sample of nails.
You can use the information from the sample to make generalizations about the diameters
of all of the nails.

13. What do you understand by testing of hypothesis? Why is it necessary?

Hypotheses bring clarity, specificity and focus to a research problem, but are not essential
for a study. You can conduct a valid investigation without constructing a single formal
hypothesis. The importance of hypotheses lies in their ability to bring direction,
specificity and focus to a research study. They tell a researcher what specific information
to collect, and thereby provide greater focus.

14. Describe parametric test. Give examples.

Parametric statistics involve numbers with known, continuous distributions. When the data
are interval or ratio scaled and the sample size is large, parametric statistical procedures are
appropriate. Parametric statistics are based on the assumption that the data in the study are
drawn from a population with a normal (bell-shaped) distribution and/or normal sampling
distribution. For example, if an investigator has two interval-scaled measures, such as gross
national product (GNP) and industry sales volume, parametric tests are appropriate. Possible
statistical tests might include product-moment correlation analysis, analysis of variance,
regression, or a t-test for a hypothesis about a mean.
15. Describe non-parametric test. Give examples.
Nonparametric methods are used when the researcher does not know how the data are
distributed. Making the assumption that the population distribution or sampling distribution
is normal generally is inappropriate when data are either ordinal or nominal. Thus,
nonparametric statistics are referred to as distribution free.3 Data analysis of both nominal
and ordinal scales typically uses nonparametric statistical tests.
16. What is a research report? What is the purpose of it?
The last step in the research process is writing the research report. Each step of the process is
important for a valid study, as negligence at any stage will affect the quality of not just that
part but the whole study. In a way, this last step is the most crucial as it is through the report
that the findings of the study and their implications are communicated to your supervisor and
readers.
17. Describe the structure of a good research report.
The makeup or arrangement of parts necessary to a good research report

18. What are the purposes served by citing references?

 The purpose of a citation is usually to provide support or evidence for what you are saying; it
tells the reader where this support or evidence can be found, and it typically does this by
providing a reference to a bibliography, a list of detailed bibliographic information provided
at the end of your document.
20. Difference between independent and dependent variable:
. 1 Independent variable – the cause supposed to be responsible for bringing about
change(s) in a phenomenon or situation.

. 2 Dépendent variable – the outcome or change(s) brought about by introduction of an

independent variable.

Eg: In a study to determine whether how long a student sleeps affects test scores, the
independent variable is length of time spent sleeping while the dependent variable is the
test score.

21. Mixed Method in Research:

Mixed methods research requires a purposeful mixing of methods in data collection, data
analysis and interpretation of the evidence. The key word is ‘mixed’, as an essential step
in the mixed methods approach is data linkage, or integration at an appropriate stage in
the research process.4 Purposeful data integration enables researchers to seek a more
panoramic view of their research landscape, viewing phenomena from different
viewpoints and through diverse research lenses.

22. Quantitative and Qualitative Research:

Quantitative business research:

Business research that addresses research objectives through empirical assessments that
involve numerical measurement and analysis.

Qualitative business research

Research that addresses business objectives through techniques that allow the
researcher to pro- vide elaborate interpretations of phenomena without depending on numerical
measurement; its focus is on discovering true inner meanings and new insights.
23. Types of exploratory Test:

24. Ethical issues involved in Business Research:

Business ethics is the application of morals to behavior related to the exchange

environment. Generally, good ethics con- forms to the notion of “right” and a lack of ethics
conforms to the notion of “wrong.” Those involved in research face numerous ethical dilemmas.
Researchers serve clients or, put another way, the doers of research serve the users. It is often
easy for a doer to compromise professional standards in an effort to please the user. After all, the
user pays the bills. Given the large number of ethical dilemmas involved in research, ethics is
highly applicable to business research.

25. What is snowball sampling?

Snowball sampling is the process of
selecting a sample using networks.
To start with, a few individuals in a
group or organization are selected
and the required information is
collected from them. They are then
asked to identify other people in the
group or organization, and the
people selected by them become a
part of the sample. Information is collected from them, and then these people are asked to
identify other members of the group and, in turn, those identified become the basis of further
data collection .This process is continued until the required number or a saturation point has
been reached, in terms of the information being sought.