Name: ____________________________________ ID: _______________________ KWAME

NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KNUST) Institute of

Distance Learning (Accra City Campus, Kwabenya) BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS
CLASS EXERCISE

Section A: TRUE/FALSE (Circle the correct answer)

1. Research is conducted to satisfy our ignorance. A. True B. False

2. After stating the management problem, research purpose, and research hypothesis, the next
step is to formulate the research design. A. True B. False

3. Research hypothesis is a plan of action that answers the question: How are we going to answer
these research questions? A. True B. False

4. The three objectives of research are to conduct a general exploration of the issue, to describe a
population, and to attribute cause and affect relationships among two or more variables.

A. True B. False

5. Three categories of research design are exploratory, descriptive and causal.

A. True B. False

6. Primary information is one of the common tools to conduct exploratory research.

A. True B. False

7. Researchers using a deductive approach aim at developing a theory. A. True B. False

8. Both inductive and deductive approaches test hypothesis. A. True B. False

9. Abstracts are examples of secondary sources of data. A. True B. False

10. Probability sampling techniques can only be used when there is a complete sampling frame
and the researcher has the intention to generalize the results A. True B. False
SECTION B: CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER

11. The feasibility of a research study should be considered in light of: a. Cost and time required
to conduct the research b. Skills required of the researcher c. Potential ethical concerns d. All
the above

12. Which of the following are not ways of conducting exploratory research? a. Reading journal
articles b. Interviewing an expert c. Watching television d. Conducting a focus group
discussion

13. Which of the following types of research are conducted to examine the nature of a problem?
a. Exploratory b. Descriptive c. Explanatory d. Predictive

14. ___________ is not an example of primary source of data. a. Emails b. Unpublished

manuscript c. Bibliographies d. Theses

15. Which of the following is not a quality of a good research project? a. It meets the standard of
the institution b. It tries to match career goals and objectives c. All of the Above d. None of the
Above

16. Which of the following includes examples of quantitative variables? a. Age, temperature,
income, height b. Grade point average, anxiety level, reading performance c. Gender, religion,
ethic group d. Both a and b

17. Which of the following terms best describes data that were originally collected at an earlier
time by a different person for a different purpose? a. Primary data b. Secondary data c.
Experimental data d. Field notes
18. The choice of research design is influenced by the: a. Decision maker’s attitude toward risk
b. Size of the research budget c. Types of decisions being faced d. A and B e. A, B and C

19. A distinction between exploratory and descriptive interviewing would be that: a. Exploratory
is looking for quantification of findings; descriptive is looking for insights b. Exploratory is
looking for insights; descriptive is looking for quantification. c. Exploratory typically would
involve conducting more interviews than descriptive d. There is no distinction—they would both
be conducted the same way.

20. Qualitative methods of research include the following except a. Ethnography b. Extended
case studies c. Focus groups d. Structured interview

21. __________ contains a small number of people (usually eight to twelve) and is convened to
address topics introduced by a group moderator. a. In-depth interviews b. Focus groups c.
Abstract groups d. Cross-sectional groups

22. Research objectives needs to be following except a. Realistic b. Specific c. Interesting d.

Achievable

23. Tertiary sources of data are also called a. Secondary b. Search engines c. Archival source

d. Outmoded source
24. What is a research design? a. A framework for every stage of the collection and analysis of
data b. A way of conducting research that is not grounded in theory c. The choice between using
qualitative or quantitative methods d. The style in which you present your research findings, e.g.
a graph

25. If a study is "reliable", this means that: a. The measures devised for concepts are stable on
different occasions b. It was conducted by a reputable researcher who can be trusted c. The
findings can be generalized to other social settings d. The methods are stated clearly enough for
the research to be replicated

26. "Internal validity" refers to: a. Whether or not the findings are relevant to the participants'
everyday lives b. Whether or not there is really a causal relationship between two variables c.
The degree to which the researcher feels that this was a worthwhile project d. How accurately the
measurements represent underlying concepts

27. What is a cross-sectional design? a. The collection of data from more than one case at one
moment in time b. A study of one particular section of society, e.g. the middle classes c. One that
is devised when the researcher is in a bad mood d. A comparison of two or more variables over a
long period of time

28. When planning to do social research, it is better to: a. Do a pilot study before getting stuck
into it b. Be familiar with the literature on the topic c. Approach the topic with an open mind d.
Forget about theory because this is a very practical undertaking

29. A deductive theory is one that: a. Allows theory to emerge out of the data b. Involves testing
an explicitly defined hypothesis c. Allows for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
d. Uses qualitative methods whenever possible
30. Which of the following is not a data collection method? a. Research questions

b. Unstructured interviewing c. Postal survey questionnaires d. Participant observation

31. An inductive theory is one that: a. Involves testing an explicitly defined hypothesis b. Does
not allow for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge c. Allows theory to emerge out of
the data d. Uses quantitative methods whenever possible

32. What is the epistemological position held by a positivist? a. There is no substitute for an in-
depth, hermeneutic understanding of society b. Scientific research should be based on value-free,
empirical observations c. Events and discourses in the social world prevent us from having direct
knowledge of the natural order d. It is important to remain optimistic about our research, even
when things go wrong

33. Which of the following is an ontological question? a. Should I use questionnaires or

interviews in my project? b. What can (and should) be considered acceptable forms of
knowledge? c. How long is it since I last visited the dentist? d. Do social entities have an
objective reality, external to social actors?

34. The most important skills needed in conducting literature review include the following
except a. Ability to evaluate what you read b. Ability to read faster c. Ability to relate what you
read to what you are doing d. Ability write what you read in your own words

35. Conducting an interview in addition to a survey is an example of a: a. Mono method

b. Mixed method c. Multiple method d. Qualitative method

36. Which of the following is not a type of a research philosophy? a. Positivism b. Pragmatism
c. Realism d. Subjectivism

37. Conducting a research to study someone’s life history is an example of a. Qualitative method
b. Quantitative method c. Survey method d. Experimental method

38. Which of the following is an APA referencing style? a. Ling, G.M., Fern, Y.S., Boon, L.K.,
& Huat, T.S. (2016). Understanding Customer Satisfaction of Internet Banking: A Case Study in
Malacca. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37, 80 – 85. b. Garvin, D.G. (1987). “Competing on
the eight dimensions of quality”. Harvard Business Review, 65(6), 101-109. c. Kotler, P. &
Armstrong, G. (2008). Principles of marketing (12th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall. d. Panda, T. K. (2003). Creating customer lifetime value through effective CRM in
financial services industry. Journal of Services Research, Vol. 2, No.2, pp.157-171.

39. ____________defines how knowledge can be produced and argued for. a. Positivism b.
Ontology c. epistemology d. discourse

40. The characteristics of the research participants are described in details in which section of the
dissertation? a. Introduction b. Method c. Data analysis d. Discussion

41. The non-probability sampling technique that involves selecting a sample who is an expert in
the field to give you information is called _______________ a. Convenience sampling b. Quota
sampling c. Purposive sampling d. Snowball sampling
42. The sampling technique where you divide the population into two or more relevant and
significant sub-groups based on one or more attributes, with the intention of ensuring that all the
sub-groups are represented in the study is called _______________ a. Simple random sampling
b. Quota sampling c. Systematic sampling d. Stratified

43. Divine is conducting a research. Her population size is very large and homogenous. After
calculating the sample size, he divides the sample size by the population to obtain a sampling
fraction which she used to sample her respondents. What method of sampling did she used? a.
Simple random sampling b. Quota sampling c. Systematic sampling d. Stratified

44. Researchers use both open-ended and closed-ended questions to collect data. Which of the
following statements is true? a. Open-ended questions directly provide quantitative data based on
the researcher’s predetermined response categories b. Closed-ended questions provide
quantitative data in the participant’s own words c. Open-ended questions provide qualitative data
in the participant’s own words d. Closed-ended questions directly provide qualitative data in the
participant’s own words.

45. The most frequently occurring number in a set of values is called the ____________ a. Mean
b. Median c. Mode d. Range

46. When constructing a questionnaire, it is important to do each of the following except_______

a. Use “leading” or “loaded” questions b. Use natural language c. Understand your research
participants d. Pilot your test questionnaire

47. ________ is used when you want to visually examine the relationship between two
quantitative variables. a. Bar graphs b. Pie charts c. Line graphs d. Scatterplots
48. In which of the following non-random sampling technique does the researcher ask the
research participants to identify other potential research participants? a. Snowball b.
Convenience c. Purposive d. Quota

49. One of the major reasons for using a stratified sample is: a. to achieve a more representative
sample. b. to reduce sampling error for a given sample size. c. to make use of a sampling frame.
d. to learn what the probability is of each unit in the population appearing in the sample.

50. All the following are common characteristics of experimental research except: a. It relies
primarily on the collection of numerical data b. It can produce important knowledge about cause
and effect c. It uses the deductive scientific method d. It rarely is conducted in a controlled
setting or environment

51. A condition or characteristics that can take on different values or categories is called a. a
constant b. a variable c. a cause-and-effect relationship d. a descriptive relationship

52. A positive correlation is present when_________ a. Two variables move in opposite

directions b. Two variables move in the same direction c. One variable goes up and one goes
down d. Several variables never change

53. Qualitative research is often exploratory and has all of the following characteristics except:

a. It is typically used when a great deal is already known about the topic of interest b. It relies on
the collection of numerical data such as words and pictures c. It is used to generate hypotheses
and develop theory about phenomena in the world d. It uses the inductive scientific method
54. Sources of researchable problems can include: a. Researchers own experiences b. Practical
issues require solutions c. Theory and past research d. All the above

55. Which correlation is the strongest? a. +.10 b. -.95 c. +.90 d. -1.00

56. Research hypotheses are _______________ a. Formulated prior to a review of the literature
b. Statements of predicted relationships between variables c. Stated such that they can be
confirmed or refuted d. b and c

57. Secondary data may include which of the following? a. Official documents b. Personal
documents c. Archived research data d. All the above

58. The Chapter 3 of a dissertation typically specifies I. The research participants II. The results
of prior studies that address the phenomena of interest III. The apparatus, instruments, and
materials for the research study IV. The planned research procedures a. I only b. II and IV c. I,
and IV d. I, III and IV

59. What does it mean when you calculate at 95% confidence interval? a. The process you used
will capture the true parameter 95% of the time in the long run b. You can be “95% confident”
that your interval will include the population parameter c. You can be “5% confident” that your
interval will not include the population parameter d. All of the above statements are true

60. Grey information and search tools are sources of _______________________ a. information
b. secondary data c. sampling information d. research design e. none of the above
61. The process of drawing a sample from a population is known as ____________ a. Sampling
b. Census c. Survey research d. None of the above

62. Let's suppose we are predicting score on a training post-test from number of years of
education and the score on an aptitude test given before training. Here is the regression equation
Y = 25 + .5X1 +10X2, where X1 = years of education and X2 = aptitude test score. What is the
predicted score for someone with 10 years of education and a aptitude test score of 5? a. 25 b. 50
c. 35 d. 80

63. How many dependent variables are used in multiple regression? a. One b. One or more c.
Two or more d. Two

64. If a distribution is skewed to the left, then it is __________. a. Negatively skewed

b. Positively skewed c. Symmetrically skewed d. Symmetrical

65. Which of the following represents the fiftieth percentile, or the middle point in a set of
numbers arranged in order of magnitude? a. Mode b. Median c. Mean d. Variance

66. Which measure of central tendency takes into account the magnitude of scores? a. Mean b.
Median c. Mode d. Range

67. The method of initially contacting respondents for an interview that has the lowest rate of
refusal is: a. to telephone them. b. to send them a letter. c. to send them a telegram. d. to contact
them in person.
68. Quota sampling is like stratified sampling in that both: a. have low sampling error. b. can
determine the probability of each element in a population appearing in the sample. c. are
nonprobability samples. d. divides a population into categories and sample from those categories.

69. One of the drawbacks of snowball sampling is: a. it is a very expensive form of sampling. b.
the sampling error tends to be very large. c. it may miss people who are isolated from social
networks. d. it leads to bias if the elements are listed in the sampling frame in a cyclical fashion.

70. Which of the following is not a data collection method? a. Research questions b.
Unstructured interviewing c. Postal survey questionnaires d. Participant
observation

71. What is triangulation? a. Using three quantitative or three qualitative methods in a project

b. Cross-checking the results found by different research strategies c. Allowing theoretical

concepts to emerge from the data d. Drawing a triangular diagram to represent the relations
between three concepts

72. Cross cultural studies are an example of: a. Longitudinal design b. Comparative design c.
Experimental design d. Case study design

73. Which of the following is not a type of a research philosophy? a. Positivism b. Pragmatism
c. Realism d. Subjectivism

74. Conducting a research to study someone’s life history is an example of a. Qualitative method
b. Quantitative method c. Survey method d. Experimental method
75. Closed ended questions are those that: a. Prevent respondents from allocating themselves to
a category b. Encourage detailed, elaborate responses c. Have a fixed range of possible answers
d. Relate to the basic demographic characteristics of respondents

76. To read critically means: a. Taking an opposing point of view to the ideas and opinions
expressed b. Skimming through the material because most of it is just padding c. Evaluating
what you read in terms of your own research questions d. Being negative about something
before you read it

77. Which of the following might you include in an introductory letter to respondents? a. An
explanation of who you are and who is funding your research b. An overview of what the
research is about and how the data will be collected c. A statement of their ethical rights to
anonymity, confidentiality, etc. d. All of the above

78. Which of the following is a general rule of thumb for designing questions? a. Always bear in
mind your research questions b. Never ask a closed question c. Always use vignettes rather than
open questions d. Use ambiguous terms to put respondents at ease

79. How might qualitative research help with the analysis of quantitative data? a. By identifying
a sample of respondents for a follow-up study b. By providing hard, statistical data about them c.
By making the research more value-laden and subjective d. By helping to explain the
relationship between two variables

80. Which of the following is not a contrast between quantitative and qualitative research? a.
Distance vs. proximity of researcher to participants b. Generalization vs. contextual
understanding c. Hard, reliable data vs. rich, deep data d. Interpretivist vs. feminist
81. The value of piloting a questionnaire is that it helps you to: a. Get to know the community
people live better b. Identify and amend any problems in the question wording, order and format
c. Helps you to see how many questions you are supposed to put on a page d. Helps the pilot to
know the speed with which people will answer the questionnaire

These are the scores of students in Business Research Methods Exams: 65, 55, 89, 56, 35, 34, 56,
54, 55, 87, 45, 92 and 55.

82. The average score of the students is approximately a. 59 b. 60 c. 61 d. 62

83. The Median score is a. 54 b. 55 c. 56 d. 57

84. The mode is: a. 55 b. 56 c. 57 d. 58

85. In a distribution where the mode is two, the nature of the distribution is called a. Double
Mode b. Bimodal c. Second mode d. Two modes

86. If the grading of diabetes is classified as mild, moderate and severe the scale of measurement
used is: a. Interval b. Nominal c. Ordinal d. Ratio

87. Measure of how well is a technique, concept or process is considered as a. Continuity of

variables b. Goodness of variables c. Validity d. Reliability
88. In hypothesis testing, Type I Error occurs if ___________________ a. the null hypothesis is
rejected even though it is true b. the null hypothesis is accepted even though it is false c. both the
null hypothesis as well as alternative hypothesis are rejected d. None of the above

89. Business research needs a distinct focus because of the following characteristics: a. It is
transdisciplinary b. It engages with both theory and practice c. Its ethical constraints and
commercial value d. All the above e. b and b

90. The ________ is the blueprint or detailed outline for the whole of the research or dissertation.
a. Research Process b. Research Design c. Research Proposal d. Research Abstract e. All of the
above

91. ___________ is research that is undertaken to purely to understand the processes of business
and management and their outcomes a. Basic research b. Explanatory research c. Applied
research d. Exploratory research

92. An indication of the degree to which it gives the same answers over time, across similar
groups and irrespective of who administers it. This statement relates to: a. Validity b. Reliability
c. Transferability d. Generalisation e. Unbiased

93. Qualitative research methods include the following except a. Interviews b. Observation c.
Case study d. Survey e. Ethnography

94. In preparing to administer your questionnaire, which of the following must not be considered
a. Pilot the questionnaire b. Choose a non-threatening environment c. Make sure official
channels are sorted out d. Avoid the use of ambiguous words e. None of the above
95. The following strategies will help you gain access to an organization for data collection
except a. Using endorsement from “authorities b. Gradually phasing one’s entry into the
organization c. Offering benefits of some kind to managers in the event of their cooperation d.
Responding to gatekeepers’ concerns honestly e. Interview managers

96. Choose the odd one out of the following. You need the following to undertake dissertation a.
Library and information retrieval skills b. Organization and Plagiarism skills c. Writing and note-
taking skills d. Methodology and Referencing skills e. All the above

97. In focus group discussion, the interview is also known as a. Lecturer b. Researcher

c. Moderator d. Observer

98. Primary data cannot be collected through _______________ a. In-depth interview b.

Quantitative questionnaire c. Structured observations d. Abstracts and indexes

99. _________ list of all relevant items consulted for your project including those not referred to
directly in the text while ___________ is the list of those items referred to directly in the text. a.
References, bibliography b. Footnotes, references c. Bibliography, references d. Literature
Review, references e. All the above

100. Which of the following is not correct? A dissertation _________. a. Shows detailed
knowledge and understanding b. Is an annotated piece of academic work c. Demonstrates
original work and research d. Shows critical and analytical thinking e. None of the above