SCHOOL OF ARTS, SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT

DIVISION OF BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND MANAGEMENT

LEVEL 3 DIET 1

MODULE CODE: B3136

MODULE TITLE:Business Research Methods

DATE: 26/04/2017 TIME: 9.30AM

WRITING TIME: 2 hours READING TIME: 5 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS: This examination is in TWO sections.

SECTION A Consists of multiple choice questions.

Each question is worth 2 marks.
Students should attempt all 25 questions for total of 50 marks.
Please put a cross in the box on the answer sheet provided i.e. 4.
If you wish to change your answer make sure to completely score out
your original answer and clearly put a cross in your alternative answer.
Otherwise where more than one box is crossed, no marks will be
awarded.
You should attempt all questions.
Students should attach the answer sheet to their answer booklet.

SECTION B Consists of 8 short answer questions.

Each question is worth 10 marks.
Students should attempt any 5 questions only for a total of 50 marks.
Please write your answers within the answer booklet provided

PAPER SETTER: Susanne Ross

MATRICULATION NUMBER:________________
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 SECTION A: Multiple Choice Questions

Please put a cross in the box against the relevant answer on the answer sheet provided and
attach to the answer booklet.

You should attempt all questions. Each question is worth 2 marks.

1. Which one of the following is a problem associated with asynchronous focus

groups?
a. Participants do not have time to reflect on their answers
b. Participants do not have time to write lengthy responses
c. It can only be conducted by email
d. It is not possible for moderators to be available online 24 hours a day

2. The first step in the sampling process is to:

a. Determine the sampling frame
b. Select the sampling technique
c. Determine the appropriate sample size
d. Define the population

3. Which one of the following is NOT a criticism of qualitative research?

a. It is too subjective
b. It is not flexible enough
c. It is difficult to replicate
d. It presents problems with generalization

4. Photo elicitation interviews refer to:

a. Introducing photos and other forms of visual representation in an interview with
participants being asked to comment on the images
b. A process most commonly associated with virtual data collection methods
c. The researcher asking participants to search for photographs to bring to the
interview
d. A process most commonly associated with structured interviews

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5. Respondents were asked “Have you travelled by public transport in the past six
months?” in a questionnaire.
The responses to this question generate which type of data?

a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio

6. What would influence a researcher to undertake a qualitative interview?

a. When the researcher wants to replicate the research design
b. The aim of generalizing from the findings
c. When the researcher has a small number of closed questions to ask participants
d. The purpose of the research questions

7. Which one of the following is NOT a qualitative research method?

a. In-depth interview
b. Structured interview
c. Semi-structured interview
d. Unstructured interview

8. A researcher asks respondents: “How old are you?” in a structured interview. Later
on in the interview they are asked: “What is your date of birth?”
This is a way to illustrate the ___________ of the measurement?
a. Precision
b. Dependability
c. Reliability
d. Generalizability

9. The first step in the research process is to:

a. Define the research problem
b. State the hypothesis or the research question
c. Develop the research design
d. Design data collection tools

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10. The literature review that the researcher writes becomes the:
a. Conceptual framework for the research project
b. Theoretical framework for the research project
c. Methodological framework for the research project
d. Analytical framework for the research project

11. “The more time spent studying, the greater the improvement in exam performance”.
This is an example of:
a) A hypothesis that results in a negative relationship
b) A hypothesis that results in a positive relationship
c) A statistic
d) A theory

12. In a questionnaire of 100 students at Queen Margaret University, 20% were found to
be Business Management students. Based on this information, the researcher
generalises that “20% of all students at Queen Margaret University are Business
Management students”.
This is an example of:
a) A sample
b) A population
c) Descriptive statistics
d) Inferential statistics

13. A critical part in the analytical process of qualitative data analysis is:
a. Coding the data
b. Assigning numerical values to the data
c. Exploring and presenting individual variables
d. Describing data using statistics

14. Thematic analysis can help you to:

a. Describe the variation in your data
b. Identify key themes or patterns
c. Describe the central tendency
d. Describe the dispersion

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15. Which one of the following criteria is used to evaluate quantitative research?
a. Validity
b. Trustworthiness
c. Credibility
d. Dependability

16. At what stage of the research process is it most important to adhere to ethics in a
research project?
a. Gaining access to human participants
b. Collection of data
c. Reporting findings
d. At every stage of the research process

17. A researcher would choose a focus group over a group interview because:
a. The researcher is interested in the ways in which individuals discuss issues as
members of a group rather than as individuals
b. Focus groups save time and money
c. Focus groups involve fewer participants
d. There is no moderator present in a focus group

18. Why is it important for structured interviews to follow a standardised process?

a. To enable an in-depth exploration of the topic
b. To increase reliability, as the interview can be adapted for each respondent
c. To increase reliability, as all respondents answer the same questions in the same
order
d. To enable rapport to be built between the researcher and all participants

19. Which one of the following best defines an inductive approach to research?
a. It is commonly associated with quantitative research
b. Theory develops as a result of testing a clearly defined hypothesis
c. Theory guides the research project
d. Theory emerges as a result of an explanation of the data gathered

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20. Maintaining anonymity of individuals taking part in a research project refers to:
a. Participants agreeing to take part once they are fully informed of any consequences
from their participation
b. A guarantee that some information provided by participants will remain confidential
and will not be disclosed
c. Concealing the identity of participants and ensuring the findings are not presented in
such a way that enables participants to be identified.
d. Participants have the right to decline participation in the study without their identity
being disclosed

21. Which one of the following refers to using two or more sources of data or multiple
data collection methods within one study?
a. Mixed methods
b. Multi-method quantitative study
c. Triangulation
d. Variation

22. In qualitative data analysis, the way in which you present or display your data into
something that is organised and meaningful is called:
a. Data reduction
b. Data display
c. Drawing conclusions
d. Testing for normality

23. Which one of the following is most likely to produce selection bias in a
questionnaire?
a. Using a sample of university students to estimate the proportion of people who think
the legal drinking age should be lowered
b. Only receiving responses from half of the people in the sample
c. The researcher only recording responses which suits their own views
d. Using questions with biased wording

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24. Why is undertaking a piloting exercise useful?
a. It provides the opportunity to test your questions on some of the people who will be
in the final sample
b. It helps to identify and amend any problems in the question wording, order and
format
c. It helps to ensure that you have chosen the right sampling technique
d. All of the above

25. Which one of the following is NOT an advantage of secondary data?

a. There are fewer resource requirements
b. The data already exists
c. Data available may have been collected for another purpose so may not match your
need
d. It can result in unforeseen discoveries

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 SECTION B: Short Answer Questions

You should attempt any 5 questions from the selection below.

Please write your answers in an answer booklet(s). Each question is worth 10 marks.

1. Research is a multi-stage process. Outline the main steps in the research process in
relation to undertaking either an inductive or deductive approach to research.

2. Identify and discuss the key differences between qualitative and quantitative methodology.

3. Critique two data collection methods and relate them to their appropriate methodology.

4. Discuss the usefulness of triangulation within research.

5. Two approaches to sampling are probability and non-probability. Discuss the differences
between these approaches in terms of their appropriateness to qualitative and quantitative
methodology.

6. Identify and discuss some of the main ethical issues you might need to consider whilst
undertaking business research.

7. Outline and discuss the criteria used to judge and ensure the quality of either qualitative or
quantitative research.

8. Outline the main stages undertaken in either a qualitative approach to data analysis or a
quantitative approach to data analysis.

End of Paper

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