Dear MBA students,

As agreed please find attached the Final Term Exam, you should:1. Answer ALL questions, Part1 & Part22. Use your text book, extra text book, the internet, and other references.3. DON'T discuss or share, by any means of communication, with any other class students (even for those who are married couples, brothers, or relatives, MUST answer separately).4. It is NOT ACCEPTED to just copy and paste from any source, your interpretation and write-up is a MUST to get the grade.

6. MUST include your first name and family name WITHIN the file name (ex.: DrAshrafElsafty-E-RM-42E-FinalExam-FirstNameLastName).7. Use BLUE color for your text answers, or just fill in the shaded blocks.

As I mentioned before for the mid-term and during our classes, we are studying to learn, and we are now leveraging our learning capacity and measuring our knowledge level.So please focus on your time and answers to learn while filling the exam.

Hope you gained the ultimate scientific benefit from the course and me as well.

May Allah bless you all.

Kind Regards,

Adjunct Professor, Strategist

Strategic Management & Research Methods.

ESLSCA, MIU, Riti/MsM cairo outreach.

5. Reply with your file .xls, of your answer to ME ONLY, to ashraf@ashrafelsafty.com .

8. Email directly to ME ONLY no later than agreed deadline day and time 25th Jan. 2014, 10:00 pm) otherwise will not be accepted.

I hope I did met your expectations, and now you as a researcher, you will be responsible for what you have learned, to be applied on yourself and those around you, and to transfer what you already gained for the welfare of the country and your people.

Dr. Ashraf Elsafty 

Dr. Ashraf ElsaftyResearch MethodsESLSCA 42EFinal Exam

QPart 1:

1 Develop a conceptual model for the scenario below:

2

3

4

5

6

Part ONE

Incidence of smoking in movies has started to increase again, after having declined for several decades. According to the National Cancer Institute smoking is seen in at least three out of four contemporary box-office hits. What’s more, identifiable cigarette brands appeared in about one-third of all movies in 2008. Exposure to smoking in movies is an important predictor of adolescent smoking initiation: smoking in movies has been shown to affect adolescents’ intentions to start smoking. In turn, the intentions to start smoking are determined by a more positive attitude toward smoking after seeing a film character smoke. Recent research has revealed that the relationship between seeing a film character smoke and the attitude toward smoking is stronger when a person’s identification with a film character increases. These findings are consistent with social learning theory, which predicts that attitudes and behaviors are modeled by observing the behaviors of others.

What are the basic research design issues? Describe them in some detail.(2 paragraphs)

“An exploratory study is just as useful as a predictive study”. Discuss this statement. (2 Paragraphs)

Discuss the inter-relationships among: non-contrived setting, purpose of the study, type of investigation, researcher interference, and time horizon of the study.

Why is the unit of analysis an integral part of the research design? (1-2 paragraphs)

Why is the ratio scale the most powerful of the four scales? (1 paragraph, use example)

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The purpose of the studyThe type of investigationThe extent of researcher interferenceThe study settingThe time horizon for the studyThe unit of analysis.

From your text book:8 Exercise 4.6

VariableDependent variableIndependent variableModerating variable

9 Exercise 4.7Situation 1

Situation 2

Below are three scenarios. For each, indicate how the researcher should proceed with the following, giving reasons covering:

Scenario A: Ms. Joyce Lynn, the owner of a small business (a woman’s dress boutique), has invited a consultant to tell her how she is different from similar small businesses within a 60-mile radius, in regard to her usage of the most modern computer technology, sales volume, profit margin, and staff training.

Scenario B: Mr. Paul Hodge, the owner of several restaurants is concerned about the wide differences in the profit margins of the various restaurants. He would like to try some incentive plans for increasing the efficiency levels of those restaurants that are lagging behind. But, before he introduces this, he would like to be sure that the idea will work. He asks a researcher to help him on this issue.

Scenario C: A manager is intrigued why some people seem to derive joy from work and get energized by it, while others find it troublesome and frustrating.

Situation 3

10 Exercise 4.8VariableDependent variableIndependent variableIntervening variableModerating variable

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Item 1Item 2Item 3................Item (as much as you can of items learned)

Write a full research proposal/research project, using the book studied examples and guided by the sample thesis provided, regarding a problem/opportunity about “Egypt’s needed development”, from a business and management perspective, it is of your selection to set the whole story to guide your proposal or to define the context to support developing a clear research proposal. (Should cover all topics studied within research methods; mention the item on the left and your answer on the right, and within 1 or 2 pages length only).

Answer

MAKE SURE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION FULLY.

Answer 1Answer 2Answer 3................Answer (as much as you can of items learned)

Dr. Ashraf ElsaftyResearch MethodsESLSCA 42EFinal Exam

Q Answer, ONLY using A or B or C or D or EDON'T DELETE OR HIDE ANY OF THE ROWS

1

a. Exploratory research.b. Descriptive research.c. Causal research.d. Experimental research.

2a. Understanding the dependent variable.b. Predicting the dependent variable.

d. Explaining variance in the dependent variable.

3

A. trueB. false

4

A. trueB. false

Part TWO

Which of the following is most suitable when there is little to no insight in a certain problem or when there is no information available on how similar problems or research issues have been solved in the past?

Just answer here, on

grey cells only

What cannot be seen as purpose of a causal study?

c. Making sure that all relevant variables are included in the study.

If a bank manager wants to analyze the relationship between interest rates and bank deposit patterns of clients, a ‘field study’ is the most suitable method of investigation.

A marketing manager aims to investigate the relationship between customer satisfaction and store loyalty among British consumers. For this purpose, data will have to be collected from British stores and the ‘unit of analysis’ is the country.

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A. trueB. false

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a. Cross-sectional studies. b. Longitudinal studies. c. Exploratory studies. d. Case studies.

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A. trueB. false

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b. Why unemployment in Europe is higher than in Asia. c. If smoking is related to cancer. d. All the above answers are correct.

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a. A field study.b. A field experiment.c. A lab experiment.d. None of the above.

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a. Exploratory.b. Descriptive.c. Causal.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a multinational corporation wants to know the profits made during the past 5 years by each of the subsidiaries in England, Germany, France, and Spain. It is possible that there are many regional offices of these subsidiaries in each of these countries. The profits of the various regional centers for each country have to be aggregated and the profits for each country for the past 5 years provided to the CFO. Hence, the ‘unit of analysis’ is the country.

Studies, when data on the dependent variable are gathered at two or more points in time to answer the research question, are called:

Experimental designs invariably are longitudinal studies since data are collected both before and after a manipulation.

Which of the following studies is a causal study? The researcher tries to find out:

a. What percentage of the population thinks commercials are annoying compared to 10 years ago.

A bank manager wants to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between interest rate and the inducements it offers to clients to save and deposit money in the bank. What is the appropriate study setting?

The goal of a _____________ study, hence, is to offer to the researcher a profile of the phenomena of interest from an individual, organizational, industry-oriented, or other perspective.

d. Experimental.

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a. Exploratory.b. Descriptive.c. Causal.d. Experimental.

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A. trueB. false

13

A. trueB. false

14

A. trueB. false

15

A. trueB. false

16

A. trueB. false

17

A. trueB. false

18 Our research question determines the unit of analysis.A. true

____________ studies are also necessary when some facts are known, but more information is needed for developing a viable theoretical framework.

Whether a study is a causal or a correlational one depends on the type of research questions asked and how the problem is defined.

The extent of interference by the researcher with the normal flow of work at the workplace has a direct bearing on whether the study undertaken is causal or correlational.

A causal study is conducted in the natural environment of the organization with minimum interference by the researcher with the normal flow of work.

In studies conducted to establish cause-and-effect relationships, the researcher tries to manipulate certain variables so as to study the effects of such manipulation on the dependent variable of interest.

Correlational studies are invariably conducted in contrived settings, whereas most rigorous causal studies are done in non-contrived lab settings.

The unit of analysis refers to the level of aggregation of the data collected during the subsequent data analysis stage.

B. false

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a. Cross-sectional studies. b. Longitudinal studies. c. Exploratory studies. d. Case studies.

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a. Cross-sectional study. b. Longitudinal study. c. Exploratory study. d. Case study.

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A. trueB. false

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A. trueB. false

23

A. trueB. false

24 Objects include:a. Persons, strategic business units, and companies.b. Countries, cars, and arousal seeking tendency.c. Elephants, kitchen appliances, and shopping enjoyment.d. Restaurants, shampoo, and service quality.

25 Examples of characteristics of objects are:a. Length, weight, and country.

c. Service quality, conditioning effects, and taste.

A study can be done in which data are gathered just once, perhaps over a period of days or weeks or months, in order to answer a research question. Such studies are called:

A marketing manager is interested in tracing the pattern of sales of a particular product in four different regions of the country on a quarterly basis for the next 2 years. This is an example of a:

Knowledge of research design details also helps managers to study and intelligently comment on research proposals.

Methodological rigor increases as we move progressively from an exploratory study to a hypothesis-testing study, and with this, the costs of research also increase.

Measurement is the assignment of numbers or other symbols to characteristics of objects according to a pre-specified set of rules.

b. Arousal seeking tendency, strategic business unit, and shopping enjoyment.

d. Restaurants, shampoo, and service quality.

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A. trueB. false

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A. trueB. false

28

A. trueB. false

29 Operationalizing a concept involves a series of steps. 1. Come up with a definition of the construct. 2. Develop a response format. 3. Assess the validity and reliability of the measurement scale.

What is the correct order?

30

A. trueB. false

31 You cannot measure objects; you measure _____________ of objects.a. Elements.b. Dimensions.c. Antecedents.d. Attributes.

32 Operationalizing is: a. Designing questionnaires.b. Translating a problem definition into a research question. c. Making an abstract concept measurable.

Attributes of objects that can be physically measured by some calibrated instruments pose no measurement problems.

Reduction of abstract concepts to render them measurable in a tangible way is called operationalizing the concepts.

Operationalizing is done by looking at the behavioral dimensions, facets, or properties denoted by the concept. These are then translated into observable and measurable elements so as to develop an index of measurement of the concept.

4. Develop an instrument (one or more items or questions) that actually measures the concept that one wants to measure.

a.   1-4-2-3.b.   4-2-1-3.c.   4-2-3-1.d.  3-1-4-2.

Operationalizing a concept consists of delineating the reasons, antecedents, consequences, or correlates of the concept.

d. Defining difficult concepts in the research proposal.

33 A variable or construct must always be directly observable.A. trueB. false

34 Operationalizing a variable precedes defining a variable. A. trueB. false

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A. trueB. false

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

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< €15.000€20.000 - €30.000€30.000 - €45.000> € 45.000a. Nominal.b. Ordinal.c. Interval. d. Ratio.

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a. A nominal scale.b. An ordinal scale.c. An interval scale. d. A ratio scale.

The construct ‘hunger’ is a typical example of a construct that must be operationalized because it is an abstract and subjective concept.

What is the type of scale of the variable ‘age’ if it is measured in the following way?

“What is your age? ____ years.”

What is the measurement level of income, measured in the following way: “What is your annual gross income?”

“As the calibration or fine-tuning of a scale increases in sophistication, so does the power of the scale”. What is therefore the most powerful scale?

39

A. trueB. false

40

A. trueB. false

41 Temperature is usually measured on a ratio scale. A. trueB. false

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a. The pair of scales is not reliable and not valid.b. The pair of scales is reliable but is not valid.c. The pair of scales is not reliable but is valid.d. The pair of scales is reliable and valid.

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b. A semantic differential scale.c. A numerical scale.d. An itemized rating scale.

44 Which of the following is not a source of primary data?a. A focus group.b. A panel.c. Company records.d. A video conference.

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A. trueB. false

46

A. true

The difference between an ordinal and a ratio scale is that a ratio scale has an arbitrary zero point.

Army rank (such as lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, general, etc.) is ordinal in nature.

A lady stands on a pair of scales three times in a row. The first time she weighs 69 kilo, the second time 69 kilo, and the third time 69 kilo. Her real weight is 51 kilo. What is the matter with the scales?

The following scale is a: “Ugly __ __ __ __ __ Beautiful” a. A likert-scale.

Whereas panels meet for a one-time group session, focus groups meet more than once.

The Delphi Technique is a forecasting method that uses a cautiously selected panel of experts in a systematic, interactive manner.

B. false

47

A. trueB. false

48

A. trueB. false

49

A. trueB. false

50

A. trueB. false

51 The principles of wording refers to which of the following factors? a. The appropriateness of the content of the questions

c. The type and form of questions asked.d. All of the above.

52

A. trueB. false

53

A. trueB. false

54

This question is:

The advantage of seeking secondary data sources is savings in time and costs of acquiring information.

Unstructured interviews are so labeled because the interviewer does not enter the interview setting with a planned sequence of questions to be asked of the respondent.

Structured interviews are those conducted when it is known at the outset what information is needed.

When conducting interviews, it is unethical that the researcher makes written notes as the interviews are taking place, or as soon as the interview is terminated.

b. How questions are worded and the level of sophistication of the language used.

The way questions are sequenced could also introduce certain biases, frequently referred to as the ordering effects.

Instead of phrasing all questions positively, it is advisable to include some negatively worded questions as well, so the tendency in respondents to mechanically circle the points toward one end of the scale is minimized.

“Do you think there is a good market for the product and that it will sell well?”

a. Leading.b. Loaded.c. Double-barreled.d. Ambiguous.

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a. Leading.b. Loaded.c. Double-barreled.d. Ambiguous.

56

A. trueB. false

57

A. trueB. false

58

A. trueB. false

59 The biggest disadvantage of secondary data is:

c. That they are generally qualitative in nature. d. That they cannot be used for forecasting purposes.

60

A. trueB. false

“Don’t you think that in these days of escalating costs of living, employees should be given good pay raises?”

The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that the respondent is led from questions of a general nature to those that are more specific.

The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that the respondent is led from questions that are relatively easy to answer to those that are progressively more difficult.

The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that you end with questions that respondents refuse to answer.

a. That they are not meeting the specific needs of the particular situation or setting.

b. That it is generally more expensive to collect secondary data than primary data.

Probability sampling designs are used when the representativeness of the sample is of importance in the interests of wider generalizability.

61

A. trueB. false

62

a. Convenience sampling.b. Simple random sampling.c. Stratified sampling.d. Quota sampling.

63

A. trueB. false

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A. trueB. false

65

A. trueB. false

66

A. trueB. false

67

A. trueB. false

68

a. The extent of generalizability desired.b. The demands of time and other resources.c. The purpose of the study.

Convenience sampling and quota sampling are examples of probability sampling.

A researcher who investigates the relationship between the loyalty program of a specific supermarket and the loyalty towards this supermarket, collects his data by questioning consumers who leave the specific supermarket on several daily periods. The sampling method used by this researcher is called:

When the properties of the population are not over-represented or under-represented in the sample, we will have a representative sample.

From a statistical perspective, probability sampling is preferred over non-probability sampling.

The results of probability sampling are less generalizable than the results of non-probability sampling.

The sampling frame is a (physical) representation of all the elements in the population from which the sample is drawn.

The payroll of an organization would serve as the sampling frame if its members are to be studied.

The type of probability and non-probability sampling designs that is chosen depends on:

d. All of the above.

69 A sample size of 40 is large enough.A. trueB. false

70

A. trueB. false

ThanksDr Ashraf Elsafty

As a sampling technique, qualitative research generally uses non-probability sampling as it does not aim to draw statistical inference.

Answer, ONLY using A or B or C or D or EDON'T DELETE OR HIDE ANY OF THE ROWS