1.

Why is it important to collect all possible secondary data before

generating primary data?
Secondary data is much more better and faster. It even is more budget
friendly, and helps us more than primary research in some cases, like where
the primary research can't identify the problem or symptom but the
secondary can recognize it. Secondary research can even solve the problem,
but its never to base your solution just upon secondary research.
Like mentioned before, secondary research is quick, easy and cost friendly
rather than primary which is time consuming, expensive and in some cases,
really hard to find and conduct. Secondary research is easier to find than
primary since from primary it is necessary that the source is ready to give
the information. Examples of primary research is surveys etc. Surveys are
biased, time taking to conduct, and are expensive. Also, the response rate is
extremely low.
2. The MNUSU hires you to identify what services and
extracurricular activities the students would like the association
to provide them with during the study period. What method
would you use to help answer their question? How would you use
this method?
3. It is good practice to acknowledge the limitations of your
research in the project report. Why?
Acknowledging limitations in a research study reduces the likelihood of the
reader raising those issues to criticize your argument or dispute your
findings.
Acknowledgement of a study's limitations is an opportunity to make
suggestions for further research.
Acknowledgement of a study's limitations also provides you with an
opportunity to demonstrate that you have thought critically about the
research problem, understood the relevant literature published about
it, and correctly assessed the methods chosen for studying the
problem. A key objective of the research process is not only
discovering new knowledge but to also confront assumptions and
explore what we don't know.

4. For each of the following research questions it has not been

possible for you to obtain a sampling frame. Suggest the most
suitable sampling technique to obtain the necessary data, giving
reasons for your choice of technique.
a. The perception of the residents of Male on whether the
issue of congestion in Male city will be eliminated with the
upcoming Hulhumale bridge project

b. Would the enforcement of the defamation bill limit the

negativity created by the media?

c. How do employers opinions vary regarding the impact of

proposed maternity leave legislation?
5. Outline the important issues that you will consider when
preparing for a presentation.
A quality presentation of research findings can have an unreasonable effect
on a readers or a listeners perceptions of a studys quality. The writer of a
research report should be guided by questions of purpose, readership,
circumstances / limitations, and use that while some statistical data may be
incorporated into the text, most statistics should be placed in tables, charts,
or graphs. Oral presentation of research findings should be developed with
concern for organization, visual aids, and delivery in unique communication
settings. The important issues to consider when preparing for an oral
presentation includes:

Planning and preparing: All presentations should have clear aims and
objectives. The presenter should aim to give the audience members an
over view of the report in such a way that it will capture their interest. It is
better to keep it clear and simple. Also it is important to think about the
general approach to adopt in delivering the presentation.
Using Visual Aids: The use of visual aids will enhance the understanding
of the audience. It will also help to look better prepared and more
professional. It is better to use more straightforward media such as the
overhead projector and the white board.
Making the presentation: It is important to have a clear structure for
presentation. First tell the audience what you are going to say, then say it
and then tell them what you have said. Avoid jargons, consider how to deal
with difficult questions, and also check the room, before the presentation
to ensure you have everything you need, and is happy and familiar with
the layout and make sure all your equipments are working.

The main objectives for a presentation include:

Describing the purpose of the research project
Explaining the context in which the research project research was set.
Identifying the research strategy adopted and the reasons for its choice
List the main findings, conclusions and recommendations flowing from the
research.

6. What suggestion could you give to one of your friends who are
developing a research questionnaire? Why should they consider
the sequencing of the questions as key?
Prior to designing a questionnaire, you must know precisely what data you
need to collect to answer your research question(s) and to meet your
objectives. One way of helping to ensure that you collect these data is to use
a data requirements table.
When designing your questionnaire, you should consider the wording of
individual questions prior to the order in which they appear. Questions can
be divided into open and closed. The six types of closed questions are list,
category, ranking, rating, quantity and grid.
The questionnaire should be laid out so that it is easy to read and the
responses are easy to fill in.
The following are steps to developing a questionnaire the exact order may v
ary somewhat.

Determine which information is being sought.

Choose a question type (structure and amount of disguise) and method
of
administration (for example, written form, email or web form, telephon
e interview, verbal interview).
Determine the general question content needed to obtain the desired
information.
Determine the form of response.
Choose the exact question wording.
Arrange the questions into an effective sequence.
Specify the physical characteristics of the questionnaire (paper type, n
umber of questions per page, etc.)
Test the questionnaire and revise it as needed

Sequence the Questions

Some neutral questions should be placed at the beginning of the questionnai
re in
order to establish rapport and put the respondent at ease. Effective opening
questions are simple and nonthreatening.
When sequencing the questions, keep in mind that their order can affect the
response. One way to correct for this effect is to distribute half of the questio
nnaires with one order, and the other half with another order.

7. Briefly explain THREE (3) ways to collect primary information.

Observation Method:
Observation is one of the few options available for studying records,
mechanical processes, lower animals, small children, and complex
interactive processes. We can gather data as the event occurs and can come
closer to capturing the whole event than with interrogation. On the other
hand, we have to be present to catch the event or have some recording
device on the scene to do the job. Observation includes a variety of
monitoring situations that cover nonbehavioral and behavioral activities. The
strengths of observation as a data collection method include:

Securing information about people or activities that cannot be derived

from experiments or surveys.
Avoiding participant filtering and forgetting.
Securing environmental context information.
Optimizing the naturalness of the research setting.
Reducing obtrusiveness.

Observation may be limited by:

The difficulty of waiting for long periods to capture the relevant

phenomena.
The expense of observer costs and equipment
The reliability of inferences from surface indicators.
The problems of quantification and disproportionately large records.
The limitation on presenting activities and inferences about cognitive
processes.

Interview Method:
Primary data may be collected interviewing people and recording their
responses for analysis. Interview methods includes personal interviews, and
telephone interviews, with each method having its specific strengths and
weaknesses.
In the personal interviews the interviewer asks questions generally in a face
to face contact. The major advantages of personal interviewing are the
ability to explore topics in great depth, achieve a high degree of interviewer
control, and provide maximum interviewer flexibility for meeting unique
situations. Through interview method more and reliable information may be
obtained. However, this method is costly and time-consuming, and its
flexibility can result in excessive interviewer bias. Certain types of
respondents, such as officials, executives or people of high income groups,
may not be easily accessible.

Telephone interviewing remains popular because of the diffusion of

telephone service in households and the low cost of this method compared
with personal interviewing. Long-distance telephone interviewing has grown.
The main merits of telephonic interviews are: It is more flexible and faster
than other methods. It is cheaper and less time consuming. Recall is easy
and replies can be recorded without causing embarrassment to respondents.
At times, access can be made to respondents who otherwise cannot be
contacted for one reason or the other. No staff is required and wider
representation of sample is possible. There are also disadvantages to
telephone interviewing. There is also a limit on the length and depth of
interviews conducted using the telephone.
Questionnaire Method:
The questionnaire is a structured technique for collecting primary data in a
business research. A well-designed questionnaire motivates the
respondent to provide complete and accurate information.
Questionnaires collect data by asking people to respond to exactly the same
set of questions. They are often used as part of a survey strategy to collect
descriptive and explanatory data about opinions, behaviors and attributes.
The self-administered questionnaire can be delivered by the Postal Service,
facsimile, a courier service, a computer, or an intercept. Computer-delivered
self-administered questionnaires use organizational intranets, the Internet, or
online services to reach their participants. Participants may be targeted or
self-selecting. Intercept studies may use a traditional questionnaire or a
computerized instrument in environments where interviewer assistance is
minimal.
Experimentation
Primary Data can also be collected via experimentation. Experimentation is
the practice of gathering data by selecting matched groups of people, giving
them different treatments or scenarios, controlling related factors in their
environments, and checking for differences in their responses.
Experimentation gives us what we call "causal" data. Causal data helps us
explain cause and effect relationships. Experimenting helps us try to answer
"why" someone is doing something, and what influences their buying
behavior.

8. Why is it desirable to pretest survey instruments?

Researchers should pretest survey instruments because:

It helps to discover ways to increase participant interest

Increases the likelihood that participants will remain engaged to the

completion of the survey
It helps discover question content, wording and sequencing problems
Discovers target question groups where researcher training is needed
Helps explore different ways to improve the overall quality of survey
data.

9. What information can you secure from pretest?

The information that a researcher can secure by pretesting is the
participant's reaction to the questions. Also, the researcher can secure errors
in the questionnaire and fixed it along the way.

10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of personal

interview?
Advantages of personal Interviews

Allow for more in-depth data collection and comprehensive understanding

Body language and facial expressions are more clearly identified and
understood

The interviewer can probe for explanations of responses

Stimulus material and visual aids can be used to support the interview

Interview length can be considerably longer since the participant has a

greater commitment to participate

Disadvantages of personal interviews

Interviews are more time consuming to recruit and conduct

As a result of timing and travel, personal interviews can be expensive

Interviews can deliver biased responses

Most carefully vet the respondents ability before investing time in the
recruitment process and interview process

11. A valid instrument is always reliable, but a reliable instrument

may not be always valid. Comment on this statement?
Validity and Reliability are two important criterias for evaluating a
measurement tool.
Validity is the extent to which a test measures what we actually wish to
measure. Validity is the ability of a scale or measuring instrument to
measure what it is intended to measure (e.g. is absenteeism from work a
valid measure of job satisfaction or are there other influences like an
infection widespread which is keeping employees from work). In other words,
is the accuracy of a measuring instrument.
Reliability refers to the dependability or consistency of a measurement
instrument.
Stability reliability is its consistency over time.
Representative reliability is its consistency across subpopulations.
Equivalence reliability is its consistency obtained from using
multiple measures.
Reliability can be improved by clearly conceptualizing concepts, increasing
the levels of measurement and using multiple indicators of a variable.
The types of validity include:
1. Content validity (the extent to which measuring instrument covers a
representative sample of the domain of the aspects measured)
-

Face validity (the extent to which a measuring instrument appears

valid on its surface. Each question or item on the research
instrument have a logic link with the objective)

Problems associated with Content validity

- Based on subjective logic; no definitive conclusion can be drawn or
consensus reached.
- Extent to which questions reflect the objectives of the study may differ.
2. Criterion Related Validity (The extent to which a measuring
instrument accurately predicts behavior or ability in a given area. The
measuring instrument is called criteria. The two types of CriterionRelated Validity include:
-

Predictive validity (the test is used to predict the future

performance)

Concurrent validity (the test is used to estimate present

performance or persons ability at the present time not attempting
to predict the future outcomes.)

Problems associated with criterion validity

- Cannot be used in all circumstances. Especially in social science where
some conditions do not have some relevant criteria. Eg: for measuring selfesteem, no criteria can be applied.
3. Construct Validity (Is the most important type of validity. Assesses
the extent to which a measuring instrument accurately measures a
theoretical construct it is designed to measure. It correlates
performance on the instrument with a performance on an establishes
instrument.)
4. Face validity is the judgment of experts about a scale or instrument.
If an instrument is valid, especially in terms of content validity, we would
expect to have a reliable instrument. However, an instrument can have both
consistency and stability, but may not be measuring what it is intended to
measure and may not be valid. However, if an instrument does measure the
concept that it is supposed to measure, it will be reliable. Thus, a valid
instrument will be reliable, but a reliable instrument need not necessarily be
valid.
12. What is research? Distinguish between descriptive research
and exploratory research.
Research is The systematic investigation into and study of materials and
sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Business Research may be defined as the systematic and objective process
of gathering, recording and analyzing data for aid in making business
decisions
A descriptive study tries to discover answers to the questions who, what,
when, where, and, sometimes, how. The researcher attempts to describe or
define a subject, often by creating a profile of a group of problems, people, or
events. The descriptive study is popular in research because of its versatility
across management disciplines.
An explanatory study goes beyond description and attempts to explain the
reasons for the phenomenon that the descriptive study only observed. The
researcher uses theories or at least hypotheses to account for the forces that
caused a certain phenomenon to occur.

13. What is the difference between Open-ended and closed ended

questions?
Open-ended
closed ended
An open question is a question
A closed question is a simple
that expects to give a long
question that expects to give
answer
a short answer.
Open-ended questions are
Questions that are closedexploratory in nature.
ended are conclusive in nature
Questions that are open they are designed to create
ended provide rich qualitative
data that is easily quantifiable.
questions of this type are easy
data
provide the researcher with an
to code makes them
opportunity to gain insight on
particularly useful when trying
all the opinions on a topic they
to prove the statistical
are not familiar with.
significance of a surveys
being qualitative in nature
results

closed-ended questions will

makes these types of
questions lack the statistical
lead to insufficient options for
significance needed for
respondents to select from,
conclusive research
questions that do not properly
reflect the researchs purpose,
and limited or erroneous
information.
14. What are the 4 different scales; name them and define them
Nominal scale
A nominal scale is the simplest of the four scale types and in which the
numbers or letters assigned to objects serve as labels for identification
or classification
Ordinal scale
An ordinal scale is one that arranges objects or alternatives according
to their magnitude
Interval Scale
An interval scale is a scale that not only arranges objects or
alternatives according to their respective magnitudes, but also
distinguishes this ordered arrangement in units of equal intervals (i.e.
interval scales indicate order (as in ordinal scales) and also the
distance in the order)
Ratio Scale

 A ratio scale is a scale that possesses absolute rather than relative

qualities and has an absolute zero.

15. What is the difference between probability and non-probability

sampling?

BASIS FOR
COMPARISON

PROBABILITY
SAMPLING

NON-PROBABILITY
SAMPLING

Meaning

Probability sampling is a
sampling technique, in
which the subjects of the
population get an equal
opportunity to be selected as
a representative sample.

Nonprobability sampling is
a method of sampling
wherein; it is not known
that which individual from
the population will be
selected as a sample.

Alternately
known as

Random sampling

Non-random sampling

Basis of selection

Randomly

Arbitrarily

Opportunity of
selection

Fixed and known

Not specified and unknown

Research

Conclusive

Exploratory

Result

Unbiased

Biased

Method

Objective

Subjective

Inferences

Statistical

Analytical

Hypothesis

Tested

Generated

16.