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Business Research Method

Session-4 Prof. Ravi Shekhar Kumar

A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, what he can do, nothing else.
.. Mahatma Gandhi

Part-I; Measurement Scale

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Measurement and Scale


If things exist to some extent, they ought to be

measured.

Measurement is the assignment of numbers to

objects, events, or people according to some rules.

To assign numbers, we need a scale.

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Scale
A scale is a system of classifying objects and

persons in a series of steps or degrees according to a standard (i.e., relative size, rank, amount, etc.).

Measurements can be along four different scales: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio.

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Nominal Scale
One uses names or labels according to certain

characteristics. Variables assessed on a nominal scale are called categories.

Charles Darwin used such categorical scales for

species. Telephone numbers; women vs. men in this session.

Basic operation: = or

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Ordinal Scale
Ordinal measurements tell ranks or difference

between the items (e.g., Class ranks; Hardiness of minerals).

Basic operation: < vs. > Such scale may also use names with an

order such as:

Below average", Average", and Above average"; or


"very unsatisfied", Neutral", and "very unsatisfied."

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Interval Scale
In interval scales, the steps are considered to be

equal.

Basic operation: Equality of successive steps Difference between 2 and 1 is the same as the

difference between 7 and 6.

We can use numbers, steps, phrases, or distance to

represent the successive intervals. Ratings; Test

Examples:
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temperature

scores;

Celsius
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Ratio Scale
Most measurement in the physical sciences and

engineering is done on ratio scales.

The distinguishing feature of a ratio scale is the

possession of a natural zero value.

Basic operation: Equality of ratios Examples: Mass, length, time, plane angle, energy,

electric charge, and GDP are measured on ratio scales.

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A few exercise
Gender-

1. Male

2. Female

Nominal Scale
I consider myself to be loyal to Nike Brand. (Please rate the statement) Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5

Interval Scale
How many hours do you use Internet ?...........Hrs

Ratio Scale

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A few exercise
Education-

1. Less than 10th Std 2. 10th Std 4. Graduate 5. Post Graduate Nominal Scale

3.12th Std

Why do you use the current brand? Please rank the preference a. This is exactly the product I have always wanted to use. b. This is the best available brand. c. It is a force of habit d. There is really no choice.

Ordinal Scale
What is your age? ..Years

Ratio Scale
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A few exercise
This supplier keeps promises it makes to our firm. (Please rate the statement) Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5

Interval Scale Please rank following footwear brands on your preference. A. Bata B. Adidas C. Nike D. Reebok E. Liberty Ordinal Scale

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Part-II; Questionnaire

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Questionnaire Definition
A questionnaire is a formalized set of questions for obtaining information from respondents.

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Individual Question Content :


Are Several Questions Needed Instead of One?
Sometimes, several questions are needed to obtain the required information in an unambiguous manner. Consider the question: Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty and refreshing soft drink? (Incorrect) Such a question is called a double-barreled question, because two or more questions are combined into one. To obtain the required information, two distinct questions should be asked: Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty soft drink? and Do you think Coca-Cola is a refreshing soft drink? (Correct)
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Overcoming Unwillingness To Answer


Please list all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping trip to a department store.

(Incorrect)
In the list that follows, please check all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping trip to a department store.
1. 2. 3. 4. . . . 16. 17. Women's dresses Men's apparel Children's apparel Cosmetics ____ ____ ____ ____

Jewelry Other (please specify)

____ ____

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(Correct)

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Choosing Question Wording Define the Issue


Define the issue in terms of who, what, when, where, why, and way (the six Ws). Who, what, when, and where are particularly important. Which brand of shampoo do you use? (Incorrect) Which brand or brands of shampoo have you personally used at home during the last month? In case of more than one brand, please list all the brands that apply. (Correct)
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Choosing Question Wording Use Ordinary Words


Do you think the distribution of soft drinks is adequate? (Incorrect) Do you think soft drinks are readily available when you want to buy them? (Correct)

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Choosing Question Wording Use Unambiguous Words


In a typical month, how often do you shop in department stores? _____ Never _____ Occasionally _____ Sometimes _____ Often _____ Regularly

(Incorrect)
In a typical month, how often do you shop in department stores? _____ Less than once _____ 1 or 2 times _____ 3 or 4 times _____ More than 4 times

(Correct)
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Choosing Question Wording Avoid Leading or Biasing Questions


A leading question is one that clues the respondent to what the answer should be, as in the following: Do you think that patriotic Indian should buy imported automobiles when that would put Indian labor out of work? _____ Yes _____ No _____ Don't know (Incorrect) Do you think that Indian should buy imported automobiles? _____ Yes _____ No _____ Don't know (Correct)
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Choosing Question Wording Avoid Implicit Alternatives


An alternative that is not explicitly expressed in the options is an implicit alternative. Do you like to fly when traveling short distances? (Incorrect) Do you like to fly when traveling short distances, or would you rather drive? (Correct)

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Choosing Question Wording Avoid Implicit Assumptions


Questions should not be worded so that the answer is dependent upon implicit assumptions about what will happen as a consequence. Are you in favor of a balanced budget? (Incorrect) Are you in favor of a balanced budget if it would result in an increase in the personal income tax? (Correct)

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Choosing Question Wording Avoid Generalizations and Estimates


What is the annual per capita expenditure on groceries in your household? (Incorrect) What is the monthly (or weekly) expenditure on groceries in your household? and How many members are there in your household? (Correct)

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Determining the Order of Questions


Opening Questions The opening questions should be interesting, simple, and nonthreatening. Type of Information As a general guideline, basic information should be obtained first, followed by classification, and, finally, identification information. Difficult Questions Difficult questions or questions which are sensitive, embarrassing, complex, or dull, should be placed late in the sequence.

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PCs & NETWORK PRODUCTS SURVEY


Q1.Have you purchased a PC or network communication product for your company within the past two years?
(a) (b) PCs: Network Products i. Yes _____ i. Yes _____ ii. No _____ ii. No _____

Q2. Who is the dominant manufacturer of the PCs and Network Communication Products that your business owns?
(a) (b) PCs: ______________________________ Network Products______________________________

Q3. How satisfied are you with the PCs and Network product overall?
Not at all Satisfied (a) (b) PCs: Network 1 Products 1 2 2 3 3 Very Satisfied 4 4 5 5

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PCs & NETWORK PRODUCTS SURVEY


Q4. If you were to purchase PCs, please evaluate how important the following would be in your purchase decision.

Not Important Price 1 Company selling product 1 Brand name of product 1 Familiarity with product 1 Quality of product 1 Service of company 1 Functionality of product 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Neutral 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Very Important 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

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Demonstration of Questionnaire Making


Pretesting refers to the testing of the questionnaire on a small sample of respondents to identify and eliminate potential problems. A questionnaire should not be used in the field survey without adequate pretesting. All aspects of the questionnaire should be tested, including question content, wording, sequence, form and layout, question difficulty, and instructions. The respondents for the pretest and for the actual survey should be drawn from the same population. Pretests are best done by personal interviews, even if the actual survey is to be conducted by mail, telephone, or electronic means, because interviewers can observe respondents' reactions and attitudes. 13 March 2014 27

Part-III; Sampling

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The Sampling Design Process


1. Define the Target Population
The collection of elements of objects that possess the information sought by researcher and about which inferences are to be made.

2. Determine the Sampling Frame


A representation of the elements of the target population. It consists of a list or set of directions for identifying the target population

3. Select a Sampling Technique 4. Determine the Sample Size


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5. Execute the Sampling Process

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Classification of Sampling Techniques

Sampling Techniques

Nonprobability Sampling Techniques

Probability Sampling Techniques

Convenience Sampling

Judgmental Sampling

Quota Sampling

Snowball Sampling

Simple Random Sampling


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Systematic Sampling

Stratified Sampling

Cluster Sampling
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Convenience Sampling

Convenience sampling attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. Often, respondents are selected because they happen to be in the right place at the right time. use of students, and members of social organizations mall intercept interviews without qualifying the respondents people on the street interviews

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Judgmental Sampling
Judgmental sampling is a form of convenience sampling in which the population elements are selected based on the judgment of the researcher. test markets purchase engineers selected in industrial marketing research expert witnesses used in court

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Quota Sampling
Quota sampling may be viewed as two-stage restricted judgmental sampling. The first stage consists of developing control categories, or quotas, of population elements. In the second stage, sample elements are selected based on convenience or judgment.
Population composition
Control Characteristic Sex Male Female Percentage

Sample composition
Percentage Number

48 52 ____ 100

48 52 ____ 100

480 520 ____ 1000


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Snowball Sampling
In snowball sampling, an initial group of respondents is selected, usually at random. After being interviewed, these respondents are asked to identify others who belong to the target population of interest. Subsequent respondents are selected based on the referrals.

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Simple Random Sampling


Each element in the population has a known and equal probability of selection. Each possible sample of a given size (n) has a known and equal probability of being the sample actually selected. This implies that every element is selected independently of every other element.

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Systematic Sampling
The sample is chosen by selecting a random starting point and then picking every ith element in succession from the sampling frame. The sampling interval, i, is determined by dividing the population size N by the sample size n and rounding to the nearest integer. When the ordering of the elements is related to the characteristic of interest, systematic sampling increases the representativeness of the sample. If the ordering of the elements produces a cyclical pattern, systematic sampling may decrease the representativeness of the sample. For example, there are 100,000 elements in the population and a sample of 1,000 is desired. In this case the sampling interval, i, is 100. A random number between 1 and 100 is selected. If, for example, this number is 23, the sample consists of elements 23, 13 March 2014 36 123, 223, 323, 423, 523, and so on.

Stratified Sampling
A two-step process in which the population is partitioned into subpopulations, or strata. The strata should be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive in that every population element should be assigned to one and only one stratum and no population elements should be omitted. Next, elements are selected from each stratum by a random procedure, usually SRS. A major objective of stratified sampling is to increase precision without increasing cost.

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Stratified Sampling
The elements within a stratum should be as homogeneous as possible, but the elements in different strata should be as heterogeneous as possible. The stratification variables should also be closely related to the characteristic of interest. Finally, the variables should decrease the cost of the stratification process by being easy to measure and apply.

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Cluster Sampling
The target population is first divided into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive subpopulations, or clusters. Then a random sample of clusters is selected, based on a probability sampling technique such as SRS. For each selected cluster, either all the elements are included in the sample (one-stage) or a sample of elements is drawn probabilistically (two-stage). Elements within a cluster should be as heterogeneous as possible, but clusters themselves should be as homogeneous as possible. Ideally, each cluster should be a small-scale representation of the population.

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Strengths & Weaknesses of Basic Sampling Techniques


Technique
Nonprobability Sampling Convenience sampling Judgmental sampling Quota sampling Snowball sampling

Strengths
Least expensive, least time-consuming, most convenient Low cost, convenient, not time-consuming Sample can be controlled for certain characteristics Can estimate rare characteristics

Weaknesses
Selection bias, sample not representative, not recommended for descriptive or causal research Does not allow generalization, subjective Selection bias, no assurance of representativeness Time-consuming

Probability sampling Simple random sampling (SRS) Systematic sampling

Easily understood, results projectable


Can increase representativeness, easier to implement than SRS, sampling frame not necessary Include all important subpopulations, precision Easy to implement, cost effective

Difficult to construct sampling frame, expensive, lower precision, no assurance of representativeness. Can decrease representativeness

Stratified sampling
Cluster sampling
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Difficult to select relevant stratification variables, not feasible to stratify on many variables, expensive Imprecise, difficult to compute and interpret results

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Thank You
Any Question

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