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ARHOLIADAU EXAMINATIONS
Ionawr 2012 January 2012
MBM6010 RESEARCH METHODS FOR MANAGERS
Time allowed: TWO hours
Answer THREE questions: QUESTION ONE (COMPULSORY) AND any other TWO questions
Candidates are permitted to use only the Casio FX83ES/GT or the FX85ES/GT calculator which
must be made available on request for inspection by invigilators who are authorised to remove
any other calculators
Question 1 – COMPULSORY (20 marks)
a) A recent report in a Journal quoted the following production and sales data in 10 top UK companies.
X (production) 5 8 16 18 19 25 27 30 35 40
Y
(sales)
(1) Using the formula calculate correlation coefficient of this data and comment on whether the production is highly correlated with sales or not.
Turn Over
r =
n Σ xy - Σ x Σ y
[ n Σ x^2 - ( Σ x ) 2 ][ n Σ y^2 - ( Σ y ) 2 ]
Question 2 (40 marks)
a) How can you differentiate between i) quantitative and qualitative methods; ii) basic research and applied research? Give examples.
b) Discuss different research strategies with suitable examples.
Question 3 (40 marks)
a) Discuss in detail why a literature review is important in business and management research. What are the key sources of literature?
b) Critically discuss the sources of data collection? Distinguish between focus groups and in-depth interviews.
Question 4 (40 marks)
a) What is a research problem? Explain the points to be considered in selecting or developing a research problem in business.
b) Due to the relaxation in permission to let the low cost airlines to operate in the EU, the low cost carriers have been involved in a price war. ABC Airlines is faced with allegations that they are violating air safety rules which have resulted in several near misses of mid-air collision between aeroplanes. In one recent collision 100 passengers died. Four factors have been identified as contributing to this phenomenon among them: ineffective communication among flight crew, ineffective coordination between cabin staff and ground staff, minimum training provided to cabin staff and the management philosophy that emphasizes decentralization. Reports also show that the failure in getting enough training leads to anxiety and panic among cabin staff. ABC Airlines would like to know if these factors result in violation of air safety rules.
Based on the explanation given above, answer the following questions. i) What is the research problem in this case? ii) Develop a suitable research framework. iii) Develop four hypotheses to be tested.
Question 5 (40 marks)
a) What research techniques are involved in Tech Mining research method? Discuss the typical academic and business applications of this method.
b) Define and distinguish (with examples) among the following sets of terms in a research context: i) Deduction and Induction ii) Null Hypothesis and Alternative Hypothesis iii) Dependent Variables and Independent Variables
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