OM KOTHARI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH, KOTA
Theoretical Questions distribution of last FOUR years Papers:
Block 1 of Syllabus (Concept of Scientific Enquiry……………….Probability and Sampling)
1. What are the essential elements of scientific inquiry? Illustrate your answer with reference to a specific illustration in detail.
2. Define Research? Write the objectives of research. What are the main steps which are included in the research process?
3. What is research problem? Define the main issues which should receive the attention of the researcher in formulation the research problem. Give suitable example to elucidate your point.
4. Discuss importance of literature survey (review) in research methodology.
5. What do you understand by research design? Explain different types of research design with
the help of examples.
6. Discuss the characteristics of experimental research design.
7. Differentiate descriptive and experimental design using numerous dimensions.
8. Explain the following:
(i)Active factor (ii) Blocking Factor
9. Differentiate between descriptive and experimental research designs. What is the difference between active factor and blocking factor?
10. A marketing manager of a local chocolate manufacturing company likes to determine the price for each chocolate in comparison with national brands. He thinks that the prices lower than national brands will be a right decision to increase sales. He also believes that the chocolate purchase also depends on customer’s income level. He wishes to test his assumption through the appropriate research which will help him to arrive at appropriate price decision. You are required to develop an appropriate research design.
11. Parle Foods Ltd. Is considering 3 packaging alternatives for its newly launched “Milkana” brand. It is suspected that geographic condition of India may confound the packaging experiment. The manufacturer has indentified 3 region of the country where attitudes toward “Milkana” brand may differ. It is assumed that within each region the relevant attitudinal characteristics are relatively homogenous. Suggest an appropriate research design for the given situation with justification. Develop the appropriate design.
12. Analyse different methods of data collection with suitable illustration and examples.
13. Distinguish between the following:
(i)Primary and Secondary data
(ii) Questionnaire and Schedule
14. Hindustan Motors (HM) suffered a net loss of Rs. 60 crore in the financial year ended March 31, 2000,compared to a net loss of Rs. 28 crore during the previous year. You have been hired as a Management Consultant on behalf of HM to examine the following alternatives:
(a) Sale to general Motors(GM) of USA with which HM had earlier entered into a collaboration;
(b) Persuading the government of India, state governments and other public bodies to enter into series of long-term contracts for the supply of staff cars and
(c) Reducing the size of operation with the ultimate, objective of plant shut-down.
What kind of data would you collect for the purpose? Also identify the sources of information and the range of survey.
15. Recommend an appropriate data collection methods in the following situations:
(i) When understanding buying behavior of shoppers in a mall.
(ii) When population is illiterate.
(iii) When topic is highly technical and specialized.
16. Recommend an appropriate data collection method in the following situations. Provide justification for your choice:
(i) When topic is highly technical and specialized and complex.
(ii) When population is illiterate.
(iii)When topic is related to understanding attitude of college going students.
(iv) When understanding buying behavior of shoppers in a mall.
17. What care must be taken to develop a questionnaire? Difference between snowballing, stratified and quota sampling methods.
18. Differentiate between focus group interview and depth interview.
19. A multinational drug company’s Indian subsidiary find the number of institutional customers (Hospitals) fell from 600 in 1997 to 400 in 1998. Construct a suitable questionnaire to be sent to 200 customers who have withdrawn their patronage.
20. Develop questionnaire for the following situation:
A sales Manager of a consumer durable goods company wishes to seek the following information from the dealer network:
- Dealer service level to the customer
- Service level provided by the company to the dealer
- For reasons customer buy the company’s brand
- Salesman’s attitude towards dealers and customers.
21. Define sampling. Highlights various methods used in selecting a sample from the population.
Give their merits and demerits.
22. Why probability sampling is generally preferred in comparison to non-probability sampling? Explain the procedure of selecting a simple random sample.
23. Explain condition in which probability sampling can be used.
24. Enumerate conditions in which stratified sampling can be appropriately be used. Discuss how cluster sampling differs from stratified sampling. What are the similarities and dissimilarities between quota sampling and stratified sampling.
25. Differentiate Following:
(i) Stratified Random Sampling and Quota Sampling
Block 2 of Syllabus (Parametric and Nonparametric……………….Testing Hypothesis)
1. Differentiate between parametric and non-parametric tests.
2. Explain the basis for selecting the tail test for hypothesis testing.
3. Differentiate the characteristics of the following data types: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and ratio.
4. Discuss the importance of level of significance and confidence level.
5. Differentiate between sampling errors and non-sampling errors. Can these be eliminated? Explain.
6. Differentiate Following:
(i) Type-I error and Type-II error
(ii) Confidence level and confidence interval.
7. The procedure of tesing hypothesis requires a researcher to adopt several steps. Describe in brief all such steps.
8. What is Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Data Mining
Block 3 of Syllabus (One sample test……………….rank Correlation)
1. Indicate conditions in which the following tests are applies?:
(a) Rank correlation (b) Analysis of variance
Block 4 of Syllabus (Attitude Measurement……………….References)
1. What is motivational research? Explain various techniques used to carry out motivation research. What is the difference between motivation research and traditional research?
2. Differentiate between rating and Ranking Scales. What factors influence the choice of a scale in a given situation? Identify from among various scales, at least two, that generate ordinal, nominal and interval dat. Develop “Fixed Sum Scale” and “Semantic differential scale”. Make suitable assumptions for the same, if required.
3. Through an example differentiate between the Likert’s summated and semantic differential scale. State in what conditions multi-dimensional scaling is used.
4. What are Scalograms ? How are they different from Thurstone’s scale.
5. What are important scaling techniques? Illustrate your answer with example of a scale for “how well a worker gets along with his fellow workers”?
6. Discuss the various types of rating scales used in business research. Give suitable examples.
7. Describe the different methods of scale construction, pointing out the merits and demerits of each.
8. “Excellent research is sometimes wasted because the researcher did not prepare a good research presentation.”
(a) What points should be considered while preparing a written project report?
(b) Prepare a format for the project report and discuss it in brief.
9. Explain the report writing process.
10. What is the difference between technical report and Management report? List out important components of a technical report..
11. Arrange the following information in appropriate way so as to reflect in a bibliography:
“An excellent book in advertising was published by PHI, New Delhi in 2006. It was referred by an important scholar for learning more about creativity in advertising on page from 270 to 298. The book is titled “Advertising: Planning and implementation” and authored by Dr. R.S. Dhayal and Dr. S. Sharma.
In short composition of pure theory question (weightage 50-60 % ) which means 3 -3.5 question of section A :
Research and process – Half to One question
Data collection – Half to One question
Sampling – Half to One question
Attitude Measurement/Motivational Research/Scales – Half to One question
Report writing - Half to One question
Mohit Pant
Astt. Professor