Mba Research Methodology Mb 0050

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY MB 0050 [pic] Name: XXXXX Roll number: XXXX Learning centre: XXXX Subject: MB 0050- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Assignment No. : Set 1 Date of submission at learning centre: [pic] ASSIGNMENTS Subject code: MB0050 (4 credits) Marks 60 subject NAME: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Note: Each Question carries 10 marks Q1)a. Differentiate between nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio scales, with an example of each. b. What are the purposes of measurement in social science research? a. Types of scales: Ans) There are four types of data that may be gathered in social research, each one adding more to the next. Thus ordinal data is also nominal, and so on. Nominal The name ‘Nominal' comes from the Latin nomen, meaning ‘name' and nominal data are items which are differentiated by a simple naming system. The only thing a nominal scale does is to say that items being measured have something in common, although this may not be described. Nominal items may have numbers assigned to them. This may appear ordinal but is not — these are used to simplify capture and referencing. Nominal items are usually categorical, in that they belong to a definable category, such as 'employees'. Example The number pinned on a sports person. A set of countries. Ordinal Items on an ordinal scale are set into some kind of order by their position on the scale. This may indicate such as temporal position, superiority, etc. The order of items is often defined by assigning numbers to them to show their relative position. Letters or other sequential symbols may also be used as appropriate. Ordinal items are usually categorical, in that they belong to a definable category, such as ‘1956 marathon runners'. You cannot do arithmetic with ordinal numbers — they show sequence only. Example The first, third and fifth person in a race. Pay bands in an organization, as denoted by A, B, C and D. Interval Interval data (also sometimes called integer) is measured along a scale in which each position is equidistant from one another. This allows for the distance between two pairs to be equivalent in some way. This is often used in psychological experiments that measure attributes along an arbitrary scale between two extremes. Interval data cannot be multiplied or divided. Example My level of happiness, rated from 1 to 10. Temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit. Ratio In a ratio scale, numbers can be compared as multiples of one another. Thus one person can be twice as tall as another person. Important also, the number zero has meaning. Thus the difference between a person of 35 and a person 38 is the same as the difference between people who are 12 and 15. A person can also have an age of zero. Ratio data can be multiplied and divided because not only is the difference between 1 and 2 the same as between 3 and 4, but also that 4 is twice as much as 2. Interval and ratio data measure quantities and hence are quantitative. Because they can be measured on a scale, they are also called scale data. Example A person's weight The number of pizzas I can eat before fainting b. Purpose of measurement in social science. One of the primary purposes of classifying variables according to their level or scale of measurement is to facilitate the choice of a statistical test used to analyze the data. There are certain statistical analyses which are only meaningful for data which are measured at certain measurement scales. For example, it is generally inappropriate to compute the mean for Nominal variables. Suppose you had 20 subjects, 12 of which were male, and 8 of which were female. If you assigned males a value of ‘1' and females a value of ‘2', could you compute the mean sex of subjects in your sample? It is possible to compute a mean value, but how meaningful would that be? How would you interpret a mean sex of 1. 4? When you are examining a Nominal variable such as sex, it is more appropriate to compute a statistic such as a percentage (60% of the sample was male). When a research wishes to examine the relationship or association between two variables, there are also guidelines concerning which statistical tests are appropriate. For example, let's say a University administrator was interested in the relationship between student gender (a Nominal variable) and major field of study (another Nominal variable). In this case, the most appropriate measure of association between gender and major would be a Chi-Square test. Let's say our University administrator was interested in the relationship between undergraduate major and starting salary of students' first job after graduation. In this case, salary is not a Nominal variable; it is a ratio level variable. The appropriate test of association between undergraduate major and salary would be a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), to see if the mean starting salary is related to undergraduate major. Finally, suppose we were interested in the relationship between undergraduate grade point average and starting salary. In this case, both grade point average and starting salary are ratio level variables. Now, neither Chi-square nor ANOVA would be appropriate; instead, we would look at the relationship between these two variables using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Q2) a. What are the sources from which one may be able to identify research problems? b. Why literature survey is important in research? Ans: Identifying research Problem This involves the identification of a general topic and formulating it into a specific research problem. It requires thorough understanding of the problem and rephrasing it in meaningful terms from an analytical point of view. Types of Research Projects †¢ those that relate to states of nature those which relate to relationships between variables In understanding the problem, it is helpful to discuss it with colleagues or experts in the field. It is also necessary to examine conceptual and empirical literature on the subject. After the literature review, the researcher is able to focus on the problem and phrase it in analytical or operational terms. The task of defining the research problem is of greatest importance in the entire research process. Being able to define the problem unambiguously helps the researc her in discriminating relevant data from irrelevant ones. Extensive literature review Review of literature is a systematic process that requires careful and perceptive reading and attention to detail. In the review of the literature, the researcher attempts to determine what others have learned about similar research problems. It is important in the following ways: †¢ specifically limiting and identifying the research problem and possible hypothesis or research questions i. e. sharpening the focus of the research. †¢ informing the researcher of what has already been done in the area. This helps to avoid exact duplication. If one had the literature and exercised enough patience and industry in reviewing available literature, it may well be that his problem has already been solved by someone somewhere some time ago and he will save himself the trouble. † Nwana (1982). †¢ Providing insights into possible research designs and methods of conducting the research and interpreting the results. †¢ Providing suggestions for possible modifications in the research to avoid unanticipated difficulties. The library is the most likely physical location for the research literature. Within the library there is access to books, periodicals, technical reports and academic theses. Other sources are the Education Index and the Educational Resources information centre (ERIC). Computer-assisted searchers of literature have become very common today. They have the advantage of comprehensiveness and speed. They are also very cost-effective in terms of time and effort although access to some of the databases requires payment. Irrespective of the sources of the literature, ethics of research require that the source is acknowledged through a clear system of referencing. . Why Literature survey is important in research? Doing a literature survey before you begin your investigation enables you to take advantage of the unique human capacity to pass on detailed written information from one generation to another. Reading all the knowledge that's accumulated so far on the problem you want to study can be time-consuming and even tedious. But careful evaluation of that material hel ps make your investigation worthwhile by alerting you to knowledge already gained and problems already encountered in your areas of interest. A literature survey amounts to reading available material on a given topic, analyzing and organizing findings, and producing a summary. There are many sources for literature reviews, including journals of general interest in each discipline, such as the American Political Science Review. There are also journals for specific topics such as the Leadership and Organization Development Journal. Governments publish great quantities of data on many topics. The United Nations and the United States Government Printing Office are two major sources. In addition, businesses and private organizations gather and publish information you might find useful. For certain problems you may want to search through popular or non-scholarly periodicals as well. While it's customary to include only data from sources that actually research the problem in a precise fashion, articles in more popular sources may provide interesting insight or orientations. Talking to knowledgeable people may also give you information that helps you formulate your problem. Thoroughness is the key. Most libraries have staff trained in information retrieval who can help find sources and suggest strategies to review the iterature. The Internet, of course, now allows easy access to limitless information on given topics. Thoroughness in your review means not only finding all current publications on a topic but locating earlier writing as well. There's no easy rule for how long ago literature was published on your topic. The time varies from problem to problem. A useful way to locate past as well as current writing is to begin with the most current sources likely to contain relevant material. Then, follow these authors' footnotes and bibliographies. At some point in this search you'll find the material is beginning to be only peripherally related to your current interest or that authors claim originality for their work. Of course, doing a goodliterature surveyis easier when you know a great deal about the subject already. In such a case you'd probably be familiar with publications and even other people who do research in your area of interest. But for the novice, efficient use of library/Internet services and organizing how they check sources are especially important skills. Having located literature, keeping a checklist of useful information will help you read each source. You might ask yourself, particularly for research articles: 1. What was the exact problem studied? 2. How were the topics of interest defined? 3. What did the authors expect to find? 4. How were things measured? 5. What research did this author cite? Have you read it? 6. Who were the subjects of study? 7. What do the results show? 8. Do the data presented agree with the written conclusions? 9. What were the limitations of the study? A thorough literature survey should demonstrate that you've carefully read and evaluated each article or book. Because research reports can be tedious and difficult to understand for new researchers, many tend to read others' conclusions or summaries and take the author's word that the data actually support the conclusions. Careful reading of both tables and text for awhile will convince you they don't always agree. Sometimes data are grossly misinterpreted in the text, but on other occasions authors are more subtle. Consider, for example, the following statements: Fully 30 percent of the sample said they did not vote. Only 30 percent of the sample said they did not vote. The percentage is the same, but the impression conveyed is decidedly different. Reading the actual data before accepting the author's conclusions will help prevent some of these errors of interpretation from creeping into your own research. It's important that after you finish your reading, you're able to write your literature survey in a way that's clear, organizing what you know about the content and methods used to study your problem. You may find it helpful to record information about each source on a separate card or piece of paper so that information can later be reshuffled, compared, and otherwise reorganized. Note in most journal articles that what probably began as a long literature survey is usually condensed on the first few pages of the research report, explaining previous research on the problem and how the current study will contribute. You, too, want to add to this growing body of knowledge we call social science by a creative summary of what's been accomplished by others as well as by your own research. Q3) a. What are the characteristics of a good research design? b. What are the components of a research design? Ans) Research Design – Definition A research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose witheconomy in procedure†Is the conceptual structure within which research is conducted; it constitutes theblueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of data more explicitly: i. What is the study about? ii. Why is the study being conducted? iii. Where will the st udy be carried out? iv. What type of data is required? v. Where can the required data be found? Components of research design http://www. google. co. in/url? a=t=j=components%20of%20research%20design=web=3=0CDIQFjAC=http%3A%2F%2Fposta. marmara. edu. tr%2F~sozmen%2F2003-2004%2Fresearch_methodology%2Fweek_4. doc= KgOgTo-aEofqrAeFkbWNAw=AFQjCNG1ctNqNjUq_ils-O4muicz4Z2eBA=RFuXRcsnlsSIOe9zWHhr5A=rja 4. a. Distinguish between Doubles sampling and multiphase sampling. [ 5 marks] b. What is replicated or interpenetrating sampling? [ 5 marks] http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_double_sampling http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Multistage_sampling http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Replication_(statistics) https://onlinecourses. science. psu. du/stat506/node/54 5. a. How is secondary data useful to researcher? [ 5 marks] b. What are the criteria used for evaluation of secondary data? [ 5 marks] http://www. steppingstones. ca/artman/publish/article_60. shtml http://www. change. freeuk. com/learning/r esmeth/secondary. html 6. What are the differences between observation and interviewing as methods of data collection? Give two specific examples of situations where either observation or interviewing would be more appropriate. [10 marks]. †¢ http://www. differencebetween. com/difference-between-observation-and-vs-interviewing-as-methods-of-data-collection/

Customer Relationship Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Customer Relationship Management - Essay Example Such an organization will have competitive advantages such as certified ISO 9000, reduction in costs, delivery on time, new technologies and CRM implementation. Marketing activities are important because they add value to CRM through tracking a customer’s activities. CRM, in current days, is considered a buzzword in selling and marketing activities (Bidgoli, 2010). There is tracking of cookies, which is similar to that of Google Analytics, which will allow an organization to build a digital trail of a customer interacting with the firm automatically. Google Analytics does provide the overall trends of the visitors while marketing automation will offer tracking at a micro level hence the organization is able to see the activities of its customers. For instance, a customer will open a paper, view the price information in the paper and this information is able to give sales representatives intelligence regarding their prospects. CRM can include capabilities of emails while market ing using automated software will offer comprehensive marketing system via the email. Most of the features of automated marketing include the abilities of sending blast emails that will display each sales representative, email resending tests among others. Traditional forms of marketing used to focus on the 4ps for increasing market share. The market share was increased through increasing the volume of transactions taking place between a buyer and a seller. On the contrary, CRM currently focuses on use of various strategies, procedures, tools and technologies available in promoting good relationship between customers and sellers for the purpose of increasing the sales volume, profit of the firm and creating customer satisfaction. Ways to Deploy CRM Solutions available for CRM today encompass more than just market automation and sales, but also building customer loyalty, mobile and internet business and Web 2.0 driven value of CRM in the society. Therefore, CRM has expanded to be a k ey predictor of the business activities done by enterprises. Options available for an enterprise to consider when deploying CRM include hybrid combination, RMS on the premise, on premise CRM that is managed by the vendors, etc. Organizations that employ o-premise deployment method lease infrastructure that include the operation systems. These applications will be installed in the organization’s data center and hence the entire package will be owned by the organization. The firm can customize the applications as needed because it has full control over all infrastructure and data. Siebel CRM product from Oracle Corporation uses this category and according to Gartner, this type of deployment makes up seventy percent of the total CRM market. Vendor Managed CRM deployment on the premise is similar to on-premise deployment although in this case, the vendor is responsible for providing the operational support for the entire application at the site hosting the application. The firm p reserves the ability of this application to function and they can customize the application to a specified extent. Modifications on this application can be done by mixing internal resources and resources supplied by the vendors. Use of server roles enables a company to deploy other servers to other servers for performance (Wolenik

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Land Law - Essay Example Type your answer to the question using the standard template ensuring you comply with the page limit set in the module handbook for that piece of work. You need to enter your name into the header on the coursework template. Ensure footnotes appear at the bottom of the page end notes are not an acceptable alternative. DO NOT change any of the settings (paper size, font, font size, spacing or margins), write within the margins nor change any existing wording within the header. DO NOT cut and paste on to the template from another document. Type your answer directly onto the template. Please note that ANY infringement of the template will result in a maximum mark of 40% being awarded. Also be aware of the penalties for late submission of coursework. (Details are found within the LLB Student Handbook). Paper Size: A4 Font: Ariel 10 Top and Bottom margins: 2.54cm Header and Footer: 1.27cm Left and Right margins: 3.17cm The margin settings can be checked before printing by clicking on page layout in the Windows tool bar and then clicking on the ‘margins’ icon (within the dialogue box that opens click on ‘layout’ to check the header and footer margins). The font size can be checked under ‘home’ on the word tool bar. ... I also certify that I have checked the settings of my work before submission to ensure that I have complied with the template instructions. If this is untrue I acknowledge that I will have committed an assessment offence. Signature: (Enter the title of the coursework here or, if you have been set a long problem question which does not fit within this space, simply attach a copy of the question at this point) The duties and obligations and other matters that relate to relationships between landlords and tenants in the UK is primarily governed by the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995. This law became effective on 1 January 1995, which means that leasehold contracts entered into before it, are governed by common laws and other statutes in effect at that time. There are significant amendments introduced by the law, among which, is the release of a lessee from the contract once the contract is assigned to another. An author calls this a â€Å"mortal blow to the principle of privit y contract† in leasehold contracts.1 The problems discussed in the preceding pages are based on a leasehold contract entered prior to 1996 act but involves a freehold purchase after 1996. A couple of problems involved easements, which calls for the application of the relatively new Land Registration Act 2002. The last one tackles adverse possession, also governed by LRA 2002 and the Limitation Act 1980. 1.0 Richard A. Repairs The leasehold covenant between Meryl, the original landlord and Richard, the original leaseholder, was entered into prior to 1996, which was before the effectivity of the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995. Thus, Meryl and Richard’s leasehold covenant is

Hepatitis C Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hepatitis C - Research Paper Example Transplantation of organs from infected people also spreads the hepatitis C virus. But in 1992 the health professional formulated a blood donation test which detects the presence of hepatitis C virus. After 1992 the blood of donor is tested for the hepatitis C virus before transfusion of blood or transplanting organs due to which the chance of transmission of hepatitis C virus is lowest nowadays. Hepatitis C virus is also transmitted by sexual contact with an infected partner or one having many sex partners. Transmission of virus also occurs from infected mother to baby during birth but the ratio of transmission by this way is low (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Anatomy: The liver is one of the main organs of digestive system which is reddish brown in color. Liver is the largest gland of the body which produces different hormones. Liver is divided into two lobes right and left lobe on the anterior and posterior surface. On the inferior surface the liver has two small lo bes quadrate lobe and caudate lobe between the right lobe and the left lobe. In between the caudate lobe and the quadrate lobe is porta hepatis which receives hepatic portal vein, hepatic artery proper and common bile duct. Liver receives blood by two blood vessels hepatic artery and portal vein. The parenchyma of liver is made up of epithelial cells called hepatocytes. Blood sinusoids are present in between hepatocytes which are known as hepatic sinusoids. Portal area is a space which contains three tubular structures collectively called portal triad. The portal triad contains a branch of portal vein, a branch of hepatic artery and bile duct. A delicate covering is present around the parenchyma of liver known as Glison’s capsule. The liver performs different metabolic functions. Liver helps in protein synthesis like albumin which helps in regulating osmotic pressure. Liver synthesize fibrinogen which helps in blood clotting. Liver produces globulin which helps in immunity. I n fat metabolism liver plays important role. It synthesizes cholesterol and also performs lipogenesis. On the other hand liver produces bile which is necessary for the emulsification of fat which is breakdown of fat so liver plays role in synthesis and breakdown of fat. Bile is then transported to gall bladder for storage. From gall bladder the bile goes to the duodenum for fat emulsification when fat reaches the duodenum for digestion. Liver also plays important role in carbohydrate metabolism as gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis and glycogenesis occur in liver. Liver also stores the extra glucose in form of glycogen. Thrombopoietin is hormone which is also produced in liver. The function of thrombopoietin is the regulation of platelets production in bone marrow. The liver helps in the breakdown of different substance like insulin, hemoglobin, different drugs and ammonia etc. During the first three months of fetal life the liver produces red blood cells. Liver also plays role in bloo d pressure regulation because it produces angiotensin hormone (Robbins et al 2005). Abnormality: By attacking liver cells the hepatitis C virus make morphological changes in the tissues of liver. The hepatitis C virus starts necrosing the liver cells and causes the shrinkage of the liver. The liver becomes wrinkled and red in color. Cross sectional examination of the necrosed liver shows muddy red appearance and blotchy bile staining. There is complete destruction of

Choose one a particular subject from the book Essay

Choose one a particular subject from the book - Essay Example The book was written by Linda Diebel who is known for working in order to uncover the human right abuses that are covered by a glossy lie which sabotage the democracy and the freedom. Investigation in the book is linked with a great historical event which was assassination of a great and internationally well known human rights lawyer Digna Ochoa during the year 2001. Book starts with an extensive survey of the political landscape of Mexico which unfolds the upsetting development of death squads which are based in a Canadian tourist destination. The inquiry which was linked with Ochoa’s murder is a very important controversy in the history of human rights and people protecting human rights. Her murder which on the surface was declared a suicide was an obsession for Diebel who knew Digna Ochoa. They were together for about seven years while they were working in Star’s Mexico City bureau. The said book narrates about all the horror and mysterious stories which came out of Central America’s history in. There is a suspicion drawn by Diebel towards government authorities linked with asking too many questions which are an integral part of history. Diebel talks about all the important historical events linked with Ochoa’s death where she herself was present and she recorded the events first hand. Digna Ochoa was demanded dead, on 19th October 2001, she was found shot twice, once in the thigh and once in the head at the office on Mexico City’s Zacatecas street which was located in the rundown Colonia Roma neighborhood. People who were close to Ochoa were not that surprised when they got to know about her sudden death as they were well aware of her practice of law which was extremely risky. She was a scorching and minuscule ex nun who was a pain for the political establishments for several years along with the Mexican army. She had a strong say on the court and was an integral character in the arena of international human rights. She wa s associated with many human rights campaigns on behalf of the accused Zapatistas who were ill treated and tortured by the Mexican army and other cruel clients. Ochoa was an Indian descent and she has a special feel for the Mexico’s indigenous poor and she was an important and crucial character in the cases that were challenging and against the nation’s new post NAFTA economy along with all the impact it was having on the poorest classes negatively (Diebel, n. p.) One week before her murder, Ochoa was in the rugged hill country of Guerrero which was beneath the brooding peaks of the Sierra Madre where she met peasant activists working for the organization of peasant ecologist of the Sierra Petatlan. It talks about the fact how all these people were locked in life and death struggle with the politicians and also the American logging companies. The book clearly reveals how the peasants wanted to stop the forest clearing which was covering the Sierra forest which was extr emely profitable and important for the powerful and the rich class as the trees disappeared throughout the mountain road but it was extremely important peasant ecologists as it was like a life sustaining base for them. Many group members were already arrested on various charges along with many hiding in the caves of Sierra and also the canyons (HarperCollins, n.

Europe spices - food and history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Europe spices - food and history - Essay Example All this was a way to disguise the often nasty odour and taste of food. Spices refer to the pungent or aromatic fruits, seeds, bark and other vegetable materials used to flavour, preserve or colour food. As a result, spices have often cast an enchantment on individuals’ imaginations. They have for a long period flattered people’s senses. Spices flattered people’s sight with their vivacious colours, smell with alluring fragrances, and taste with different and exceptional flavours. It is because of the search for spices that adventures, such as that of Christopher Columbus, took place. The search for spices and better ways to obtain them triggered the age of exploration and identification of new regions. The sources of spices were known by the Europeans, but relied on the Arabs in order to access them. The Europeans also wanted a direct route to reach the spices and it is for this reason that early explorers set their trail in search of spices. Early explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan, Bartholomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama were the fir st European explorers who started their journeys to identify the sources of spices. They were later joined by Columbus 1492 in search of the source of spices. Da Gama was one of the successful explorers and went back to Europe with cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and nutmegs from India and Africa (Keay 2006). Among all the goods that were traded in the ancient times, spices most significantly impacted history since they put Europe on the chase for ultimate foreign conquest, a downfall whose failure and success influence every element of modern world politics (Anderson 2007). The desire for spices inspired the commencement of the European colonial experience, a vigour that reshaped European politics, demography, ecology, economy and culture. In this regard, this paper will give a chronological account of the history of spices in Europe through the ancient

Case Study analysis (Operations Management) Essay - 1

Case Study analysis (Operations Management) - Essay Example In the mid nineties the company launched the Newton hand held personal digital assistant, and in 2001 the company launched the successful iPod which was a device that offered music, as well as some gaming and storage functions. Finally the case highlighted that Apple already had some telecommunications experience in a joint venture with Motorola launching the ROKR which was an iTunes compatible mobile device. With the natural progression of technology, market penetration and with online infrastructure (Notably iTunes) it is the case that people were already familiar with Apple’s hand held devices and software applications and as such there was massive positive reception of the phone upon its release. Why it May be Beneficial: It is the case that carriers are often the point of sale for the devices, in addition to this many carriers have to handle customer care issues as well as make constant upgrades to their infrastructure networks to accommodate changes in technology. Furthermore it may be the case that manufacturers work in close conjunction with the carriers to develop software and applications that are mutually beneficial. Why it May be Detrimental: It is simply the case that by partnering with a company that has the latest and most advanced technology already brings a significant amount of business for a carrier. It is also the case that by having exclusive distribution rights (As is the case with iPhone and AT&T mobility) the company may gain competitive customers but there may be a conflict of interest between the two companies, in that the specialization of the Apple is software and hardware development and those carriers are simply the service companies. Lastly by locking in a partnership with one carrier for a long period of time it is the case that the future partnership with the company is unknown and other carriers may be better suited to accommodate the needs of customers and Apple. According to the case