DISC-320- Mid Term Exam (Spring- 2020)

Roll Number -------------------------------------

Time Allowed: 35 minutes Total Marks: 25

Section A

1. Cutting, overwriting, or erasing a previous choice will result in zero mark for
the MCQs.

Good Luck 

1. Carefulness, and the degree of exactitude in research investigations is the following

hallmark of scientific research :
a. replicability b. objectivity c. rigor d. parsimony

2. Generalizability can be defined as:

a. Simplicity in explaining the phenomena or problems that occur.
b. The scope of applicability of the research findings in one organizational setting to
another.
c. Probability that our estimations are correct.
d. Closeness of the findings to reality based on a sample.

3. Which of the following is NOT a step in the hypothetico-deductive method?

a. Developing solutions.
b. Developing hypotheses.
c. Interpretation of data.
d. Determine measures.

4. The process where we observe specific phenomena and arrive at general

conclusions on its basis is known as ---inductive---------------------------reasoning.

5. Research is relevant if: 1. nothing is known about a topic, 2. much is known about the
topic, but the knowledge is scattered and not integrated, 3. much research on the topic is
available, but the results are partly contradictory, or 4. established relationships do not hold
in certain situations.
Which of the following combinations is correct?
a. 1. and 2. only
b. 1., 2., 3., and 4.
c. 2. and 4. only
 d. 2., 3., and 4. only

6. If we conduct a survey study to see if consumers prefer Lipton over Tapal, it would be a:
a. descriptive study b. correlational study c. causal study d. exploratory study

7. Which of the following is a function of a literature review?

a. You can develop new theories.
b. You can introduce terminology which might not be relevant to your context.
c. You can build on existing knowledge.
d. Your findings will be kept independent from others.

8. When conducting an exploratory study, how will a literature review help?

a. A theoretical background can be developed.
b. Continuity between older and newer findings is clarified.
c. Relevant controversial issues are addressed.
d. All of the above.
9. Which of the following is NOT a research strategy?
a. experiments b. ethnography c. questionnaire d. case Study
10. When two variables are correlated, which of the following conclusions would be WRONG?

a. we know that changes in one of the variables cause changes in the other.
b. this correlation could be positive or negative.
c. we know that the two variables covary, i.e., change in value together.
d. we know that we have quantified a relationship between the two variables.

11. In a truly random sample from a population,

a. all participants will be matched on important characteristics.
b. all members of the population have an equal chance of being selected.
c. gender distribution should be 50% male and 50% female.
d. every member of the population has a 50:50 chance of being selected.
12. In order to conduct a research on LUMS students, you contact the registrar office to get a
complete list of students enrolled. You want to draw a simple random sample from the entire
population. You do this to make sure you are creating a
a. probability sample b. representative sample c. stratified sample d. cluster sample
13. Suppose you wish to test a representative sample of employees in a multinational
organization on attitudes toward flexible timings, focusing on different levels of hierarchy. What
would be the most efficient strategy to ensure that your sample fairly and sufficiently reflects the
distribution of lower level, middle level, and upper level employees in the organization.
 a. simple random sample b. cluster sample c. stratified sample d. convenience sample

14. Suppose for the same research as above, you want to include all characteristics of that
MNC’s employees such as males, females, all hierarchical levels, and married, unmarried, young
and old. What sampling technique assures you the most representative sample?
a. cluster sampling. b. stratified sampling c. purposive sampling d. systematic random
sampling
15. To study the career aspirations of the employees of Shaukat Khanam Hospital Pakistan
(Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi), a researcher selects all the employees of Shaukat Khanam
Hospital, Lahore as a sample. What sampling procedure is being used here?
a. convenience b. stratified c. cluster d. systematic

16. The accounts executive has established a new accounting system that maximally utilizes computer
technology. Before making further changes, he would like to talk to the accounting clerks because he has
doubts about their acceptability. He may then “casually” talk to the first five accounting personnel that
walk into his office, trying to gauge their reactions. Which sampling technique is the most suitable for this
research?
a. Cluster sampling b. Convenience sampling c. Random sampling d. Stratified sampling

17. Dr. DISC-320 wants to investigate the causal relationship between frustration and memory.
He divides the participants into two groups using random assignment. One group is given a
problem to solve that has no solution, hence inducing frustration, while the other group is given a
problem to solve that has a solution. Then both groups have their memory tested. The group that
is in the frustration condition can also be called the
a. comparison group b. control group c. experimental group d. posttest group

18. You have designed an experimental study in which you are testing the effectiveness of the
dosage of a new antidepressant drug. You randomly assign participants diagnosed with
depression to one of four groups who will receive one of four doses 0mg, 10mg, 20mg, or 25mg..
By changing the dosage of the medicine, you are using?
a. control b. manipulation c. quasi-experimental design d.randomization

19. A group of physicians tests a new pain relieving drug on their patients with chronic back pain
problems. They obtain patient ratings of pain and then administer the new drug for a week, and
obtain pain ratings again. They find that pain ratings are down 10 points at their second
observation. This is an example of which experimental design.
a. one-group posttest-only design
b. one-group pretest-posttest design
 c. posttest-only design with experimental and control group
d. pretest-posttest experimental and control group
20- A researcher is interested in the effects of teaching styles on learning. She randomly assigns
students to either a lecture-based class taught at 8:00 a.m. or a discussion-based class taught at
2:00 p.m. Her results reveal that students in the discussion-based class performed better than
those in the lecture-based class. In this example the researcher is not sure whether the time that
the class is taught was also responsible for affecting the performance of the students. Hence, time
of the class could be considered as:

a. independent variable b. dependent variable c. extraneous variable d. mediating variable

21. According to your text there are three conditions for making justified claims of cause and
effect. Which of the following is NOT one of these conditions?
a. the independent and dependent variables must be related
b. the dependent variable must be manipulated by the researcher
c. the independent variable must precede the dependent variable
d. no other plausible explanations for the relation between the independent and dependent
variables should exist

22- The central idea of ---------------------------------is to develop an emerging theory about an

under-researched phenomenon through field data. It avoids theoretical frameworks and
preconceived hypotheses from prior literat ure.
a. Case study b. grounded theory c. observational study d. action research
23- Dr DISC is interested in researching adolescent social media usage. She wants to simply find
out what percentage of individuals are using Facebook, Instagram, etc.. and how long they are
using them each day. Which type of research would that be?
a. predictive b. descriptive c. explanatory d. causal

24- The distinguishing characteristic of the longitudinal research is that

a. several independent groups of individuals are tested once.
b. different groups of people are tested over time using the same survey.
c. the same sample of respondents is surveyed more than once over a longer duration of time.
d. the survey item is particularly lengthy.
25- The principle advantage of open-ended questions is that they
a. are easier to score and code.
b. eliminate the problem of social desirability bias.
c. offer the respondent greater flexibility.
 d. reduce the response bias.

DISC-320- Mid Term Exam (Spring- 2020)

Roll Number -------------------------------------

Time Allowed: 60 minutes Total Marks: 40

Section B

 ALL QUESTIONS ARE COMPULSORY

Q-1 Sarah as the head of the research department of a large private firm is interested to know
how fresh internees integrate in the organization and gain familiarity of the organization’s
culture and work practices. Sarah tries to read some literature on it and finds out that this is an
area where there is not much research done. She believes that having a rich information of the
integration process of internees will help their organization develop more effective orientation
programs for the internees and their findings may also help other similar organizations. So, she
plans to start a research project and asks her research team to conduct a research on this.
A) What research strategy (quantitative or qualitative) would you like to suggest her and
why? 2m
Here, there were very clear hints (highlighted in red above) given for this study to be
identified as a Qualitative one. Though a quantitative study could also be initiated but it
won’t serve the purpose of the research. Many odf the students have used this statement
“help other similar organizations” as a basis to say that due to generalizability concerns it
should be a Quantitative study. We have discussed earlier that unlike quantitative
research, qualitative research has limited generalizability and the findings could be
generalized to similar contexts, which the case states. Hence, it calls for a qualitative
study. So, here you have to state the reasons (highlighted ones) to justify your choice.

B) Suggest her an appropriate research method/tool to conduct the research. Why do you
think it’s the appropriate method? 2m
-----Here, any of the qualitative research method/ tools would have qualified (interviews, open
ended questionnaires, observation, ethnography, grounded theory, and even case study). Those
who have written surveys but did not explain what kind of survey have lost little fraction of the
total marks (survey in qualitative research methods could be conducted through an interview or
an open ended questionnaire, whereas survey in a quantitative research study is a strategy and
questionnaire is the tool.-
Those who have given options like questionnaires and did not indicate what type of
questionnaires, lost little marks. Students who have written experiments did not secure any
marks.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
C) What type of research you think it would be; basic or applied. Justify your answer. 2m
Since the case was ambiguous in terms of the category of research, both options would have
made sense as long as they were justified well. Almost all secured full marks as long as they
justified their
choice.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

D) In addition to the research method suggested in part B), suggest her one more data
collection method and explain how can she apply it for data collection from the internees.
What benefit would this data triangulation give her? 3m

Here, again, a qualitative/ quantitative research method (other than the one you suggested in part
B was appropriate. Some of you have written “survey” in option B and “questionnaire” in this
section, whereas they should have made it clear in option B that what survey tool (interview, or
open ended questionnaire) they would use.
Many of you missed the What benefit would this data triangulation give her?” part.
The benefits of triangulation can include increasing confidence in research data, creating
innovative ways of understanding a phenomenon, revealing unique findings, challenging or
integrating theories, and providing a clearer understanding of the problem (Jack, 1979).
Some of you have mentioned biases, which is not the right approach. Bias, in data collection is
used for a different connotation. Data triangulation has nothing to do with the quantitative form
of the data as for this purpose we use multi-method approach in a systematic way. So, marks
were awarded on the right justification. ”

E) Develop a research question for her research. 1m

Being a qualitative research, the most appropriate question could be
 How fresh internees integrate in the organization and gain familiarity of the
organization’s culture and work practices?
Or
 What is the process through which fresh internees integrate in the organization and gain
familiarity of the organization’s culture and work practices?
Some of you wrote
 What are the factors which help fresh internees integrate in the organization and gain
familiarity of the organization’s culture and work practices?
Though the marks were awarded but what is usually the start of a quantitative research question.
 Many of you wrote something like…..what effects the integration and familiarity of an
internee have …or…..what effects orientation programs have ….
all such questions were given half marks. Please note the purpose of the research which is
very clearly stated ….Sarah wanted to know “How fresh internees integrate in the
organization and gain familiarity of the organization’s culture and work practices?”

Q-2
Following are few scenarios; answer the questions at the end of each scenario.
Scenario-1 Coke recently launched a new ad as a part of its marketing campaign to convey a
message to the consumers that Coke does care about their health. Coca Cola Beverages Pakistan,
as part of its global chain offices, is keen to know how this ad has impacted the perceptions of
people about Coke in Pakistan. Therefore, you are signed to conduct a research to judge the
success of the campaign. How will you design a research program to conduct this research?
10m
Your answer must consider the following areas:
1- Which research strategy you choose and why? (survey, experiment, observation,
ethnography, case study)
2- Your target population
3- Which sampling design you choose and why it will make a representative sample?
4- Unit of analysis
5- Which data collection tool will be used?
6- Write down any two important ethical considerations which you will take into account
while conducting your research.
 1- Given the nature of the research question regarding a recent campaign of a globally recognized
product having a large customer base, survey was the best and most suitable option. Since
there is a large population (all the people in Pakistan who use Coke), therefore survey is the
best technique to follow as it could include large samples and has a wider reach. Here
questions could be open ended or closed.

2- All the people in Pakistan who use Coke

3- The best sampling design could be stratified random/convenience sampling. Out of different
strata, we could choose simple or systematic random. For example, as coke consumers include
all ages/ social groups, a stratified sample would give a balanced sample. A large number of
questionnires could be distributed including the demographic information as well (age, income
bracket etc) then the surveys could have been stratified/sorted according to different age
groups and random samples could have chosen from each age bracket.

Cluster sampling was an ok choice as different cities could be considered as clusters but then
choosing all the coke drinkers from 2 or 3 chosen clusters would not have been possible.

Similarly convenience sampling could have been done by filling the survey from first 20 or 30
buyers of coke coming and buying from few large stores randomly selected from a couple of
large cities.

For simple or systematic random sampling, we need to have the lists of people which was
impractical but still this option secured full marks as few of you justified it by saying that
online surveys could be sent randomly and all the population members had equal probability of
being chosen.
4- Individual, as it was the individual perceptions which needed to be known.
5- Questionnaire
6- There were many and almost all did them right.

Scenario-2 A sales manager of a large manufacturing company is thinking of offering a 3 day

training program that will train 10 salespersons in effective sales strategies. This training
program is costing him a handsome amount of money and the manager is really curious to
know whether the training program will actually help in increasing the performance of the
sales staff. So, if the sale manager has a way of knowing this with the initial 10 sales persons for
sure, he will then offer this program to the rest of the sales team.
 As a preliminary step, he discusses his requirement with you and asks you if there will be a way
to investigate the effect of training on perfromance. You come up with three possible research
options which could be considered.
Option-1
The 10 participating sales staff could be given a survey questionnaire which would ask their
opinions (in a structured questionnaire) as to what extent, they think, their performance has
improved on these dimensions of their sales performance (customer dealing, complaint handling,
approaching the customers, customer’s relations). So, the assumption behind this approach is that
employees are the best judges of the effects of training on their performance and a well-designed
questionnaire can extract this information well.
Option-2
The second option entails taking in-depth interviews from the batch of 10 employees who will
participate in training program (after the training) and asking them in detail how they feel this
training program has helped them improve their performance. Moreover, they will be asked in
detail which specific areas in their sales performance this training program was most helpful with
and what difference they feel in their performance now.
Option-3
Another option for this research is to conduct a field experiment by making two groups of 5
participants each (control and experimental). The experimental group will be exposed to the
training for 3 days, whereas the control group will carry on their daily duties without having any
training. After 3 days, both groups will be scored on a similar test including hypothetical
situations asking them how they would react to these situations and their performance would be
measured on the test. If the experimental group achieves a better mean score on performance as
compared to control group, the test will be an indicator that training actually led to improved
performance.
Q-1 Comment on what type of claim the manager wants to make regarding training and its
effect on performance? 1m
Causal claim as, “the manager is really curious to know whether the training program will actually
help in increasing the performance of the sales staff”.

Q-2 What is the main flaw in option -1 in terms of performance assessment of employees? Hint:
Specifically comment on the objectivity of this information. 1m
  It will be subjective and marred with social desirability or self-projection.
 Subjective information could be underrated or overrated.

Almost all scored full marks.

Q-3 In option-1, besides personal assessment of their performance, state if there is any other
(objective) source from which their performance data could be gathered and how? 2m
The most objective way was to ask their supervisors to rate their performance. Moreover, their actual
performance records could have obtained from their HR.

Many of you have written that their performance could been rated by customers. Here, we need to know
whether training has made any difference which is not able to be ascertained by customers as they do not have
a bench mark to compare the sales persons’ performance.

Q-4 Write down 1 rating question regarding the improvement in sales persons’ performance on
sales effectiveness dimension of “customer dealing”. Also state what 5 scale anchors you will
use for your question (avoid making ambiguous, double barreled, leading, or unnecessarily long
question). 2m
First of all the rating question had to be asked by the sales person who would have attended the training. Here
the answers were much diversified. A simple question could have been

How will you rate your customer dealing after the training on the given scale,
5 significantly improved 4 somewhat improved 3 neutral 2 slightly improved 1 not improved at all

Anything closer to this has secured full marks.

Here you had to avoid making a leading, double barreled, ambiguous, socially desirable questions, though such
oversights were ignored while marking this section.

Q-5 Write down two ways in which you can avoid common method bias in the first option. 2m
 Here, you had to ascertain the difference between common method bias and survey/response bias (slides of
session 13-14). Answers which mentioned survey/response bias did not secure marks.

Q-6 Comment on option 2 in terms of its appropriateness for the claim the manager wants to
make. 1m
Option 2 deals with interview which is a qualitative research tool .Since the manager wanted to make a casual
claim (which is the hallmark of quantitative research) this option was not suitable.

Q-7 Comment on the appropriateness of the experimental design of option-3 in terms of internal
validity. (Hint; first bring in your mind what is internal validity. Then link it to the claim the
sales manager wants to make, and then focus on the suggested experimental design. Does the
experiment serve the purpose well? If not, then what is the flaw?) 3m
Option 3 is a quasi-experimental tool which is not a lab experiment and extraneous variable control is weak
though it allows the manipulation of IV (training). (remember my last mail just before the exam). Hence, the
external validity is weaker than a lab experiment. However, giving a pretest to both exp. and con. groups might
have given a better and more informed comparison of the change in performance due to training.

Q-8 Write down two extraneous variables which might bias the results if not controlled. From
matched pairs and randomization techniques to enhance internal validity, which one
technique you will use to control the two above mentioned extraneous variables in this
experiment and how will you go about it. 4m
Here there was a varied number of extraneous variables stated. The important point to remember was to decide
which factors could influence the performance (increase or decrease). Few strong ones were

 IQ
 Experience
 Earlier Trainings
 Motivation/age

Some of the students also wrote marital status (I wonder why), income, mood, time of the day etc which could
have had have weak effect on performance and hence not very appropriate.

From matched group and randomized design, both options were right but then you had to explain HOW their
assignment will be done, Merely stating the name or just barely explaining how, did not give full marks.

Q-9 What other experimental design you can suggest for the same experiment with a control and
experimental group to enhance the internal validity in option-3? 4m
The best way to enhance the internal validity was to conduct a pretest and posttest design with pretest to both
control and experimental groups. Then the experimental group will be given the treatment and then both
experimental and treatment group will be tested again to see the actual difference in performance.

It could have been done both in field or lab setting though lab setting could be a better option as in field study there
might have been many other factors which would have interfered (for example , supervisor). This argument did not
carry any marks though…..