BBM 4th Semester
Business Research Methods Board Question Paper 2023

What is unethical in the given scenario?
A group of undergraduate students planned a research project on the detection of fetal abnormalities (birth defect) in the second trimester (6 months pregnancy), by ultrasound scanning. They collected data from the scan room without informing the mothers.

Define the term theoretical framework.

What is sampling in research?

Differentiate academic and non-academic research proposal.

Using significant value approach (P value approach) of testing hypotheses, when do the researchers reject null hypothesis at 99 % confidence level?

Define mediating variable with example.

A judge sentences a 5 months' imprisonment to a person despite actually being innocent. State whether this is type I or type II error with logic.

Under what circumstances would you use the observation as the data collection tool? Justify your answer.

All nominal scales are ordinal scales or all ordinal scales are nominal scales. Which of the given statements is true? Answer logically.

Elaborate the role of literature review in conducting academic research.

What do you mean by paradigms of research? Describe the paradigms of research on the basis of reasonings used.

Define inferential statistics. Differentiate parametric and non-parametric tests.

Explain the scientific research process with a neat diagram.

For what purpose does the researcher use reliability test in the research? Differentiate test-retest reliability and equivalent form of reliability with suitable examples.

For what purpose does the researcher perform validity test in the research? Explain and also describe the types of validity.

Explain the classification of sampling technique with a neat diagram.

Read the following case carefully and answer the questions that follow:

The given is the abstract of the article published as per the following:

Name of the author: Asim Hang Limbu and Sangam Raj Kutal

Journal: Nepalese Journal of Business and Management Studies, Volume:1, Issue:2, Year of publication:2022, Article title: Understanding Customers' Favorable and Unfavorable Experiences: A Case from Nepal, Page no:1-17

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify, portray and analyze the frequent drivers of customer service experiences as described by customers in their own words – the voice of the customer. A critical incident technique study was conducted, based on 122 interviews, including 195 favorable and unfavorable narratives, about customer experiences. The data were analyzed in an inductive manner and the results are presented by means of extracts from the narratives. The findings describe the dimensions of drivers of customers' favorable and unfavorable experiences and the frequent drivers: the social interaction, the core service and the physical environment context. Customer experiences are processes and include dynamic interactions and the customer as a co-producer. The study context is limited to the restaurant setting and Nepalese customers. For managers the results suggest that great effort needs to be put into understanding the process of customer experiences and the various interactions involved, especially social interactions and the crucial roles of contact employees and customers involved in these interactions. Likewise, the core service – food and beverages – is also one of the frequent drivers. The core service seems to delight customers when something unexpected or extraordinary happens, for example when a little extra food is served or when the restaurant does not have a written menu. Relating the findings to the frameworks of the physical environment, it also has a remarkable influence on customer experiences.

Keywords: service experience, favorable, unfavorable, customer, interaction

Questions:
a. Develop the research framework from the given abstract by clearly showing the independent and dependent variables and any other appropriate variable as per your understandings. Also explain the variables assuming that you are conducting this research.
b. Assume that you are going to do similar research in this study area and you have completed the literature review. Write the statement of the problem for your research with hypothetical citations where necessary.
c. Assuming that you are going to do similar type of research, develop two research questions, two objectives and two null hypotheses as per the framework you have developed.
d. If you are to do this kind of research, which research design will you employ? Explain your answer.