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1. You have drafted a questionnaire to find out the reasons for decline in sales of a product. Pretest your
questionnaire with hypothetical data. Suggest the modifications required based on the results in the drafted
questionnaire.
PRETESTING A QUESTIONNAIRE
The pretest is a valuable indicator of the effectiveness of a questionnaire to collect data. The pretesting of
questionnaire consists in selecting, approaching and interviewing a small segment in the same manner to be followed in
the full scale operation and then analysing the results in the light of the objectives f the study.
We can understand from the pretest whether the replies provide the type of information needed or whether the
respondents are misinterpreting any of the questions. In addition, results obtained in a pretest can at times suggest new
ideas or hypotheses worthy of further examination.
If a pretest indicates any change of importance, a further pretest may be warranted to review, the questionnaire. Thus, the
mere fact that the wording of a question originally misunderstood has been changed does not of itself ensure the clarity of
the new form. A few interviews with the new question form are highly desirable.
APPENDIX
(The findings of this survey will be used only for academic purposes by the students of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Institute of Management, New delhi)
Q2. Age:
• 18-24
• 24-30
• 30-36
• ABOVE 36
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Q4.ANUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME
• <I LAKH
• 1-3 LAKH
• 3-5 LAKH
• 5-10 LAKH
• >10 LAKH
(RATE ON 5 POINT SCALE-5 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST )
a)OFFICE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)TRAVELLING
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
c)HOUSEHOLD
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)ADVENTURE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
e)OTHER
2
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)LOOKS
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
c)BRAND
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)SERVICE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
3
e)PRICE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
(RATE ON 5 POINT SCALE-5 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST )
a)FRIENDS
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)FAMILY
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
c)DEALER
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)ADVERTISEMENT
4
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
e)OTHER FACTORS
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
(RATE ON 5 POINT SCALE-5 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST )
a)TELEVISION
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)HOARDINGS
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
c)PRINT MEDIA
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)INTERNET
5
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
e)OTHERS
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
(RATE ON 5 POINT SCALE-5 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST )
a)BAJAJ
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)HERO HONDA
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
c)YAMAHA
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1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)HONDA
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
e)TVS
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
(RATE ON 5 POINT SCALE-5 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST )
a)PULSAR
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)APACHE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
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c)F-Z 150
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)HUNK
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
e)ANY OTHER
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
IF OTHER,PLEASE SPECIFY
(RATE ON 5 POINT SCALE-5 BEING THE HIGHEST AND 1 BEING THE LOWEST )
a)STYLE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
b)POWER
1 2 3 4 5
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LOWEST HIGHEST
c)PERFORMANCE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
d)VALUE
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
e)BRAND
1 2 3 4 5
LOWEST HIGHEST
2. What is a Semantic Differential Scale? Explain the steps in construction of the scale. When will you use this
scale?
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Honest ………………………………………………………….Dishonest
Progressive ………………………………………………………..Behind the times
The preparation of a semantic differential scale for a study requires expressing the things that could he used to
describe the object, and thus serve as a bets for attitude formation, in terms of positive and negative statements. The
negative phrase is sometimes put on the left side of the scale and sometimes on the right. This prevents a respondent with
a positive attitude from simply checking either the left or right hand sides without reading the describing words.
The scale can be used for a variety of purposes. 11 can be used to check whether a respondent has a favourable
attitude towards the object, which out of three neighborhood banks has the most appealing profile for housewives, etc.
It is possible to assign points to individual cells in the scale. Then one could arrive at the scores for comparisons
of different objects. The Figure 1 gives an example based on image study of three neighbourhood banks among a sample
of 100 housewives.
The semantic differential provides information on differences (“differential”) in word usage (“semantics”) in
subjects. Osgood and Tannenbaum wrote the classic work on using the semantic differential, entitled
The Measurement of Meaning.1 The book is a detailed analysis of this powerful technique. We simply introduce
the procedure here. Osgood and Tannenbaum isolated three major dimensions of word meanings through the use of factor
analysis. These dimensions are evaluative (good or bad), potency (strong or weak) and activity (fast or slow). Their book
contains hundreds of adjective pairs relating to these three dimensions. A subject is presented a sheet of paper with a
single word or term at the top. Below this word are a number of adjectival pairs, separated by seven blanks. For example,
the meanings associated with the term “my church” might be formatted like this: The first four adjective pairs measure the
evaluative dimension; the next three measure potency; and the last three measure activity. The numbers shown above are
not printed on the instrument, but are shown here to help clarify the scoring procedure. Pairs which are reversed should be
scored in reverse, so that positive is always (1) and negative (7) regardless of which side of the scale they appear. Subjects
check one blank between each pair indicating their opinion of the term on this scale. Blanks are scored 1-7, providing a
numerical score for the meaning of the term in each dimension. Groups of subjects can then be compared on the three
dimensions of meaning for any commonly used word. (Note: the numbering scale 1-7 is true only if the positive term is on
the left; otherwise the scale is labeled 7-1). Results can be plotted in three dimensions — to provide a picture of semantic
differences between two or more groups of subjects.
3. Discuss the role of modeling in research in managerial decisions making with an appropriate illustration. How is
model validation done?
• No routine/Nonprogrammable decisions.
• Operating vs. Strategic decisions.
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The routine/ repetitive/ programmable decisions are those which can be taken care of by the manager by resorting
to standard operating procedures (also called "sops" in managerial parlance). Such decisions the manager has to take fairly
often and he/she knows the information required to facilitate them. Usually the decision maker has knowledge in the form
of "this is what you do" or "this is how you process" for such decision-making situations. Examples of these decisions
could be processing a loan application in a financial institution and supplier selection by a materials manager in a
manufacturing organisation.
The non-repetitive/ non-programmable/ strategic decisions are those which have a fairly long-term effect in an
organisation. Their characteristics are such that no routine methods, in terms of standard operating procedures, can be
developed for taking care of them. The element of subjectivity/judgement in such decision-making is fairly high. Since the
type of problem faced by the decision maker may vary considerably from one situation to another, the information needs
and the processing required to arrive at the decision may also be quite different.
The decision-making process followed may consist, broadly, of some or all of the steps given below:
Problem definition; Identifying objectives, criteria and goals; Generation/ Enumeration of alternative courses of
action; Evaluation of alternatives; Selection/ choosing the "best" alternative; Implementation of the selected alternative.
All the above steps are critical in decision-making situations. However, in the fourth and fifth steps; i.e., evaluation and
selection, models play a fairly important role. In this unit we will concentrate on Model Building and Decision-making.
Many managerial decision-making situations in organisations are quite complex. So, managers often take recourse
to models to arrive at decisions.
Model:
The term `model' has several connotations. The dictionary meaning of this word is "a representation of a thing". It
is also defined as the body of information about a system gathered for the purpose of studying the system. It is also stated
as the specification of a set of variables and their interrelationships, designed to represent some real system or process in
whole or in part. All the above given definitions are helpful to us of Modeling Models can be understood in terms of their
structure and purpose. The purpose of modeling for managers is to help them in decision-making. The term `structure ' in
models refers to the relationships of the different components of the model. In case of large, complex and untried
problem situations the manager is vary about taking decisions based on intuitions. A wrong decision can possibly land the
organisation in dire straits. Here modeling comes in handy. It is possible for the manager to model the decision-making
situation and try out the alternatives on it to enable him to select the “best" one. This can be compared to non-destructive
testing in case of manufacturing organisations.
Presentation of Models:
There are different forms through which Models can be presented. They are as follows:
• Verbal or prose models.
• Graphical/ conceptual models.
• Mathematical models.
• Logical flow models.
Verbal Models:
The verbal models use everyday English as the language of representation. An example of such model from the
area of materials management would be as follows:
“The price of materials is related to the quantum of purchases for many items. As the quantum of purchases
increases, the unit procurement price exhibits a decrease in a step-wise fashion. However, beyond a particular price level
no further discounts are available."
Graphical Models:
The graphical models are more specific than verbal models. They depict the interrelationships between the
different variables or parts of the model in diagrammatic or picture form. They improve exposition, facilitate discussions
and guide analysis. The development of mathematical models usually follows graphical models.
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between the variables in terms of mathematical equations or inequalities. Most of these include clearly the objectives, the
uncertainties and the variables. These models have the following advantages:
• They can be used for a wide variety of analysis.
• They can be translated into computer programs.
The example of a mathematical model that is very often used by materials managers is the Economic Order
Quantity (EOQ). It gives the optimal order quantity (Q) for a product in terms of its annual demand (A), the ordering cost
per order (Co), the inventory carrying cost per unit (Ci) and the purchase cost per unit (Cp). The model equation is as
follows :
Q = (2 * A * Co/Ci * Cp)
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on the ability of the management to make these decisions optimally. The long-term decisions relate to (1) the capacity
creation decisions such as which type of new capacity to create, when, and at which location(s) and (2) which new
products to go in for. Needless to say, this is a rather complex decision-making situation and intuitive or experience based
decisions.
We have in this section seen a real life, complex managerial decision-making situation and looked at the possible
models the researcher could propose to improve the decision-making. Similar models could be built for other decision-
making situations.
The term "factor analysis" embraces a variety of techniques. Our discussion focuses on one procedure: principal
component analysis and the factors derived from the analysis are expressed as linear equations. These linear equations are
of the form
The factors are derived, and each variable appears in each equation. The a-co-efficients indicate the importance of
each variable with respect to a particular factor. Co-efficient of zero indicating the variable is of no significance for the
factor. In principal component analysis, the factors are derived sequentially, using criteria of maximum reduction in
variance and non-correlation among factors.
A major contribution that the statisticians have made to experimental design is the development of randomization
concept which enables the researcher to reduce the effect of the uncontrolled variables on comparative measures of
response to the variables that are under the experimenter's control. Randomization is a useful device for ensuring on the
average, that uncontrolled variables do not favour one treatment versus others.
5) A sample of 48 tools produced by a machine shows the following sequence of good (G) and defective
(D) tools
G G G G G G D D G G G G G G G G
G G D D D D G G G G G G D G G G
G G G G G G D D G G G G G D G G
σ 2
v = 2 (10) (38) [2 (10) (38) - 10 - 38]
_________________
= 4.997
So that σ v = 2.235
For a two-tailed test at the 0.05 level, we would accept the Hypothesis Ho of randomness if -1.96 < z <
1.96 and would reject it otherwise since the z score corresponding to v = 11 is
V-µ v 11 - 16.83
Z = ______ = ________ = -2.61
σ v 2,235
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-2.61 < -1.96, we can reject H0 at the 0.05. The test shows that there are too few runs, level. indicating a
clustering (or bunching) of defective tools. In other words - there seems to be a trend pattern in the production
of defective tools. Further examination of the production process is warranted.
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