Very short and exam-focused answers for 2–4 marks preparation. Answers are kept concise and easy to memorize.
Basic Research is research done to increase knowledge and understanding without immediate practical use. Its main aim is theory development and discovering new facts.
Main elements are title, problem statement, objectives, hypothesis, research methodology, sampling plan, data collection methods, time schedule and budget.
A research problem is a specific issue, difficulty or area of concern that a researcher wants to study and solve through systematic investigation.
Business Research is the systematic collection and analysis of data for decision-making in business. Applications: marketing research and financial planning.
Applied Research is conducted to solve practical and immediate business problems. It focuses on direct use, unlike Basic Research which focuses on theory.
Research is a systematic and scientific investigation to discover facts and solve problems. Two qualities: objectivity and accuracy.
Scientific Method is a logical and systematic way of solving problems through observation, hypothesis, testing and conclusion. Characteristics: systematic and verifiable.
A management question is the problem faced by management that requires a decision, such as falling sales or low employee performance.
It is a specific question used to collect information for solving the research problem. It is narrower than the research question.
A research proposal is a written plan that explains what research will be done, why it will be done and how it will be conducted.
Cross-sectional research studies data at one specific point of time from different respondents. It gives a snapshot of the situation.
A control group is the group in an experiment that does not receive treatment and is used for comparison with the experimental group.
Independent variable is the cause or factor changed by the researcher. Dependent variable is the result or effect measured in the study.
Exploratory Research is used to gain initial understanding of a problem when little information is available. It helps in identifying ideas and hypotheses.
Qualitative research uses non-numerical data and studies opinions or behavior. Quantitative research uses numerical data and statistical analysis.
Research Design is the blueprint or plan of research that explains how data will be collected, measured and analyzed.
Descriptive Research describes characteristics of people, situations or events. It answers who, what, when and where.
Longitudinal research studies the same subjects over a long period of time. Cross-sectional studies only once at a single time.
Experimental Design studies cause-and-effect relationships by changing one variable and observing its effect on another variable.
Observation method is a technique where data is collected by directly watching people, events or situations.
Validity means the measuring instrument actually measures what it is intended to measure.
Reliability means consistency of results. If repeated, the measurement should give similar results.
Likert Scale is an attitude scale where respondents show agreement or disagreement on statements such as strongly agree to strongly disagree.
The four levels are Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and Ratio scale.
Measurement means assigning numbers or symbols to characteristics of objects according to rules for analysis and comparison.
Nominal scale classifies data into categories without order. Example: gender, religion.
Ordinal scale arranges data in order or rank. Example: first, second, third position.
Interval scale has equal intervals but no true zero. Example: temperature in Celsius.
Ratio scale has equal intervals and a true zero. Example: income, weight, height.
It measures attitude between two opposite adjectives like good–bad, fast–slow on a rating scale.
Sampling error is the difference between sample result and actual population result caused by selecting only part of the population.
A sample is a small group selected from the population to represent the whole population for research study.
Sampling frame is the complete list of all units of the population from which the sample is selected.
In stratified sampling, population is divided into groups called strata and random samples are taken from each group.
Population is the complete set of all individuals, items or observations relevant to the study.
Every unit in the population has an equal chance of being selected. It reduces selection bias.
In systematic sampling, every nth unit is selected from the population list after a random starting point.
Convenience sampling selects respondents who are easily available and accessible to the researcher.
In snowball sampling, existing respondents help identify new respondents. It is useful for hidden populations.
Non-response occurs when selected respondents do not reply or provide incomplete information.
Tabulation means arranging collected data in rows and columns for easy understanding and analysis.
Pie diagram is a circular chart divided into sectors to show proportion of each part in the total.
ANOVA means Analysis of Variance. It is used to compare means of two or more groups to check significant differences.
Hypothesis testing is a statistical method used to test whether a statement or assumption about a population is true.
Null Hypothesis (H0) states that there is no significant difference or relationship. Example: there is no effect of advertising on sales.
Alternative Hypothesis (H1) states that there is a significant difference or relationship between variables.
It is a table showing how many times each value or class occurs in a dataset.
A bar chart uses rectangular bars to compare values of different categories.
Histogram is a graph for continuous data where bars touch each other. It shows frequency distribution.
A research report is a formal written document presenting objectives, methods, findings, conclusions and recommendations of research.
Note: This file will be continued with all remaining questions up to 100 in the same short-answer format.
Tabulation means arranging data in rows and columns for easy understanding and analysis.
Pie diagram is a circular chart divided into parts to show proportion of each category.
ANOVA means Analysis of Variance. It compares means of different groups.
Technical report and popular report are the main types of research reports.
It helps test whether a statement about population is true or false using data.
Editing means checking collected data for mistakes, completeness and consistency.
Coding means giving symbols or numbers to responses for easy classification and analysis.
It shows how many times each value or class appears in the data.
A frequency table is a table showing values and their corresponding frequencies.
A bar chart uses rectangular bars to compare values of different categories.
Histogram is a graph of continuous data where bars touch each other.
Null hypothesis states that there is no significant difference or relationship.
Alternative hypothesis states that a significant difference or relationship exists.
It should be clear and testable.
It compares means of more than two groups using one factor only.
It compares means using two independent factors together.
It is a formal written document showing research process, findings and conclusions.
It includes title page, certificate, acknowledgement, index and summary.
It contains introduction, objectives, methodology, analysis and findings.
Recommendations are useful suggestions given after research findings.
These are restrictions like time, cost and small sample size affecting research.
It means presenting data systematically in tables using rows and columns.