Deck 2: Research Methods in Organisational Behaviour

Question 1

The number of performance metrics collected need to be limited because:

A) data collection is time consuming and expensive.
B) humans can only process a limited amount of information.
C) people get tired of filling out too many surveys.
D) it becomes too hard to analyse statistically.

Answer 1

humans can only process a limited amount of information.

Question 2

The best way to find out why people act in certain ways is to:

A) ask them.
B) use a battery of psychometric tests to triangulate observed behaviours.
C) conduct or draw on research or on systematic studies of organisational phenomena.
D) ask their co-workers.

Answer 2

conduct or draw on research or on systematic studies of organisational phenomena.

Question 3

Evidence-based management is:

A) making management decisions and taking managerial action based on best available research evidence.
B) making management decisions that will stand up in a court of law.
C) making decisions only on facts that are self-evident.
D) keeping good records to support your decision choices.

Answer 3

making management decisions and taking managerial action based on best available research evidence.

Question 4

Operational variables are:

A) the things that change within organisations' operational procedures.
B) scores obtained from cases when constructs are measured.
C) variables that are easy to put into operation.
D) different ways of approaching operational problems.

Question 5

A nuisance, or 'confounding' variable makes understanding the relationship between the independent and dependent variables difficult because:

A) it provides a competing explanation other than the independent variable for changes in the dependent variable.
B) it does not take into account things done by workers that spoil research results.
C) the distribution is altered such that it is impossible to reject the null hypothesis.
D) nuisance variables lack controls.

Question 6

Which step is not involved in empirical research?

A) Statement of the problem.
B) Obtaining permission to conduct research.
C) Research design.
D) Analysis of data.

Question 7

Mediating variables:

A) are variables that measure the quality of relationships.
B) are variables measured in research on conflict.
C) change the strength of association between an independent and dependent variable.
D) are intermediary variables between an independent variable and dependent variable that help to explain 'why' the independent variable causes the dependent variable.

Question 8

The type of research design is influenced by:

A) how much time and money the organisation has.
B) how the independent variable is assessed and how cases are allocated to the independent variable.
C) the skills of the researcher and psychometric instruments available.
D) the likely relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.

Question 9

In sampling, a restriction of range can lead to:

A) small sample sizes.
B) rejecting the null hypothesis.
C) complicated data analysis.
D) insufficient variation in the sample to detect significant differences.

Question 10

A limitation of the quasi-experimental design is that it:

A) does not randomise unknown or unmeasured nuisance variables.
B) takes too long.
C) is only suitable for qualitative research.
D) has too many controls.

Question 11

The following is not a threat to internal validity:

A) demand characteristics.
B) test selection.
C) selection of participants.
D) mortality.

Question 12

Which of the following is the main difference between a survey and a field study?

A) A survey study uses probability sampling whereas a field study employs a convenience sample.
B) Where the research is carried out.
C) One is deductive and the other inductive research.
D) Surveys involve self-report while field studies are usually observational.

Question 13

Common method variance arises when:

A) the same psychometric instrument (such as a survey) is used too often.
B) different methods are used on the same common sample of people.
C) the same method is used to assess the independent and dependent variable.
D) variance is common to the type of research design.

Question 14

Which of the following is not one of the four types of measurement scales?

A) Ratio
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Interval

Question 15

Which one of the following is not a method for estimating reliability?

A) Parallel forms
B) Test-retest
C) Internal consistency
D) Same-different test

Question 16

Construct validity is the degree to which:

A) a measure assesses what it is intended to assess.
B) questions are well constructed.
C) questions are presented in correct order.
D) questions are acceptable to the participant.

Question 17

Negative skew of data has:

A) the scores bunched closer to zero and the 'tail' of the data to the right.
B) a leptokurtic appearance.
C) a platykurtic appearance.
D) the scores bunching on the right and the 'tail' of the data toward zero.

Question 18

Which statistic is not a measure of dispersion?

A) Range
B) Mode
C) Variance
D) Standard deviation

Question 19

The 'null hypothesis' is that:

A) there is a statistical difference and therefore the hypothesis is rejected.
B) the hypothesis is not worth testing.
C) the hypothesis has been rejected in error.
D) there is no statistical difference and therefore the hypothesis is retained.

Question 20

A correlation coefficient ranges from -1.0 to +1.0 and measures:

A) the magnitude and direction of an association between two variables.
B) how efficient the relationship is between two variables.
C) the range of scores between two variables.
D) the statistical significance of the different scores between two variables.

Question 21

Which option shown below is not one of the four features of qualitative research?

A) It tends to occur in natural settings.
B) It is distinguished by high quality outcomes.
C) It focuses on the participant's perspective.
D) It relies on the researcher's insights.

Question 22

Grounded theory is:

A) a popular approach to analysing qualitative research data in which researchers identify interesting themes to emerge from the data based on preconceived ideas.
B) a popular approach to analysing data in agricultural research.
C) rarely used because it has no clear statistical support.
D) a popular approach to analysing qualitative research data in which researchers identify interesting themes to emerge from the data without preconceived ideas.

Question 23

Cross-cultural research recognises the impact that national culture has on phenomena of interest. Which of the options below is not part of the 'three step process'?

A) Recognising one's own cultural biases.
B) Development of cross-cultural research questions.
C) Alignment of research contexts.
D) Validation of the research instruments.

Question 24

Which ethical challenge is not faced by OB researchers?

A) Conflicts of interest and affiliation bias.
B) Power relations.
C) Utilitarian versus individualist concerns.
D) Confidentiality and anonymity.

Question 25

Which research paradigm, described by Burrell and Morgan (1979) is not a paradigm of study in organisations?

A) Functionalist
B) Interpretivist
C) Radical humanist
D) Incremental positivist

Question 26

Explain the concept of evidence-based management and discuss why high-quality research enhances practice in organisational behaviour.

Question 27

Describe qualitative research designs and methods of analysis, including the relative advantages and disadvantages of qualitative analysis.

Question 28

Discuss ways to address cross-cultural and ethical issues in OB research.

Question 29

Describe the research paradigms in OB Research and provide examples of research questions addressed in each paradigm.