Measurement

Question 1

Measurement

1/2

Answer 1

1. it must first be made operational
2. specifying the activities or operations which are necessary in order to measure it

Example – A satisfied consumer will make at least five purchases of Product A from Shop T over a three-month period of time

Note that sometimes – depending on the context of the research study - it may be difficult to make operational definitions

Question 2

Measurement

2/2

Answer 2

1. a indispensable requirement
2. Problem - Defining what is to be measured, and how it is to be accurately and reliably measured
3. job satisfaction, employee morale, brand loyalty of consumers) are more difficult to measure than concepts which can be assigned numerical values (e.g. sales volume for employees X, Y and Z)

Question 3

Measurement and Scaling

Answer 3

1. a continuous spectrum or series of categories
2. any series of items that are arranged progressively according to value or magnitude, into which an item can be placed according to its quantification

Four popular scales in business research are:

Nominal scales
Ordinal scales
Interval scales
Ratio scales

Question 4

Nominal Scale

Answer 4

1. simplest
2. numbers or letters assigned to objects serve as labels for identification or classification

Example:

Males = 1, Females = 2
Sales Zone A = Islamabad, Sales Zone B = Rawalpindi
Drink A = Pepsi Cola, Drink B = 7-Up, Drink C = Miranda

Question 5

Ordinal Scale

Answer 5

1. arranges objects or alternatives according to their magnitude

Examples:

Career Opportunities = Moderate, Good, Excellent
Investment Climate = Bad, inadequate, fair, good, very good
Merit = A grade, B grade, C grade, D grade

A problem with ordinal scales is that the difference between categories on the scale is hard to quantify, I,e., excellent is better than good but how much is excellent better?

Question 6

Interval Scale

Answer 6

1. not only arranges objects or alternatives according to their respective magnitudes,

but also distinguishes this ordered arrangement in units of equal intervals

(i.e. interval scales indicate order (as in ordinal scales) and also the distance in the order)

Examples:
Consumer Price Index
Temperature Scale in Fahrenheit

Interval scales allow comparisons of the differences of magnitude (e.g. of attitudes) but do not allow determinations of the actual strength of the magnitude

Question 7

Ratio Scale

Answer 7

possesses absolute rather than relative qualities and has an absolute zero.

Examples: 	
Money
Weight
Distance
Temperature on the Kelvin Scale 

Interval scales allow comparisons of the differences of magnitude (e.g. of attitudes) as well as determinations of the actual strength of the magnitude

Question 8

CRITERIA FOR GOOD MEASUREMENT

Answer 8

Validity
RELIABILITY
Practicality

Question 9

Validity

Answer 9

The ability of an instrument to measure
what is intended to be measured.
Validity of the indicator  Is it a true
measure? Are we tapping the concept?
Abstract ideas (construct) but concrete
observations. Degree of fit between a
construct and its indicators.

Question 10

Researchers ask questions:

Answer 10

Do colleagues agree with my measurement?
Does my measure correlate with others’ measures of the same concept?
Does it really measure what is expected to measure?
The answers provide some evidence of the measure’s validity.

Question 11

Types of Validity

Answer 11

1. Content validity
2. Criterion-related validity
3. Construct validity

Question 12

1. Content Validity:

Answer 12

Do the measures include an adequate and representative set of items that tap the concept?
How well the dimensions and elements of the concepts have been delineated?
Let us take the example of measuring feminism

Question 13

Example of Feminism:

Answer 13

Implies a person’s commitment to a set of beliefs creating full equality between men and women – in areas of:
Arts, intellectual pursuits, family, work, politics, authority relation. Dimensions
Is there adequate coverage of dimensions?
Do we have questions on each dimension?
Panel of judges may attest the content validity of an instrument.
Each panelist assesses the test items

Question 14

2. Criterion-Related Validity

Answer 14

Uses some standard or criterion to indicate a construct accurately.
Compare the measure with another accepted measure of the same construct.
Does the measure differentiate individuals on the criterion it is expected to predict?

Question 15

3. Construct Validity

Answer 15

Used for measures with multiple indicators.
Do various indicators operate in consistent manner?
How well the results obtained from the use of the measure fit the theories around which the test is designed?

Question 16

RELIABILITY

Answer 16

The degree to which measures are free from random error and therefore yield consistent results
Stability and consistency with which the instrument measures the concept and helps to assess the goodness of a measure.
Maintains stability over time in the measurement of a concept.
Two important dimensions of reliability: (a) stability and (b) consistency

Question 17

Practicality

Answer 17

Validity, reliability, and sensitivity are the scientific requirements of a project.
Operational requirements call for it to be practical in terms of economy, convenience, and interpretability.