BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONALS

FACULTY OF BUSINESS STUDIES (FBS)

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (GENERAL)

ASSIGNMENT

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

COURSE CODE: ALD3202

SUBMITTED TO:

PROFESSOR DR. SERAJUL HOQUE

SUBMITTED BY:

IBTESHAM IFTEKHAR

ROLL NO: 2023011010

SECTION: B

SESSION :2020

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 31-10-22

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Question Format and its

Implementation in Business
Research
 Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 1

Advantages of Using Questionnaire and Question Format .................................................................. 1

Significant Question Formats ........................................................................................................................... 2

1. Rating Questions ...................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Matrix Questions ...................................................................................................................................... 2

Formatting Structure ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Practical application of Question Format in Business Research Methodology ............................ 4

Market Research ....................................................................................................................................... 5

Customer Analysis and Feedback...................................................................................................... 6

Conclusion................................................................................................................................................................ 6
 Introduction

The question format is the arrangement of questions that are presented to respondents
through the questionnaire. This is done in order to present all of the possible answers
and to obtain the appropriate responses from respondents in the questionnaire.

A question format is, in its most basic form, the manner in which questions in a
questionnaire are structured and presented to the respondent. When it comes to
getting information from a large number of individuals in a manageable length of time,
the technique that is relied upon the most frequently is the employment of a
questionnaire. It is a written list of questions that are answered by respondents in order
to provide data for a report or survey. It is also known as a question and answer sheet.

Advantages of Using Questionnaire and Question Format

There are a few advantages to using a questionnaire in data collection. These are:

● Standardization: Standardization is achieved by using questions that are highly

structured and by maintaining strict control over the circumstances in which the
questionnaire is filled out. Both of these factors contribute to the creation of a
standardization of the questions.
● Economical: Utilizing a standard questionnaire results in a significant reduction
in the amount of money and time that is spent on training interviewers and
sending them out to conduct interviews. As a result, using a standard
questionnaire is highly cost effective.
● Uniformity: A higher degree of data comparability is achieved as a result of the
use of uniformity, which ensures that each respondent is presented with the
same set of questions and that these questions are posed in the exact same way.

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 Significant Question Formats

The general format of a question is to present the answers in a way that is clear to the
respondents where they answer in the appropriate category. The respondents can
wither circle or write the number of the answer or check a box or a blank. Specific
directions must be provided to the respondents about how to answer the questions
corresponding with the format of the questions.
There are two significant methods of formatting the questions. These are:

1. Rating Questions

One of the most common formats for questions asked is the rating scale. Researchers
use a rating scale whenever they ask respondents to make a judgement in terms of the
format of the category sets.

Example: Do you agree that the rise in oil prices in Bangladesh is the primary reason for
hike in commodity price?

● Strongly Agree
● Agree
● Neither agree nor disagree
● Disagree
● Strongly disagree

2. Matrix Questions

Matrix questions help in the organization of a large set of rating questions that have the
same response category.
Example: Which Benefits are important to you? Please rate the following from 1-5
where 1 is not at all important and 5 is extremely important

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 1 2 3 4 5
Not at all Slightly Somewhat Very Extremely
Important important important important Important

Vision Care ● ● ● ● ●

Dental Care ● ● ● ● ●

Medical ● ● ● ● ●
Care

Vacation ● ● ● ● ●
Care

Retirement ● ● ● ● ●
Car

Bonus ● ● ● ● ●
Potential

Formatting Structure

It is vital to establish a format for your survey questionnaire since the ease with which
the respondent can read, comprehend, and answer your questions is directly correlated
to the format you chose.
When organizing the survey questionnaire, the following formatting considerations
should be prioritized:

● The requirements of those who responded

● The requirements of data input
● Concerning the requirements of the researcher

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Some Additional Points to Consider Regarding Formatting:

● Your typeface ought to always be large and clear for ease of reading, with a
minimum font size of 12 points for serif fonts and 10 points for sans serif fonts.
● At the point in the questionnaire at which each individual set of instructions is
meant to be implemented, those instructions should be made available to the
respondent.
● The instructions for the answers should come right before the actual answers
themselves.
● To assist the respondent in navigating the survey questionnaire, each question
has been assigned a number.
● It is imperative that pre-coded closed questions always include a provision for
"no answer" or "don't know."
● Questions with a wide range of possible answers are most suited for use in
experimental projects.
● Questions should be able to fit on the screen or the page; you should only split
a question across two screens or pages if it is absolutely necessary to do so. It is
preferable to have one question displayed at a time on each screen.
● The formats of vertically aligned answers and single questions on a line are
favoured.
A significant number of individuals utilize survey software as an aid in the process of
designing and developing their survey research investigations.

Practical application of Question Format in Business Research

Methodology

The format of questions has real-world applications and can be put into practice,
making the process of doing research on businesses more streamlined while also
contributing to the enrichment and completion of the research technique.

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 • Market Research

The use of a questionnaire in the context of market research is one of its most prevalent
applications. The respondent is questioned by the administrator regarding their use of
particular products, their preferences in terms of brands, their shopping routines, as
well as their spending levels. In addition to that, he has the opportunity to acquire
knowledge concerning components of employee happiness such as job satisfaction,
wage expectations, and other relevant topics. When doing research with a
questionnaire, the format of the questions can be of great assistance in defining and
zeroing in on the particular kinds of responses that are required for the study. As such,
proper application of a suitable question format achieves the following
➔ Practicality: The question format enables researchers to strategically
manage their target audience while simultaneously gathering large
quantities of data on any subject. This makes the format both practical and
useful.
➔ Cost-efficiency: The use of a fixed question format helps in creating a
cost-effective questionnaire that is simple to convey to respondents and
collects relevant data. This helps with efficiency in terms of both time and
money.
➔ Comfortability: When questions are presented in a fixed format, they are
simple to understand and do not require the respondents to be familiar
with any difficult terminology or methods in order to provide their
answers. This makes it easier for the respondents to freely express their
thoughts while maintaining their relevance.
➔ Easier Analysis: Possessing a fixed and structured question format makes
for an easier analysis of the data collected, which in turn helps bring out
information that is relevant for market research.
➔

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 • Customer Analysis and Feedback

In the world of business, questionnaires play an important part in defining not only the
client segment but also the level of customer happiness. It is possible to receive true
real-time feedback from clients by making appropriate use of questionnaires. This
feedback may be used to determine whether or not a product is acceptable, as well as
to analyze the relationship between partners. A question format that is appropriate can
be helpful in the gathering of relevant data since it has a structure that is simple to
comprehend. Additionally, such a format gives customers plenty of opportunities to
assess customer service and feedback as well as voice their ideas.

The question structure is what defines how well a questionnaire satisfies its aim, and it
has great applications in the way that it is used in real-time business research.

Conclusion

A questionnaire is now the most widely used element in the field of research as a key
element in its methodology. This has a huge significance in business research. The
question format is what determines how smooth, operational and successful a
questionnaire is in collecting relevant data from the respondents to be used in analysis
and findings and to give rise to necessary hypothesis. It helps in the accessibility and
acceptability of a questionnaire in the use of business research and thus has a significant
practical use in the real-life business research and data collection.