Critical Assessment of the

Research Methodology used in

SRG Bangladesh Limited
Critical Assessment of the Research Methodology used in
SRG Bangladesh Limited

Submitted to
Professor Golam Mohammed Chowdhury
Chairman, Internship & Placement Program

Supervised by
Dr. M Z Mamun
Professor and Director

Submitted by
Noman Ahmed Khan
Roll No. 16
MBA 41 (D)

Internship Period: 23rd March to 14th June

Institute Of Business Administration (IBA)

University Of Dhaka

Date of Submission: July 11, 2009

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I must thank Dr. M Z Mamun, Professor & Director, IBA for his insisting on the brevity of the
report. He helped me determine the objective of the report and guided me through to get to the end. He
made me grateful with his valuable suggestions from time to time during my internship. I can never forget
his fatherly guidance and his utmost friendly and sincere attention toward me.

The second person to acknowledge will surely be my supervisor at SRGB: Mr. M Saidul Haq, Managing
Director of SRG Bangladesh Limited. He has been a great support from the choice of the topic, learning
of different part of research and understanding the difference between theory and practice.

Special thank goes to Mr. Ziauddin Kamal, Senior Research Executive and Mr Emrul Kayes, Manager,
HR for providing me every kind of information related to my study.

I really should thank every other employee of SRGB, whom I found during different phases of my
internship. Most of them have been very open and friendly with me and provided me with the answers I
needed from them.

Lastly I would like to thank my classmates working in OrgQuest and the Nielsen Company Bangladesh
Limited for providing me with brief but useful information about the practices in their organization.

iii
July 11, 2009

Chairperson
Internship and Placement
Institute of Business Administration
University of Dhaka
Dhaka – 1000

Subject: Submission of Internship report on Critical Assessment of the Research Methodology used in
SRG Bangladesh Limited

Dear Sir:

As a part of the internship program, I have prepared this report on the topic “Critical Assessment of the
Research Methodology used in SRG Bangladesh Limited”. The report contains a detailed study and
analysis on the qualitative and quantitative methodology used by SRG Bangladesh Limited. I judged the
matter through the projects in which I had to work as an internee.

I have tried my best to utilize the opportunity of working as an internee in an established marketing
research company like SRGB. This report is based on information acquired from the project Awareness
and Acceptance of UK Qualifications in Bangladesh, conducted by SRGB. Here I have tried to compare
the methodology used in that study with the thery we have been taught in the classroom and probable
reason of difference with the theory if any. I have maintained the internship learning as per the
instructions I have got from my supervisor Dr M Z Mamun.

I enjoyed preparing this report because it provides an opportunity for me to increase my understanding of
the real life marketing research practices. I thank you for such an opportunity. I will be available for any
clarification at your convenience.

Sincerely yours
Noman Ahemd Khan
Roll # 16
Batch – 41(D)

iv
 Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................. ..............vii

1.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... ............................1
1.1 Origin of the Report............................................................................................................. ..............1
1.2 Objective..................................................................................................................... ......................1
1.3 Methodology................................................................................................................................ ......2
1.4 Scope................................................................................................................................. ...............2
1.5 Limitations......................................................................................................................... ................2
2.0 Industry Overview............................................................................................ ......................3
2.1. Research and Consultancy Industry around the World.............................................. ......................3
2.1.1 Market segments........................................................................................... ...................3
2.1.2 Player groups................................................................................................................... .5
2.2 Research and Consultancy Industry in Bangladesh............................................................. .............7
2.2.1 ORG-Quest Research Ltd (OrQuest)..................................................................................... .....7
2.2.2 Sirius Marketing and Social Research Ltd................................................................. .................7
2.2.3 The Nielsen Company........................................................................................ ........................8
3.0 Company Overview............................................................................................................ ....9
3.1 Background and History of SRG Bangladesh Limited......................................................... ..............9
3.2 Organization Chart...................................................................................................... ....................10
3.4 Qualitative Research........................................................................................................ ...............12
3.5 Quantitative Research........................................................................................................... ..........12
3.6 Recent Projects.................................................................................................................. .............13
3.7 Key Clients .................................................................................................................... .................14
3.8 Key Person of SRG Bangladesh Limited.................................................................................... .....18
4.0 Jobs Performed During Internship....................................................................................... .20
4.1 Duties and Responsibilities ..................................................................................... .......................20
4.2 Completion of the Assignments ......................................................................................... .............20
4.2.1 Awareness and acceptance of UK Qualification........................................... ...........................20
4.2.2 Assessment of Grameen Kalyan Clinics.................................................................. .................21
4.2.3 Global Opinion Poll on Social, Economic and Political Issues 2009, Project Green, Wave 9. . .21
4.2.4 Mystery Shopping on Banking Products and Service......................................... ......................21
4.3 Benefits of the Program ............................................................................................................. .....21
5.0 Critical Assessment of the Methodology of the Project “Awareness and Acceptance of UK
Qualifications in Bangladesh”................................................................................................... ..22
5.1 Background of the study............................................................................................................. .....22
5.1.1 Definition of the Business Problem............................................................................ ...............22
5.1.2 Research Objectives............................................................................................................ .....22
5.2 Methodology.............................................................................................................................. ......23
5.2.1 Criticism on Selection and Implementation of Quantitative Study.................................... .........23
5.2.2 Criticism on Selection and Implementation of Qualitative Study (KII and IDI)...........................25
5.2.3 Criticism on FGD............................................................................................ ..........................26
5.2.4 A Mixed-Methodology Approach to the Study................................................... ........................27
6.0 Conclusion and Recommendation............................................................. ..........................28
Bibliography................................................................................................................ ...............29
Annexure I: Questionnaire of Key Informant Interview (KII)........................... ............................30
Annexure II: Questionnaire for In-Depth Interview (IDI)............................................................. .36

v
 List of Figures

Figure 1: Revenues of Research and Consultancy Firms by Services............................... ..........4

Figure 2: Growth Rate of Research and Consultancy Firms by Services......................... ............4
Figure 3: Groups of Research and Consultancy Players by Size and Origin.............................. ..5
Figure 4. Percentage of Market Share Depending on Size of Businesses...................................6

vi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report has been written with a focused ultimate goal of identifying the gaps between theory and
practice of research in SRG Bangladesh Limited. It has been found that the effectiveness of a research
firm SRGB in preparing research works fairly supported by theory practitioners. Difference between
theory and practice is a very old phenomenon which we can see here too. But it can be concluded easily

vii
that though the practice is not perfectly similar with the suggestions from theory, the practice will work
effectively to bring out the result, which is the goal of all research works.

Market research and consultancy is an old art which is becoming more important in Bangladesh day by
day. The activities of market research include defining marketing opportunities and problems, generating
and evaluating marketing ideas, monitoring performance, and understanding the marketing process. At the
same time management consultancy refers to both the industry of, and the practice of, helping
organizations improve their performance, primarily through the analysis of existing business problems
and development of plans for improvement. Organizations hire the services of management consultants
for a number of reasons, including gaining external (and presumably objective) advice, access to the
consultants' specialized expertise, or simply as extra temporary help during a one-time project, where the
hiring of more permanent employees is not required. Internship opportunity in a market research and
management consultancy house can be considered a great opportunity for a student to learn some most
important and effective skills.

Bangladesh is comparatively new in Market Research and Management Consultancy sector. We can find
very few big players and a number of small players here. But the industry is expanding day by day. The
total revenue is also increasing every year. Mainly four companies can be considered the topmost players
in this industry. One of them SRG Bangladesh Limited is the company where the author completed his
internship.

The Survey Research Group of Bangladesh [SRGB] was initiated in October 1987 as a Management and
Industrial Consulting house. Since the early 90s, SRGB ventured into providing Qualitative and
Quantitative Research Services. Since then SRGB has successfully conducted hundreds of studies ranging
from broad based sectoral studies to micro level case studies for domestic and international clients.
SRGB maintains a countrywide panel of more than 800 male and female Field Investigators, who are
recruited locally resulting in substantial cost efficiency. Moreover, local investigators ensure operational
efficiency and accuracy in collecting relevant information. In terms of organizational philosophy, to
remain updated with the rapid changes in the global survey research scenario and to benefit from the
hard-earned experience of developed economies, SRGB remains in constant touch with a number of
overseas firms engaged in research and consulting.

Most of the assignments handled in SRGB were long-term projects that had already been started. Some
were in the beginning phase and some were in their final stages. Some of them are also a type of
continuous research with several waves. The discussed research study that was used to prepare this report
is Awareness and Acceptance of UK Qualifications in Bangladesh. It was an ongoing project. It
therefore made sense to continue doing what the rest of the team was doing (taking interviews of different

viii
types and writing those down). It required all three interns from IBA to take interviews of different
people. At the very beginning tough job of taking face to face interviews was assigned. Some visits to a
private university (BRAC University for this author) and a multinational (Novartis Bangladesh Limited)
helped the job done. Then the qualitative part commenced. A 7 day tour to Chittagong was made to take
the KII of a number of Deans and department heads. The tour was successful with nice opportunities to
learn interview and communication skills. Then again a 5 day tour to Rajshahi, the land of heat and
mango. It was also a very successful tour with acquiring of huge experiences. Finally different top
management personnels from different organizations and universities like University of Dhaka,
International Islamic University Chittagong Dhaka Campus, Square, Grameenphone, Dhaka Bank,
BMET, UGC etc. were interviewed.

ix
1.0 INTRODUCTION

Market research and consultancy is an old art which is becoming more important in Bangladesh day by
day. The activities of market research include defining marketing opportunities and problems,
generating and evaluating marketing ideas, monitoring performance, and understanding the marketing
process. At the same time management consultancy refers to both the industry of, and the practice of,
helping organizations improve their performance, primarily through the analysis of existing business
problems and development of plans for improvement. Organizations hire the services of management
consultants for a number of reasons, including gaining external (and presumably objective) advice,
access to the consultants' specialized expertise, or simply as extra temporary help during a one-time
project, where the hiring of more permanent employees is not required. Internship opportunity in a
market research and management consultancy house can be considered a great opportunity for a student
to learn some most important and effective skills.

1.1 Origin of the Report

As a compulsory part of Internship program, this particular report is being prepared by the author on the
proposed topic “Critical Assessment of the Research Methodology used in SRG Bangladesh Limited”.
The intention was to give an opportunity to the students to gain some real world experience by working
in a practical environment. The internship supervisor was Mr. M Saidul Haq, Managing Director, SRG
Bangladesh Limited and the faculty advisor was Dr. M Z Mamun, Professor & Director of Institute of
Business Administration.

1.2 Objective

The Primary Objective of this report is:

• To measure the gap between theory and practice for the selection of the methodology.

Secondary objectives are:

• To study the methodology used in the project under study in SRGB.

• To observe the implementation of the methods.

• To measure the gap between selection and implementation of the methods.

• Search for the justifications behind the gaps.

1
1.3 Methodology

The research will be composed of literature review for theories and qualitative research mainly. An
extensive study of the research methodology literature will be the base. Then the practical experiences
and observations from the project worked for during internship will be compared with the literature.
Finally qualitative in-depth interviews and key informant interviews will lead us to our answers.

1.4 Scope

SRGB selects and follows different kinds of methodology for different projects. It changes with the
change of projects. Here only the study project in which the author worked- ‘Awareness and
Acceptance of UK Qualifications in Bangladesh’ will come under consideration. The author will try to
reveal the theoretical requirements to selection of methodology for this particular study project and the
practical happenings in this project only. The other two studies which were taking place at SRGB at the
time of internship will not be considered though the author worked for those in some few instances.

1.5 Limitations

Some limiting factors were faced while conducting the research and preparing the report. These could
be summarized as follows:
• No secondary information was found, such as, any report or research papers on this
particular issue.
• For finding out reasons behind gap between theory and practice, enough number of
projects could not be studied due to shortage of time and scope.
• Only internal specialists were interviewed.

2
2.0 Industry Overview

Before starting description of the main parts of the internship report, some light on the industry of the
worked for company should be addressed. A short story about the industry will help the reader
understand the situation with more depth.

2.1. Research and Consultancy Industry around the World

The management consultancy industry shows a very fragmented picture with various segments and
player groups. This first part of the industry analysis starts with an analysis of the market segments and
player groups. Afterwards it will elaborate on the competitive situation. The second part of this analysis
– Future Prospects - discusses driving forces and possible futures for the industry.

Due to availability of data here the focus is on the German market, for which it provides figures and
statistics. All statements about trends, competition, drivers and possible future developments, however,
can easily be transferred to management consultancies in all major markets.

2.1.1 Market segments

In Germany there are 14700 management consultancies and sole practitioners. They employ 68000
consultants.

The market for management consultancy in Germany has shown rapid growth throughout the last
years. Total revenues rose from 16.4 bn DM in 1997 to 18.8 bn in 1998, 21.3 bn in 1999, and 23.8 bn
DM in 2000. Although the annual growth rate declined from 14.6 % in 1998 to 11.8 % in 2000, it is still
significantly above the growth rate of the German GDP, being below 3 %. However, growth is not
equally spread across the market segments.

Today management consultancy is much more than the traditional strategy consulting. The
Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberater e.V. (BDU, Association of German Management
Consultants) distinguishes between consulting for strategy, organisation, IT and human resources.
Analysis of these segments reveals their different contributions to overall revenue and growth:

3
Figure 1: Revenues of Research and Consultancy Firms by Services

Figure 2: Growth Rate of Research and Consultancy Firms by Services

These figures indicate that IT- and organisational consulting fuelled growth in 1999. This was driven by
the current developments in the IT-sector. The BDU names year 2000 solutions, Euro-implementations,
SAP implementations and e-business activities. These changes in the customers' environment change
their industries more or less and hence create enormous needs for consulting. Without the impact of
Y2K and Euro-implementation, the growth of IT consulting slowed down in 2000. However, this sector
remains the most important field of consulting with 43.4% of total consulting revenues in 2000. The

4
BDU predicts, that the proportion of consulting projects that include at least partly some e-commerce
consulting, will grow from 38% in 2000 to about 50% in 2001.

All in all the whole industry shows a dynamic growth. Besides the influence of IT this is driven by
globalisation, technological change and the deregulation of markets.

2.1.2 Player groups

In recent years the industry has seen the entry of many non-traditional consultants into the market.
Barriers to entry are considerably low with little investments into fixed assets needed. In addition – on
the contrary to the auditing business – there are no legal regulations limiting the entry to this profession.
Many former employees of large consultancy firms or senior managers from other businesses start up as
sole practitioners or small consulting firms. On the other hand, many companies from outside the
consulting industry enter this market. These are mainly IT-companies as IBM or Cap Gemini, but also
designers, technologists, marketing agencies, employment agencies and others.

Figure 3: Groups of Research and Consultancy Players by Size and Origin

5
Rassam (1998) distinguishes as follows:

In Germany there are 14700 consulting businesses employing 68500 consultants. The BDU
distinguishes small, medium and large consultancies. Not surprisingly, the large consultancies, being
smallest in numbers make nearly a third of the total industries revenues:

Figure 4. Percentage of Market Share Depending on Size of Businesses

This is an ongoing trend. By 2000 the market share of large consultancies has risen to 47%, share of
medium sized firms fell to 36% and share of small firms fell to 17%. This is because large firms show
by far the highest growth rates with an average of 18% in 2000. Medium and small firms grew by an
average of 9% and 2.5% only.

With this small number of large dominant players the market can be characterised as an oligopoly.
Competition is especially strong within the market segments and within the player groups. Due to the
limited growth rates in some segments and the entry of new players there is also a rising competition
across the segments and player groups. Smaller specialised consultants start to serve customers of all
sizes. The large consultants discover small and start-up enterprises as customers, seeing them as future
clients for further consulting and auditing activities.

According to this competition consultancies have developed different strategies. The large
consultancies establish themselves as generalist. They offer their clients a one-stop-shop service for all
the consulting needs they might have. Thus their focus is on long-lasting customer relationships and
cross-selling opportunities. Many smaller and medium sized consultancies have specialised in certain
areas of expertise like IT, HR or business recovery. A number of them operate only in their home area.

An important area of competition in consulting business is the supply-side. Consultancies compete

heavily to attract highly qualified people. Demand for these people is rising due to the growth
aspirations of the large consulting firms. The German member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers created

6
more than 1000 additional jobs during its first year after the merger and still continues to grow at high
rates. On the other hand, many graduates from universities and business schools choose to join start-ups
in the "new economy" in 2000.

2.2 Research and Consultancy Industry in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is comparatively new in Market Research and Management Consultancy sector. We can
find very few big players and a number of small players here. But the industry is expanding day by day.
The total revenue is also increasing every year. Mainly four companies can be considered the topmost
players in this industry. One of them SRG Bangladesh Limited is the company where the author
completed his internship, description of that company is coming latter. Here we find short description of
other three firms.

2.2.1 ORG-Quest Research Ltd (OrQuest)

ORG-QUEST RESEARCH LTD. (OrQuest) is a joint venture company with ORG India (pvt) Ltd. It
has been founded in 2003, though serving from 1994. Number of employees is 40 and interviewers is
300. We are a research & consulting firm with strong survey research and analytical skills that bring to
bear a blend of insights and Pan-Asian experience of a highly competent team of professionals. We
have been providing research services to our valued clients including MNCs, UN agencies,
development partners (World Bank, ADB, IFC-SEDF, Swisscontact, etc.), local conglomerates,
international research agencies, etc. in the country since 1994, using both quantitative and qualitative
techniques. Our qualitative wing owns a viewing facility with one way mirror in Dhaka. With a
dedicated team of researchers, having client and agency side experience and multi country exposures,
we offer high standard market, social and opinion research services in the areas mentioned under the
fields of operation later.

2.2.2 Sirius Marketing and Social Research Ltd.

Sirius is a full service research organization and offers the entire spectrum of consumer and media
research, social research, syndicated Media and Panel research services and business-to-business
research conforming to international standards. It has been founded in 1995 and it has 60 employees
and 350 interviewers presently. The company is an associate of IMRB International and has full access
to IMRB's expertise.

Today, Sirius is one of the leading research agencies and the clientele includes multinationals based in
Bangladesh, bilateral agencies and international companies. The company has conducted large scale
national level studies (all Bangladesh) and has field offices in the 6 Divisional headquarters of
Bangladesh. The company pioneered syndicated media research in the country that includes TV

7
audience measurement, National Media Study (covering all media), TV Ad tracking,and has in place a
national level household consumer panel since 2005.

2.2.3 The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company, offering services in over 100 countries, is the world's leading provider of market
research, information, and analysis. By delivering unrivalled combinations of insights, advanced
analytical tools and integrated marketing solutions, Nielsen provides complete views of consumers and
their markets.

Nielsen Consumer Research helps clients address the issues of brand health, shopper loyalty and
behavior, marketing mix management and consumer motivations. By integrating proprietary research
applications with in-market understanding from our retail and consumer panel services we don’t
conduct consumer research in a vacuum, and are uniquely positioned to deliver business solutions in
their market context.

BASES, a service of The Nielsen Company and a world leader in STM’s, uses industry-leading
forecasting models, rich databases, and proprietary analytical techniques to consult on a range of
business issues, including innovation strategy, concept and marketing plan optimization, and initiative
commercialization. BASES is widely known for expertise in the CPG sector, but tools have been
adapted to sectors such as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, quick-serve restaurants, and more.

8
3.0 Company Overview

The company selected for internship was Survey Research Group of Bangladesh (SRGB). It is one of
the leading Research and Consultancy firm of the country. A short description of the company will
complement the story.

3.1 Background and History of SRG Bangladesh Limited

The Survey Research Group of Bangladesh [SRGB] was initiated in October 1987 as a Management
and Industrial Consulting house. Its professional integrity and service excellence rapidly gained a
lasting reputation for delivering result-oriented consultancy services. Subsequently, activities were
diversified to provide development consultancy, continuing professional development programs, data
processing & analysis and event management services.

Since the early 90s, SRGB ventured into providing Qualitative and Quantitative Research Services.
Since then SRGB has successfully conducted hundreds of studies ranging from broad based sectoral
studies to micro level case studies for domestic and international clients. SRGB's studies are carried out
under the leadership of highly competent and experienced team members who are well acknowledged
experts in their respective fields, appropriately drawn from SRGB's panel with their consent and total
commitment.

Logistically, SRGB is more than well equipped with all necessary and state of the art office facilities
including computers, printers, photocopier, scanner, continuous power generator, etc. A team of highly
experienced staff remains dedicated to carry out survey research activities. Moreover, SRGB maintains
a countrywide panel of more than 800 male and female Field Investigators, who are recruited locally
resulting in substantial cost efficiency. Moreover, local investigators ensure operational efficiency and
accuracy in collecting relevant information.

In terms of organizational philosophy, to remain updated with the rapid changes in the global survey
research scenario and to benefit from the hard-earned experience of developed economies, SRGB
remains in constant touch with a number of overseas firms engaged in research and consulting. These
close associations have proved mutually rewarding and SRGB maintain an open-end policy in acquiring
further overseas strategic alliances. Moreover, SRGB's consultants are well practiced in looking
objectively at the challenges that a business or an intervention faces and developing appropriate,
workable and cost effective solutions. SRGB's role as a consultancy house is to provide expert,
independent, practical and pragmatic decisions. With the truest partnership spirit, SRGB works
"alongside" with the clients instead of working "for" them. SRGB's approach is based on hard-earned
experience, rather than on textbook solutions. The hard-core professionalism, undaunted integrity and

9
uncompromising excellence of service of SRGB have duly earned high level of customer satisfaction
and reliability.

The total range of services from SRGB is delivered through three distinct operating divisions:
Centre for Research & Management Consulting
Centre for Continuing Professional Development
Centre for Data Processing & Analysis
All three centres have both intellectual and logistical resource-base that is unmatched in the country.
Each of the centres is highly professional, unparalleled in functional efficiency and strategically
organized to provide ample scope for future expandability and relentless enhancement of service
quality.

The Centre for Research & Management Consulting concentrates on providing consolidated business
management and development research solutions, while the Centre for Continuing Professional
Development offers wide range of skill development programs for practicing and prospective business
professionals to enhance their experience and functional capability. Finally, the Centre for Data
Processing & Analysis offer a spectrum of digitization services, which covers almost every document
conversion process including data, text, PDF, illustrator and XML/SGML conversion services.

3.2 Organization Chart

The organization is headed by the CEO or President. It has an organogram which is slim but
centralized. Here a diagram of the organization chart has been shown in the next page.

10
3.3 Services Offered

The services offered are modern and useful. They are as follows:
• Social & Environmental Research
• Business Communication Service
• Automotive Research
• Agricultural Research
• Business to Business Research
• HR Management Service
• Media Research
• Mystery Shopping
• Qualitative Research
• Quantitative Research
• Retail Study
• Healthcare Research

11
 • Sales Force Effectiveness Practice
Among the available services here we only highlight the qualitative and quantitative research.

3.4 Qualitative Research

SRGB has a specialist qualitative research division. This division forms a core part of the overall
business. This division has a team with an experience base of over 15 years. Keeping in mind the need
to bring in different perspectives in understanding human behavior, this team has been selected from
diverse backgrounds such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, marketing, economics and so on.

The qualitative division also has its own specialized field structure that handles all aspects of the field
operations. No fieldwork is sub-contracted. In addition to our own team of highly experienced and
motivated researchers, the qualitative division draws into the expertise of international consultants in
the fields of qualitative research and communication. This allows us access to global perspective as
well.

The qualitative division has handled hundreds of studies spanning categories as diverse as FMCG
products, financial products, durables, automobiles, media, telecommunication and so on. It has
considerable experience in handling the following types of research studies:
• Usage and attitude studies
• Brand equity studies
• Segmentation studies
• Positioning research
• Communication development and evaluation
• Packaging evaluation studies
• New product development studies
The experience pool also includes studies among a wide variety of target groups ranging from
housewives, chief wage earners, children, teenagers, young adults, different socio-economic groups
including high net worth individuals; specialist groups such as corporate, specific professions, etc.

The qualitative research division boasts of having a large number of specialized techniques such as:
• Conflict Groups • Peer Interactions • Triads • Paired Interviews • Slice of life • Semiotics • Extended
creativity groups • Hybrid Approaches • Benefit Inhibitor chains • Thematic Apperception Tests • Mind
Mapping • Value Equation • World views • Bring your Homework etc.

3.5 Quantitative Research

The quantitative research division is a specialized research with a combined experience of over 18 years
in handling quantitative research in a wide range of areas - such as FMCGs, personal grooming
products, automobiles, durables, telecom, IT media, pharmaceutical products, cigarettes, retail, financial
12
products and web research. The team, of over 15 quantitative researchers is adept at handling all aspects
of the research right from problem definition, to the analysis and data interpretation, to providing
implementable solutions to the clients needs.

The use of a wide array of tools and techniques, such as multivariate techniques adds value and helps
provide meaningful insights to the client. A team of experienced programmers ensure a quick and
efficient data summarization and interpretation, which ensure a quicker turnaround time for the project.
At any point of time, there are 800+ investigators for collecting data and they are spread across the
country. High quality in data collection is ensured through a systemized and stringent data collection
procedure-training sessions, mock calls, pilot interviews, back-checks by the company staff ensure that
data collected adheres to the quality standards laid down by the company.

Specialized teams of experts in various fields with in-depth knowledge of the global market add value
to the project. We have consultants with a global experience of at least 20 years in the following areas.
• Customer satisfaction
• Mystery shopping
• Product testing
• Retailing sector
• Modeling and data mining
• Insurance sector
• Banking sector

3.6 Recent Projects

There were twelve ongoing projects during internship of the author. Among them three were bigger and
more important. The author worked in various jobs of four projects, project number 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Table 1: Recent Projects by SRGB

Sl
Project Name Client Period of Study
No.
June 2009 to
Monitoring and Evaluation Consulting: CPTU, IMED
June 2013
1 Public Procurement Reform Project–II Ministry of Planning
[Ongoing
(PPRP-II) [A World Bank funded Project] Govt. of Bangladesh
Study]
June to July
British America Tobacco
Employee Preference Survey for 2009
2 (through Engage HR,
Bangladesh [Ongoing
Pakistan)
Study]
April to
Monitoring and Evaluation of Cross Border AED, USA
June 2009
3 Communication – South Asia (Multi-country study [USAID funded
[Ongoing
involving Bangladesh, Nepal & India) AI.COMM Project]
Study]
Global Opinion Poll on Social, Economic and Princeton Survey Research April to
4
Political Issues 2009, Project Green, Wave 9 Associates International June 2009

13
 [Ongoing
(PSRAI), Washington, USA
Study]
March to
Pfizer Inc. October 2009
5 Grameen Kalyan Clinics Needs Assessment
USA [Ongoing
Study]
January to
Market Research on Awareness and Acceptance of
British Council July 2009
6 UK Qualifications in
Dhaka [Ongoing
Bangladesh
Study]
August 2008 to
Mystery Shopping on Banking Products HSBC Bangladesh December 2009
7
and Services Dhaka [Ongoing
Study]
May 2008 to
Social Impact Assessment The World Bank June 2009
8
For Bangladesh Railway DPL Project Dhaka, Bangladesh [Ongoing
Study]
Grunfeld, Desiderio, January to
Lebowitz, December 2009
9 Surrogate Value Research on Fish, 2009
Silverman & Klestadt LLP [Ongoing
USA Study]
January to
Mystery Shopping on Cisco Certified Pearson VUE/AQ Services December 2009
10
Examination Centre Performance International, Singapore [Ongoing
Study]
January to
Mystery Shopping on GMAT Registration & Pearson VUE/AQ Services December 2009
11
Scheduling Procedures International, Singapore [Ongoing
Study]
January to
Pearson VUE through December 2009
12 Mystery Shopping - CompTIA
AQ Services, Singapore [Ongoing
Study]
Police Perception Survey in Chittagong, October 2008
US Embassy
13 Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari to
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Districts March 2009

3.7 Key Clients

SRGB has a huge number of different category clients. They have been listed below:
A: International Clients

• Cisco, USA
• HSBC, Hong Kong
• Telenor, Norway
• Nokia, Hong Kong
• Microsoft, USA
• Hewlett-Packard (HP) Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Singapore
• ARD Inc, USA
• BHP-Engineering, Australia
14
• BHP-Laysaght (SEA) Pte Ltd, Singapore
• Nomura Research Institute, Japan
• International Executive Service Corps (IESC), USA
• Carana Corporation, USA
• International Trade Centre (ITC), Switzerland
• SKF Distribution Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore
• ECI Telecom Inc, USA
• Dacom Corporation, Korea
• Korea Telecom, Korea
• Tata Steel, India
• Bare Associates International, USA
• Bharat Starch Industries Ltd, India
• Tessival SPA, Italy
• G P Group of Companies, Thailand
• Singer Worldwide, USA
• Overseas Projects Corporation of Victoria (OPCV), Australia
• Carana Corporation, USA
• TOTAL FINA ELF, France
• Princeton Survey Research Associates (PSRA), USA
• Tianjin Machinery Import Export Group, China
• Quantum Market Research, India
• BAIGlobal Inc (A Market Facts Company), USA
• Pew Research Centre, USA
• Mitsubishi Corporation, Singapore
• Kuraray Specialties Pte Ltd, Singapore
• Thai Wah Public Co. Ltd, Thailand
• Horizon Research, Singapore
• Tashi Group of Companies, Bhutan
• Kalasha Woolen Industry (Pvt) Ltd, Nepal
• Ecotech Pty Ltd, Australia
• Habib Bank Ltd, Pakistan
• Asia Market Intelligence (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd, Malaysia
• Syngenta, Hong Kong
• Arthur D. Little, Singapore/Malaysia

15
 • Sungwon Corporation, Korea
• Kong Ma Engineering Co Ltd, Taiwan
• Fullway Enterprises Co Ltd, Taiwan
• Quest International, UK
• Veraz Telecom, USA
• Canadian High Commission, Dhaka
• Rhone Poulence Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Australia
• China Resources Ltd, Hong Kong
• BlueScope Steel, Australia
• International Business Linkages, Inc. (IBL), USA
• WorldFish Centre, Malaysia
• Redma Consultants Ltd, Canada
• Acorn Marketing and Research Consultants, Hong Kong
• Synovate, Hong Kong
• Cairn Energy Bangladesh
• AQ Services International, Singapore
• Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc, USA
• Columbia University, USA
B: International Development Agencies/NGOs Clients
• The World Bank
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
• United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
• UNICEF Bangladesh
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• Commonwealth Secretariat, UK
• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
• United States Agency For International Development (USAID)
• Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), Japan
• Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA)
• International Jute Organization (IJO)
• CARE Bangladesh
• SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF)

16
 • Swisscontact-Katalyst
• World Vision of Bangladesh
• JOBS [A USAID Project]
• OXFAM Bangladesh
• Concern Bangladesh
• German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Bangladesh
• DFID Bangladesh

C: Domestic Clients
• Unilever Bangladesh
• British America Tobacco
• Syngenta (Bangladesh) Ltd
• Social Marketing Company (SMC)
• Olympic Industries
• Bengal Group of Industries
• A K Khan Group
• Bashundhara Group of Companies
• Mutual Group
• Baraka Group
• SQ Group
• Rangs Electronics Ltd
• Alfa Tobacco Group
• Micro Industries Development Assistance Society (MIDAS)
• Sea Resources Group (Rangs Group)
• Sena Kalyan Sangstha (SKS)
• M M Ispahani Ltd (Ispahani Group)
• Givenchy Group
• Grameen Bank
• Alfa Tobacco Group
• Toka Ink (BD) Ltd (A Bangladesh Japan Joint Venture)
• BASIC Bank Ltd
• Grameen Uddog
• Holycrescent Hospital Ltd
• McDonald Bangladesh Ltd

17
 • Grameen Shamogree
• Tripti Industries
• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of Bangladesh
• Ministry of Jute, Govt of Bangladesh
• Industrial Development Leasing Company of Bangladesh Ltd (IDLC)
• Brothers Group
• Syngenta
• Giant Group
• Bell Corporation
• Anlima Group
• Grameen Telecom
• Grameen Phone
• Pacific Telecom Ltd (City Cell)
• Bangladesh Telegraph & Telephone Board (BTTB)
• Department of Environment, Govt of Bangladesh
• Ministry of Environment, Govt of Bangladesh
• Modern Erection, Dhaka
• BRAC Bank Bangladesh

3.8 Key Person of SRG Bangladesh Limited

M Saidul Haq, MBA, CMC (Australia), FCIM (UK), FIMC, is the Founder President of SRG Bangladesh
Limited [SRGB]. He is an entrepreneurship /business development specialist. He did his MBA from
Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka in its 14th batch. He has unparallel
combination of multivariate qualifications and achievements. Some are highlighted below:
• CMC (Certified Management Consultant) from Institute of Management Consultants,
Australia
• FCIM (Fellow Member) of The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK - the top
marketing professionals’ organization of the world.
• More than twenty(20) years experience in Management Consulting and Market/Social
• Research (qualitative and quantitative)
• Conducted hundreds of research and consulting projects as Project Director/Team
Leader
• Organized and conducted hundreds of training programs, workshop, seminar, technical
• presentation on various management and business promotion issues.
• Extensive experience in trade & business development, promotions, investment and
joint venture match-making.

18
• Extensive experience in private sector and SME enterprises development,
entrepreneurship development.
• National Consultant, International Trade Centre, WTO/UNCTAD, Geneva
• Retainer consultant/adviser of about a dozen leading business houses in Bangladesh
• Experience with many international organizations including World Bank, ADB,
International Labor Organization (ILO), USAID, CIDA, UNDP, UNIDO, UNICEF,
UNEP, SDC, commonwealth Secretariat, etc.
• Worked for about five years as the Consultant/National Monitor for Industrial
Commodity Program, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and
Canadian High Commission, Dhaka.
• Registered Consultant of Asian Development Bank (ADB), The World Bank,
Commonwealth Secretariat, International Labor Organization (ILO), UNICEF, etc.
• Served as Member of the Advisory Board of GERIAP, United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Founder President of the Institute of Management Consultants Bangladesh [IMCB], the
• national forum for the consultants of Bangladesh.
• Trustee of The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes [ICMCI],
the apex body of the consulting institutes worldwide.
• ICMCI representative to ECOSOC, United Nations (UN) for Geneva/Vienna and Asia-
Pacific region.
• Immediate past National Representative for Bangladesh and Member of European
Society for Opinion and Market Research [ESOMAR].
• Member of the American Marketing Association [AMA]
• Widely traveled person and visited more than hundred countries/cities of the world.

19
4.0 Jobs Performed During Internship

While the work performed during this period was particularly glamorous and equally thrilling, true is
that this internship period exposed the author to experiences which have significantly altered the
perception of marketing research and management related issues towards a more real and global holistic
model.

4.1 Duties and Responsibilities

The internship program was started on 23rd March, 2009. The internship was to last for twelve (12)
weeks to three (3) months and as a result my internship came to an end on 14th June, 2009.

In somewhat more concrete terms, SRGB provides the country and the world with timely, scientifically
credible, policy-relevant research answers for decision-making and action planning for development.
While with SRGB, it was involved in a range of different tasks and smaller explorations that
extensively helped learning of the methods of marketing research. The central themes around which
most of the works at SRGB was organized is presented here.

4.2 Completion of the Assignments

Most of the assignments handled were long-term projects that had already been started. Some were in
the beginning phase and some were in their final stages. Some of them are also a type of continuous
research with several waves. The four research studies that were been participated are described here.

4.2.1 Awareness and acceptance of UK Qualification

It was an ongoing project. It therefore made sense to continue doing what the rest of the team was doing
(taking interviews of different types and writing those down). It required all three interns from IBA to
take interviews of different people. At the very beginning tough job of taking face to face interviews
was assigned. Some visits to a private university (BRAC University for this author) and a multinational
(Novartis Bangladesh Limited) helped the job done. Then the qualitative part commenced. A 7 day tour
to Chittagong was made to take the KII of a number of Deans and department heads. The tour was
successful with nice opportunities to learn interview and communication skills. Then again a 5 day tour
to Rajshahi, the land of heat and mango. It was also a very successful tour with acquiring of huge
experiences. Finally different top management personnels from different organizations and universities
like University of Dhaka, International Islamic University Chittagong Dhaka Campus, Square,
Grameenphone, Dhaka Bank, BMET, UGC etc. were interviewed.

20
 4.2.2 Assessment of Grameen Kalyan Clinics

This was a new project altogether. The preparation and translating of questionnaires were taking place.
Tough job of doing most effective translation to Bangla of the English questionnaires were done
effectively.

4.2.3 Global Opinion Poll on Social, Economic and Political Issues 2009, Project Green,
Wave 9

This is a regular project taken by SRGB every year. The author participated in a three day internal
training session to see how the field coordinators trained and assigned their jobs. It is a survey that takes
place throughout Bangladesh. The real world way of survey was learned here.

4.2.4 Mystery Shopping on Banking Products and Service

It was done for HSBC Bank. The author visited GEC and Agrabad branch in Chittagong where he
observed the customer care quality of the branches and wrote a report with assigning points.

4.3 Benefits of the Program

Benefit from the internship programme was more than what was expected in a number of ways:

Having a rare opportunity to use the knowledge and skills that had been acquired back at the institute
to provide critical real world research method information.

Career-wise, the internship programme undoubtedly enriched my curriculum vitae (CV). Also,
having gotten a chance to interact with most staff, it gave an insight on how to shape the career towards
a research job in the near future.

The internship programme gave me a chance not only to work with SRGB but also a chance to learn
from the research experts and consultants.

Working with people from different parts of the world was a rare chance that you can’t easily get
from any other organization in Kenya. Therefore to me this was another opportunity to make friends
and share ideas.

To conclude, the internship at SRGB was a rewarding experience and provided with some new
perspectives that was not came across during studies back at the institute.

21
5.0 Critical Assessment of the Methodology of the Project “Awareness
and Acceptance of UK Qualifications in Bangladesh”

This is the main focus of this report. Methodology is one of the most important part of any research
study. Literally methodology is the way in which the data are collected for the research project.
Methodology can be defined as:
 "the analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a
discipline"
 "the systematic study of methods that are, can be, or have been applied within a
discipline" or
 "a particular procedure or set of procedures."
Selection of methodology mainly depends on the objective of the research, but in real life the objective
comes with different factors and dimensions unlike pure independent research. Here it will be shown
what the methodology for this project was, probable mistakes both in crafting and executing of the
methodology and finally the justification for it.

5.1 Background of the study

This study was taken for British Council, the United Kingdom’s cultural relation’s organization. Here
some important parts of the research will be shown. These will help us understand the requirements and
the goal of this study.

5.1.1 Definition of the Business Problem

The business was defined as – “Although UK qualifications are popular and growing, recognition and
acceptance by employers, government and higher education providers is variable.

We need to be able to:

1. Identify where recognition and acceptance are weak but critical
2. Identify new sectors for growth
3. Review our product portfolio so that it meets market requirements.

5.1.2 Research Objectives

• To ascertain the current level of awareness and acceptance of UK qualifications (school

levels and professional) among the leading Bangladeshi private and public sector
employers and the higher education institutions (both public and private).
• To identify the main reasons for the variable levels of awareness and acceptance.
• Assess the impact of the growth of the private sector and the continued policy of
privatizing of state run assets by the government.
In order to achieve this we would require research to be carried out with:
22
 1. Top 6 public universities.
2. Top 5 private universities.
3. Professional associations
4. Government
5. Private sector
Suggested areas of research:
• Which foreign qualifications are known
• Which foreign qualifications are accepted
• Apart from subject knowledge what skills are essential and how are they currently
assessed
• Reasons for acceptance/non-acceptance
• Number of students from English medium schools applying for places- at private
universities (plus which ones) at public universities and overseas.
• Profile of students following professional/vocational exams – school medium attended
(English/Bangla), reason for doing this rather university course.

5.2 Methodology

After turning the idea into a research question and reviewing any necessary literature, the method of
research must be considered. The methodology selected should be the one that will be the most
effective to collect the data needed to answer the research question or to test the hypothesis. Research
studies may be either quantitative or qualitative, although it is possible to use both approaches in the
same research project and this has been used in this project on UK qualifications.

The choice of research design must be appropriate to the subject under investigation (Patton, 1987). So
it should be investigated that whether a research on education really admits the opportunity of blending
two methodologies.

5.2.1 Criticism on Selection and Implementation of Quantitative Study

In quantitative research the data collected takes the form of measurements or counts which can be
statistically analysed. The process of quantitative research follows standard procedures, methods, forms
of analysis and reporting the results of the research undertaken. This standardisation maximises
objectivity.

Quantitative methods can be used for comparison of subgroups and analysis is generally conducted
through statistics. The method is based on meanings derived from numbers and results are numerical
and standardised data.

23
Quantitative methods use numbers and statistics. General sequence is as follows:
1. Observe/present questionnaire/ask questions with fixed answers
2. Tabulate
3. Summarise data
4. Analyse data
5. Draw conclusions
Quantitative research designs are characterised by the assumption that human behaviour can be
explained by what may be termed "social facts", which can be investigated by methodologies that
utilise "the deductive logic of the natural sciences" (Horna, 1994, p. 121). Quantitative investigations
look for "distinguishing characteristics, elemental properties and empirical boundaries" (p. 121) and
tend to measure "how much", or "how often" (Nau, 1995). They are appropriate to examine the
behavioural component, such as attendance at class.

So, it can be seen that quantitative methodologies do have strengths for becoming appropriate for
educational research like this project on UK qualifications. These may be summarised as follows:
• Quantitative methodologies are appropriate to measure overt behaviour.
• They are also strong in measuring descriptive aspects, such as the composition of the
students.
• Quantitative methodologies allow comparison and replication.
• Reliability and validity may be determined more objectively than qualitative
techniques.
These strengths however, are not the sole prerogative of quantitative designs. Indeed, many of the
arguments for the use of quantitative research, especially in an academic climate where resources are
limited, have pragmatic origins in terms of allowing large scale data collection and analysis at
reasonable cost and effort, as well as providing statistical "proof". So this problem of large scale data
collection could also be proved unwise in this situation. So this shows a negative opinion about the
choice of quantitative methodology for this study.

A further weakness of quantitative approaches lies in their tendencies to take a "snapshot" of a situation,
that is to measure variables at a specific moment in time. Acceptance of UK may be affected by
temporal changes, such as the current image of the country, or the quality of opposition (like USA,
Australia), which cannot always be identified within a single quantitative study.

According to Colon, Taylor, and Willis (2000) qualitative research emphasizes “participant
observation” whereas quantitative methods rely on the “research instrument through which
measurements are made” (p. 2). Weiler (2001) adds that if teachers want “deeper understandings of
their students and their learning,” they will not be able to achieve this through quantitative research--
they will need to be “intimately involved” in the process (p. 415). Qualitative research would provide
this opportunity. As Labuschagne (2003) says, “qualitative data provide depth and detail through direct

24
quotation and careful description of situations, events, interactions and observed behaviours” (p. 1) or
what Jones (1997) describes as “empathetic understanding” (p. 3). Winter (2000) concurs that while
“quantitative research limits itself to what can be measured or quantified,” qualitative research
“attempts to ‘pick up the pieces’ of the unquantifiable, personal, in depth, descriptive and social aspects
of the world” (p. 8). So now it looks like the decision for this project should be more inclined toward
qualitative approach.

5.2.2 Criticism on Selection and Implementation of Qualitative Study (KII and IDI)

Qualitative research offers insights and understandings of participants, which is unobtainable by

quantitative research, but is more than just non-numerical research. It aims to study the subject in their
natural surroundings and to collect naturally occurring, non-biased data. It describes in words, rather
than numbers, the qualities of the subject through observation. Methods of qualitative research include
structured and unstructured interviews, group interviews and focus groups.

Qualitative methods can highlight key themes or patterns emerging in the project, are used to
comprehend and manage data and used to develop and test hypotheses.

Qualitative methods use descriptions and categories. General sequence here is as follows:
1. Observe/ask questions with open-ended answers
2. Record what is said and/or done
3. Interpret
4. Return to observe/ask more questions
5. (recurring cycles of 2-4 iteration)
6. Theorising
7. Draw conclusions
Qualitative research designs are associated with interpretative approaches, from the informants' emic
point of view, rather than etically measuring discrete, observable behaviour. Qualitative methodologies
are strong in those areas that have been identified as potential weaknesses within the quantitative
approach, e.g. the use of interviews and observations to provide a deep, rather than broad, set of
knowledge about a particular phenomenon, and the appropriateness to investigate cognitive and
affective aspects of students. This depth allows the researcher to achieve "Verstehen", or empathetic
"understanding". The concept of Verstehen is the basis for a critique of quantitative research designs,
and their empiricist emphasis. The argument used is that quantitative methods measure human
behaviour "from outside", without accessing the meanings that individuals give to their measurable
behaviour. If, as many authors have suggested, behavior of students contains psychological, as well as
sociological dimensions, then the emphasis should rather be upon gaining an understanding of how the
subjects themselves view their own particular situations. A qualitative research design allows these
understandings to be investigated from the informant’s point of view. So the choice of qualitative
25
research is very appropriate here. Both KII and IDI seem appropriate. The only problem that could be
marked is the number of qualitative interviews for this particular study; it is about around 200, which is
practically most difficult to make possible with effectiveness. Again accumulating such a high number
of interview results to make a summary is also so difficult. But answer could be found on the real world
practice to satisfy customer needs.

5.2.3 Criticism on FGD

By focus group discussions, we refer to a group of 4-12 people brought together to participate in the
discussion of an area of interest. Trained moderators run the discussions, and records are made of the
course of the discussions.

Focus groups, of course, are a popular (some even think too popular) method in marketing research
(Nancarrow, Vir, & Barker, 2005), but they have had a role in serious social science research since the
seminal work of R. K. Merton and P. Lazarsfeld (Hollander, 2004; Morgan, 1988). During the past
decades, they have established their role in sociology and communications research. In recent years,
they have also become increasingly popular in applied fields such as nursing research, urban and
community studies, development studies, and educational research (e.g., Barbour & Kitzinger, 2001;
Gibbs, 1997).

A distinctive feature of focus groups is that they create research data by generating social interaction.
This is done by assembling a group of participants to discuss a specific topic and then observe how the
ensuing discussion evolves (Boddy, 2005). The underlying assumption is that meaning is created in
social interaction (e.g., Wilkinson, 2001). Organized and focused group discussions provide a context
for participants to articulate the meaning of their experiences and elaborate on them in a collective
sensemaking process. Of course, focus groups are also used to obtain individual viewpoints; it is typical
to instruct discussants that the aim is not to reach consensus, but to explore the different viewpoints that
emerge. The method is popular in marketing research because it is a quick and easy way to gain a
wealth of perspectives on a novel or relatively unexplored topic (Threlfall, 1999). By observing,
recording, and analyzing the interaction in the group, researchers can also gain an understanding of how
the participants approach the topic and what kind of language they use to frame the issues. Interaction
also allows participants to pose questions to each other and to redefine their own views as the
discussion evolves.

The result of FGD depends sometimes largely on the skill of the moderator, which is a variable thing. In
this study on awareness and acceptance of UK qualifications it may suffer to this problem due to time
and budget constraints.

26
 5.2.4 A Mixed-Methodology Approach to the Study

Although the use of a single methodology has been advocated by a number of authors, many of the
supporting arguments are decidedly pragmatic, such as time constraints, the need to limit the scope of a
study, and the difficulty of publishing the findings (Creswell, 1994). Here in this study, only time
constraint is the factor which could have been considered for a single methodology approach.

Denzin and Lincoln (1994) write that "objective reality can never be captured" (p. 2). To assume that
even with binocular vision one can "have" all the information, or even "know" what is true is a
dangerous positivistic position. The rub between the two methodologies comes when we analyze the
assumptions behind each one. These are clearly spelled out in detail by Denzin and Lincoln (1994, pp.
4-6) and can be summarized as follows. The differences between quantitative and qualitative research is
that the first is positivist, limiting, unable to capture the subjects' perspective, abstract, and based on flat
descriptions. Qualitative research, the critics claim, tends to be unscientific and based on slipshod
methodologies. It's proponents claim that it offers a postmodern and post-positivist view more in
keeping with prevailing social attitudes. They also claim that such a research method is able to capture
the voices of many and provide what Geertz (1973) called a "thick description" of everyday life.

The crucial aspect in justifying a mixed methodology research design is that both single methodology
approaches (qualitative only and quantitative only) have strengths and weaknesses. The combination of
methodologies, on the other hand, can focus on their relevant strengths. The researcher should aim to
achieve the situation where "blending qualitative and quantitative methods of research can produce a
final product which can highlight the significant contributions of both" (Nau, 1995, p. 1), where
"qualitative data can support and explicate the meaning of quantitative research" (Jayaratne, 1993, p.
117). By adopting the following assumptions, the researcher should ensure that the final product
maximises the strengths of a mixed methods approach. So the research team of SRGB should be given
credit for mixing nicely qualitative and quantitative to get the most out of it if we look over the
difficulty of implementation and greater sample size for its qualitative part.

27
6.0 Conclusion and Recommendation

It can be concluded by raising the voice to show the effectiveness of a research firm SRGB in preparing
research works fairly supported by theory practitioners. Difference between theory and practice is a
very old phenomenon which we can see here too. But it can be concluded easily that though the practice
is not perfectly similar with the suggestions from theory, the practice will work effectively to bring out
the result, which is the goal of all research works.

So it is seen that the period of attachment with SRGB has given the author an utmost opportunity to
understand situations and practical requirements in real life which would have never been possible
without this exposure. It also provide many small and detailed experiences and understandings which is
tough to express in an internship report.

So one should first of all recommend for the necessity of a tough internship program, as it was in
SRGB, for the students to complete the institutional learning process more effectively. Secondly the
internship provider should always try to give important practical tips and shares from practical
experiences. It was available in SRGB, but could have become more.

An orientation program for the internees to make them better understand the practices in real
organizations should be a must everywhere. They may design a training program on this issue.
Otherwise always small mistakes were required to understand and learn which could have been
minimized with a training program.

A rare combination of specialists in the institution and at the organization is not a matter of
recommendation; it is a favor of luck which became very helpful for an interne like the author. The
helpful attitude that was available both from the institutional adviser and organizational supervisor
should be a must part of internship program. Choosing an organizational supervisor from the pool of
alumni of the same institution may had given some extra benefits.

SRGB is a steadily growing company which should now try to make their infrastructure more modern,
human resources more committed, research works more allied with theoretical developments and a
better system to make the implementation of the methodology more effective. Change itself is a power.
A successful style may not work when days have changed. The corporate world in Bangladesh is
becoming bigger, so as the intensity of competition and so as the importance of research. So in the
coming days competition among research firms will become fiercer, SRGB should start taking the
preparation and building it as a strong local brand.

28
Bibliography

Barbour, R. S., & Kitzinger, J. (Eds.). (2001). Developing focus group research: Politics, theory, and
practice. London: Sage.

Colon, B., Taylor, K. A., & Willis, J. (2000). Constructivist instructional design: Creating a multimedia
package for teaching critical qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 5(1-2). Retrieved from
http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR5-1/colon.html

Creswell, J. (1994). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. London: Sage.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Introduction: Entering the field of qualitative research. In N. K.
Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 1-17). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.

Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. New York: Basic Books.

Hollander, J. (2004). The social context of focus groups. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 33(5),
602-637.

Horna, J. (1994). The study of leisure. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jayaratne, T. (1993). Quantitative methodology and feminist research. In M. Hammersley (Ed.), Social
research: Philosophy, politics and practice (pp. 109-123). London: Sage.

Jones, I. (1997). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods in sports fan research. The Qualitative
Report, 3(4). Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3- 4/jones.html

Labuschagne, A. (2003). Qualitative research – airy fairy or fundamental? The Qualitative Report, 8(1),
100-103. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR8-1/labuschagne.pdf

Nancarrow, C., Vir, J., & Barker, A. (2005). Ritzer´s McDonaldisation and applied qualitative
marketing research. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 8(3), 296-311.

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Tool? The Qualitative Report [On-line serial], 2 (3), Available: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR2-
3/nau.html

Patton, M. (1987). How to use qualitative methods in evaluation. London: Sage Publications. Boddy, C.
(2005). A rose by any other name may smell as sweet but “group discussion” is not another name for a
“focus group” nor should it be. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 8(3), 248-255.

Threlfall, K. D. (1999). Using focus groups as a consumer research tool. Journal of Marketing
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Wilkinson, S. (2001). How useful are focus groups in feminist research? In R. S. Barbour & J.
Kitzinger (Eds.), Developing focus group research: Politics, theory, and practice (pp. 64-78). London:
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29
Annexure I: Questionnaire of Key Informant Interview (KII)

srgb
b
Centre For Research &
Management Consulting
SRG Bangladesh Limited
1.1.1.1 House 45, Road 7, Block F, Banani, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh Tel: 9871839,
9871927 Fax: 9871436
E-mail: srgbangladesh@gmail.com, srgb@btcl.net.bd Web Site: http://www.srgb.org

Awareness and Acceptance of UK Qualifications in

Bangladesh
Key Informant Interview (KII) - Top Management
[University/Associations/Government]

I am____________________________ from SRG Bangladesh Limited (SRGB). SRGB is an inde-

pendent and impartial social & marketing research and management consulting firm of
Bangladesh. Currently SRGB is conducting a market research on awareness and accept-
ance of UK qualification in Bangladesh. In this perspective, we have randomly selected you
for an interview. We will research on the opinions provided by you and others. The informa-
tion that you give shall be kept strictly confidential.
Division Code
Rajshahi 1
Khulna 2
Dhaka 3
Chittagon 4
g
Barisal 5
Sylhet 6
Respondents Name ___________________________________________________________

Name of the Institution/Company ______________________________________________

Designation __________________________________ Department________________________

Mobile/Telephone _______________________ Email ______________________________

Institution/Company Address _______________________________________________________

Institution/Company Public Unversity 1 Private University2 Association 3

Government 4 Multinational 5 Local 6

Gender 1Male Female

2
Iterviewer’s Name ____________________________________________________________

Supervisor’s Name ____________________________________________________________

Quality Controllar’s Name ___________________________________________________________

30
Date of Interview _____________________________________________________________

31
 Issues to be Discussed

Objective:
1. To know about acceptance and recognition of UK education in Bangladesh
2. To identify the main reasons for the variable levels of awareness and recognition of
UK qualifications.
3. To assess the impact of the growth of the private sector and the continued policy of
privatizing of state run assets by the government.

Sl Questions
1 Which foreign qualifications are known in Bangladesh?

Which UK qualifications are known in Bangladesh?

2 Which foreign qualifications are accepted?

What are their relative acceptance levels in different categories of organizations such as
private universities, public universities, GoB, multinational companies, national large private
companies, etc?

What are the subject level variations of the acceptance?

What are their relative acceptance levels at your organization or member organizations?

3 Which UK universities are known in Bangladesh?

What are their acceptance levels in general?

What are the subject level variations of the acceptance?

What are their acceptance levels at your organization?

4 Apart from subject knowledge, what skills are essential and how are they currently
assessed?

What are their relative importance or weight levels?

Do you test level of English of your prospective employees? If yes, How?

Do you provide training to improve level of English of your current employees?

If yes, how do you provide the training?

5 What are reasons for acceptance/non-acceptance of foreign qualifications, in general, and

UK qualifications, in particular?

Are their priorities and preferences regarding to local and foreign degrees in different
organizations in Bangladesh?

What are the recruitment policies of your company in terms of

• Education
• Universities
• Degree or subject
• Others

What are the reasons behind those polices?

32
 What are numbers of professionals having degrees from following categories of universities
are working at your company?
• Local
o Private
o Public
• USA
• Australia
• Canada
• UK
• Others

What are company policies regarding professional development of their staff in long term as
well as short term?

What are the areas your organization provides trainings to employees? How are they
delivered?

Are their variations in policies of professional development for staff members having
different categories of degrees?

Would you please comment on the variations in salary/benefit/promotion based on

categories of degrees at your industry level?
• Local university degrees
o Private
o Public
• Foreign degrees and professional qualifications
• UK degrees and professional qualifications

What are their variations at your own company?

6 In general, what are the ratios between students coming from Bangla and English medium
schools applying for private and public universities of Bangladesh, and universities of
overseas countries?

7 What are the profiles of students following professional/vocational exams-school medium

attended (English/Bangla)?

Why are they doing this rather than university course?

8 What are the emerging areas of growth for university education?

How many students will be willing of pursuing studies in these areas in public, private, and
foreign universities?

How many students could be interested for UK universities?

9 Would the market accept vocational award which are tested through locally marked practical
but moderated overseas?

Would these have the same level of acceptance as qualifications tested through formal
exams?

1 How are following factors shaping the demand of education provided by top private, UK, and
0 other foreign universities and professional bodies:
• accessibility
• availability
• variety of degrees
• price competitiveness
• quality

33
 • lead time
• name or
• brand recognition
• Recognition of by prospective employers
• Getting immigration
• Others

1 What are the sectors where recognition and acceptance of UK education is weak, but market
1 opportunities are high and UK universities are capable to serve them?

Why are recognition and acceptance weak?

How should UK universities address them?

What is the attractiveness of UK/foreign university education through local study or couching
centers?

What could be likely public policies shaping delivery of UK/foreign university education
through local study or couching centers?

1
What are the areas of opportunities where UK education and service providers could be
2 competitive?

1 At what level awareness and acceptance are affecting the UK education in Bangladesh?
3
What are the main sources of knowledge to know about UK education?

1 What are the key reasons for the variable levels of awareness and recognition of UK
4 education in different subject areas?

1 What are the opportunities and constraints faced by the private sector education to grow in
5 Bangladesh?

What are policy constraints to improve capacity, quality, and diversity of degrees?

What are relative weights of these constraints?

What are quality levels of private education?

Why are the areas the quality is suffering in private universities?

How is public policy framework forcing private universities to improve quality of education?

What is the role of competition among private universities to improve the quality of
education?

Is the revenue earned by private universities enough to improve quality education to a

satisfactory level?

Is their any development to deal with access to finance issue to make private education
more affordable among top grade students?

What is the acceptance level of qualifications provided by private universities among

• Local private companies
• Multinationals
• Government organizations
• Foreign job markets
• Foreign universities
• Immigration authorities of USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc

34
 Why are the limitations of private universities to improve the quality of education?

How much progress private universities are making to improve the quality of education?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of graduates of top five private universities of
Bangladesh?

How is acceptance level of private university education changing in Bangladesh?

How far is it becoming a substitute to foreign university education?

What are the impacts of the growth of the private sector and the continued policy of
privatizing of state run assets by the government on UK education?

1 What are the opportunities of addressing potential market failures (i.e, imbalance between
6 supply and demand) in providing quality education in the private sector?

How far the imbalance between supply and demand of quality education provided by private
universities?

How far private university management and governance committed to address quality
issues of private university education?

How far universities can mobilize resources to address constraints to quality education?

Is willingness to pay of the society for quality education good enough to finance the delivery
of such education?

How far the public policy can play conducive role to improve the quality?

35
Annexure II: Questionnaire for In-Depth Interview (IDI)

sr
gbb
Centre For Research &
Management Consulting
SRG Bangladesh Limited
1.1.1.2 House 45, Road 7, Block F, Banani, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh Tel: 9871839,
9871927 Fax: 9871436
E-mail: srgbangladesh@gmail.com, srgb@btcl.net.bd Web Site: http://www.srgb.org

Awareness and Acceptance of UK Qualifications in

Bangladesh
In-depth Interview (IDI) – Teachers [Public/Private Universities]
I am____________________________ from SRG Bangladesh Limited (SRGB). SRGB is an inde-
pendent and impartial social & marketing research and management consulting firm of
Bangladesh. Currently SRGB is conducting a market research on awareness and accept-
ance of UK qualification in Bangladesh. In this perspective, we have randomly selected you
for an interview. We will research on the opinions provided by you and others. The informa-
tion that you give shall be kept strictly confidential.
Division Code
Rajshahi 1
Khulna 2
Dhaka 3
Chittagon 4
g
Barisal 5
Sylhet 6
Respondents Name ___________________________________________________________

Name of the University ___________________________________________________________

Designation __________________________________ Department_________________________

Mobile/Telephone ____________________ Email __________________________________

Type of University Public 1 Private 2

Gender Male
1 Female
2

36
Interviewer’s Name ____________________________________________________________

Supervisor’s Name ____________________________________________________________

Quality Controllar’s Name ___________________________________________________________

Date of Interview _____________________________________________________________

37
 Issues to be Discussed
Objective:
4. To know about acceptance and recognition of UK education in Bangladesh
5. To identify the main reasons for the variable levels of awareness and recognition of
UK qualifications.
6. To assess the impact of the growth of the private sector and the continued policy of
privatizing of state run assets by the government.

Note: Private and public universities mean private and public universities of Bangladesh
only

Sl Questions
1 Which foreign qualifications are known in Bangladesh?

Which UK qualifications are known in Bangladesh?

2 Which foreign qualifications are accepted?

What are their relative acceptance levels in different categories of organizations

such as private universities, public universities, GoB, multinational companies,
national large private companies, etc?

What are their relative acceptance levels at your organization?

3 Which UK universities are known in Bangladesh?

What are their acceptance levels in general?

What are their relative acceptance levels at your organization?

4 Apart from subject knowledge, what skills are essential and how are they currently
assessed?
What are their relative importance or weight levels?

5 What are reasons for acceptance/non-acceptance of foreign qualifications, in

general, and UK qualifications, in particular?

Are their priorities and preferences regarding to local and foreign degrees in
different organizations in Bangladesh?

What are the areas employers provide trainings to their employees? How do they
deliver these trainings?

6 In general, what are the ratios between students coming from Bangla and English
medium schools applying for private and public universities of Bangladesh, and
universities of overseas countries?
How is English tested in the admission test by different categories of universities?
7 What are the profile of students following professional/vocational exams-school
medium attended (English/Bangla)?

Why are they doing this rather than university course?

8 What are the emerging areas of growth for university education?

How many students will be willing of pursuing studies in these areas in public,
private, and foreign universities?

38
 How many students could be interested for UK universities?

What are the trends of students studying for foreign qualifications by distance
learning?

9 Would the market accept vocational award which are tested through locally marked
practical but moderated overseas?

Would these have the same level of acceptance as qualifications tested through
formal exams?
1 How are following factors shaping the demand of education provided by top
0 private, UK, and other foreign universities and professional bodies:
• accessibility
• availability
• variety of degrees
• price competitiveness
• quality
• lead time
• name or
• brand recognition
• Recognition of by prospective employers
• Getting immigration
• Others
1 What are the sectors where recognition and acceptance of UK education is weak,
1 but market opportunities are high and UK universities are capable to serve them?

Why are recognition and acceptance weak?

How should UK universities address them?

What is the attractiveness of UK/foreign education through local study or couching

centers?

What could be likely public policies shaping delivery of UK/foreign university

education through local study or couching centers?
1
What are the areas of opportunities where UK education and service providers
2
could be competitive?

1 At what level awareness and acceptance are affecting the UK education in

3 Bangladesh?

What are the main sources of knowledge to know about UK education?

1 What are the key reasons for the variable levels of awareness and recognition of UK
4 education in different subject areas?

1 What are the opportunities and constraints faced by the private sector education to
5 grow in Bangladesh?

What are policy constraints to improve capacity, quality, and diversity of degrees?

What are quality levels of private education?

Why are the areas the quality is suffering in private universities?

How is public policy framework forcing private universities to improve quality of

education?
39
 What is the role of competition among private universities to improve the quality of
education?

Is the revenue earned by private universities enough to improve quality education

to a satisfactory level?

Is their any development to deal with access to finance issue to make private
education more affordable among top grade students?

What is the acceptance level of qualifications provided by private universities

among
• Local private companies
• Multinationals
• Government organizations
• Foreign job markets
• Foreign universities
• Immigration authorities of USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc

Why are the limitations of private universities to improve the quality of education?

How much progress private universities are making to improve the quality of
education?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of graduates of top five private universities
of Bangladesh?

How is acceptance level of private university education changing in Bangladesh?

How far is it becoming a substitute to foreign university education?

What are the impacts of the growth of the private sector and the continued policy
of privatizing of state run assets by the government on UK education?

What are the impacts of the growth of the private sector and the continued policy
of privatizing of state run assets by the government on UK education?

1 What are the opportunities of addressing potential market failures (i.e, imbalance
6 between supply and demand) in providing quality education in the private sector?

How far the imbalance between supply and demand of quality education provided
by private universities?

How far private university management and governance committed to address

quality issues of private university education?

How far universities can mobilize resources to address constraints to quality

education?

Is willingness to pay of the society for quality education good enough to finance the
delivery of such education?

How far the public policy can play conducive role to improve the quality?

40