Chapter

3
Research Methodology





CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Framework

3.1.1 Research Objectives

1) To study the present status of MBA programmes in Tamil Nadu

2) To identify the industry expectations on MBA graduates in India.

3) perspective on Management Education n

Tamil Nadu.

4) in Tamil Nadu.

5) To identify the factors facilitating the learning and talent development of

Management students.

6) To understand the methodology adopted by the management students for learning and

acquiring competencies.

7) To use competency mapping as a tool to draw the competency profile of the

management graduates.

8) To develop strategies to make learning and talent fostering practices an effective one.

9) To enhance the quality of Management Education through effective learning and

talent fostering strategies.

3.1.2 Type of Research

The type of study is exploratory research. The study has attempted to explore

competency factors that are required for a MBA student. The study also explores the learning

and talent development practices of MBA students. Competency model is developed by the

researcher through solicited information from experts, extensive literature review and data

collection with a structured questionnaire. The competency model thus developed is

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validated. The study is exploratory in nature as the researcher has tried to draw inferences and

arrive at valid conclusions based on scientific analysis of the collected data.

3.1.3 Research Model

Based on an extensive survey of the literature and solicited views of the experts the

researcher has developed a competency model (Version 1) which is presented in Fig 3.1. The

model is an attempt to understand the how competent the MBA students with respect to the

skills, knowledge and attitude. This model is developed solely for understanding the

competency level of MBA students. Hence the researcher presents the Competency model for

further testing and adoption.

Figure 3.1: Competency Model for MBA students: Version 1

3.1.4 Research Questions

Research questions are broad based inquiries which are framed from the theoretical

and research knowledge of the researcher in the chosen field of study. Based on the literature

review and theoretical insights drawn on the research theme the following research questions

are framed

1) What is the scenario of Management education in India?

2)
3) What are the most significant learning and talent development challenges MBA
students experience?
4) Is there any drastic change in the learning preference of the students over a period of
time?
5) What are the most valuable learning tools for MBA students?

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 6) What do the learners prefer: Active or Passive Learning?
7) The competencies that learners believe which is/are valued in organisations - Are they
changing?
3.1.5 Research Hypotheses

H10 : There is no significant difference between the gender with regard to reasons for
pursuing MBA.
H1a : There is a significant difference between the gender with regard to reasons for
pursuing MBA.
H20 : There is no significant
of B-School
H2a :
B-School
H30 : There is no significant difference between mean rank towards th
of the Faculty members
H3a :
the Faculty members
H40 : There is no significant difference between the factors facilitating the learning &
talent development of MBA Students and the MBA program.
H4a : There is a significant difference between the factors facilitating the learning &
talent development of MBA Students and the MBA program.
H50 : Soft skill competency of MBA students is equal to the average level.
H5a : Soft skill competency of MBA students is not equal to the average level.
H60 : Functional skills competency of MBA students is equal to average level.
H6a : Functional skills competency of MBA students is not equal to average level.
H70 : Competency of Attitude developed by MBA students is equal to average.
H7a : Competency of Attitude developed by MBA students is not equal to average.
H80 : Competency of Knowledge gained by MBA students is equal to average.
H8a : Competency of Knowledge gained by MBA students is not equal to average.
H90 : There is no significant difference between the Competency and specialization of
MBA students.
H9a : There is a significant difference between the Competency and specialization of
MBA students.

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H100 : There is no significant association between the methodology adopted for imparting
soft skills and competency of MBA students.
H10a : There is a significant association between the methodology adopted for imparting
soft skills and competency of MBA students.
H110 : There is no significant association between the methodology adopted for imparting
functional skills and competency of MBA students.
H11a : There is a significant association between the methodology adopted for imparting
functional skills and competency of MBA students.
H120 : There is no significant association between the attitude development during MBA
programme and competency of MBA students.
H12a : There is significant association between the attitude development during MBA
programme and competency of MBA students.
H130 : There is no significant association between the methodology adopted for imparting
knowledge and competency of MBA students.
H13a : There is a significant association between the methodology adopted for imparting
knowledge and competency of MBA students.

3.1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of the research includes the MBA Students and Faculty Members from

different parts of Tamil Nadu. The study considered only full time 2 year MBA programmes.

The other modes of management programmes such as distance MBA, Executive MBA,

PGDBA, PGDM etc were not considered. The institutions such as University Departments,

Government / Aided colleges, Self Financing Colleges and Stand Alone B-Schools are

chosen for this study. This ensures that all the types of institutions are considered for the

study.

This study provides information about competency profile of MBA students with

respect to soft skills, functional skills, attitude and knowledge gained. The information with

respect to the learning and talent development practices of different institutions are covered.

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3.1.7 Limitations of the study

The study is limited to only MBA students from Tamil Nadu and other Indian states

are not considered for this study.

The study is limited to identifying the competencies of MBA students in the four

aspects viz., soft skills, functional skills, attitude development and knowledge gained.

The industry professionals, alumni and the promoters of the b-schools are not roped

in.

During the period of the study there was mushrooming of institutions and effort is

made to identify the correct respondents and data obtained.

3.1.8 Research Plan

Table 3.1: Research Plan aligned with Objectives
Research Objectives Relevant items Research Statistical tools used
in the Question(s)/
questionnaire Hypothesis
To study the present status of Student & Research Question 1 Percentage Analysis
MBA programmes in Tamil Faculty Garret Ranking
Nadu Questionnaire -
Section A & B
To identify the industry Research Question 2 -
expectations on MBA &7
-
graduates in India.

Research Question 4, Percentage Analysis

To study the learning avenues 5& 6. T Test for Equality of
Student
Hypothesis 1 to 3 Means
Questionnaire -
Management Education in Friedman Rank,
Section C
Tamil Nadu. Garret Ranking
ANOVA
Faculty Research Question 4, Percentage Analysis
perspective on Management Questionnaire - 5& 6.
Education Section C
To identify the factors Research Question 3 One Way ANOVA
Student
facilitating the learning and Hypotheses 4 Garret Ranking
Questionnaire -
talent development of
Section C
students.
To understand the Research Question 6 Percentage Analysis
methodology adopted by the Student &7 Correspondence
management students for Questionnaire - Hypotheses 10 to 13 Analysis
learning and acquiring Section C, E
competencies.

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 Research Question 2 One Sample T Test
&7 Confirmatory Factor
Student
Hypotheses 5 to 9 Analysis (CFA)
To use competency mapping Questionnaire -
Multiple Regression
as a tool to draw the Section E
Analysis
competency profile of the Faculty
& SEM - AMOS
management graduates. Questionnaire -
Importance
Section D
Performance
Analysis (IPA)
To develop strategies to make
learning and talent fostering Outcome of the Research work through Findings & Suggestions
practices an effective one.
To enhance the quality of
Management Education
Outcome of the Research work through Findings & Suggestions
through effective learning and
talent fostering strategies.

3.2 Research Design

3.2.1 Research stages

Descriptive research design was applied to study the demographic characteristics of the

respondents and inferential analysis to infer the insights. The study was conceived and

conducted in three stages as indicated below:

Figure 3.2 Stages of the research

To extract the competency factors for the study, the researcher conducted literature

survey and also a preliminary study with experts from Industry and Academics. Based on the

outcome, the two separate questionnaires to elicit the views of MBA students and faculty

were developed which were tested with the pilot study at stage II with 30 respondents each.

The experience of the researcher during the pilot study was useful in fine-tuning the

questionnaires used in the final study in stage III. The details are discussed in the following

sections.

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3.2.1.1 Preliminary study using Delphi Technique

A preliminary study was conducted to find out the competency factors which

contribute to

learning and talent development practices of MBA students. Qualitative study was conducted

with three experts from Industry and two experts from Academics in Tamil Nadu. The

experts were chosen based on their professional experience and knowledge in training and

development. Delphi technique was used to extract information from the experts. As per the

standard procedure of Delphi technique, initial information regarding competency factors and

the learning and talent development practices of MBA students was elicited from the experts.

Then the collected responses were analyzed till identifying common and conflicting

viewpoints. The experts assess the same information again influenced by the opinions of

other experts. Finally the derived valuable inputs from the Delphi process along with

literature survey formed the basis of research objectives, research questions, research

hypothesis and determinants of competency.

Then another study was conducted in Tamil Nadu with 30 MBA students and 30

faculty members to find out their opinion on the competency factors and factors influencing

learning and talent development of students. The MBA students and faculty members were

administered with structured questionnaires (Appendix 1 & 2). The students and faculty

attitude developed and knowledge gained during MBA were obtained. Most of the questions

in this preliminary study were open ended in order to get bias free responses. The following

are the major findings of the preliminary study:

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a. Level of approval for factors facilitating the learning & talent development practices
of MBA students.
The respondents were asked to indicate their level of approval regarding the following

factors which they consider to be most important for their learning and talent development

practices of MBA students. The results are tabulated below.

Table 3.2: Level of approval for factors most important for their learning and talent
development.
Factors Level of Related items
Approval
B-School Culture Medium Meticulous Academic Planning
Proper utilization of time and resources
Faculty thrive towards providing quality education
Institute Alumni Relationship
Institute Industry Networking
Inspire and motivates students to learn new things
Learning Environment High Coaching & Mentoring by Faculty
Faculty Student Interaction & Relationship
Accessibility to Library Resources
Accessibility to Web sources
Faculty with Industry Exposure
Teaching Methodology High Curriculum & Pedagogy
Evaluation Methodology
Providing real time examples & live cases
Use of Technology aids in Teaching
Provide scope for applying the learning
Learning Experience Medium Self Learning
Team Learning
Guest Lecturers by Industry People
Experience Sharing by Alumni
Learning Assessment & Feedback
Talent Development High Training Programs & Workshops
Practices Participation in Management Fest / Business
Contests
Student Clubs & Cells Activities
Planning & Organizing Events
Hand in Hand approach with Industry Partners
Applying Innovative practices

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b. Level of Approval for Competency factors identified for Career Success
The respondents were asked to indicate their level of approval regarding the competency
factors which they consider to be most important for their career. The results are tabulated
below.
Table 3.3: Level of approval for Competency Factors for Career Success
Competency Level of
Related items
Factors Approval
Communication Skills
Problem Solving & Decision Making
Coping with stress
Networking Skills
Soft skills High
Presentation Skills
Leadership Skills
Negotiation Skills
Emotional Intelligence
Computer Skills
Report preparation
Internet & Digital Technologies
Functional Sales & Marketing Skills
High
Skills Knowledge about Products & Services
Strategic Thinking & Operational Planning
Project Management Skills
Analytical Skills
Ability to do things quickly
Willingness to learn new things
Self-Motivated
Result / Goal Orientation
Attitude
Medium Work ethics and values
Developed
Innovative thinking
Openness to Feedback / Criticism
Adaptability/Flexibility
Accepting Responsibility
Basic understanding of Business functioning
Industry Awareness
Business Intelligence & Analytics
Understanding real business problems & offer solutions
Knowledge
High Research Aptitude & Quantitative abilities
Gained
Understanding Organizational Culture
Cross Functional Understanding & Inter linkages
Understanding Consumer dynamics
Understanding the Human aspects of Business

This information available with the researcher from this preliminary study was used

as a basis to develop the questionnaire for the final study. In the final study these competency

factors and their related items identified using the preliminary study, are used.

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3.2.1.2 Research Instrument

Two questionnaires were designed with items measuring the competency of MBA

students which in turn would explore the possibilities of identifying the importance of these

competencies for career and to exactly identify the competency gaps. Hence the research

focuses on suggesting strategies for competency enhancement. Also, it intends to identify the

factors facilitating the learning and talent development and find what do students learn and

how do they acquire competencies.

a. Questionnaire for MBA students

Experts from both academia and the industry were consulted in order to draw the

competency profile of MBA students and get significant items backed by extensive literature

review and industry expectations. The information related to the lear

MBA students with respect to the learning and talent development practices was collected

from the respondents from various B-Schools in Tamil Nadu through the developed

questionnaire. 5 point likert scale was used to rate the competency level of the MBA students.

In addition to this information, demographic details of the respondents were also collected.

The final questionnaire consists of five sections: Section A, B, C, D and E. Section

A consists of basic profile, Section B on MBA Programme related details, Section C consists

of , Section D consists of factors

facilitating the Learning & Talent Development practices and Section E consists of

Competency Profile of MBA students.

b. Questionnaire for MBA Faculty

The information related to the perspective on MBA

with respect to the learning and talent development practices was collected from the faculty

respondents from various B-Schools in Tamil Nadu through the developed questionnaire.

5 point likert scale was used to get the importance scale of the competencies of the MBA

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students. In addition to this information, demographic details of the respondents were also

collected.

The final questionnaire consists of four sections: Section A, B, C and D. Section A

consists of basic profile, Section B on MBA programme related details, Section C consists of

learning avenues & f , Section D consists of Competency Profile

of MBA students.

3.2.2 Pilot study

After the questionnaire for the research was developed, a pilot study was conducted to

check the comprehensibility, ease of understanding and layout. A reference group of 30

members representing the MBA students and faculty each, which represented the sample, was

approached and their responses were recorded by the researcher. Based on the data collection

experience with this group the researcher modified certain ambiguous questions, and it was

modified to eliminate the ambiguity.

A slight sequential ambiguity was also felt by the respondents which were then

rectified to make the questionnaire adaptable for the final survey. The respondents opine that

the layout of the questionnaire was appealing and they were able to fill it without much of

difficulty. It was observed that respondents were enthusiastic in answering specific questions

related to the competency profile.

3.2.2.1 Reliability of the responses

Reliability of a measure is the ability to yield consistent results (Nunnally, 1988).

Several measures of reliability can be ascertained in order to establish the reliability of a

measuring instrument. These include test-retest method, equivalent forms, split-halves

method and internal consistency method.

Of all the above methods, the internal consistency method requires only one

administration and consequently it is supposed to be the most effective, especially in the field

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studies. Internal consistency is the degree of homogeneity among the items that constitute a

measure (Brown, 1970). Moreover, internal consistency method is considered to be the most

general form of reliability estimation (Nunnally, 1988). In this method reliability is

operataionalized as internal consistency, which is the degree of inter-correlations among

items that constitute a scale (Nunnally, 1988).

alpha (Cronbach, 1951). An alpha value of 0.70 and above is considered to be the criteria for

the researcher to determine the reliability of the scales.

the four competency factors and factors facilitating learning and talent development scales

are shown in the following table:

Table 3.4: Reliability Scores

Competency Factors Cronbach Alpha ( )
Soft Skills (8 items) 0.876
Functional Skills (8 items) 0.898
Attitude Developed (9 items) 0.961
Knowledge Gained (9 items) 0.906
Factors facilitating Learning & Talent Development Cronbach Alpha ( )
B-School Culture (6 items) 0.964
Learning Environment (5 items) 0.952
Teaching Methodology (5 items) 0.931
Learning Experience (5 items) 0.968
Talent Development practices ( 6 items) 0.958

All the values exceed the minimum requirements thereby demonstrating that all the four

competency factors identified are internally consistent and have acceptable reliability values.

3.2.2.2 Validity of Responses

a. Content Validity

Content validity is the degree to which elements of an assessment are relevant to and

representatives of the targeted construct for a particular assessment purpose. The importance

of content validity for the validation of target construct varies depending on how precisely the

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construct is defined and the degree to which experts agree about the domain and the facts of

the construct. During initial instrument development stages the experts who were involved

during the Delphi technique were consulted to validate every part of the questionnaire. Over

and above getting the questionnaire validated by MBA students and faculties initial responses

were again validated with experts to ascertain that the responses that are being provided by

respondents are valid and will support analysis during the later part of the research.

b. Construct Validity

Confirmatory factor analysis is used to assess the construct validity of the

questionnaire. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that

assesses competency of MBA students with respect to soft skills, functional skills, attitude

developed and knowledge gained. A careful study of the learning and talent development of

students, a review of the literature on learning and talent development practices, skill

expectations and competency development of MBA students shaped and guided the

development of items on the questionnaires for both student and faculty.

A pilot study was conducted with 30 MBA students and 30 MBA Faculty. The

resultant pilot study yielded the competency profile of MBA students that supported the

theoretical construct of the questionnaire. The internal consistency Cronbach alpha reliability

coefficients were used to analyze the internal consistency reliability of the competency

profile. Further on running exploratory factor analysis in SPSS, the items with factor loading

greater than 0.50 were alone considered and all the items had factor loadings above 0.5 and

are shown in table 3.5. All the factors explain a total variance of more than 70% and the

and is highly significant at 1% level.

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 Table 3.5: Factor Loadings for Competency Factors
(Soft Skills, Functional Skills, Attitude Development and Knowledge Gained)

Factor Factor
Soft Skills Functional Skills
Loadings Loadings
Communication Skills .823 Computer Skills .591
Total Total
Problem solving &
.888 Variance Report preparation .818 Variance
Decision Making
Explained Explained
74.36% Internet & Digital 76.34%
Coping with Stress .848 .945
KMO Technologies KMO
Measure of Sales & Marketing Measure of
Networking Skills .682 .906
Sampling Skills Sampling
Adequacy Knowledge about Adequacy
Presentation Skills .597 0.842 .669 0.862
Products & Services
Bartlett's Bartlett's
Strategic Thinking and
Leadership Skills .821 Test of .947 Test of
Operational Planning
Sphericity Sphericity
<0.001** Project Management <0.001**
Negotiation skills .924 .652
Skills

Emotional Intelligence .668 Analytical Skills .552

Factor Factor
Attitude Development Knowledge Gained
Loadings Loadings
Ability to do things Basic understanding of
.786 .881
quickly Business functioning
Willingness to learn
.926 Industry Awareness .792
new things Total Total
Variance Business Intelligence & Variance
Self-Motivated .905 Explained .715 Explained
Analytics
76.62% Understanding real 71.65%
Result / Goal KMO KMO
.819 business problems & .929
Orientation Measure of Measure of
offer solutions
Sampling Sampling
Adequacy Research Aptitude & Adequacy
Ethical behaviour .908 .730
0.915 Quantitative abilities 0.890
Bartlett's Understanding Bartlett's
Innovative thinking .750 .834
Test of Organizational Culture Test of
Sphericity Cross Functional Sphericity
Openness to Feedback <0.001** <0.001**
.945 understanding and .654
/ Criticism
Interlink ages
Understanding
Adaptability/Flexibility .888 .730
Consumer dynamics
Understanding the
Accepting
.927 Human aspects of .737
Responsibility
Business
(** denote Highly Significant at 1% level)

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 Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using AMOS to examine the construct

validity of the competency profile. To test how adequately the hypothesized four competency

models for soft skills, functional skills, attitude, knowledge and overall competency model

fitted the sample data, the confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the 34 observed

items of the questionnaire.

Table 3.6: Model Fit Indices

Model Fit Index Soft Skills Functional Attitude Knowledge Overall
Skills Developed Gained Competency
GFI 0.975 0.916 0.954 0.961 0.964
NFI 0.982 0.932 0.981 0.969 0.958
CFI 0.983 0.932 0.981 0.969 0.958
RMR 0.046 0.047 0.044 0.050 0.048
RMSEA 0.045 0.039 0.034 0.030 0.040

From the above table it is clear that the goodness-of-fit indices for all the models

namely GFI, NFI, CFI were exceeding the criteria of .90. The "fare" indices RMR, RMSEA

were meeting the criteria of below 0.05. The results indicated that the model adequately fitted

the sample data. The results indicated that the items clearly defined the four constructs of the

Competency model i.e. soft skills, functional skills, attitude and knowledge. This study

suggests that the Competency Model is theoretically sound and well supported measure that

can be used to assess the competencies of MBA students.

3.2.3 Final Study

3.2.3.1 Sample Design

The population for this study consists of the MBA students and faculty in Tamil Nadu. The

sample frame consists of respondents who pursued their MBA during the study period 2011

to 2015. As far as the sample size is concerned, the following formula for sample size (n) and

correction formula for finite population was used.

&

(Source: Kothari, 2004)

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Where in,
n=sample size and N = population
Z = the value of standard variate at a given confidence level. In this case for a

confidence level of 95%, Z value is found to be 1.96 for 95% confidence level).

p = Sample proportion expressed as decimal (0.5) is used by the researcher in which

q = 1-p

c = Confidence interval, expressed as decimal (e.g., .04 = ±4)

The sample size for the given population was found to be 595 at 95% confidence level

and 0.04 confidence interval. The questionnaires were distributed across various B-Schools in

Tamil Nadu. Stratified random sampling method was used to choose the student respondents

for the study. Convenience sampling method is used for selecting faculty respondents. The

sample size was distributed among the different B-Schools proportionately based on the

population as given below.

Table 3.7: Sample Distribution

N
Proportionate
Population of
Strata (nh) Random Sample
MBA Students*
(nh=nh/N*n)
(Strata wise)
University Department (n1) 6000 52
Standalone B-School (n2) 14200 123
Government / Govt Aided Colleges (n3) 720 6
Self-financing colleges (n4) 47770 414
68690 n= 595
*Obtained from AICTE approved list of Institutions & University Websites.
n1, n2, n3 and n4 represent sample size for each stratum.
N represents population.
n represents sample size.

The sample size of 100 was decided for the faculty respondents in the study. Hence,

the total sample size of 695, with 595 MBA students and 100 faculty members were selected

for the study.

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3.2.3.2 Data Collection Methods

In this study both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data was collected

using a structured questionnaire from MBA students and faculty members. Secondary data

was collected from different sources which include research papers, magazines, research

reports, websites, Government sources and Newspapers.

The data collection method employed for collecting primary data in this study is done

both online and offline. The data collection through online is done by using mails and Google

forms. Offline data collection is done through personal visit and by posts to various

institutions in Tamil Nadu with a structured questionnaire. Responses were provided by the

respondents through the questionnaire. Researcher clarified the doubts raised by the

respondents through mail and over phone.

3.2.3.3 Statistical tools used for analysis

T-

Ranking and one way ANOVA were used in the study. Delphi technique was used as a tool

for generating preliminary information on competency factors and factors facilitating learning

and talent development practices of MBA students from the experts.

Consolidation of the data and statistical analysis were done using SPSS Statistical

package (Version 18) and AMOS (Version 20) was used for testing and validating the

competency model. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using AMOS and Exploratory

Factor Analysis using SPSS were employed in the pilot study stage to assess the construct

validity of the questionnaire.

Correspondence analysis is used to identify the association between the pedagogy for

imparting competencies and the competency level of MBA students. Further, the regression

analysis helps the researcher to find out the extent of influence of independent variables

(Factors influencing soft skills, functional skills, attitude and knowledge) on the dependent

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variable (Competency of MBA Student). Based on the outcome of these tests, competency

model of MBA students was conceptualized and validated using SEM (Structural Equation

Modeling).

Finally, Importance Performance Analysis or Quadrant Analysis was used to plot the

competencies of the MBA students on four quadrants to compare the importance scores given

by the Faculty and competency scores of MBA students.

The results and findings derived from implementing these statistical tools are reported

and discussed in the ensuing chapters.

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