DBA Doctor of Business Administration 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which statistical test is most appropriate for examining the relationship between two continuous variables?
- Chi-square test
- Pearson correlation coefficient (Correct answer)
- Mann-Whitney U test
- ANOVA
Correct answer: Pearson correlation coefficient
Pearson's r measures the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two continuous, normally distributed variables.
Question 2: In innovation management, what distinguishes 'disruptive innovation' from 'sustaining innovation'?
- Disruptive innovation improves performance on attributes mainstream customers value
- Disruptive innovation initially targets overlooked segments and later displaces incumbents (Correct answer)
- Sustaining innovation creates entirely new markets from scratch
- Disruptive innovation always originates from startups, never incumbents
Correct answer: Disruptive innovation initially targets overlooked segments and later displaces incumbents
Christensen's disruptive innovation theory describes how simpler, more affordable products first serve low-end or new markets before eventually redefining mainstream markets.
Question 3: Which ethical framework judges the morality of an action solely by its consequences?
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
- Consequentialism (Correct answer)
- Social contract theory
Correct answer: Consequentialism
Consequentialism (including utilitarianism) holds that an action is morally right if it produces the best overall outcome or greatest good for the greatest number.
Question 4: A company using a 'cost leadership' strategy according to Porter's Generic Strategies aims to:
- Charge premium prices for differentiated products
- Serve a narrow market segment with specialized offerings
- Be the lowest-cost producer in the industry (Correct answer)
- Maximize product features at any cost
Correct answer: Be the lowest-cost producer in the industry
Cost leadership involves achieving the lowest cost structure in the industry, allowing a firm to compete on price or earn higher margins at market prices.
Question 5: In human resource management, 'talent management' primarily refers to:
- Compliance with labor regulations and benefits administration
- Attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining high-potential employees (Correct answer)
- Automating HR processes through enterprise software
- Setting executive compensation benchmarks
Correct answer: Attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining high-potential employees
Talent management is a strategic approach to identifying, developing, and retaining employees who are critical to organizational success.
Question 6: The 'Triple Bottom Line' framework in corporate sustainability measures performance across which three dimensions?
- Cost, quality, and delivery
- People, planet, and profit (Correct answer)
- Innovation, efficiency, and growth
- Risk, return, and liquidity
Correct answer: People, planet, and profit
The Triple Bottom Line (Elkington) expands business success measurement beyond profit to include social (people) and environmental (planet) performance.
Question 7: In quantitative research, 'internal validity' is most threatened by which of the following?
- Small sample size reducing statistical power
- Uncontrolled confounding variables affecting outcomes (Correct answer)
- Non-probability sampling limiting generalizability
- Measurement scales with insufficient response options
Correct answer: Uncontrolled confounding variables affecting outcomes
Internal validity is compromised when extraneous variables, rather than the independent variable, explain changes in the dependent variable.
Which statistical test is most appropriate for examining the relationship between two continuous variables?