Question

Many were concerned about the operations of world famous bank BCCI. If a researcher has desired to probe into details, would this investigation be

1.A causal or a correlational study? Why?

2.Is this an exploratory, descriptive or hypothesis testing study or case study? Why?

3.Would this be a field study, lab experiment or field experiment? Why?

4.Would this be a cross-sectional or a longitudinal study? Why?

•

Answer 1

Following are your answers with the explanations of reasons:

Answer 1. If a researcher wants to probe into the details of BCCI bank case, then it would be a correlational study. A causal study would require the investigation of a cause-effect relationship between variables, which can be done via adding some controls in an experimental environment. An experiment or controlled study cannot be conducted in the BCCI case that has already happened and closed. On the other hand, a correlational study investigates the correlation between variables within a group, unlike a causal study where two groups are compared. The BCCI case is about a global Ponzi scam that was operated by a large group of scammers. It cannot be setup as an experiment.

Answer 2. It is an exploratory study, as the researcher does not know much about the situation at hand. There is extensive prelim work required to be familiar with the situational factors and the characteristics of the phenomena that occurred. An exploratory study helps in comprehending a problem’s nature and advancing knowledge by building on theory. In the BCCI bank case, it can be a pilot study on a small scale, where limited occurrences can be studied or limited people can be interviewed to gather information. This cannot be a case study, as that would require a deeper analysis of situations that relate to matching situations in other banks. Such a scenario is not possible in a case of global scam.

Answer 3. As mentioned above, the BCCI case cannot be set up as an experimental situation. Thus, it is not possible here to conduct a lab experiment or field experiment. It will be a field study, because the researcher will have to rely on available literature and experience surveys as methods to explore the problem at hand.

Answer 4. While the cross-sectional study records information at one point in time, the longitudinal study does the same over a long period of time. In the BCCI bank case, it will be a cross-sectional study that will allow the comparisons of many variables at a single point in time. There are no subjects or effects of the BCCI operations that have to be studied over the years.