Page 89 - DMGT404 RESEARCH_METHODOLOGY

Unit 5: Measurement and Scaling Techniques

"How old are you"? This is an example of a nominal scale. Notes
"What is your PAN Card number?
Arranging the books in the library, subject wise, author wise - we use nominal scale.

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Caution It should be kept in mind that nominal scale has certain limitation, viz.
1. There is no rank ordering.
2. No mathematical operation is possible.
3. Statistical implication - Calculation of the standard deviation and the mean is not
possible. It is possible to express the mode.

5.1.2 Ordinal Scale (Ranking Scale)

The ordinal scale is used for ranking in most market research studies. Ordinal scales are used to
ascertain the consumer perceptions, preferences, etc. For example, the respondents may be
given a list of brands which may be suitable and were asked to rank on the basis of ordinal scale:
1. Lux
2. Liril
3. Cinthol
4. Lifebuoy
5. Hamam
Rank Item Number of respondents
I Cinthol 150
II Liril 300
III Hamam 250
IV Lux 200
V Lifebuoy 100
Total 1,000

In the above example, II is mode and III is median.
Statistical implications: It is possible to calculate the mode and the median.
In market research, we often ask the respondents to rank the items, like for example, "A soft
drink, based upon flavour or colour". In such a case, the ordinal scale is used. Ordinal scale is a
ranking scale.
Rank the following attributes of 1-5 scale according to the importance in the microwave oven:
Attributes Rank
A) Company Image 5
B) Functions 3
C) Price 2
D) Comfort 1
E) Design 4

Ordinal scale is used to arrange things in order. In qualitative researches, rank ordering is used
to rank characteristics units from the highest to the lowest.

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