Business Research Methods, 13e (Schindler) Chapter 3 Stage 1: Clarify the Research Question

2) What is the first step in conducting a literature search? A) Define the management dilemma, research question, and investigative questions B) Identify key terms, people, or events C) Search indexes, bibliographies, and the Web D) Locate and review secondary sources E) Evaluate the value and credibility of secondary sources

A) Define the management dilemma, research question, and investigative questions

22) Which of the following is the first step in an exploratory study? A) Define the management question. B) Choose a target population. C) Interview an expert. D) Conduct a literature search. E) Write measurement questions.

A) Define the management question.

9) Timothy wants to identify and locate books and journal articles from a large set. What type of information source should he use? A) Index B) Bibliography C) Encyclopedia D) Handbook E) Dictionary

A) Index

11) Which of the following is not included in a good handbook? A) Statistics B) Directory information C) A glossary of terms D) Lists of consultants in the field E) References

A) Statistics

23) Maurice is beginning a new research project. As he begins exploration, Maurice will most likely begin with ________. A) a literature search B) an expert interview C) designing a survey D) preparing measurement questions E) brainstorming

A) a literature search

44) A management question asks "Should we hire a search firm to fill our engineering positions or conduct the search ourselves?" This is an example of a(n) ________ type of management question. A) evaluation of solution B) choice of purpose or objectives C) troubleshooting D) Control E) None of the above is correct.

A) evaluation of solution

33) Bank Choice is concerned about stagnating profits and asks, "How can profitability be improved?" This is an example of a(n) ________. A) management question B) research question C) investigative question D) measurement question E) management dilemma

A) management question

14) When researchers consider the explicit or hidden agenda of an information source, the source's ________ is under evaluation. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

A) purpose

39) In evaluating a secondary source, identifying the ________ allows you to identify any hidden agenda that might bias the information in that source. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

A) purpose

Micah is reviewing encyclopedia entries, textbooks, handbooks, and magazine and newspaper articles to gather information for her project. These are all examples of ________ sources of information. A) secondary B) primary C) tertiary D) statistical E) external

A) secondary

1) Which of the following is not a type of secondary sources used during the exploratory phase of the research process? A) Research studies B) Group discussions C) Case studies D) Books E) Information from organization's database

B) Group discussions

3) ________ are original works of research or raw data without interpretation that represent an official opinion or position. A) Secondary sources B) Primary sources C) Statistical sources D) Bibliographies E) Indexes

B) Primary sources

20) For an organization, which of the following is not an example of an internal source of secondary data? A) The data stored in the records of the company's management information system B) Surveys collected by the internal sales staff, from the company's distributors C) A market survey commissioned by the organization, completed three years ago D) Inventory records of the materials department

B) Surveys collected by the internal sales staff, from the company's distributors

31) Which of the following questions is considered when determining investigative questions? A) How can management eliminate negative symptoms? B) What does the manager need to know to choose the best alternative from the available sources of action? C) What is the recommended course of action? D) What symptoms cause management concern? E) What should be asked or observed to obtain the information the manager needs?

B) What does the manager need to know to choose the best alternative from the available sources of action?

43) A management question asks, "Should we be developing products for millennials?" This is an example of a(n) ________ type of management question. A) evaluation of solution B) choice of purpose or objectives C) troubleshooting D) Control E) None of the above is correct.

B) choice of purpose or objectives

46) In determining whether a considered research project has value, you develop decision criteria and a decision rule to consider plausible actions. You are A) conducting an ex post facto evaluation. B) conducting an option analysis. C) conducting an exploration strategy. D) evaluating the scope of the project. E) None of the above is correct.

B) conducting an option analysis.

29) The process of stating the basic dilemma and then developing other questions by progressively breaking down the original question into more specific ones is called the ________. A) research question B) management-research-question hierarchy C) management dilemma D) management question E) investigative question

B) management-research-question hierarchy

16) When evaluating an information source, the time period and geographic limitations are considered as part of the ________ factor. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

B) scope

41) In evaluating a secondary source, identifying the ________ allows you to evaluate the age of the data and its comprehensiveness on the topic. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

B) scope

21) Data originating from studies that are conducted by others and for a different purpose than the one for which the data are being reviewed are called ________ data. A) primary B) secondary C) quantitative D) statistical E) descriptive

B) secondary

50) A manager adjusts her operating budget in order to fund a research project for her business unit. This is an example of ________ budgeting? A) ex post facto B) task C) functional area D) ad hoc E) None of the above is true.

B) task

28) The problem or opportunity that requires a business decision is called the ________. A) research question B) management-research-question hierarchy C) management dilemma D) management question E) investigative question

C) management dilemma

18) Suppose you were starting a research study based upon secondary sources about the use of computers for educational purposes in colleges. You should probably begin by doing which of the following? A) Check your library's online catalog of books. B) Search Amazon.com for new publications on this topic. C) Check several bibliographic indexes. D) Since this is a technology area, consult the appropriate Doctoral Dissertation Abstracts bulletins. E) Consult a government documents research librarian.

C) Check several bibliographic indexes.

7) Which information source may be interpretations of a secondary source but is generally represented by indexes, bibliographies, and Internet search engines? A) Secondary B) Primary C) Tertiary D) Statistical E) External

C) Tertiary

19) Which of the following is not a good reason for using secondary data? A) Data on the past cannot be collected today. B) Even if the definitions of variables being studied are not the same, research can be modified according to secondary data available. C) The time involved in primary data collection may render the study obsolete. D) Authentic data required may already have been collected by other agencies.

C) The time involved in primary data collection may render the study obsolete.

40) In evaluating a secondary source, identifying the ________ allows you to verify the credibility of the author of the source. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

C) authority

13) All of the following are factors are useful in evaluating a source except ________. A) purpose B) scope C) cost D) authority E) audience

C) cost

49) In order to get research funded, a manager must present his idea for a research project and argue its merits for company profits to the head of an in-house research department, who decides which research gets funding. This is an example of ________ budgeting? A) ex post facto B) task C) functional area D) ad hoc E) None of the above is true.

C) functional area

34) Questions that the researcher must answer to satisfactorily arrive at a conclusion about the research question are called ________ questions. A) management B) research C) investigative D) measurement E) hypothetical

C) investigative

26) Elizabeth has just been named project leader on a research project about perceptions of bar soap and body wash. To gain background information, Elizabeth searched for articles about consumer responses to body cleansing products using an online database. In this situation, Elizabeth relied on ________ data. A) news B) reference C) secondary D) primary E) pilot

C) secondary

24) A management question asks "Why is product A's sales below projections?" This is an example of a(n) ________ type of management question. A) evaluation of solution B) choice of purpose or objectives C) troubleshooting D) Control E) None of the above is correct.

D) Control

5) All of the following are examples of primary sources of information except ________. A) memos B) letters C) transcripts of speeches D) Google searches E) economic data

D) Google searches

15) All of following address the authority of a source except for which question? A) What are the credentials of the author or institution? B) What is the reputation of the sponsoring organization? C) Does the source give you a means of contacting anyone for further information? D) How old is the information? E) If facts are supplied, where do they come from?

D) How old is the information?

10) Which of the following is a reason researchers use encyclopedias? A) To verify spelling B) To find authors and titles of prior works C) To locate articles from a large set D) To find historical information E) All of the above are correct.

D) To find historical information

30) Which of the following questions is considered when discussing the management dilemma? A) How can management eliminate negative symptoms? B) What does the manager need to know to choose the best alternative from the available sources of action? C) What is the recommended course of action? D) What symptoms cause management concern? E) What should be asked or observed to obtain the information the manager needs?

D) What symptoms cause management concern?

17) In Nicolas Perricone's first book, his affiliation with the Yale School of Dermatology was identified on the front cover of the book. This enhanced the perceived credibility of the information in the book using the ________ factor. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

D) audience

42) In evaluating a secondary source, identifying the ________ allows you to evaluate the degree to which the data might suit your necessary level of knowledge or expertise. A) purpose B) scope C) authority D) audience E) format

D) audience

48) "Choose the option that appeals to the widest range of people based on age and that favors current packaging materials, while offering the best opportunity to increase profits." This is an example of a(n) ________. A) option analysis B) ex post facto evaluation C) decision variable D) decision rule E) management question

D) decision rule

35) The actual questions that researchers use to collect data in a study are called ________ questions. A) management B) dilemma C) investigative D) measurement E) survey

D) measurement

36) Measurement questions are questions posed to ________. A) managers B) researchers C) field workers D) study participants E) pollsters

D) study participants

54) Exploration strategy methods exclude ________. A) examination of company annual reports B) examination of digital company records C) interviews with company decision makers D) surveys of customers E) All of the above are appropriate exploration strategy methods.

E) All of the above are appropriate exploration strategy methods.

47) Which of the following is a decision variable? A) person's ice cream flavor preference B) person's preferred brand of ice cream C) person's preferred ice cream packaging D) person's age E) All of the above are correct.

E) All of the above are correct.

51) What aspect of the research process is affected by the exploration phase? A) Research design B) Research proposal C) Investigative questions D) Measurement questions E) All of the above are correct.

E) All of the above are correct.

53) Through exploration, researchers can ________. A) establish priorities for dilemmas and problems to be addressed B) develop hypotheses C) gather background information on the topics in order to refine the research question D) identify information that should be gathered to formulate investigative questions E) All of the above are correct.

E) All of the above are correct.

25) Which term below refers to an electronic storehouse where vast arrays of collected, integrated data are organized to facilitate retrieval and interpretation by end users? A) Data record B) Data mart C) Decision support system D) Decision assessment system E) Data warehouse

E) Data warehouse

8) A Google search can be classified as which type of information source? A) Secondary B) Primary C) Tertiary D) Statistical E) External

E) External

38) Which of the following is not an objective of exploratory research? A) Expand understanding of management dilemma. B) Gather information to refine the research question(s). C) Identify possible sample frames. D) Gather information to formulate investigative questions. E) Finalize measurement questions.

E) Finalize measurement questions.

4) Which of the following is an example of a primary source of information? A) Census data B) Newspaper articles C) Encyclopedias D) Google searches E) Internal sales reports

E) Internal sales reports

32) Which of the following questions is considered when developing measurement questions? A) How can management eliminate negative symptoms? B) What does the manager need to know to choose the best alternative from the available sources of action? C) What is the recommended course of action? D) What symptoms cause management concern? E) What should be asked or observed to obtain the information the manager needs?

E) What should be asked or observed to obtain the information the manager needs?

37) A researcher uses an expert interview when he or she wants ________. A) to better understand a management dilemma or management problem B) to identify possible research questions C) to define management questions D) to finalize measurement questions E) all of these except "to finalize measurement questions"

E) all of these except "to finalize measurement questions"

12) Contact information for professional organizations and companies in a field may be located in a(n) ________. A) index B) bibliography C) handbook D) dictionary E) directory

E) directory

45) During exploration you conduct an expert interview. The transcript of that interview is part of your literature search.

FALSE