Business Communication

Which of the following statements best defines primary research?

Primary research is based on firsthand data, such as observations or surveys.

The null hypothesis

_____ states that no relationship or difference will be found in the factors being studied, which tends to remove the element of prejudice toward a certain answer.

Newsom's Department Store wants to discover what customers dislike about their store. They want detailed, in-depth answers and personal contact between the person asking questions and the respondent. Newsom's should use , even though the method is time consuming and resource intensive.

personal interviews

Primary research relies on firsthand data gathering. Some business problems require primary research to identify the most feasible solutions. Understanding primary research methods will help you determine when and whether you need to conduct primary research to gather data on your business problem. 1) When a researcher observes how an individual navigates through a website, it is primary research. 2) When a researcher looks up material using library databases, it is primary research. 3) When a researcher performs an experiment using a product, it is primary research.

1) True 2) False 3) True

Preparing effective reports requires you to understand report classifications and the problem-solving process, to collect valid and reliable secondary or primary data, and to sort and analyze the data appropriately. These problems review the report-writing process. Read the scenario, and then answer the question. Amelia works for a toxic-waste removal and mitigation service company. She receives a request for proposals to clean up toxic waste left by a company in the Nevada desert in the 1950s.

Amelia needs to do research to determine an appropriate cleanup method. Amelia needs a good problem statement.

Surveys are common tools for primary data collection. However, there are several critical factors in conducting successful surveys with valid results. When collecting primary data through surveys, what should you do to produce the best results with a questionnaire? Check all that apply.

Ask questions in a logical sequence, starting with easy questions to put the respondent at ease. Create a cover message to explain what you are looking for and include it at the top of the questionnaire. Write clear questions that will be interpreted in the same way by different respondents.

Interpreting data requires that you remain objective and avoid common data interpretation errors. Read the scenario, and then answer the question. Nancy has prepared a report on retention in her department. Her hypothesis indicated that poor benefits options and outdated technology were driving people to seek employment elsewhere. She hoped to impress her supervisor with her findings. As she researched and put together the report, she conducted a survey. The survey findings indicated that 60 percent of employees were only "slightly dissatisfied" with their benefits. Even more interestingly, 89 percent of the respondents were "very dissatisfied" with the management. Nancy assumes this finding is due to the new, unpopular email policy the boss just implemented. Nancy's report highlights her hypothesis and fails to include the data regarding the employees' dissatisfaction with management. Which of these common errors is described in this scenario?

Assuming a cause-effect relationship when one does not exist in the data

You work for a biofuel company. Your employer asks you to research rutabagas (a large root vegetables in the turnip family) as a possible source for biofuel. You find a news story online from a newspaper based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Herald Times. The news story chronicles how University of Michigan researchers have been investigating rutabagas as a possible source of fuel. The news story refers to a journal article in Bio-Fuels Today, an academic journal. You investigate further and read the Bio-Fuels Today article and a Wikipedia entry on rutabaga use in the biofuel industry. Which of these would be the best source of research for your report?

Bio-Fuels Today because it documents the original study and provides further references

Your company makes specialty chocolates. Your boss asks you to find out about the possibilities of opening a branch location in Pasadena, California. Which secondary sources would you use as you begin your search for information? Check all that apply.

Business & Company Resource Center General BusinessFile ASAP Database

Your boss, the owner of a toy store, loves Japanese puzzles. He asks you to create a report to recommend a new line of Japanese Hanjie (puzzles) that he could import and sell at the store. Some of the last Japanese puzzles he ordered did not sell well, and he does not want to make this mistake again. How should you limit the scope of the problem you are trying to solve? Check all that apply.

Consider puzzle-purchasing trends locally and nationwide. Review Japanese puzzles that sold well in your store.

Shawn Carter's boss asked him to investigate the options for creating a superstore in Brooklyn, New York. Shawn is going to start his research by looking in the Business Source Complete database. What should Shawn do to keep track of his data collection from the Business Source Complete database? Check all that apply.

Copy relevant bibliographic information into a file. Copy and paste relevant abstracts into a file for later use.

Documenting and interpreting information clearly leads to ethical research reporting. To ensure your professional credibility, document all information correctly, and provide interpretations that are objective and unbiased. Documenting your sources can be tedious; however, it leads to accuracy. What are the advantages of proper documentation? Check all that apply.

Documentation aids future researchers pursuing similar material. Documentation supports your statements. Documentation protects against plagiarism charges.

You have collected data to compile a customer satisfaction report for your supervisor. Among the data collected are 213 replies to 12-item questionnaires, the results of two 15-person focus groups, and observations from 45 in-store interviews. Now you need to analyze your data and determine what information will go into your report.

Evaluate the information for its usefulness.

Frank Fellowes, a writer working for Flight Magazine, intended to survey frequent flyers. When he surveyed 200 people at various airline gates, he forgot to ask people whether they fly frequently. Frank's editor asked him to write about frequent flyers. What can Frank do to use his survey material honestly? Check all that apply.

Frank could change the article to focus on general travelers, who are the people he actually surveyed.

Jessica works at a local jewelry store. The store was considering expansion, so Jessica's boss asked her to research expansion opportunities in a neighboring town. Even before beginning to research, Jessica thought the expansion was unlikely to succeed. While researching, Jessica found out that one of the neighboring town's jewelers just retired at age 42. This led Jessica to believe that the jewelry market in that town must have been in trouble. She reported this information to her boss. When her boss did some further research, he found that the recently retired jeweler had won the lottery and decided to quit working, even though the jewelry business was booming. Which of the following are errors that Jessica made? Check all that apply.

Jessica based a conclusion on a lack of evidence. Jessica assumed a cause-effect relationship where none existed. Jessica tried to make results conform to her prediction.

The new intern in your department has been asked to design a survey to collect data on customer preferences. She has not yet studied surveys in school and needs your help understanding them. She asks you to confirm several statements regarding surveys.

Normative surveys can confirm estimates of very large numbers of subjects by sampling, or surveying, a small group of individuals randomly chosen from the larger group. Normative survey research can include opinion surveys, checklists, questionnaires, and interviews.

For their business communications class, Kobe and Astoneia are planning to survey students on campus to see if they like the taste of the coffee in the library coffee shop. Which survey design would be best suited for this project?

Personal interviews

The success of your report is largely influenced by the data's validity and reliability. Which of these statements about the validity and reliability of data collection is true?

Poorly designed survey instruments interfere with the validity and reliability of data.

After defining the problem your report will solve, you should plan how you will conduct research to arrive at a solution. Reports may be based on information and research from primary and secondary sources. As you select a method for your research, you will need to understand the difference between primary and secondary research. Which of these statements accurately describe secondary research? Check all that apply.

Secondary research tells what other people have studied. Report writers, looking at secondary research, can tell what is already known about their report topics. Secondary research may have all the information that is needed to solve a problem.

You work for a small company that sells custom bicycle frames and equipment. The owner is interested in getting into the electric bike market. You have been asked to report on the industry trend to create electric bikes using lightweight lithium-ion batteries. In your report, you include a citation to indicate which research study you used to gather specific data on the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries.

Source notes

The Bernini Brothers Foundation runs a home for retired circus performers. They have always relied on donations from circus personnel, but now they want to start a public fundraising campaign in Miami. The money will be used to build a new wing at the foundation's home community. They hire your consulting firm to evaluate the fundraising opportunities in Miami. Which of the following statements is the hypothesis to be proved or disproved for this study? The hypothesis is a statement to be proved or disproved. In this case, it is whether the population of the Miami area will contribute to the foundation's cause. That Miami residents are generous contributors to homeless shelters may be a finding in the study, but it isn't the hypothesis. The study does not center on who is qualified to live in the home, so even if senior citizens take jobs with the circus to gain a place there, it is not a hypothesis.

The population in the greater Miami area will contribute to the foundation's cause.

Which of the following is an advantage of using personal interviews for data collection?

They are useful for exploring sensitive topics.

Which of the following is an advantage of using telephone surveys for data collection?

They provide inexpensive and rapid data collection.

Which of the following statements is true of formal reports?

They use a writing style that tends to eliminate personal pronouns.

Marshall and Daphne conducted a research project in which they used an e-mail based survey to investigate grocery store customer's use of online grocery shopping apps. They administered this survey to 1000 students living in dormitories at their University and received 690 responses. Which error did Marshall and Daphne commit in regard to their data gathering?

Unrepresentative sample

Reports use various reference tools for the format and content of source notes. Determine which method is described here. Citations appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced.

Works cited or references

Unlike footnotes, an in-text citation:

contains abbreviated information within parentheses.

Reports can be used to solve various problems. Research used in a report can be used to prove or disprove a

hypothesis

A major shortcoming that often occurs in research planning is the failure to establish or to recognize desirable limits. Boundaries imposed outside the control of the researchers are called

limitations

Which of the following is an example of an analytical report?

A feasibility report by consulting firms

Informal Report

A(n) _____ is usually a short message written in natural or personal language.

Words often have more than one meaning. Defining terms clearly will increase the accuracy of your report and your readers' comprehension. Which of the following terms is the clearest and most likely to be understood by the reader of a report?

Employee survey responses

In the body of the report, citations are provided that contain abbreviated source information within parentheses.

In-text parenthetical citations

You work for a mid-sized manufacturing firm which is seeking a new working relationship with a larger company. Your co-worker has been asked to write a proposal to help the firm acquire a project but your coworker is confused as to the difference between a proposal and other types of reports. What information can you provide your co-worker to help them understand the purpose of a proposal?

Internal, informational report

Because there are many different types of reports, all with unique purposes within an organization, it is important to understand the characteristics and functions of reports accurately. Which of these statements about reports are accurate? Check all that apply.

Reports typically travel upward in an organization because they are requested by a higher authority. Reports are generally prepared for a limited audience to view or read.

Experimental research is often used to conduct research. Which of these statements is most characteristic of experimental research?

The experimenter must get informed consent from participants.

Collecting the right data is paramount to the success of a business report. As a professional, you will need to be aware of the techniques that will help you collect both secondary and primary research. Data collection has been simplified and made less time consuming by computer-assisted searches. Which of these are examples of how technology facilitates secondary data collection? Check all that apply.

The relevance of references can be quickly evaluated through online titles and abstracts. Online databases allow you to input key terms to receive output to facilitate research.

Internet resources may be

either credible or not credible

A specific, measurable fact from a research study is considered to be a

findings

Your supervisor asks you to report on how quickly the warehouse responds to online orders. He wants to know exactly how long it takes to log in an order, find the product, package it for shipping, and send it off. What kind of report will you write for your supervisor in this situation? Reports that are inductively organized start with supporting evidence and analysis, gradually showing how the evidence adds up to the main idea. Deductive organization announces the main idea and then adds supporting details

inductively

Sarah's client asks her to conduct research on the effectiveness of radio advertisements. The client wants Sarah to complete the study and submit a final report in two months. In this scenario, the time constraint is an example of a _____.

limitation

Primary research can include observational studies, experimental research, and normative survey research. One way to do an observational study on a new snack food is to

watch people tasting your product