One of the problems in developing rating scales is the choice of response terms to use. Below are samples of some widely used scaling responses. Do you see any problem with them?
> Following the collapse of the dot-coms in 2000, the Fortune magazine annual list of the 40 richest self-made Americans under the age of 40 revealed some interesting changes. (See table on page 528 and 529) a) Devise a grouping variable to classify the co
> Employers, military, and colleges use aptitude tests to predict how well someone might perform. Recently, critics have said there isn’t much difference in performance above a certain level—that everyone is more or less the same. Now, in a current issue o
> Secure Spearman rank-order correlations for the largest Pearson coefficient in the matrix from question 9. Explain the differences between the two findings.
> Using the following data, X Y 3 6 6 10 9 15 12 24 15 21 18 20 a. Create a scatterplot. b. Find the least-squares line. c. Plot the line on the diagram. d. Predict: Y if X is 10 Y if X is 17.
> A research team conducted a study of soft-drink preferences among residents in a test market prior to an advertising campaign for a new cola product. Of the participants, 130 are teenagers and 130 are adults. The researchers secured the following result
> Using the table data in question 3, compute Somers’s d symmetric and then use opinion as the dependent variable. Decide which approach is best for reporting the decision.
> A polling organization collected data on a sample of 60 registered voters regarding a tax on the market value of equity transactions as one remedy for the budget deficit.
> A researcher for an auto manufacturer is examining preferences for styling features on larger sedans. Buyers were classified as “first time” and “repeat,” resulting in the following table. (The data are shown on page 529) a) Test the hypothesis that buyi
> Describe the relationship between the two variables in the four plots.
> Distinguish between the following: a. Regression coefficient and correlation coefficient. b. r = and ρ = . c. The test of the true slope, the test of the intercept, and r² = . d. r² and r. e. A slope of . f. F and t².
> A computer manufacturer is introducing a new product specifically targeted at the home market and wishes to compare the effectiveness of three sales strategies: computer stores, home electronics stores, and department stores. Numbers of sales by 15 sales
> One-Koat Paint Company has developed a new type of porch paint that it hopes will be the most durable on the market. The R & D group tests the new product against the two leading competing products by using a machine that scrubs until it wears through th
> You do a survey of business students and liberal arts school students to find out how many times a week they read a daily newspaper. In each group, you interview 100 students. You find the following:
> A random sample of students is interviewed to determine if there is an association between class and attitude toward corporations. With the following results, test the hypothesis that there is no difference among students on this attitude. Favorable N
> You contact a random sample of 36 graduates of Western University and learn that their starting salaries averaged $28,000 last year. You then contact a random sample of 40 graduates from Eastern University and find that their average starting salary was
> You are curious about whether the professors and students at your school are of different political persuasions, so you take a sample of 20 professors and 20 students drawn randomly from each population. You find that 10 professors say they are conservat
> You conduct a survey of a sample of 25 members of this year’s graduating business students and find that the average GPA is 3.2. The standard deviation of the sample is 0.4. Over the last 10 years, the average GPA has been 3.0. Is the GPA of this year’s
> What hypothesis testing procedure would you use in the following situations? a) A test classifies applicants as accepted or rejected. On the basis of data on 200 applicants, we test the hypothesis that ad placement success is not related to gender. b) A
> The Casey Anthony murder trial garnered headlines around the world, not just for the gavel-to-gavel news coverage it received but for the ‘not guilty’ verdict on murder for the death of her daughter, Caylee. Casey was also found not guilty on aggravated
> Suggest situations where the researcher should be more concerned with Type II error than with Type I error. a) How can the probability of a Type I error be reduced? A Type II error? b) How does practical significance differ from statistical significance?
> Describe the assumptions for ANOVA, and explain how they may be diagnosed.
> In analysis of variance, what is the purpose of the mean square between and the mean square within? If the null hypothesis is accepted, what do these qualities look like?
> Summarize the steps of hypothesis testing. What is the virtue of this procedure?
> Distinguish between the following: a) Parametric tests and nonparametric tests b) Type I error and Type II error c) Null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. d) Acceptance region and rejection region. e) One-tailed tests and two-tailed tests. f) Type I
> In your company’s management development program, there was a heated discussion between some people who claimed, “Theory is impractical and thus no good,” and others who claimed, “Good theory is the most practical approach to problems.” What position wou
> Researchers seek causal relationships by either experimental or ex post facto research designs. (a) In what ways are these two approaches similar? (b) In what ways are they different?
> Why not use more control variables, rather than depend on randomization as the means of controlling extraneous variables?
> Using yourself as the subject, give an example of each of the following asymmetrical relationships: 1. Stimulus-response 2. Property-disposition 3. Disposition-behavior 4. Property-behavior
> Establishing causality is difficult, whether conclusions have been derived inductively or deductively. (a) Explain and elaborate on the implications of this statement. (b) Why is ascribing causality more difficult when conclusions have been reached throu
> At an Apple press event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the iPad, a new mobile device that is a half-inch thin and weighs 1.5 pounds; plays movies, music, and TV shows; and acts as an e-reader. It is powered with a 1-GHz Apple chip and comes with Wi-Fi a
> A new hire at Mobile Oil, you are asked to assume the management of the Mobile Restaurant Guide. Each restaurant striving to be included in the guide needs to be evaluated. Only a select few restaurants may earn the five-star status. What dimensions woul
> Walmart recently asked Mondelez, owner of Oreos, to bring back a new-and-improved version of its 1990s cereal Oreo O’s. By studying social media comments, Walmart discovered a preference for cereal to address late-night snacking. What should Walmart meas
> One of Kraft’s hallmark brands is Jell-O. During May 2009, the Jell-O Sugar Free Pudding cups line was getting a makeover with the introduction of two new flavors: Boston Cream Pie and Cinnamon Roll. a. What survey research would you have done to determi
> Discount department store Kohl’s recently announced its customers would “have a new easy, secure and private way to pay in stores with the rollout of Apple Pay, as well as the ability to use Apple Pay within the Kohl’s app. Kohl’s customers will also be
> An article posted by AdAge Media News on June 18, 2012 revealed that “a study commissioned by the Online Publishers Association found that 54 percent of tablet users prefer free, ad-supported apps over paid ones, up from 40 percent a year ago. At the sam
> Use the data in Exhibit 13-11 to construct a stem-and-leaf display. a) Where do you find the main body of the distribution? b) How many values reside outside the inner fence(s)?
> A local health agency is experimenting with two appeal letters, A and B, with which to raise funds. It sends out 400 of the A appeal and 400 of the B appeal (each subsample is divided equally among working-class and middle-class neighborhoods). The solic
> In a class project, students developed a brief self-administered questionnaire by which they might quickly evaluate a professor. One student submitted the following instrument. Evaluate the questions asked and the format of the instrument.
> A problem facing shoe store managers is that many shoes eventually must be sold at markdown prices. This prompts a manufacturer to conduct a mail survey of shoe store managers in which we ask, what methods have you found most successful for reducing the
> You study the attrition of entering college freshmen (those students who enter college as freshmen but don’t stay to graduate.). You find the following relationships between attrition, aid, and distance of home from college. What is your interpretation?
> You are preparing to give a research presentation about the effectiveness of Toyota’s advertising to restore public confidence in the wake of their delays in solving the accelerator pedal malfunction and antilock braking problems for high-tech hybrid veh
> Suppose you were preparing two-way tables of percentages for the following pairs of variables. How would you run the percentages? a) Age and consumption of breakfast cereal. b) Family income and confidence about the family’s future. c) Marital status and
> How should the researcher handle missing data?
> How should the researcher handle “don’t know” responses?
> Distinguish between: a. Coding scheme and recoding b. Bar chart and histogram c. DK response and missing data. d. Listwise deletion and pairwise deletion e. Thematic units and referential units
> Using the response strategies within Exhibit 11-8 or Exhibit 11-16, which would be appropriate to understanding the various indicants of student demand for the academic program in which you are majoring?
> Following are six questions. Evaluate each on its strengths and weaknesses a. Do you read National Geographic magazine regularly? b. What percentage of your time is spent asking for information from others in your organization? c. When did you first star
> Assume the American Society of Training Directors is studying its membership in order to enhance member benefits and attract new members. Below is a copy of a cover letter and mail questionnaire received by a member of the society. Please evaluate the us
> What invalid assumptions might a researcher make in instrument design? How would each affect the instrument?
> What would you say are four major faults of survey instrument design? Justify your choices.
> The head of New York City’s teachers’ union has a theory that every time there is something that could be construed as bad news for the city’s Department of Education, the city leaks a salacious story about teacher misconduct to draw attention away from
> Summarize the instrument design decisions that would result in decreased participant rapport.
> What is the function of the skip logic diagram?
> 1. Distinguish between the following: a. administrative and classification questions b. Screen and buffer questions. c. Introduction and transition. d. Rapport and social desirability bias. e. Measurement instrument and measurement question.
> According to BusinessWeek, the U.S. workforce is becoming a temporary workforce. Even full-time workers are often contract employees without health, vacation, or other benefits. What measurement scale(s) would be appropriate to measure this trend?
> You have been asked by the head of marketing to design an instrument by which your private, for-profit school can evaluate the quality and value of its various curricula and courses. How might you try to ensure that your instrument has:
> Below is a Likert-type scale that might be used to evaluate your opinion of the educational degree program in which you are enrolled. There are five response categories: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree.
> You are working on a consumer perception study of four brands of bicycles. You will need to develop measurement questions and scales to accomplish the tasks listed below. Be sure to explain which data levels (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio) are approp
> You receive the results of a paired-comparison preference test of four soft drinks from a sample of 200 persons. The results are as follows:
> An investigative question in your employee satisfaction study seeks to assess employee “job involvement.” Create a measurement question that uses the following scales: a) A graphic rating scale. b) A multiple rating list.
> Assume you are Menu Foods and you planned a major research study just prior to the largest pet food recall in our history. You plan to proceed with the study and feel you must add one or more questions to measure the consumer’s confidence that your firm
> Why did VI insist on a custom-designed measurement question for the survey questionnaire?
> Discuss the relative merits of, and problems with: a) Rating and ranking scales. b) Likert and semantic differential scales. c) Unidimensional and multidimensional scales.
> Using Exhibit 10-3 and one of the case questionnaires on the text website (www.mheducation.com/schindler 13e), match each question to its appropriate scale type. For each scale type not represented, develop a measurement question that would be of that sc
> After more than 75 years in the business, Walsworth Publishing’s leadership was well aware of the efforts that go into juggling school work and the production of a high-quality school yearbook. They examined their communication and production processes a
> You have been asked to develop an index of student morale in your department. a) What constructs or concepts might you employ? b) Choose several of the major concepts, and specify their dimensions. c) Select observable indicators that you might use to me
> A major corporation agrees to sponsor an internal study on sexual harassment in the workplace. This is in response to concerns expressed by its female employees. How would you handle the following issues: (a) The communication approach (self-administered
> Below are listed some objects of varying degrees of abstraction. Suggest properties of each of these objects that can be measured by each of the four basic types of scales.
> You have data from a corporation on the annual salary of each of its zoo employees. a) Illustrate how the data can be presented as ratio, interval, ordinal, and nominal data. b) Describe the successive loss of formation as the presentation changes from r
> Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Explain. a) Validity is more critical to measurement than reliability. b) Content validity is the most difficult type of validity to determine. c) A valid measurement is reliable, but a reliable mea
> What are the four major sources of measurement error? Illustrate by example how each of these might affect measurement results in a face-to-face interview situation.
> How do these differences affect the statistical analysis techniques we use?
> For the data below, X Y 25 5 19 7 17 12 14 23 12 20 9 25 8 26 7 28 3 20 a. Calculate the correlation between X and Y. b. Interpret the sign of the correlation. c. Interpret the square of the correlation. d. Plot t
> What are the essential differences among nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales?
> What can we measure about the four objects listed below? Be as specific as possible.
> In recent years, in-home personal interviews have grown more costly and more difficult to compete. Suppose, however, you have a project in which you need to talk with people in their homes. What might you do to hold down costs and increase response rate?
> How might Apple use the survey methodology to evaluate the success of its iPad?
> Dolby, the company that provides advanced sound and light systems in movie theaters, is operating in an environment where theater ticket sales are dropping 5-10% per year due to a better variety of entertainment options, shorter attention spans, and bett
> Using Exhibit 8-7, diagram an experiment described in one of the Snapshots in this chapter using research design symbols.
> As competition for a scarcer dollar increases, an increasing number of companies are taking action by fostering customer-centric cultures that enhance satisfaction and drive bottom-line profitability. Research reveals that 96 percent of companies are lev
> You plan to conduct a mail survey of the traffic managers of 1,000 major manufacturing companies across the country. The study concerns their company policies regarding the payment of moving expenses for employees who are transferred. What might you do t
> You decide to take a telephone survey of 40 families in the 721 phone-exchange area. You want an excellent representation of all subscribers in the exchange area. Explain how you will carry out this study.
> In the following situations, decide whether you would use a personal interview, telephone survey, or self-administered survey. Give your reasons. (a) A survey of the residents of a new subdivision on why they happened to select that area in which to live
> Then investigate the appropriateness of the model for the data using diagnostic tools for evaluating assumptions.
> What hypotheses are driving the BrainSavvy research?
> What can organizations do to enhance positive transfer from training to on-the-job application?
> Why is it critical first to identify what employees need to learn before deciding on a method to use in training them?
> Some companies don’t want to offer training to employees because they fear that the employees will then leave. How might a firm use training as a strategy to retain employees?
> Companies with the best training practices seem to share several characteristics in common. What are they?
> Given the growth of the “on-demand,” or “gig,” economy, we can no longer assume that “workers” in an organization are all employees. What are the implications of that for training and on-boarding?
> Think back to your first day of the most recent job you have held. What could the organization have done to hasten your on-boarding and your adjustment to the job?
> Why do organizations so frequently overlook the on-boarding of new employees?
> Outline an evaluation procedure for a training program designed to teach sales principles and strategies.
> How does goal setting affect trainee learning and motivation?
> Would you be able to recognize a sound training program if you saw one? What features would you look for?
> Melissa chooses to accept international assignments her entire career. Over time, it is not clear where her “home” is. How might a local-plus approach to compensation help smooth her international transfers?
> Choose a job you know well. Develop three job-relevant situational interview questions (“What would you do if . . .” or “Tell me about a time when . . .”) to use with applicants for that job.
> Why is emotional intelligence particularly important in service jobs?
> Of the Big Five personality characteristics, what might explain why conscientiousness is the most valid predictor across many types of jobs?
> Your boss asks you to review the current application form that your organization is using. How will you decide which questions to keep, change, or delete?
