Business Research Methods & Tools Essay

2.Suppose you were preparing two-way tables of percentages for the following pairs of variables. How would you run the percentages? When two-way tables are being done this is usually because one of the variables is thought to be the cause, affect the cause, or predict the response of the other variable. This is called the (IV) independent variable (Cooper & Schindler, 2011 p.446). aAge and consumption of breakfast cereal. I would categorize age as the IV and percentages should be computed in the direction of this variable to show that age has some effect on the consumption of breakfast cereal. bFamily income and confidence about the family’s future. I think with this scenario either one could be used as the IV to determine whether higher income families compared to lower income families have more or less confidence on their family’s future. cMarital status and sports participation. I would use marital status as the IV and compute percentages in the direction of that variable to determine the effects that marriage has on sports participation. dCrime rate and unemployment rate I would use the unemployment rate as the IV and compute the percentages in this direction to show that unemployment rates have an effect on crime rate. Inquiring Minds Want to Know Case study 1.Build the management-research question hierarchy. Management Dilemma: Will Penton Media encounter lower advertising revenue if alternative methods of inquiry stimulation went untracked due to the usage decline of reader service cards? Management Question: Are business publication advertisements generating fewer leads than in the past? Research Questions: Do we continue to include reader service cards in the magazines as a value-enhancing service to the readers as well as the advertisers? What alternative methods using information technology can be implemented to enhance adverting revenues as reader service card usage declines? Investigative Questions: What are the percentages of subscribers using reader service cards in the present compared to the past two years? If there is a decline in usage, what are the alternatives the customers are using? Can we implement strategies to streamline those alternatives in information technology to sustain and enhance our advertising revenue? Management Questions: Will Penton Media experience a decline in profits due to alternative methods in information technology of customer inquiry stimulation from advertisements? Management Decision: Discontinue the use of reader service cards and it will be replaced with alternative methods by use of emerging information technology, which will integrate the customer with the advertiser on a real-time, customizable basis . 2. What ethical issues are relevant to this study? The largest issue relevant to this study was the issue of informed consent. During this study there is no mention that the participants of the study were fully informed of the details. I also believe that there was some researcher bias because out of the 676 buyers that responded only 40 respondents were followed up with to get more knowledge of their behavior and attitudes after data had been analyzed. I don’t think 40 people out of 676 would give accurate results of buyers attitudes and behaviors. One final ethical issue is the right to privacy (confidentiality). The cover letter in the survey indicates, â€Å"All individual responses will remain completely confidential†; however, it is Penton who has the responsibility of maintaining the confidentiality as it collects data from customers that can be most likely traceable to the survey participant based on the market and information data provided at the end of the survey. 3. Describe the sampling plan. Analyze its strengths and weaknesses. The sampling plan used is this survey was the stratified disproportionate random sample. This sampling plan was used because the researcher was looking to reach a specific subgroup within the population, and focused on disproportionate because there are different sampling fractions for each stratum. For example, out of 710 questionnaires received 676 were used and out of that only 40 were chosen for another sample. The strength of this sampling plan is that there is greater precision but the weakness is the difficulty to identify what the appropriate strata is for the study (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). 4. Describe the research design. Analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Research Design is the blueprint for the collection, measurement, and analysis of data (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). The research design consisted of a multistage communication study. In the communication study the researcher questions the subjects an d collects their responses by personal or impersonal means (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). The collected data resulted in a reader-targeted mail questionnaire by phone, then by mail questionnaire to a select 300 subscribers before finalizing the questionnaire to 4,000 managers, executives, engineers, and purchasing agents. The technique used in the questionnaire was qualitative, by asking specific questions on methods of contact between consumer and advertiser. Secondary research was used when 12 magazines were used to compare the inquiry response options that were/are offered. All of these designs can help to acquire data more cost efficiently than other designs and have the ability to reach more people. However, the data may not be as accurate as with other methods. For instance, the research from the magazines may not be accurate because Penton was relying on the fact that the information from the magazines was accurate and had been retrieved correctly. 6. Critique the survey used for the study. First, the survey used was segmented to purchasers of organizations instead of a sample that represented the entire publication population. The researchers noted the margin of error was +- 4%; however, a balanced sample of the population would have produced results that could be much different than the segmented sample population. If key managerial decisions are to be made based on this questionnaire, you should have the entire population represented. In this case, just because someone is not a purchase manager, Penton is ignoring the other subscribers who may also use the reader service card service as a consumer or through their own personal business. Besides the fact it excluded non-purchase approvers from the sample, the survey is well designed. The questions are clear, concise, and accomplish the goal of how users interact with advertisers on potential suppliers, products, and services 7. Assume you are compiling your research report. How would you present the statistical information within this case to the IndustryWeek decision maker, the manager who must decide whether or not to continue to publish reader service cards? I would present this information by developing bar graphs that show the usage frequency by years. The bar graphs will be effective because they can easily show the growth or decline of use throughout the years. 8. Assume you are compiling your research report. What are the limitations of this study? The research limitations are due to excluding respondents who are not purchase decision makers. The sample of the subscriber population was not a representation of the entire population but only of subscribers with purchasing ability. This will distort the results of the survey and could impact the decision on whether to continue or discontinue the reader service cards based on the opinions of one segment of the population 9. Assume you are the decision maker for IndustryWeek . Given the declining value of the reader response card to subscribers, originally designed as a value-enhancing service to IW readers and advertisers alike, what further research might be suggested by the findings of this study? Or do you have sufficient information to stop the use of reader response cards in IndustryWeek ? I think that even though the research was limited to a small segment of the entire population, I would still make the managerial decision to end the use of reader cards due to the declining usage and with the dramatic increases in alternative means by email, internet, and facsimile communication. I think it would be a better idea to look into other options to replace the reader cards.