Chapter 13 Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information 1) At the beginning of a research project, you need to A) develop a formal outline that you plan to stick to throughout your researching and writing. B) familiarize yourself with the subject. C) just jump in by finding resources on the Internet and taking notes from them. D) develop the conclusion you want to reach and start looking for evidence that supports that conclusion. Answer: B Explanation: B) As you begin a research project, the most important thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the subject. Read general, rather than specialized sources to get a broad, non-detailed view of the subject and identify critical gaps in your knowledge. 2) A problem statement A) outlines all the potential drawbacks of your research. B) defines the purpose of your research. C) is an unsupportable claim or assertion. D) should be long and complex. Answer: B Explanation: B) A problem statement expresses the main idea that your research is pursuing. You may find it convenient to express your problem statement as a question, such as, "How likely is it that nuclear fusion will be an important energy source in the future?" 3) Sources of secondary information include A) first-hand observation. B) in-person interviews. C) newspapers and periodicals. D) experiments. Answer: C Explanation: C) Secondary research uses already existing sources of data and evidence and compiles them to draw conclusions. An example of a secondary research source is a published research paper that measures the effectiveness of a new drug for migraine headaches. 4) Primary research refers to A) new research done specifically for your current project. B) the evidence that stands out in your report. C) the research you conduct first. D) research that is fairly easy to conduct. Answer: A Explanation: A) Primary research is research that is done specifically for the project you are working on. For example, primary research for a childhood obesity project might collect data on how often kids eat and watch TV at the same time. 5) Which of these documents would not qualify as primary research? A) A recent survey of your company's top clients B) The most recent issue of a trade magazine in your industry C) Notes from a conversation you recently had with a local government official D) Your company's latest balance sheet Answer: B Explanation: B) If a data source is published it does not qualify as primary research. Primary research involves data that you or people working on your project collect themselves. Data from published sources is secondary research. 6) In evaluating material you have gathered for a report, you should A) assume that those who've written the material are credible. B) shun information with any hint of bias because such information is inherently unethical. C) check to make sure you're using the most current information available. D) avoid using government documents. Answer: C Explanation: C) The data you have found might be relevant and convincing, but it might not be the latest data out there. Before completing your report, make sure you're using the most current information available. 7) Regarding the five-step research process, the planning step includes all of the following elements except A) developing a problem statement. B) prioritizing research needs. C) documenting your sources. D) maintaining standards of ethics and etiquette. Answer: C Explanation: C) Step one, planning, includes maintaining research ethics and etiquette, getting familiar with the subject and developing a problem statement, identifying information gaps, and prioritizing research needs. 8) Which of the following is not true of conventional search engines? A) They travel the web automatically, identifying new websites. B) They access the deep Internet or hidden Internet. C) They return to previously identified websites to look for changes. D) Not all search engines operate in the same way. Answer: B Explanation: B) Search engines don't have access to all webpages on the Internet. The most obscure pages in the "deep" Internet cannot be accessed by conventional search engines. 9) A web directory differs from a search engine in that A) it doesn't include Usenet newsgroups. B) it doesn't provide as precise results as a search engine. C) human editors find and index the websites to include. D) it usually locates more sites than a search engine. Answer: C Explanation: C) Search engines get results from computer algorithms that rank webpages. Web directories have human editors who find and evaluate useful websites. 10) A metacrawler is A) a highly specialized directory that focuses on a specific subject matter area. B) a search engine that examines only newsgroup messages. C) a type of aggregator that offers subscribers all-day information on their desktops. D) a special type of engine that searches several search engines at once. Answer: D Explanation: D) To account for the particular biases of search engines, metacrawlers aggregate results from multiple search engines and rank their websites. The result is a search that is not biased by any one particular method of ranking and evaluating webpages. 11) Which of the following is not a characteristic of online databases? A) They often categorize information by subject area. B) They offer access to many materials that are not accessible through standard search engines. C) Using them requires knowledge of basic search techniques. D) Most of them are available free of charge. Answer: D Explanation: D) Many online databases require a subscription or feature limited access that is restricted to members of various societies and organizations. 12) Unlike Internet search engines, online databases A) can be accessed only from a library. B) often provide access to various parts of the hidden Internet. C) are rarely up to date. D) do not require a subscription. Answer: B Explanation: B) If you suspect that standard search engines are missing sources because they are part of the hidden Internet, use an online database to conduct searches. 13) Possible uses of online monitoring tools include all of the following except A) subscribing to newsfeeds from blogs and websites. B) following people on Twitter and other microblogs. C) entering key terms into general-purpose search engines. D) setting up alerts on search engines and online databases. Answer: C Explanation: C) Uses of online monitoring tools include subscribing to newsfeeds from blogs and websites, following people on microblogs, setting up alerts on search engines and online databases, and using specialized monitors to track tweets. 14) Documenting the sources that you use in your writing A) properly and ethically credits the person who created the original material. B) shows the audience that you have sufficient support for your message. C) helps readers explore your topic in more detail. D) all of the above. Answer: D Explanation: D) Proper documentation of your sources fulfills your ethical responsibility, builds your credibility, and enables your readers to pursue their own research goals. 15) After you've developed a problem statement to define the problem or purpose of your research, your next step will involve A) evaluating sources of information. B) analyzing numerical data and textual information. C) creating a knowledge manipulation system to categorize your research. D) discovering the specific information gaps that your research must fill. Answer: D Explanation: D) Once you've developed a problem statement, focus your research by identifying the most important gaps in your information. 16) Innovations in research technology allow you to A) completely avoid unreliable information on the web. B) rely exclusively on standard search engines, regardless of your needs. C) access all online databases free of charge. D) find webpages and also the documents webpages that are linked to those sites. Answer: D Explanation: D) The search engine Yolink specializes in finding links. Yolink will conduct a normal search, then it will find all webpages and documents that are linked to your site. For example, if you search for a research paper on toxic waste, the engine will give you all other sources that are referenced by that paper as well as those that reference the paper itself. 17) You would not need to cite a source if you have A) used a direct quotation of under 250 words from a book titled Modern Economics. B) used a table from the 1985 Farmer's Almanac. C) described, in your own words, a plan for organizing production lines, which appeared in a professional journal. D) provided general knowledge about your topic. Answer: D Explanation: D) General knowledge need not be cited. For example, stating that the nuclear meltdown in Japan in 2011 was caused by a tsunami is something you would not need to reference. You would assume that your readers would accept this fact as a given. 18) According to the fair use doctrine A) plagiarism is not an issue in the business world—it is a problem only in schools and academic circles. B) crediting sources is all that is necessary to avoid legal problems. C) once material is made public, it no longer belongs to the author. D) you can use other people's work only if you don't prevent them from benefiting as a result. Answer: D Explanation: D) For example, if you publish a cartoon without attribution that gets widely picked up by newspapers and other sources, you are preventing the cartoonist from benefiting—since the cartoonist could have sold the rights to the cartoon in each instance that it was picked up. 19) The answers you receive from a person you're interviewing will be influenced by A) the types of questions you ask. B) the way you ask your questions. C) his or her cultural and language background. D) all of the above. Answer: D Explanation: D) The answers you receive in an interview are influenced by the types of questions you ask, by the way you ask them, and by each subject's cultural and language background. 20) Ask ________ to solicit opinions, insights, and information; ask ________ to elicit yes or no answers. A) indirect questions; direct questions B) closed questions; open-ended questions C) open-ended questions; closed questions D) reflective questions; descriptive questions Answer: C Explanation: C) Open-ended questions solicit opinions, insights, and information. Closed questions elicit specific answers, such as yes or no. 21) When you're selecting people to participate in a survey, be sure to get a ________ of the population you want to survey. A) stratified sample B) representative sample C) cross-sectional sample D) small sample Answer: B Explanation: B) When selecting people to participate in a survey, the most critical task is getting a representative sample of the population in question. 22) Ronnie has just started an internship with Finedum & Sellum, Inc., a provider of online surveys for retailers. One of her first assignments involved drafting an online questionnaire for a local apparel store. After reviewing the questions she had written, her manager told her to revise a question that read, "Do you prefer that we extend our weekend hours for the convenience of customers?" Why did Ronnie's manager want her to revise that question? A) It is an open-ended question. B) It is a leading question. C) It is an ambiguous question. D) It is a closed-loop question. Answer: B Explanation: B) Leading questions are framed so that they evoke a specific response from the individual being questioned. 23) An online survey is vulnerable to ________ because it captures only the opinions of those who visit the site and choose to complete the survey. A) sampling bias B) backchannel static C) circular reasoning D) transactional dysfunction Answer: A Explanation: A) An online survey is susceptible to sampling bias because it captures only the opinions of those who visit the site and choose to participate, which might not be a representative sample of the population. 24) The two most common primary research methods in the social sciences are A) not appropriate for test marketing. B) experiments and observations. C) surveys and interviews. D) test panels. Answer: C Explanation: C) Primary research involves collecting your own data. Surveys and interviews in which you query people with respect to their views on a topic are the most common forms of primary research. 25) You create a survey and administer it five times under identical conditions. Because it yielded completely different results each time, you should conclude that this survey is A) not valid. B) not reliable. C) valid. D) reliable. Answer: B Explanation: B) The reliability of a survey measures how reproducible it is. If the survey yields consistent results in different trials, it is deemed reliable. A survey that yields inconsistent results is judged to be unreliable. 26) A survey is not valid if it A) does not include at least 50 responses. B) is more than one year old. C) fails to measure what it is intended to measure. D) lacks secondary evidence to supplement it. Answer: C Explanation: C) Validity is a measure of whether or not a survey measures what it is intended to measure. For example, if a survey is intended to measure attitudes about the economy and it ends up reflecting people's views on immigration, you would judge that survey as not valid. 27) People are more likely to respond to a questionnaire if A) they can complete it within a short time. B) you allow them plenty of time to research their answers. C) the questions are open ended. D) all of the above are the case. Answer: A Explanation: A) The completion of a questionnaire is typically a disruption in people's lives. Few busy people are willing to spend more than a few minutes completing a questionnaire, so questionnaires should be limited to taking up 10 or 15 minutes of time. 28) Questions such as, "Do you shop at the mall often?" are A) perfect for most surveys. B) too ambiguous to yield useful information. C) likely to offend your respondents. D) too personal and will offend most audiences. Answer: B Explanation: B) Vague questions yield vague and ambiguous results. Rather than ask a vague question, it would be better to quantify the results by asking: Do you shop at the mall: (a) once a week or more, (b) once a month, (c) less than once a month, (d) not at all? The data from this question could be compiled and displayed in graphical form. 29) "How do you spend your leisure time on the weekends?" is an example of A) a closed-ended question. B) an open-ended question. C) a restatement question. D) an inappropriate question. Answer: B Explanation: B) An open-ended question allows the respondent to fill in the blanks, providing a wide range of answers. Answers to this question might include gardening, bowling, sleeping, hiking, playing poker, and any number of other responses. 30) Which of the following is a closed-ended question? A) Would you rate the proposed expansion plan as likely to succeed or unlikely to succeed? B) What do you see as the primary benefit of the proposed expansion plan for your family? C) What corporate goals does the expansion help achieve? D) How will the expansion affect day-to-day operations? Answer: A Explanation: A) A closed-ended question gives the respondent only a few answer choices to select from. Here, the correct answer has only two answer choices: likely to succeed or unlikely to succeed. 31) A disadvantage of using too many closed questions in an interview is that they A) do not take full advantage of the interview format. B) prevent any important information from being revealed. C) diminish the interviewer's control over the interview. D) none of the above. Answer: A Explanation: A) An interview format allows the researcher to probe a respondent's views in depth. Too many closed questions put too narrow of a limit on how respondents can respond. Adding more open-ended questions takes advantage of the interview format, allowing a wide range of responses that truly reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the respondents. 32) When conducting an information interview, it is a good idea to A) learn about the person you are interviewing ahead of time. B) stick to using just one type of question. C) save the most important questions for last. D) avoid making an appointment, since you don't want the subject to think ahead about answers. Answer: A Explanation: A) The more you know about your interview subject, the better your interview will be. So take time to learn about your subject and develop interview questions that take advantage of what you learn. 33) Researchers, who are analyzing numeric data, look for ________ to identify patterns that tend to repeat over time. A) trends B) causations C) correlations D) cross-differentiations Answer: A Explanation: A) Trends represent growth, decline, and cyclical patterns that take place over time. 34) Unlike a summary, a paraphrase A) restates the original material in your own words and with your own sentence structures. B) presents the gist of the original material in fewer words by eliminating some of the original words. C) does not require complete documentation of sources. D) is never acceptable in business documents. Answer: A Explanation: A) Paraphrasing is much more of an interpretation than summarizing. To paraphrase you read or listen to the original, then write your impression and interpretation of what you heard in your own words. To summarize you simply rewrite the original in a much shorter, condensed form. 35) To paraphrase effectively A) avoid using any business language or jargon. B) check your version against the original to make sure that you didn't alter the meaning. C) make sure your version is the same length as or longer than the original. D) do all of the above. Answer: B Explanation: B) When paraphrasing it is possible that you will begin to substitute your own ideas for those of the original speaker. To make sure that you aren't distorting the speaker's original ideas, check your paraphrased version of the text against the original text. 36) What would be the median for the following set of monthly salaries: $1200, $1200, $1300, $1500, $1700, $2000, $2800? A) $1200 B) $1500 C) $1671.43 D) $1700 Answer: B Explanation: B) The median value in a set of data is the value that has an equal number of data points that are greater than itself and less than itself. In this set, there are three values greater than $1500 and three values that are less than $1500. 37) To find out your company's average monthly utility bill over the last year, you would need to calculate the ________ of the last twelve bills. A) mean B) median C) mode D) highest Answer: A Explanation: A) An average, or mean value is calculated by dividing the sum of the values by the number of values there are. For a utility bill you would divide the total amount you paid in utilities over the year by 12 since there are 12 months in the year. 38) The number 29 is the ________ in this set of figures: 25, 29, 34, 29, 29, 42, 8. A) mean B) median C) mode D) correlation Answer: C Explanation: C) The value in a set of data that appears most frequently is termed the mode. Here, the value 29 appears three times, more than any other value, so it is the mode. 39) Applying the findings of your research can involve all of the following except A) summarizing your results. B) making recommendations. C) drawing conclusions based on your results. D) developing a problem statement that defines your research. Answer: D Explanation: D) Applying the findings of your research can involve summarizing the results, drawing conclusions, and making recommendations. 40) A ________ is an unbiased condensation of the information uncovered in your research. A) problem statement B) research summary C) cause and effect analysis D) primary collation Answer: B Explanation: B) A research summary is an unbiased condensation of the information uncovered in your research. 41) A ________ is a logical interpretation of the facts and information in a report; a ________ is a suggested course of action. A) recommendation; conclusion B) problem statement; summary C) conclusion; recommendation D) trend analysis; synthesis Answer: C Explanation: C) A conclusion is a logical interpretation of the facts and information in a report; a recommendation is a suggested course of action. 42) A ________ is a set of technologies, policies, and procedures that can allow a company to capture and share information throughout the organization. A) process superstructure B) desktop search protocol C) cross-departmental interchange D) knowledge management system Answer: D Explanation: D) Knowledge management systems help organizations share research results and other valuable information and insights. 43) When drawing conclusions for a report, you should A) introduce new information that wasn't discussed in the report. B) avoid getting input from other members of your research team. C) ignore information in the report that doesn't support your point of view. D) interpret your research results logically, based strictly on the information in your report. Answer: D Explanation: D) Your conclusions must be logical, relevant, and based on evidence that you gathered in your research. Don't introduce any new information, yet don't ignore information in your report, just because it doesn't support your conclusion. Also, don't expect all team members to reach the same conclusion, after examining the evidence. 44) Unlike conclusions, recommendations A) suggest a clear course of action. B) interpret evidence. C) are always acceptable to readers. D) always come at the end of the report. Answer: A Explanation: A) A conclusion is an evaluation that you make, based on your data. A conclusion does not specify a course of action. A recommendation, on the other hand, specifies a course of action, usually based on conclusions drawn from the research. 45) The recommendations you make in a report should A) interpret the results of your research. B) not be limited by the report's conclusion. C) tell audience members what they want to hear. D) adequately describe the steps that come next. Answer: D Explanation: D) Don't leave readers wondering what they need to do in order to act on your recommendation. For example, rather than saying, "Buy Stock A if the price drops," a much better recommendation would say, "Buy 100 shares of Stock A if the price drops below $10 per share." 46) To help guide your research, you should develop a problem statement that defines the problem or purpose of your research. Answer: True Explanation: A problem statement boils down the purpose of your research into a single statement or question. For example, a clear problem statement might be, "Are Apple laptop computers worth the extra cost to consumers?" 47) The difference between primary sources and secondary sources is that primary sources are those you create specifically for your project. Answer: True Explanation: Secondary sources typically are published data sources (professional journals, periodicals, newspapers) that already exist and can be accessed. Primary sources involve you collecting data to answer specific research questions for your project. 48) When you need to consult government documents, your only option is to go to the appropriate government office in your city. Answer: False Explanation: The vast majority of government documents that are not classified are available online. 49) When using the Internet to conduct research, you can be reasonably sure that any information you find will be accurate. Answer: False Explanation: When using the Internet, your basic assumption should be that the information you find is not particularly reliable. With care, however, you can locate official sources, such as the U.S. Department of Labor, and well known sources, such as The Wall Street Journal, that you can rely on, as well as blogs and other websites. The key is to cross reference any fact that seems dubious—if you can find it in a variety of reliable sources it is likely to be credible. If you can find it only, for example, in a single blog it is likely not to be credible. 50) The best general purpose search engines are capable of reaching information on the hidden Internet. Answer: False Explanation: General purpose search engines such as Google cannot access the hidden Internet. The only practical way to access the hidden Internet is through specialized databases. 51) Some of the most useful and up-to-date resources available at libraries are online databases. Answer: True Explanation: Some databases require a subscription, so if you find a need to use them, go to a public library. 52) Search engines and directories use different approaches to find and index websites. Answer: True Explanation: Search engines use computer algorithms to find websites. Directories are organized and set up by human editors. In both types of search, you use key words to find what you are looking for. 53) Unlike most search engines, a web directory yields results that have been screened by human editors. Answer: True Explanation: Human editors set up web directories based on specialized interests. An example of a web directory is the Open Directory Project. 54) A metacrawler enables you to use multiple search engines simultaneously. Answer: True Explanation: Rather than simply search for websites, a metacrawler searches the results of different search engines and compiles them into a single listing. A metacrawler gives you the ranked results from various search engines such as Google and Bing. 55) Boolean operators include terms such as AND, OR, and NOT. Answer: True Explanation: Given search terms cute and puppy, the operator AND (cute AND puppy) will include sites that include both cute and puppy, while the OR operator (cute OR puppy) will include sites that feature just one or both of the terms. The NOT operator (NOT cute) will eliminate all sites that include the term cute. Note that you can replace NOT with a minus sign, as in -cute. 56) A work is not considered copyrighted until it is legally registered. Answer: False Explanation: Copyright protection is granted as soon as an author puts the copyright symbol onto the text or item. 57) According to the fair use doctrine, you can use other people's work only as long as you do not unfairly prevent them from benefiting as a result. Answer: True Explanation: The fair use doctrine would go into effect if you reproduced someone's copyrighted material and were subsequently asked to appear on radio and TV talk shows to discuss the material. The author of the material could claim that she was denied the opportunity of benefiting from her work because she was not the one invited to make media appearances. 58) Observations, surveys, and experiments are all considered secondary sources of information. Answer: False Explanation: Observations, surveys, and experiments are all primary information sources if you conducted them as part of your ongoing research project. 59) A survey is considered reliable if it measures what it is intended to measure. Answer: False Explanation: Reliability is defined as how reproducible a study is. If the results are consistent in different situations at different times, the study can be labeled as reliable. 60) A survey is valid if it produces identical results when repeated. Answer: False Explanation: Validity is a measure of whether a study measures what its author intended it to measure. For example, a study that was intended to measure health insurance coverage that ends up measuring poverty levels instead would be labeled not valid. 61) "Do you watch sports and news shows on TV?" is a compound question. Answer: True Explanation: The respondent may watch sports shows but not news shows—or the respondent may watch news and not sports shows. This compound question fails to differentiate between the two choices. 62) "Do you think the styling of the new Mini Cooper is a departure from previous styling?" is an example of an open-ended question. Answer: False Explanation: The question is closed because it has only two possible responses: yes, the styling is a departure, or no it is not a departure. 63) If you plan to quote your interview subject in writing, it is a bad idea to provide him or her with a list of questions a day or two ahead of time. Answer: False Explanation: Unless you plan on using hostile "ambush" questions to catch your subject being untruthful or inconsistent, there is nothing wrong with providing questions ahead of time. That said, your interview may turn out to be more spontaneous if your subject is hearing the questions for the first time when you ask them. 64) It is always preferable for interviews to take place in person rather than to conduct them via email. Answer: False Explanation: There are distinct advantages to electronic interviews. For example, online an interview subject gets to think about a response for as long as he or she likes and edit the response if it does not accurately reflect the person's feelings about a topic. 65) Paraphrases do not require documentation of sources. Answer: False Explanation: As with quotations or summaries, when you paraphrase a source, that source must be identified. 66) If the price of a baseball cap in six different stores was $22, $20, $18, $20, $19, and $21, the mean price would be $21. Answer: False Explanation: The mean price, computed by dividing the sum of the prices by the number of items, comes to $20, not $21. 67) The median value of a group is the sum of all the values in a series divided by the number of values in that group. Answer: False Explanation: The median is the central value in the group that has as many values greater than itself as it has values that are less than itself. 68) If you find a strong correlation between employee use of company stress-reduction programs and increased worker productivity, you can conclude that such programs do indeed cause increased productivity, without considering any other variables. Answer: False Explanation: In this situation, a correlation between stress programs and productivity has been found. However, there is no cause and effect relationship that has been proven here. Any number of other factors could be causing the increase in productivity, such as personnel changes, new equipment, scheduling changes, policy changes, and so on. Until these factors can be ruled out as the cause of the productivity increase, stating that the stress programs caused an increase in productivity is wrong. 69) You should assume that everyone who examines the evidence you present in your report will arrive at the same conclusion. Answer: False Explanation: You should aim to make your conclusions "bullet proof"—that is, so well-reasoned that no one could argue with them. However, most conclusions, no matter how rigorously arrived at, still have an element of subjectivity to them. So do not be surprised if other people look at your data and draw different conclusions. 70) An example of a recommendation would be "Given the state of the economy, now is a good time to invest in precious metals." Answer: False Explanation: The statement is a conclusion, not a recommendation. A recommendation would specify a course of action, such as, "You should invest at least 20 percent of your portfolio in gold or silver, keep it for six months, then put the money into bonds." 71) A(n) ________ defines the purpose of your research. Answer: problem statement Explanation: A problem statement can be a statement or a question. A problem statement should express what you aim to find with your research. 72) Books, periodicals, newspapers, and websites are all examples of ________ sources. Answer: secondary Explanation: Secondary sources of data are published sources or sources that you didn't specifically compile or collect for your research project. 73) Online ________ identify individual webpages that contain a specific word or phrase you've asked for. Answer: search engines Explanation: Well-known search engines include Google and Bing. 74) Online ________ provide access to journals, electronic books, and other resources often unavailable through general purpose search engines. Answer: databases Explanation: Unlike search engines, which are entirely automated, databases are often compiled and organized by human editors. 75) You can narrow or broaden an Internet search by using ________ operators such as AND, OR, and NOT. Answer: Boolean Explanation: Given search terms chocolate and cake, the operator AND (chocolate AND cake) will include sites that include both chocolate and cake, while the OR operator (chocolate OR cake) will include sites that feature just one or both of the terms. The NOT operator (NOT chocolate) will eliminate all sites that include the term chocolate. 76) A Boolean ________ operator placed between restaurant and Louie's will find all sites that include both the word restaurant and Louie's. Answer: AND Explanation: An AND operator searches for only those sites that contain both search terms. 77) A(n) ________ search lets you ask questions in normal, everyday English. Answer: natural language Explanation: Natural language searches allow users to ask questions such as, "Which dog breed is the most popular one in the United States?" and get reliable answers. 78) ________ law covers printed materials, audiovisual material, many forms of artistic expression, computer programs, maps, mailing lists, and even answering-machine messages. Answer: Copyright Explanation: Note that once the author affixes the copyright symbol on an item, that item is protected from being copied. Note also that some things, such as slogans, names, and phrases, are not protected by copyright. 79) A survey is considered ________ if it produces identical results when repeated. A survey is considered ________ if it measures what it's intended to measure. Answer: reliable, valid Explanation: Reliability measures reproducibility. Validity measures how well the study measures what it was intended to measure. 80) When conducting an interview, you use ________ questions to get the interviewee to offer an opinion and not just a yes-or-no answer. Answer: open-ended Explanation: Open-ended questions give the person being interviewed the freedom to respond in any way he or she likes. 81) Unlike a paraphrase, a(n) ________ presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. Answer: summary Explanation: A summary is a condensed version of the original. A summary should contain all of the key ideas in the text using the same phrasing as the author. A paraphrase, on the other hand, may express ideas using phrasing that is very different from that used by the author. 82) When analyzing data, look for ________, which are definite patterns taking place over time, such as growth and decline. Answer: trends Explanation: A common way to spot trends is to represent data on a graph and look for visual patterns of upward and downward change. 83) A(n) ________ is a simultaneous change in two variables that you're measuring. Answer: correlation Explanation: A correlation shows that two trends seem to coincide in time. Correlation does not indicate cause and effect. For example, if it rains every time you forget your umbrella that does not mean that forgetting your umbrella caused the rain. 84) A(n) ________ is a logical interpretation of the facts in your report. Answer: conclusion Explanation: The aim of your report is to draw conclusions based on your data. If your data show no definite trends, correlations, or cause and effect relationships, you can still conclude that your data failed to reveal any meaningful relationships. That in itself can be viewed a meaningful fact. 85) A(n) ________ suggests what ought to be done in response to the information you have presented in your report. Answer: recommendation Explanation: Recommendations are specific suggestions to take action. If a statement does not specify an action, it is a conclusion, not a recommendation. 86) List three guidelines to follow in order to avoid ethical lapses when conducting research. Answer: (Answers may include any three of the following.) (1) Don't force a specific outcome by skewing your research. (2) Respect the privacy of your research participants. (3) Document sources and give appropriate credit. (4) Respect the intellectual property and digital rights of your sources. (5) Don't extract more from your sources than they actually provide. (6) Don't misrepresent who you are or what you plan to do with the research results. 87) You have been asked to help a company find ways to reduce the amount it spends on employee health and dental benefits. Write a problem statement for the report that you will produce. Answer: "How can we decrease Company A's expenses on employee health and dental benefits?" (Answers may vary.) Problem Statement Title: Reducing Employee Health and Dental Benefit Costs at [Company Name] Introduction: [Company Name] is committed to providing comprehensive health and dental benefits to its employees as part of its overall compensation package. However, the rising costs of these benefits have become a significant financial burden, impacting the company's profitability and its ability to invest in other critical areas. Objective: The objective of this report is to identify and recommend strategies that can help [Company Name] reduce its expenditures on employee health and dental benefits without compromising the quality of care and support provided to its workforce. Scope: This report will analyze the current health and dental benefit costs, explore industry best practices, and propose actionable solutions to manage and potentially reduce these costs. The focus will be on sustainable and employee-friendly approaches that align with the company's commitment to employee well-being. Key Issues: 1. Rising Premiums: The increasing cost of insurance premiums for health and dental plans is a primary driver of the overall expense. 2. Utilization Rates: High utilization rates of health and dental services by employees, which may indicate inefficiencies or overuse. 3. Plan Design: The structure of the current benefits plan may not be optimized for cost efficiency. 4. Employee Engagement: Lack of employee engagement and education regarding cost-effective healthcare choices. Methodology: • Conduct a comprehensive review of current health and dental benefit expenditures. • Benchmark against industry standards and best practices. • Gather employee feedback on benefit satisfaction and utilization. • Consult with benefit providers to explore cost-saving options. • Evaluate alternative benefit models and wellness programs. Expected Outcomes: By addressing the key issues and exploring innovative solutions, the report aims to provide [Company Name] with practical recommendations to reduce health and dental benefit costs. The goal is to achieve a balance between cost savings and maintaining a high standard of care for employees, ultimately contributing to the company's financial health and employee satisfaction. Conclusion: Effective management of health and dental benefit costs is essential for the financial sustainability of [Company Name]. This report will serve as a roadmap to identify cost-saving opportunities and implement strategies that ensure continued support for employee well-being in a fiscally responsible manner. 88) Explain why it is important to prioritize your research needs early in the process of conducting business research. Answer: Prioritizing your research needs is important because you won't have the time or money to answer every question you might have. Moreover, if you'll be using interviews or surveys, you'll need to limit the number of questions you ask to respect participants' time. 89) Briefly explain the difference between primary research and secondary research. Answer: Primary research is new research conducted specifically for your current project. Secondary research involves consulting sources such as magazines, newspapers, public websites, books, and other reports. 90) Briefly explain the difference between trade journals and academic journals. Answer: Trade journals provide information about specific professions and industries. Academic journals, on the other hand, offer research-oriented articles from researchers and educators. 91) What illusion should you resist when using search engines to find information on the Internet? Answer: The neatly organized results you get from a search engine can create the illusion that the Internet is a neatly organized warehouse of all the information in the universe. In reality, the Internet is an incomplete, unorganized hodge-podge of millions of independent websites with information that ranges in value from priceless to utter rubbish. 92) Briefly explain the main difference between an Internet search engine and a web directory. Answer: Whereas Internet search engines use no human editors to evaluate the quality of the content they yield, web directories use human editors to categorize and evaluate websites and other media. 93) What is the difference between a reliable survey and a valid survey? Answer: A reliable survey produces identical results when repeated. A valid survey measures what it's intended to measure. 94) Provide an example of an open-ended question, and then give an example of a closed question on the same topic. Answer: "What do you see as the future of digital rights management (DRM)?" is an open-ended question. "Do you support digital rights management?" is a closed question on the same topic. (Answers will vary.) Topic: Employee Satisfaction Open-Ended Question: • Example: "What are some ways we could improve employee satisfaction in our workplace?" • This question invites the respondent to provide detailed feedback and share their thoughts, encouraging a more comprehensive response. Closed Question: • Example: "Do you feel satisfied with your current work environment? (Yes/No)" • This question requires a simple, direct answer and does not allow for elaboration. 95) Provide an example of a conclusion, and then give an example of a recommendation on the same topic. Answer: "Our company's last 12 utility bills clearly indicate a spike in energy use during the winter months" is a conclusion. "We should invest in a more efficient climate control system" is a recommendation on the same topic. (Answers will vary.) Topic: Increasing Remote Work Flexibility Conclusion: • Example: "In conclusion, the current remote work policy has led to increased productivity and employee satisfaction. The data collected over the past year indicates that employees who have the option to work remotely have shown higher engagement and better work-life balance. This trend suggests that remote work flexibility is beneficial for both employees and the organization." Recommendation: • Example: "Based on the positive outcomes observed, it is recommended that the company formalize and expand its remote work policy. Specifically, offering employees the option to work remotely up to three days per week could further enhance productivity and job satisfaction. Implementing regular check-ins and providing necessary resources for remote work will also support this transition and ensure its success." 96) List in order each part of the five-step research process that will help you gather and use information efficiently. Answer: (1) Planning, (2) locating information and data, (3) processing data and information, (4) applying your findings, and (5) managing information. 97) What are some criteria you can use in evaluating the credibility of an information source? Answer: In evaluating the credibility of sources, it is important to determine whether the source has a reputation for honesty and reliability. You should also be sensitive to any potential bias in the source. Knowing the purpose of the source can help you decide whether it is appropriate for your project. You should also find out whether the author is credible and where he or she got the information included in the source. Another important issue is whether or not you can verify the material independently. You should also check to make sure that the material is current and complete, and that all claims are supported with evidence. Finally, it is important to see how well the sources claims stand up to scrutiny. 98) List the three major disadvantages of Internet search engines; then, briefly describe other electronic research tools that overcome those shortcomings. Answer: The three disadvantages of Internet search engines are (1) no human editor screens and evaluates the content of the websites they list; (2) various engines use different search techniques so one engine might miss a site or page that another finds; and (3) search engines can't reach all of the content on many websites. One other type of electronic research tool that helps to overcome these drawbacks is the web directory, which uses human editors to categorize and evaluate website content. Another is the online database, which offers access to the newspapers, magazines, and journals you can't access via search engines. Finally, metacrawlers or metasearch engines address the third shortcoming by automatically formatting your search request for the specific requirements of multiple search engines and telling you how many hits each engine was able to find for you. 99) Describe six strategies for producing surveys that are both valid and reliable. Answer: To produce valid and reliable surveys, provide clear instructions so that respondents know exactly how to fill out your questionnaire. You should also keep the entire survey short and easy to answer—all questions should be relevant, and respondents should be able to complete the survey quickly and easily. Whenever possible, it is important to design questions to provide answers that will be easy for you to analyze; numbers, for example, are easier to analyze than opinions. Leading questions (which will bias the results of your survey) should be avoided. Likewise, avoid ambiguous questions such as, "Do you shop at the mall often?" Ask only one thing at a time rather than using compound questions, and adapt the question sequence based on audience responses. 100) Explain important considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to conduct an interview face-to-face or via email. Answer: Face-to-face interviews give you the opportunity to gauge the reaction to your questions and observe the nonverbal signals that accompany the answers, but email interviews are becoming more common, partly because they give subjects a chance to think through their responses thoroughly rather than rushing to fit the time constraints of a face-to-face interview. Also, email interviews might be the only way you will be able to access some experts. Test Bank for Business Communication Today Courtland L. Bovee, John V. Thill 9780132971294, 9780134562186, 9780135900239, 9780132539555
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