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9 Understanding the Report Process and
Research Methods
IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL FIND:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY CONCEPTS
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
CASE ASSIGNMENT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1 Identify the characteristics of a report and the various classifications of business reports.
2 Apply steps in the problem-solving process and methods for solving a problem.
3 Use appropriate printed, electronic, and primary sources of information.
4 Demonstrate appropriate methods of collecting, organizing, and referencing information.
5 Explain techniques for the logical analysis and interpretation of data.
KEY CONCEPTS
After having studied informal communications including letters, memos, and electronic
communication, students seem to understand the objective and formal nature of reports simply
because of the contrast. Chapter 9 follows a sequence that begins with report characteristics and
KEY TERMS
TERM
PAGE
TERM
PAGE
Analytical report
149
Periodic report
150
Experimental
research
156
Plagiarism
158
External report
150
Primary research
156
Formal report
149
Problem statement
151
Functional report
151
Procedures (or
methodology)
153
Hypothesis
152
Proposal
151
Informal report
149
Reliability
157
Informational report
149
Sampling
156
Internal report
150
Secondary research
153
Lateral report
150
Statement of purpose
151
Longitudinal studies
153
Validity
157
Normative survey
research
156
Vertical report
150
Observational studies
156
CHAPTER OUTLINE
9-1 Characteristics of Reports 149
9-1a Types of Reports 149
9-2 Basis for Reports: The Problem-Solving Process 151
9-3 Selecting a Method of Gathering Information 153
9-3b Primary Research 156
9-4 Collecting and Organizing the Data 157
9-4a Collecting Secondary Data 157
9-4b Collecting Data through Surveys 159
9-4c Avoiding Data-Gathering Errors 161
9-5 Arriving at an Answer 164
9-5b Interpreting the Data 164
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
Identify the characteristics of a report and the various classifications of business reports.
The Characteristics of Reports
• Contrast the purpose and style of informal communication, with which students are
already familiar, with formal communication that is best used in reports.
• Introduce report characteristics and the various terms used in report classifications.
Types of Reports
• Discuss the general upward flow of reports.
• Distribute samples of several types of reports. Initiate a class discussion as students share
Proposals
• Lead discussion on characteristics of proposals. Note that proposals can be written for an
internal audience, but more commonly are submitted to external audiences.
• Review the classifications of a proposal, making sure students understand the proposal is
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Apply steps in the problem-solving process and methods for solving a problem.
The Problem Solving Process
• Introduce the problem solving process. The logic of problem solving may be confirmed
by using any everyday problem as an example: Your automobile is low on gasoline.
Step 1: You have a problem that you define as how to replenish the gas supply as
Step One: Recognize and define the problem
Using Problem Statements, Statements of Purpose, and Hypotheses
• Discuss the need for identifying the research problem clearly.
• Many students will be familiar with the term thesis statement as the basis for a literary
Limiting the Scope of the Problem
• Discuss why each question must be adequately answered before beginning the report
process.
Defining Terms Clearly
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
Use appropriate printed, electronic, and primary sources of information.
Step Two: Selecting a Method of Solution
Secondary Research
• Discuss the nature of primary and secondary sources of data. What purpose does each
type of data serve? Show how the two categories of data complement each other.
Emphasize that many studies use a combination of data sources.
Printed sources
• Libraries are absolutely essential to research. Arrange a tour and orientation by your
campus’s business librarian; ask him/her to emphasize the location and use of various
types of business resources, both printed and electronic. Sources of business information
such as governmental statistical data on national and international business, employment,
5
Electronic sources
• Emphasize the use of computer-assisted data searches to simplify time-consuming
research. A research process that may have taken several hours can be completed in a
matter of minutes.
Primary Research
• Discuss the three primary research methods.
Observational and experimental research
• To illustrate observation research, refer to counters on turnstiles or counters on traffic
lights that help determine timing of light changes.
• To illustrate experimental research, have students recall a recent medical or nutritional
Normative Survey Research
• Common method of sampling.
• Discuss some of the methods for sampling. Give examples of each. Discuss the role of
convenience sampling in business research. While it is nonscientific, why is it widely
used?
Validity and Reliability
• Discuss the principles of validity and reliability.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 5
Demonstrate appropriate methods of collecting, organizing, and referencing information.
Step Three: Collect and organize the data and document the sources.
Collecting Secondary Data
• Discuss the revolution in the research process. Talk to students about what research
methods were like “back in the day” when researchers had to obtain physical copies of
articles instead of accessing them electronically. Ask students: “How would you cope
Collecting Data Through Surveys
Selecting a Data Collection Method
• Lead a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the following methods for
collecting survey data: mail, personal interview, telephone interview, observation, and e-
polling.
• Discuss e-polling as gaining popularity with researchers and participants. Discuss the
Developing an Effective Survey Instrument
• Display examples of effective questionnaires. In discussing questionnaire design,
emphasize that, regardless the types of questions, the responses must be counted or
tallied. Design questions and questionnaire format so that tabulating will be relatively
easy and contribute to report organization.
Avoiding Data-Gathering Errors
• Discuss common errors in data collection. Discuss the reverse problems of not gathering
enough information and gathering too much (extraneous) data.
• What factors should be considered in choosing research methods?
Documenting Sources of Information
• Review the reasons for accurate, complete documentation.
law suits by discussing current examples.
Citations
1. Source notes: acknowledge contributions of others.
2. Explanatory notes: 1) comment on a source hard to fit information, 2) support a
statistics table, or 3) refer reader to another section of the report.
Referencing Methods
• Discuss the major referencing methods and the current trend toward in-text methods.
• Compare and contrast the APA and MLA styles for preparing bibliographic entries.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 6
Explain techniques for the logical analysis and interpretation of data.
Step 4: Arrive at an Answer
Analyzing the Data
• Discuss the difference between tabulation and correlation.
• Discuss how analyzing the data and arriving at an answer completes the report process.
• As you discuss statistical analysis, ask students why measures of central tendency are
Range
• As students review the array, ask them to pick out the high and low scores (values).
Subtracting the low from the high value and adding 1 to the result gives the range size;
that is, 99 - 40 = 59 + 1 = 60. The range is from 40–99, and the size of the range is 60,
Mean, Median, and Mode
• Discuss the mean, median, and mode. Lead a discussion as to situations in which each
measure is preferred. Give examples of how the three measures can produce very
different “averages.” For instance, in an economy with a very few mega-rich citizens and
many poor ones, which measure will yield the most accurate idea about the income for
that economy?
• Discuss the final steps in the report process. Suggest that students visualize the report
process taking place in a huge funnel.
Interpreting Data
• Discuss common errors in data interpretation.
• To illustrate inaccurate data interpretation, use examples from businesses with which
students are familiar.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Classifying Business Reports: Working in teams of three or four, classify each of the
following reports in one or more of the ways described in this chapter.
Description of Report
Type of Report
Your company’s two-year study of traditional classroom
training versus distance-learning instruction is to be written
for publication in an industrial training journal.
external, analytical, formal
report
You have surveyed company personnel on their perceptions
vertical report, analytical
2. Limiting the Scope of the Problem: What factors might limit or influence your findings in
any of the studies in Activity 1? Could you apply the findings of the Activity 1 studies to a
broader population than those included in the studies? Why or why not?
3. Selecting a Research Method: What research methods would you use for each of the
research problems identified in Featured Assignment 2?
4. Outlining a Search Strategy: Outline a secondary search strategy for one of the topics in
Activity 1. What printed indexes would you use? What electronic search techniques would
you use?
5. Using Sampling Techniques: You are to conduct a survey of residents’ attitudes toward
recycling in a town of 35,000 people. Describe how you might construct a sampling
procedure to avoid having to survey the entire population.
6. Collecting and Documenting Secondary Data: Select one of the research problems in
Activity 1. Locate four related articles using both printed and electronic sources. Prepare a
References (APA) or Works Cited (MLA) page that includes the located sources.
7. Developing Questionnaire Items: In teams of three or four, develop a customer satisfaction
questionnaire for a fast-food restaurant of your choice.
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1. In a bank, the internal auditing division performs semiannual audits of each branch.
Then the audit reports are sent to the bank’s chief executive officer and chief financial
officer and to the manager of the audited branch. The purpose of the audits is to
determine whether policies and practices are properly followed. Into what report
classifications might the audit report fall? Explain.
2. How might a null hypothesis be stated for a research study attempting to determine
whether television or magazine advertising has greater influence on athletic shoe sales?
3. How are observational and experimental research different?
4. What techniques can help make the Internet search process more efficient?
5. Distinguish between reliability and validity. How are both important to quality
research?
6. What purpose do quotes and paraphrases serve in the findings of a report?
7. Why should a research study document information taken from other sources?
8. What questions might you ask of someone who wants assistance in planning a
questionnaire survey to determine automobile-owner satisfaction with certain after-the-
sale services provided by dealers?
9. Gathering so much information that the researcher is “snowed under” by the amount is
often a barrier to good reporting. How might researchers protect themselves against
this possibility?
10. How does the assumption that human beings behave in consistent ways over time
present a danger in data interpretation?
11. How has the process of research changed in recent years? How have the changes been
both beneficial and detrimental?
12. What communication skills should an effective researcher possess?
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
1. Identifying Challenges Posed by Human Subjects: Using an online database, locate and
read an article related to challenges associated with experimental research. What legal and
ethical challenges do researchers face when conducting experimental research with human
subjects? How can they be managed?
2. Writing a Hypothesis: Write positive and null hypotheses for each of the research topics
below.
a. A study to determine functional business areas from which chief executive officers
advanced in their organizations. Functional areas are legal, financial, accounting,
marketing, production, and other.
• Positive Hypothesis: Chief executives advanced primarily through the legal area.
b. A study to determine whether a person’s career success is related to mentoring
experiences.
• Positive Hypothesis: There will be a positive relationship between the occurrence of
c. A study to determine the relationship between college students’ gender and their final
grades in the business communication course.
3. Designing a Research Study: Prepare a one-page description of your plan to solve the
problem for one of the following research studies. Use the following headings for the
problem:
(a) Statement of the Problem,
(b) Research Method and Sources of Information,
(c) Nature of Data to Be Gathered and Analyzed,
(d) Hypothesis or Hypotheses to Be Proved or Disproved (if feasible).
Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:
Campus, Job, or Organization Problem.
• As administrator of Greater Lewisville Health Services, a family health clinic, you have
mailed an informative brochure to each patient that describes the need to receive the
influenza vaccine. Although the flu season is approaching, very few patients have come in
to receive their injections.
• Statement of the Problem: What actions can be implemented by Greater Lewisville
Health Services to motivate patients to come in to receive influenza injections?
• Karen’s Frozen Foods, Inc., is considering adding frozen breakfast pizza to its product
line in an effort to overcome the flat profit line it has experienced for several years. The
marketing staff intends to target the product to teenagers and working couples whose
busy schedules require foods that can be heated quickly. Because all production facilities
are currently operating at full capacity, introducing the frozen pizza will require adding
production capacity.
• Statement of the Problem: Should Karen’s Frozen Foods add breakfast pizza to its
product line?
4. Overcoming Problems in Data Collection and Interpretation: Locate an article using either
printed or electronic sources that address a problem that has occurred for some organization
when it failed to realize that research findings that were true for one country or culture were
not accurate for another. Make a brief presentation to the class about your findings.
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Performing an Electronic Search: This assignment will allow you to perform an electronic
search of a business research topic selected by you or assigned by your instructor.
a. Select a business topic for investigation; for example, challenge education, computer
viruses, diversity training, electronic privacy, electronic meeting management, or
translation software.
b. Look up your topic, using two of the following search engines/databases:
c. Access the Internet, using Chrome, Internet Explorer, or some other browser.
d. Print out appropriate pages from the sites you identify.
e. Using your campus library database selection, select one or more online databases to
research your topic.
f. Locate one or more appropriate articles on your topic and save them.
Send your instructor an email message explaining how you located the articles. How did
2. Real-World Case: Analyzing the Use of “E-Research”: Meal times may be less likely to be
interrupted by telemarketing calls as e-research continues to catch on. Companies such as
InfoPoll offer downloadable software and other services for developing and executing online
surveys. Offered at an average of $1,000 per project, these polls are delivered via email or on
popup web windows and offer a significant savings over traditional phone and paper surveys
that can cost upwards of $25,000. Despite the advantages, many market researchers feel that
web audiences don’t give the random representation of the general population.
a. One organization that offers e-research services is InfoPoll. Visit their website at
3. Bidding for a Convention Site: Read the scenario and complete the activity below.
The National Insurance Appraisers Association is planning an upcoming convention. This
association of 500 members conducts a three-day conference during late October that
includes at least one general session and as many as five breakout groups of 50–75
participants. The chair of this group’s convention site committee has invited your city
(instructor will assign) to submit a proposal bidding for the convention’s 2010 national
convention
Activity:
As executive director of the Economic Development Council, write a proposal including specific
information to convince the group that your city (choose a location) can provide the needed
CASE ASSIGNMENT 1
COPING WITH INFORMATION OVERLOAD
The greatest challenge of our times is to reduce information, not to increase it. Until about 50
years ago, more information was always a good thing. Now we cannot see our way through the
“data smog.” An ever-growing universe of information translates to masses of data through which
people must search to find what is useful and meaningful to them. Consider the following
statistics:
• The average businessperson in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom sends or
receives 190 messages a day.
Although the original intent of advanced communication technologies was to make
communication faster and more efficient, the result has been a communications gridlock and
heightened stress for many workers. “Actually, it is probably a fact of everyday life that we all
suffer from some degree of information overload,” says Barry Gordon, noted neurologist. “If you
Activities
1. In teams of four, visit the listed sites and prepare a presentation on information overload
2. “The information age has brought about a reduction in the quality of life.” Choose to either
support or defend the statement; write a one- to two-page paper that explains your position
3. Select a personal example from your academic or work life in which you have experienced
information overload. Prepare a written analysis that (1) describes the situation, (2)
identifies the reasons for the IO that occurred, and (3) outlines strategies for reducing your
IO.
CASE ASSIGNMENT 2
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES OFFER REVOLUTIONARY BEST
SELLER FOR APPLE
The video player is the latest iteration of popular iPod technology that has helped to
transform Apple from an also-ran computer maker into a cutting-edge entertainment and
communications giant and one of the world’s biggest sellers of digital music. Peter Boatwright,
co-author of The Design of Things to Come, says ”Apple is an example of successful companies
that are introducing new products more oriented toward what con-sumers want rather than just
evolving existing technolo-gies.”
The iPod was anything but a hit when Apple unveiled it in 2001. Stores were filled with
big, clunky digital music players that barely attracted a listen from shoppers. Critics complained
that the $400 iPod was hopelessly overpriced. Many said the same thing when Apple unveiled the
iPod Mini in early 2004, arguing that consumers would never pay $250 for just a few gigabytes of
baby boomer executives, stay-at-home moms, and their music-loving children.
The introduction of the iPhone in 2007 blended the entertainment value of the ipod with
the functionality of a portable phone and PDA. A departure from the business-originated
activities of the computer, the iPod’s primary function is entertainment. Apple knows its
continued success rests in determining the needs of its entertainment-oriented market. Boatright
says of Apple: “They are transforming not just Apple, but the iPods have really helped people
recognize a better definition of innovation. It is not about advanced technology, but increasing
consumer value.”
Allison Johnson, vice president of worldwide marketing communications at Apple, is in
charge of the company’s advertising and marketing around the world. Success in this role is
dependent on maintaining a true understanding of who the customer is. Johnson describes current
consumers as “a generation that values involvement, authenticity, fun, humor, and genuine
connection.”
and expectations.
Though the Mac holds a minority share of the computer market, it is considered a classic
“cult brand” that inspires legions of unwavering fanatics who serve as a long-term insurance
policy for continued success. Apple promotes its reputation as a company that listens to
customers through its twice-yearly Macworld trade convention, blogs, and customer requests for
updates and improvements. The Apple Stores, located in 29 states, are another aspect of Apple’s
branding efforts. In addition to showcasing product innovations, the stores host in-house events,
including appearances by musicians such as Moby and highprofile guests such as photographer
Howard Bingham and film director Spike Lee. Johnson sees good research as essential to
successful marketing, saying ”we are beginning to add much more analytics to our marketing
systems, processes and tools to make smarter decisions about how we spend money and where we
spend money.”
Activities
1. Visit the Apple website at http://www.apple.com to learn what information the company
provides about its research and development activities into health and safety issues.
2. Locate the following article from a database available from your campus library that
describes how various groups and individuals are responding to the potential hearing loss
3. Prepare a list of strategies that Apple and iPod consumers can use for minimizing the risk of
hearing loss.
Students are instructed to read about issues with Apple iPods and potential hearing loss by
visiting Apple’s website and reading an article by Eric Chen. Strategies for minimizing the risk of
hearing loss will vary but should focus on:
• Using volume control software, particularly designed for parents to control the volume of
their children’s iPod.
4. Following directions from your instructor, post an online comment that reflects your opinion
as to how much responsibility a company has for protecting consumers versus the
responsibility of the individual for his or her own safety.
Students may also discuss online the responsibility a company should bear for protecting
5. How has Johnson’s perception of today’s consumer as “a generation that values
involvement, authenticity, fun, humor, and genuine connection” been reflected in the iPod
product design and promotion?
6. How has Johnson effectively combined her communication skills of being fun-loving and
personable with her adeptness at marketing brands and herself?
7. How is innovation at Apple related to the research process?
