Deck 6: Research Design: An Overview

Question 1

Research design strategy encompasses all of the components below except _____.

A) data collection design
B) sampling design
C) instrument development
D) data analysis
E) all of the above are part of the design strategy

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Kroger,a grocery store chain,wants to identify the ideal store layout for increasing store sales.Because it primarily uses two store designs,one a grid layout with vertical aisles divided by a center aisle and another using a traditional straight-aisle pattern,Kroger will match pairs of stores that have different designs but similar shopper demographics and location.Sales from each pair will then be compared to determine if store design is related to sales.Which type of study is this an example of?

A) Case study
B) Experimental study
C) Exploratory study
D) Longitudinal study
E) Ex post facto study

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A causal-explanatory study is one that _____.

A) attempts to capture a population's characteristics by making inferences from a sample's characteristics and testing resulting hypotheses
B) emphasizes a full contextual analysis of a few events or conditions and their interrelations
C) discovers answers to the questions who, what, when, where, or how much
D) attempts to reveal why or how one variable produces changes in another
E) provides repeated measures over an extended period of time

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A(n)_____ study involves manipulation of one or more variables to determine the effect on another variable.

A) ex post facto
B) exploratory
C) experimental
D) causal
E) C & D above

Question 5

A(n)_____ study explains what happened to a measured variable after-the-fact.

A) ex post facto
B) exploratory
C) experimental
D) statistical
E) causal

Question 6

What type of study is being conducted when Land's End Home mails a catalog with a fluffy set of towels on the cover to one group of consumers and the same catalog with a cover featuring a photograph of a beautifully-made bed to another consumer group in order to test differences in response between the two groups?

A) Case study
B) Longitudinal study
C) Exploratory study
D) Experiment
E) Ex post facto study

Question 7

An experimental study is one that _____.

A) attempts to capture a population's characteristics by making inferences from a sample's characteristics and testing resulting hypotheses
B) involves manipulation of one or more variables to determine the effect on another variable
C) discovers answers to the questions who, what, when, where, or how much
D) attempts to reveal why or how one variable produces changes in another
E) provides repeated measures over an extended period of time

Question 8

The goal of a formal study is to _____.

A) discover future research tasks
B) expand understanding of a topic
C) test hypotheses
D) provide insight
E) develop hypotheses

Question 9

In the best-selling book,Good to Great,the author examined the characteristics of eleven highly successful companies by studying the full context of each organization,using multiple sources of information,and identifying the relationship between managerial decisions and success.This is an example of a(n)_____.

A) case study
B) exploratory study
C) descriptive study
D) statistical study
E) causal study

Question 10

Which of the following is not an example of a monitoring study?

A) Counting traffic at an intersection
B) Recording license plates in a parking lot
C) Mystery shopping in a competitor's store
D) Documenting interactions between customers and a call center
E) Telephone interview

Question 11

InZone Research will survey fans attending one of the Final Four games to assess preferences for pricing and products offered at concession stands.What type of study is this an example of?

A) formal
B) cross-sectional
C) longitudinal
D) monitoring
E) ex post facto

Question 12

All of the following are possible goals of an exploratory study except _____.

A) discover future research tasks
B) expand understanding of a topic
C) test hypotheses
D) provide insight
E) develop hypotheses

Question 13

A descriptive study is one that _____.

A) attempts to capture a population's characteristics by making inferences from a sample's characteristics and testing resulting hypotheses
B) emphasizes a full contextual analysis of a few events or conditions and their interrelations
C) discovers answers to the questions who, what, when, where, or how much
D) attempts to reveal why or how one variable produces changes in another
E) provides repeated measures over an extended period of time

Question 14

When political researchers assess opinions towards President Obama's plan for immigration reform,a(n)______ study is used.However,when political researchers want to assess the change in opinion toward immigration reform since the 1990s,a(n)_____ study should be used.

A) monitoring; communication
B) experimental; ex post facto
C) cross-sectional; longitudinal
D) exploratory; formal
E) laboratory; field

Question 15

The primary difference between a monitoring study and a communication study is that in a communication study,the researcher _____.

A) observes participants
B) documents activities without eliciting direct responses
C) asks questions of participants
D) collects data
E) records information over a period of time

Question 16

Which of the following is a type of monitoring study?

A) Telephone interview
B) Counting cars in a parking lot
C) Mall-intercept interview
D) E-mail survey
E) All of the above

Question 17

Which type of study is loosely structured and designed to expand understanding of a topic and provide insights?

A) Formal
B) Causal-predictive
C) Exploratory
D) Experimental
E) Descriptive

Question 18

InStyle magazine wants to examine the pull power of two types of copy in increasing the level of newsstand sales for a given month.The issue will feature British royal Kate Middleton but InStyle wants to know whether newsstand sales will be higher for a cover that mentions Middleton's daily life or one that promises to share Middleton's style secrets.The issues are identical with the exception of the copy underneath the cover graphic of Middleton.Which type of study is this an example of?

A) Case study
B) Experimental study
C) Exploratory study
D) Longitudinal study
E) Ex post facto study

Question 19

A case study is one that _____.

A) attempts to capture a population's characteristics by making inferences from a sample's characteristics and testing resulting hypotheses
B) emphasizes a full contextual analysis of a few events or conditions and their interrelations
C) discovers answers to the questions who, what, when, where, or how much
D) attempts to reveal why or how one variable produces changes in another
E) provides repeated measures over an extended period of time

Question 20

A statistical study is one that _____.

A) attempts to capture a population's characteristics by making inferences from a sample's characteristics and testing resulting hypotheses
B) emphasizes a full contextual analysis of a few events or conditions and their interrelations
C) discovers answers to the questions who, what, when, where, or how much
D) attempts to reveal why or how one variable produces changes in another
E) provides repeated measures over an extended period of time

Question 21

The study of the use of space is called _____.

A) kinesics
B) proxemics
C) methodology
D) linguistics
E) feng shui

Question 22

Studies that are conducted under field conditions _____.

A) occur under actual environmental conditions
B) simulate environmental conditions
C) imitate reality
D) control for extraneous variables
E) facilitate measurement of the variables of interest

Question 23

What other area of the research process is affected by the exploration phase?

A) Research design
B) Research proposal
C) Investigative questions
D) Measurement questions
E) All of the above

Question 24

Street ethnography is used in exploratory research to _____.

A) gather information from well-informed people
B) describe the culture and structure of a group
C) examine underlying attitudes
D) study the use of space
E) evaluate body-motion communication

Question 25

Which of the following is true of studies conducted under laboratory conditions?

A) Occur under actual environmental conditions
B) Simulate environmental conditions
C) Imitate reality
D) Dependent variable naturally occurs
E) Facilitate measurement of the variables of interest

Question 26

When studies are conducted under controlled conditions that do not simulate actual environmental conditions,the study is conducted _____.

A) experimentally
B) ex post facto
C) under field conditions
D) under laboratory conditions
E) via monitoring

Question 27

Discussions with those who are knowledgeable about the problem or its possible solutions are called _____.

A) brainstorming
B) experience surveys
C) focus groups
D) experiments
E) projection techniques

Question 28

When two variables vary together but changes in the variables are not due to changes in the other,a _____ relationship is said to exist.

A) reciprocal
B) asymmetrical
C) causal
D) symmetrical
E) spurious

Question 29

A simulation is a study that is designed to _____.

A) occur under actual environmental conditions
B) imitate reality
C) facilitate measurement
D) control all possible variables
E) all of the above

Question 30

Which of the following exploratory techniques is used most often in business research?

A) Proxemics
B) Empathic research
C) Focus groups
D) Street ethnography
E) Surveys

Question 31

All of the following are part of an exploratory phase search strategy except _____.

A) discovery and analysis of secondary sources
B) expert interviews
C) interviews with those involved with the problem
D) brainstorming
E) experiments

Question 32

Which of the following is true of focus group interviews?

A) Typically made up of 3-5 participants
B) Led by a group leader who is chosen by the participants
C) Meet for 90 minutes to 2 hours
D) Provide quantitative data
E) Used in formal studies

Question 33

Harris Interactive monthly surveys members of its YouthQuery,a group of consumers ages 8-18 who were recruited to report consumption data on a variety of products and their response to various promotional methods.The YouthQuery members are part of a(n)_____.

A) longitudinal study
B) cross-sectional study
C) monitoring study
D) cohort study
E) statistical study

Question 34

A(n)_____ is a study in which the conditions of a system or process are replicated.

A) laboratory study
B) field study
C) mall-intercept study
D) simulation
E) mystery shopping study

Question 35

An experience survey is a type of _____.

A) interview
B) survey
C) monitoring study
D) statistical study
E) observation

Question 36

Exploratory research is finished in all of the following situations except when _____.

A) the range and scope of management decisions are established
B) the major dimensions of the research task are established
C) hypotheses are developed
D) additional research is necessary
E) investigative questions are defined

Question 37

Longitudinal studies of cohort groups _____.

A) study the same people over time
B) use panel members as participants
C) study attitudes at a single point in time
D) use different participants for each sequenced measurement
E) occur under actual environmental conditions

Question 38

Exploratory studies are particularly useful when researchers _____.

A) seek to describe a population's parameters based on the characteristics of a sample
B) seek to evaluate changes in attitudes over time
C) lack a clear idea of the study's problems
D) seek to test specific hypotheses
E) all of the above

Question 39

Which of the following is not an objective of exploratory research?

A) Expand understanding of management dilemma
B) Gather background information
C) Identify information necessary for formulating investigative questions
D) Identify sources of measurement questions
E) All of the above

Question 40

A correlation refers to the _____.

A) estimates of frequency with which a characteristic appears
B) establishing of the direction of causality between two variables
C) described characteristics associated with a subject population
D) relationship by which two or more variables covary
E) estimation of the proportion of a population with certain characteristics

Question 41

Secondary data analysis related to business research should start with

A) A literature search of published documents by authors outside the organization
B) Reports of prior research done by the organization
C) Data mining of an organization's data warehouse
D) Industry catalogs, subject guides, and electronic sources
E) None of the above

Question 42

The research experiment is superior to the ex post facto research design when the researcher:

A) Must avoid influencing the variables under study and therefore avoid biasing the results.
B) Needs to cause variables to be changed or held constant in keeping with specified research objectives.
C) Is limited to hold all factors constant by selection of subjects according to strict sampling procedures and statistical manipulation of findings.
D) Decides to use the design more common to research in the social sciences and business.

Question 43

An intranet can be used for which of the following:

A) A longitudinal study
B) An experiment
C) A communication study
D) An exploratory study
E) All of the above

Question 44

Research designs may be viewed as being

A) Exploratory or experimental
B) Laboratory or ex post facto
C) Cross-sectional or case
D) Descriptive or causal
E) Longitudinal or statistical

Question 45

Compare and contrast the cross-sectional and longitudinal designs.

Question 46

Which of the following statements is false with respect to the two-stage research approach to a management question? The two-stage approach:

A) Often uncovers evidence that a major study is unnecessary in the first stage.
B) Is particularly useful when the research is to be done on a fixed cost basis.
C) Is particularly useful when the complications and problems that will be encountered are difficult to anticipate.
D) Is less expensive and less in-depth than a one-stage research approach.

Question 47

What is an asymmetrical relationship? List and explain the four types of asymmetrical relationships that a research may observe.

Question 48

Explain the difference between a field setting (research under field conditions),laboratory setting,and simulation.

Question 49

"The introduction of a four day week leads to increased productivity particularly among young workers by improving job satisfaction." In this statement,improving job satisfaction is the:

A) Independent Variable
B) Dependent Variable
C) Intervening Variable
D) Moderating Variable

Question 50

What are the three types of evidence a research seeks when testing causal hypotheses? Explain.

Question 51

Which of the following can be classified as a causal research study? The researcher is attempting to find out:

A) What percentage of the population believes consumer products are of the same or better quality today than 10 years ago.
B) Which manufacturers in the U.S. contribute the highest percentage of their net income to private non-profit organizations.
C) How the murder rate in Detroit fluctuates with the economy and population trends.
D) Why unemployment is higher in Chicago than Houston.

Question 52

The basic method by which equivalence between experimental and control groups is determined is

A) Matching
B) Definition
C) Frequency control
D) Cross-classifying
E) Random assignment

Question 53

A participant's perceptual awareness refers to their

A) awareness of the sponsor of the study
B) changing their behavior in a study
C) understanding of the purpose of the study as explained to them by the researcher
D) awareness that they are part of a disguised study
E) All of the above

Question 54

The major relationships of interest to the research analyst are those which are

A) Asymmetrical
B) Exclusive
C) Independent
D) Reciprocal
E) Symmetrical

Question 55

The basic method by which we determine equivalence between study and control groups in an ex post facto study is by

A) Matching
B) Definition
C) Induction
D) Random assignment

Question 56

The Critical Path Method is

A) a type of research design
B) the crucial steps in an experiment
C) the selection process for choosing critical members of a control group
D) scheduling for activities and stages and timing for each activity or stage used in research planning
E) none of the above

Question 57

The interactions between two sets of variables may reflect relationships that are

A) Symmetrical
B) Reciprocal
C) Asymmetrical
D) All of the above

Question 58

Which of the following is not a type of evidence used to test causal hypotheses?

A) Covariation between variables A and B
B) Time order of events
C) Alternative causes
D) Disposition of variable B
E) All of the above can be used to test causal hypotheses