Who Reads and Writes Reports
•Sales Managers
•Field Reps
•VP Information Technology
•Store Managers
•Human Resources
•Staff
•Product Manager
•Market Research Test
•Business Development Manager
•Usage Rates
Sources for a Report
•Define report purpose
•Analyze intended audience
•Determine data needed to solve problem or make decision
•FACTOR the problem
•BREAK IT DOWN to determine data to collect
You own a small chain of restaurants and are considering offering
healthier menu choices for children. What do you need to find out?
•What is the nutritional content of current menu options?
•What are industry trends?
•How prevalent is movement toward healthier menus?
•How might customers respond to change?
•Which meals would they prefer?
•How much would healthier food cost?
Types of Data
•Secondary
•Collected by someone else for other purpose
•Published or unpublished
Published
Unpublished
Internet resources
Company records (reports
and communications
Journal, magazine, and
newspaper articles
Legal documents (court
records)
Books
Personal files (expense
records)
Brochures and pamphlets
Medical records
Technical reports
Primary Data
•Collected by researcher
•More control over accuracy, completeness, relevance
•Three main methods to collect data
•Surveys
•Observation
•Experimentation
•Review data already collected (review of literature)
•Focus on secondary data first
•Consider whether appropriate for purpose
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/03/
Relevant Sources
•School Library Databases
•Business Source Premier
•ProQuest
•LexisNexis
•EbscoHost
•Internet
•Google and Google Scholar
•Dogpile
•Wikipedia for definitions only
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/553/03/
•http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/553/04/
Evaluate Web Sources
Authority
•Look for links that say, Who We Are, About this Site
•Credibility of site owners (experience, credentials, publications, press)
•Other sites linking to this site
•Domain Extension
Accuracy
•Research sources documented and cited
•Spelling error s or incorrect uses of grammar
•Background information verified for accuracy
•Check site existence at www.archive.org
Purpose/Objectivity
•Purpose of site (educational, commercial, entertainment)
•Clear distinction between opinion and fact?
•Who is intended audience? Organization of site
Evaluate Web Sources
Coverage
•One aspect of topic or depth of content
•What information in included or omitted
•Page complete or under construction
Currency
•Last site update or revised
•How often updated
•Dead Links
Collect Data through Questionnaires
Survey
•Uses questionnaires, telephone, email inquiries or interviews
•Advantages
•Representative sampling over specified geographical area
•Inexpensive
•Mailed or online
•Anonymity increases validity
•Time convenient
•Disadvantages
•Low response rate
•Non respondents not typical of population
•Non respondents not as educated, sociable, etc.
•Used only when
•Information can be provided easily/quickly
•Target audience homogeneous
•Sufficient time available
Construct Questionnaire
Content
•Ask information not available elsewhere
•Purpose for each question; use direct approach
•Precise wording to avoid misunderstanding
•Ensure one response for each question and no overlapping categories
•Careful about asking sensitive questions—age, salary, morals
•Pilot-test to check questions functions as intended and revise
Construct Questionnaire
Organization
•Arrange questions in logical order
•Group or divide into sections
•Arrange alternatives for each question in logical order
•Numerical, chronological or alphabetical
•Use descriptive title, provide directions, include instructions for return
•Format
•Use easy-to-answer format
•Check-off questions draw most responses , easy to tabulate
•Use free-response items when necessary
•Ensure questionnaire has professional appearance
•Simple and attractive format
•Proofread
Examples
NOT
Do you think our company should open an on-site child care center?
________yes
________no
BETTER
Which of the following additional benefits would you most prefer?
_______a dental insurance plan
_______an on-site child care center
_______three personal-leave days annually
_______other (please specify: _____________________)
NOT
Our company should spend less money on advertising and more money on
research and development
_______agree
_______disagree
Announce Questionnaire
•Addresses and identifies audience
•Dear Ashford University Student
•Begins with attention getter
•If you’re like most students . . ., you face challenges
•Captures interest with something audience relates to
•Forwarding email can be misused or misunderstood
•Includes clear request and emphasizes survey is short
•Your input on this short survey will help current students and . . .
•Provide reasons to participate
•You can give us a better understanding of how students. . .
•Explain survey structure and how much time is required
•The first part of the survey takes about 3 minutes . . .
•Expresses appreciation; makes questionnaire easy to access via a link
•Your participation in this project is . . .You can find the survey at
http://www.___
•Include researchers’ names but no signatures in email
Survey Links
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/05/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/06/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/09/
Assignment (Part I)
Imagine you are planning a start-up business targeted to Ashford students.
1. Decide on your business concept (service or product)
2. Write 8-12 questions to determine whether your idea will be popular.
3. Create a free online survey at www.surveymonkey.com or
www.zoomerang.com. Or read, http://www.socialbrite.org/2010/09/16/5-toponline-survey-tools-for-nonprofits/
4. Distribute survey to 3-4 classmates
5. Collect responses
Submit to drop box: Start-up Business Survey
Part II
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pair up to evaluate questions
Provide feedback about questionnaire
Which questions were most effective, why?
Which questions were least effective, why?
Create a Chart to Compare Data
According to Mars, Inc., each bag of M&Ms should contain the percentage of
colors should be:
30%
Red
20%
Green
20%
Blue
10%
Yellow
10%
Brown
10%
Orange
Separate M&Ms by color
Compare percentage of occurrence of colors to M&Ms standard
Create a chart to show the comparison
Source: http://global.mms.com/us/about/products/