Planning the Business Report and Managing Data Chapter 9 Planning the Business Report and Managing Data

Planning the business report and managing data Evaluate the quality of data already available. Collect and evaluate data on the Internet. Develop a questionnaire and cover letter. Construct tables and charts. Interpret data for the report reader.

Definition business report (biz’ nis ri port) n. An orderly and objective presentation of information that helps in decision making and problem solving.

Is the information primary or secondary? Ask these questions: Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene to know these details (names, dates, times)? Where does this information come from—personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports by others? Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account (e.g., diary entries, third-party accounts, impressions of contemporaries, newspaper accounts)? Source: Adapted from: http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/primarysecondary.html, accessed 10/1/07.

Types of secondary data Published Internet resources Journals and magazines Newspapers Books Brochures Pamphlets Technical reports

Types of secondary data (cont’d) Unpublished Company records Legal documents Personal records Medical records Insert photo of files or file cabinets.

Evaluating secondary data What was the purpose of the study? How was the data collected? How was the data analyzed? How consistent is the data with that from other studies? How old is the data?

Evaluate one of your sources using the initial appraisal above. Evaluating sources Initial appraisal of material is based on: Author Date of publication Edition or revision Publisher Title of journal Evaluate one of your sources using the initial appraisal above. Source: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm, accessed 10/1/07.

Evaluate one of your sources using the content analysis above. Evaluating content Content analysis is based on: Intended audience Objective reasoning Coverage Writing style Evaluative reviews Evaluate one of your sources using the content analysis above. Source: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm, accessed 10/1/07.

Using the Internet The Gallup Organization has been conducting public opinion surveys and providing other management consulting services since 1935. The company is frequently asked to survey the public about political issues—especially during election campaigns—as well as business and economic issues, social issues, and lifestyle topics. http://www.gallup.com

Using the Internet AlltheWeb.com Access: http://www.alltheweb.com/info/about/index Read “About Us.” Find and click on the “Try Us Out” hyperlink. Identify features for searching and compare them with Google.com.

Using the Internet altavista.com Access: http://www.altavista.com/about/ Review information about the website at “About Us.” Identify features for searching and compare with Google.com and Alltheweb.com.

Searching What’s the difference? topic1 AND topic2 topic1 OR topic2 topic1 NOT topic2 topic1 NEAR topic2

How good is the information? Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency

Debate issue: Does marketing research invade a respondent’s privacy? YES A great deal of marketing research asks questions that are too personal. Some marketing research, especially telephone and personal interviews, is nothing more than a disguise for sales presentations. The information obtained from marketing research is often used to develop mailing lists that are used to sell consumers products that they may not want. Sometimes the true nature of the research is disguised to get consumers to respond. NO The right to privacy deals with an individual’s ability to restrict personal information. Individual respondents must decide for themselves how much of their personal lives they will share with others. What constitutes private information and public information is ultimately up to the individual respondent. As long as the researcher obtains the consent of the respondent, the research does not invade the respondent’s privacy.

Constructing questionnaire items Necessary Not: What percentage of new start-up companies failed in Michigan last year? (question of fact) But: What percentage of new start-up companies do you think failed in Michigan last year? (question of opinion)

Questionnaire items Unbiased Not: Do you think new companies fail primarily because of a lack of adequate funding? But: What do you think is the major reason that new companies fail?

Questionnaire items (cont’d) Unambiguous Not: Do you think it takes a long time for the average start-up firm to secure financing? But: How many months do you think it takes the average start-up company to secure financing?

Questionnaire items (cont’d) Exhaustive and mutually exclusive Not: How many months did it take you to secure financing for your new company? __ 4 months __ 4-6 months __ more than 6 months But: How many months did it take you to secure financing for your new company? __ 0-4 months __ 5-6 months __ more than 6 months

Questionnaire items (cont’d) One idea Not: Banks should set aside more funds for start-up companies because they are so important to the economy. __ agree __ no opinion __ disagree But: Banks should set aside more funds for start-up companies. __ agree __ no opinion __ disagree

What a cover letter should include Date mailed Recipient address What the study is about Why the recipient is important Promise of confidentiality Usefulness of study Reward for participation What to do if questions arise Appreciation Personal signature Sender's title Source: Adapted from: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/AGDM/wholefarm/html/c5-26.html, accessed 10/1/07.

Data versus information

Data versus information (cont’d)

HASCO EMPLOYMENT LEVELS Format of a table Cross-tabulations Table Number Table 3 HASCO EMPLOYMENT LEVELS As of December 10, 2007 Employee Type Total By Department Annual Admin Prod Sales Change Full-time nonexempt 389 27 345 17 -3.0% Full-time exempt 143 19 15 109 13.5% Temporary 31 4 22 5 5.3% Othera 21 13 8 -1.6% 584 63 382 139 5.9% Source: Madison County Facts—2006, Metropolitan State University Press, St. Louis, MO, 2001, p. 183. a Includes all special-project and work-for-hire employees. Title Subtitle Column Headings Source (optional) Footnote (optional) <#> 10

Figure 1. Employee Distribution: 2001–2007 Line chart 700 600 No. of Employees 500 400 Nonexempt 300 Exempt 200 100 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Figure 1. Employee Distribution: 2001–2007

Bar chart Figure 1. Employee Distribution: 2006–2007 50 100 150 200 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Nonexempt Exempt Temporary Other 2006 2007 No. of Employees Figure 1. Employee Distribution: 2006–2007

Pie chart Figure 1. Employees by Type

Problem recognition tasks With a partner, identify the type of table or chart that should be constructed for the following circumstances. Provide your rationale. The sales of bed linens for two years for the company’s four sales districts, indicating which districts met their goals. Use of exercise facilities from 2004 to 2008 by income Male and female use of the exercise facilities from 2004 to 2008 Type of home Internet connection in 2008: cable, dial- up, DSL, other.

Answers Table: Shows a large amount of detail in a small space Line chart: Identifies trend Bar chart: Shows comparisons Pie chart: Divides information into component wedges

Ethics problem Potential ethical problems with interpreting data: Editing data Making up data Using inappropriate statistical tests Violating the assumptions of the statistical test Performing multiple statistical tests Identify which problem is most likely to occur in business research. Explain why.

Key terms bar chart cross-tabulation factoring line chart pie chart primary data questionnaire secondary data survey table