1. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 1 Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information

2. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 2 The Research Process 1.Make a Research Plan 2.Find Data/Information 3.Process Data/Information 4.Apply Your Findings 5.Manage the Information

3. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 3 Plan Your Research Learn About the Subject Target Information Gaps Prioritize Research Needs

4. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 4 Ethics and Etiquette in Business Research Don’t force a specific outcome Respect privacy of participants Document and credit your sources Respect intellectual property rights Don’t misquote your sources Don’t misrepresent your intentions

5. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 5 Learn About the Subject Industry Publications Competitors’ Websites Interviews with Experts

6. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 6 Learn About the Subject Online Resources Books and Indexes Problem Statement

7. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 7 Identify Information Gaps 1.Clarify the decision or conclusion 2.Identify subquestions 3.Clarify information requirements 4.Locate existing information 5.Assess the information gap

8. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 8 Prioritize Research Needs ConstraintsInformation Limited Time Limited Resources “Need to Know” “Nice to Know”

9. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 9 Data and Information PrimaryResearchPrimaryResearch SecondaryResearchSecondaryResearch

10. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 10 Purpose of the Material IndependentVerification Logic and Good Sense Honesty and Reliability The Author’s Credibility Timeliness PotentialBias Data Collection Methods Completeness Evaluating Sources

11. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 11 Secondary Research Inside the Company Inside Outside Outside Company Documents Knowledge Management Systems Systems Hardcopy Resources Online Resources

12. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 12 Finding Information at the Library BusinessBooksBusinessBooksElectronicDatabasesElectronicDatabasesNewspapersNewspapersPeriodicalsPeriodicalsDirectoriesDirectoriesAlmanacsAlmanacsStatisticalResourcesStatisticalResourcesGovernmentPublicationsGovernmentPublications

13. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 13 Finding Information Online Search Engines WebDirectoriesWebDirectoriesMeta-SearchEnginesMeta-SearchEnginesOnlineDatabasesOnlineDatabases

14. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 14 Search Techniques Keyword Searches Boolean Operators Natural Language Forms-Based Searches

15. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 15 Fine Tune Search Methods Read instructions Observe details Review options Vary search terms Adjust search scope

16. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 16 Innovative Research Technologies Desktop Search Engines Enterprise Search Engines Research Managers Content Managers Social Bookmarking Sites Newsfeeds

17. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 17 Documenting Sources Direct Quotes Paraphrased Material Common Knowledge Copyright Law Specialized Knowledge Fair Use Doctrine Credit Your Sources Help Your Readers Support Your Message

18. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 18 Primary Information Surveys Interviews Experiments Observations

19. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 19 Conducting Surveys EffectiveQuestionsEffectiveQuestions RepresentativeSampleRepresentativeSample

20. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 20 Adapt the Survey Survey No Compound Questions QuestionsUnambiguousQuestionsUnambiguousQuestions No Leading Questions Questions Easy-to-AnalyzeQuestionsEasy-to-AnalyzeQuestionsShort-AnswerQuestionsShort-AnswerQuestionsClearInstructionsClearInstructions Effective Questionnaires

21. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 21 Effective Interviews ComposeQuestionsComposeQuestionsUnderstand the Audience Understand Consider Ethical Implications Implications Analyze Your Purpose Purpose Set Interview Structure Structure

22. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 22 Types of Questions Open-Ended Direct Open-Ended Direct Open-Ended Restatement Close-Ended Information Quality Interviewer Control More Less

23. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 23 Preparing Questions Consider sequence Rate the questions Ask smart questions Limit the number Edit the questions

24. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 24 Processing Data and Information ParaphrasingParaphrasing SummarizingSummarizing QuotingQuoting

25. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 25 Analyzing the Data Mean, Median, and Mode Overall Trends Cause and Correlation Cross-Tabulation

26. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 26 Minimizing Mistakes and Misinterpretations Avoid Faulty Comparisons Don’t Push Research Results Avoid Misleading Presentations

27. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 27 Applying Your Findings Unbiased Summary RecommendationsRecommendations Logical Conclusion

28. © Prentice Hall, 2008 Business Communication Today, 9eChapter 11 - 28 Managing Information Knowledge Management System SystemTechnologiesTechnologiesProceduresProceduresPoliciesPolicies