1. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 1 Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information

2. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 2 The Research Process Plan your research Locate data and information Process data and information Apply your findings Manage information

3. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 3 Plan Your Research Learn about the subject Identify information gaps Prioritize research needs

4. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 4 Ethics and Etiquette in Business Research Don’t skew results Respect privacy of participants Document sources Respect intellectual property Don’t misquote

5. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 5 Learn About the Subject Industry publications Competitor’s websites Interviews with Experts

6. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 6 Information Gap Analysis 1.Clarify the decision or conclusion 2.Identify subquestions 3.Clarify information requirements 4.Locate existing information 5.Assess the information gap

7. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 7 Data and Information Secondary research Primary research

8. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 8 Purpose of the Material IndependentVerification Logic and Good Sense Honesty and Reliability The Author Timeliness PotentialBias Data Collection Methods Completeness Evaluating Sources

9. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 9 Secondary Research A specific company An entire industry Statistics and trends Business issues

10. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 10 Finding Information at the Library BusinessBooksElectronicDatabasesNewspapersPeriodicals DirectoriesAlmanacsStatisticalResourcesGovernmentPublications

11. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 11 Online Information Internet public library Company websites

12. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 12 Internet Search Tools Search engines –Web directories –Online databases –Meta-search engines

13. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 13 Search Techniques Keywords Boolean operators Natural language Forms-based

14. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 14 Fine Tune Search Methods Read instructions Review your options Adjust search scope Understand details Vary search terms Employ search agents

15. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 15 Documenting Sources Credit sources Build credibility Help your readers

16. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 16 Primary Information Surveys Interviews Experiments observations

17. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 17 Survey Questions Ask easy-to-analyze questions Avoid leading questions Ask one question at a time Pretest all questionnaires

18. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 18 Effective Interviews Purpose –Collect information –Make decisions –Clarify issues Structure –Overall length –Stylistic issues –Organization

19. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 19 Types of Questions Close-ended Restatement Direct open-ended Open-ended

20. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 20 Preparing Questions Think about sequence Rate the questions Ask smart questions Mix types of questions Limit the number Edit questions

21. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 21 Processing Interview Information Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing

22. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 22 Analyzing the Data Mean, median, and mode Overall trends Cause and correlation Cross-tabulation

23. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 23 Minimize Mistakes and Misinterpretations Avoid faulty comparisons Don’t push research results Avoid misleading presentations

24. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 24 Applying Your Findings Unbiased summary Logical conclusion Feasible recommendations

25. © Prentice Hall, 2005 Business Communication Today 8eChapter 10 - 25 Knowledge Management Information Insights Experiences Research