Bus642 Week 3

Assignments

To complete this assignment, go to this week's Assignment link in the left navigation:

* Week Three Exercises

Complete the following exercises:

* In your text book

* Complete Making Research Decisions, 5, page 315.

* Complete Terms in Review, 1- 3, page 123.

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* On companion website

* Read the case study, State Farm: Dangerous Intersections. Answer questions 1 through 5. (This case can be downloaded from the text book web site, http://http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073373702/student_view0/cases.html)

Making Research Decisions, 5, page 315

One of the problems in developing rating scales is the choice of response terms to used. Below are samples of some widely used scaling codes. Do you see any problems with them?

a. Yes—Depends—No

This rating scale does not have enough adjectives to obtain accurate information. Individual behavior cannot be ascertained using this few scale points.

b. Excellent—Good—Fair—Poor

A four point scale might be appropriate for a work performance evaluation. It gives managers a starting point to discuss employee work habits. However, it is not comprehensive enough to compile heavier sets of data.

c. Excellent—Good—Average—Fair—Poor

This scale would be useful for making comparisons between products or services.

d. Strongly Approve—Approve—Uncertain—Disapprove—Strongly Disapprove

The word “approve” appears in every point on the scale except one and the questions might be predisposing subjects to give a certain response. It is only appropriate as a scale to measure satisfaction.

This scale has five points, and is more reliable. However, there is the risk of an increase in data variability, making it difficult to demonstrate differences.

Terms in Review, 1-3, page 123

1. Explain how each of the five evaluation factors for a secondary source influences its management decision-making value.

a. Purpose—this factor tells managers what kind of...