Deck 15: Preparing and Presenting Your Research Report

Question 1

Distinguish conclusions from recommendations.

Answer 1

Conclusions from recommendations:
The conclusions are the presumptions and inferences that have come about the methodology of the research area.
So, the conclusions section plays the major role to understand the benefits, and the difficulties present in the proposed method. This section concludes with the overall process.
Recommendations are the guidelines or the researcher's opinion of how to implement the decision based on the conclusions.
Recommendation section helps to face the difficulties in proposal method, improve the confidence level and choose the advanced method to overcome the proposal method's drawbacks.
Hence, these are the differences in the conclusions from recommendations.

Question 2

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Making a PowerPoint Presentation
Cory Rogers completed the report for Advanced Automobile Concepts. He decided he wanted to make some PowerPoint slides to use in his presentation of the findings. Working in Word, he wrote a title to his presentation: Advanced Automobile Concepts: A Marketing Research Study to Determine Car Model Preferences and Profile Market Segments. Then he wrote out several other comments that he wanted to include in the beginning of his presentation, such as the research objectives, and several issues dealing with the method used, such as the sample plan and the sample size. When Rogers wrote out a number of the statements that he thought would help him communicate the purpose and method of the study, he turned his attention to presenting the findings.
Rogers thought he would begin his presentation of the study with a description of the sample, often referred to as a "profile of the sample." He noticed that for Gender and Marital Status there were only two categories (male, female; and married, unmarried) for each question. He decided to just orally report the percentages of the categories. However, for some of the other variables, there were several categories of response and he felt he would communicate the results better by showing the frequency distribution table. He prepared a frequency distribution of the responses to these questions using XL Data Analyst. He continued by making several key analyses of the data using XL Data Analyst.
Using the XL Data Analyst, run several frequency distributions. Using Excel or Microsoft Word, select a table style that embodies the guidelines for good tables provided in this chapter. Make any modifications to the table style that result in an effective table format.

Answer 2

not answer

Question 3

Why are headings and subheadings important to use?

Answer 3

Usage of headings and subheadings:
• In lengthy reports, headings and subheadings should present the indications and direction to the readers.
• Otherwise, the reader may get confused. So, the headings and subheadings execute this function.
• Heading mentions each section topic in the report. The heading is used to cover full information related to the topic in that particular section. A new heading introduces a change of topic.
• The subheading is used to divide the information into small segments.
Hence, these are the usages of headings and subheadings.

Question 4

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Making a PowerPoint Presentation
Cory Rogers completed the report for Advanced Automobile Concepts. He decided he wanted to make some PowerPoint slides to use in his presentation of the findings. Working in Word, he wrote a title to his presentation: Advanced Automobile Concepts: A Marketing Research Study to Determine Car Model Preferences and Profile Market Segments. Then he wrote out several other comments that he wanted to include in the beginning of his presentation, such as the research objectives, and several issues dealing with the method used, such as the sample plan and the sample size. When Rogers wrote out a number of the statements that he thought would help him communicate the purpose and method of the study, he turned his attention to presenting the findings.
Rogers thought he would begin his presentation of the study with a description of the sample, often referred to as a "profile of the sample." He noticed that for Gender and Marital Status there were only two categories (male, female; and married, unmarried) for each question. He decided to just orally report the percentages of the categories. However, for some of the other variables, there were several categories of response and he felt he would communicate the results better by showing the frequency distribution table. He prepared a frequency distribution of the responses to these questions using XL Data Analyst. He continued by making several key analyses of the data using XL Data Analyst.
Using Excel, make a bar chart of the answers to the question regarding the variable, "Americans Use Too Much Gasoline." Experiment with the different options of bar charts available to you in Excel. Select a bar chart and import that chart into PowerPoint using copy and paste. Experiment with making edits on your slide.

Question 5

Illustrate the differences between levels of headings.

Question 6

What are guidelines to preparing tables, pie charts, and bar charts?

Question 7

What are guidelines to preparing ethical visuals?

Question 8

Briefly explain the features of the iReportWriting Assistant.

Question 9

Assume you have conducted a marketing research project for your university and that the project basically consists of providing them with a descriptive study of the student population. You've collected demographic information and information on students' attitudes toward various campus services and student life activities. Write a title page for the report. Would you use a memo or letter of transmittal? Write it.

Question 10

Discuss the relative importance of the marketing research report to the other stages in the marketing research process.

Question 11

Using your XL Data Analyst and Excel, prepare a pie chart and a bar chart using any data you have.

Question 12

What are the components of the marketing research report?

Question 13

Why do you think we included a discussion of ethics in preparing visuals? If you wanted to make your pie chart or bar chart you prepared in the question above unethical, describe what you could do.

Question 14

When should you include or omit a letter of authorization?

Question 15

Now look at some of the answers you have written above. Evaluate your answers in light of the information contained in this chapter in Marketing Research Application 15.2 on developing logical paragraphs.

Question 16

When should a letter of transmittal versus a memo of transmittal be used?

Question 17

Visit your library and ask your reference librarian if he or she is aware of any marketing research reports (you can also ask for "reports written by faculty of the university") that have been placed in the library. Chances are good that you will be able to find several reports of various kinds. Examine the reports. What commonalities do they have in terms of the sections that the authors have created? Look at the sections carefully. What types of issues were addressed in the introduction section? The method section? How did the authors organize all of the information reported in the findings section? Are recommendations different from conclusions

Question 18

What is the difference between a table and a figure?

Question 19

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Using iReportWriter Assistant
Cory Rogers was about to write up the first draft of the final report for Advanced Automobile Concepts (AAC). He decided to go to the online report writing module he learned when he took his first marketing research course in college. Because the iReportWriter Assistant is constantly updated, Rogers knew he would have access to the latest links and information that would assist him in writing his report. Nick Thomas of AAC had told Rogers that ZEN Motors had its own marketing research department and that the department heads were eager to read his report. Rogers knew that they would be particularly interested in technical issues such as how the sample size was determined and the margin of error. He had also had a frank discussion with Thomas about conclusions and recommendations. Thomas had told him, "Cory I want to know what the numbers say. What are the conclusions based on those numbers? In terms of how to proceed, I will meet with my top staff members and we will make those decisions. We have to factor in many constraints that, frankly, I am not even aware of at this point."
As a trained marketing researcher, Rogers was very familiar with the steps in the marketing research process. Knowledge of these steps was useful in writing the "method" section of his marketing research reports. For example, Rogers knew that he should address the types and sources of information used in the report; he should also address the research design and why it was chosen over other designs; he knew the sampling plan and sample size should also be included in the "method" section. Rogers made a list of topics he should cover and he started organizing these topics in terms of headings and subheadings that would eventually be used in the final report.
Rogers thought, "Ah, yes! I have to properly cite every source I have used in this report." He dreaded this part. As many times as he had written a report, remembering every detail that goes in a reference was just something that would not stay in his memory bank. Yet, he knew it was important to use the proper form for his reference list.
Before you start on the questions that follow, access the iReportWriter Assistant by going to www.pearsonhighered.com/burns and click on the Companion Website link for this text. Now read over the major topics covered in the iReportWriter Assistant before you read the following questions. Once you are finished reviewing the contents of the iReportWriter Assistant you should be ready to answer the following questions.
What is it about the information in the case above that Rogers should consider doing before he actually begins to write the report? Name some specific issues Rogers should address.

Question 20

Why is the abstract or executive summary important?

Question 21

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Using iReportWriter Assistant
Cory Rogers was about to write up the first draft of the final report for Advanced Automobile Concepts (AAC). He decided to go to the online report writing module he learned when he took his first marketing research course in college. Because the iReportWriter Assistant is constantly updated, Rogers knew he would have access to the latest links and information that would assist him in writing his report. Nick Thomas of AAC had told Rogers that ZEN Motors had its own marketing research department and that the department heads were eager to read his report. Rogers knew that they would be particularly interested in technical issues such as how the sample size was determined and the margin of error. He had also had a frank discussion with Thomas about conclusions and recommendations. Thomas had told him, "Cory I want to know what the numbers say. What are the conclusions based on those numbers? In terms of how to proceed, I will meet with my top staff members and we will make those decisions. We have to factor in many constraints that, frankly, I am not even aware of at this point."
As a trained marketing researcher, Rogers was very familiar with the steps in the marketing research process. Knowledge of these steps was useful in writing the "method" section of his marketing research reports. For example, Rogers knew that he should address the types and sources of information used in the report; he should also address the research design and why it was chosen over other designs; he knew the sampling plan and sample size should also be included in the "method" section. Rogers made a list of topics he should cover and he started organizing these topics in terms of headings and subheadings that would eventually be used in the final report.
Rogers thought, "Ah, yes! I have to properly cite every source I have used in this report." He dreaded this part. As many times as he had written a report, remembering every detail that goes in a reference was just something that would not stay in his memory bank. Yet, he knew it was important to use the proper form for his reference list.
Before you start on the questions that follow, access the iReportWriter Assistant by going to www.pearsonhighered.com/burns and click on the Companion Website link for this text. Now read over the major topics covered in the iReportWriter Assistant before you read the following questions. Once you are finished reviewing the contents of the iReportWriter Assistant you should be ready to answer the following questions.
Should Rogers include the standard "Conclusions and Recommendations" section of the report? Why or why not?

Question 22

What should be covered in the body of the report?

Question 23

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Using iReportWriter Assistant
Cory Rogers was about to write up the first draft of the final report for Advanced Automobile Concepts (AAC). He decided to go to the online report writing module he learned when he took his first marketing research course in college. Because the iReportWriter Assistant is constantly updated, Rogers knew he would have access to the latest links and information that would assist him in writing his report. Nick Thomas of AAC had told Rogers that ZEN Motors had its own marketing research department and that the department heads were eager to read his report. Rogers knew that they would be particularly interested in technical issues such as how the sample size was determined and the margin of error. He had also had a frank discussion with Thomas about conclusions and recommendations. Thomas had told him, "Cory I want to know what the numbers say. What are the conclusions based on those numbers? In terms of how to proceed, I will meet with my top staff members and we will make those decisions. We have to factor in many constraints that, frankly, I am not even aware of at this point."
As a trained marketing researcher, Rogers was very familiar with the steps in the marketing research process. Knowledge of these steps was useful in writing the "method" section of his marketing research reports. For example, Rogers knew that he should address the types and sources of information used in the report; he should also address the research design and why it was chosen over other designs; he knew the sampling plan and sample size should also be included in the "method" section. Rogers made a list of topics he should cover and he started organizing these topics in terms of headings and subheadings that would eventually be used in the final report.
Rogers thought, "Ah, yes! I have to properly cite every source I have used in this report." He dreaded this part. As many times as he had written a report, remembering every detail that goes in a reference was just something that would not stay in his memory bank. Yet, he knew it was important to use the proper form for his reference list.
Before you start on the questions that follow, access the iReportWriter Assistant by going to www.pearsonhighered.com/burns and click on the Companion Website link for this text. Now read over the major topics covered in the iReportWriter Assistant before you read the following questions. Once you are finished reviewing the contents of the iReportWriter Assistant you should be ready to answer the following questions.
We are told that Rogers has made a list of issues to include in the "Method" section of the report. What, if anything, is included in the iReportWriter Assistant that could help him ensure that he has included everything?

Question 24

What are your options regarding placement of the research objectives in the report?

Question 25

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Using iReportWriter Assistant
Cory Rogers was about to write up the first draft of the final report for Advanced Automobile Concepts (AAC). He decided to go to the online report writing module he learned when he took his first marketing research course in college. Because the iReportWriter Assistant is constantly updated, Rogers knew he would have access to the latest links and information that would assist him in writing his report. Nick Thomas of AAC had told Rogers that ZEN Motors had its own marketing research department and that the department heads were eager to read his report. Rogers knew that they would be particularly interested in technical issues such as how the sample size was determined and the margin of error. He had also had a frank discussion with Thomas about conclusions and recommendations. Thomas had told him, "Cory I want to know what the numbers say. What are the conclusions based on those numbers? In terms of how to proceed, I will meet with my top staff members and we will make those decisions. We have to factor in many constraints that, frankly, I am not even aware of at this point."
As a trained marketing researcher, Rogers was very familiar with the steps in the marketing research process. Knowledge of these steps was useful in writing the "method" section of his marketing research reports. For example, Rogers knew that he should address the types and sources of information used in the report; he should also address the research design and why it was chosen over other designs; he knew the sampling plan and sample size should also be included in the "method" section. Rogers made a list of topics he should cover and he started organizing these topics in terms of headings and subheadings that would eventually be used in the final report.
Rogers thought, "Ah, yes! I have to properly cite every source I have used in this report." He dreaded this part. As many times as he had written a report, remembering every detail that goes in a reference was just something that would not stay in his memory bank. Yet, he knew it was important to use the proper form for his reference list.
Before you start on the questions that follow, access the iReportWriter Assistant by going to www.pearsonhighered.com/burns and click on the Companion Website link for this text. Now read over the major topics covered in the iReportWriter Assistant before you read the following questions. Once you are finished reviewing the contents of the iReportWriter Assistant you should be ready to answer the following questions.
What section of the iReportWriter Assistant should Rogers seek out to help him with properly fciting the secondary sources used in the marketing research report?

Question 26

Discuss what information should be included in the method section of the report.

Question 27

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Making a PowerPoint Presentation
Cory Rogers completed the report for Advanced Automobile Concepts. He decided he wanted to make some PowerPoint slides to use in his presentation of the findings. Working in Word, he wrote a title to his presentation: Advanced Automobile Concepts: A Marketing Research Study to Determine Car Model Preferences and Profile Market Segments. Then he wrote out several other comments that he wanted to include in the beginning of his presentation, such as the research objectives, and several issues dealing with the method used, such as the sample plan and the sample size. When Rogers wrote out a number of the statements that he thought would help him communicate the purpose and method of the study, he turned his attention to presenting the findings.
Rogers thought he would begin his presentation of the study with a description of the sample, often referred to as a "profile of the sample." He noticed that for Gender and Marital Status there were only two categories (male, female; and married, unmarried) for each question. He decided to just orally report the percentages of the categories. However, for some of the other variables, there were several categories of response and he felt he would communicate the results better by showing the frequency distribution table. He prepared a frequency distribution of the responses to these questions using XL Data Analyst. He continued by making several key analyses of the data using XL Data Analyst.
Using a word processing program, write out several of the statements that you think would be appropriate to present to the client, Nick Thomas, for an oral presentation.

Question 28

What is found in the findings section and how is this information logically organized?

Question 29

Your Integrated Case
Advanced Automobile Concepts: Making a PowerPoint Presentation
Cory Rogers completed the report for Advanced Automobile Concepts. He decided he wanted to make some PowerPoint slides to use in his presentation of the findings. Working in Word, he wrote a title to his presentation: Advanced Automobile Concepts: A Marketing Research Study to Determine Car Model Preferences and Profile Market Segments. Then he wrote out several other comments that he wanted to include in the beginning of his presentation, such as the research objectives, and several issues dealing with the method used, such as the sample plan and the sample size. When Rogers wrote out a number of the statements that he thought would help him communicate the purpose and method of the study, he turned his attention to presenting the findings.
Rogers thought he would begin his presentation of the study with a description of the sample, often referred to as a "profile of the sample." He noticed that for Gender and Marital Status there were only two categories (male, female; and married, unmarried) for each question. He decided to just orally report the percentages of the categories. However, for some of the other variables, there were several categories of response and he felt he would communicate the results better by showing the frequency distribution table. He prepared a frequency distribution of the responses to these questions using XL Data Analyst. He continued by making several key analyses of the data using XL Data Analyst.
Import the statements you prepared in question 1 into PowerPoint using copy and paste. Experiment with different color text and font sizes and styles.