Deck 9: Planning the Report and Managing Data

Question 1

Reports travel upward,downward,and laterally within the organization,so reading and writing reports is a typical part of nearly every manager's responsibilities.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Product mix is continuously adjusted to respond to changes in technology,legal requirements,the economy,and social preferences.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Using the Internet for credible sources is the best way to save time when searching for scholarly sources.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Secondary data may be published or unpublished.

Question 5

Primary data collection includes three kinds of surveys: questionnaires,interviews,and telephone inquiries.

Question 6

Managers need information to make good business decisions.

Question 7

Library databases include information already evaluated by scholars and publishers.

Question 8

The first step before collecting data is to define the report's purpose and analyze the intended audience.

Question 9

A business report is an organized presentation of information that is used to make decisions and solve problems.

Question 10

Situational reports are challenging because they require the writer to start from "scratch."

Question 11

Reviewing secondary data can provide sources for additional information,suggest methods of primary research,or give clues for questionnaire items.

Question 12

The two major types of data you will use are secondary and primary data.

Question 13

Population data collected by the U.S.Census Bureau in 1980 may be valid and relevant to a report you prepare today.

Question 14

The Internet is the only source to find credible and current source materials for research reports.

Question 15

Situational reports are only generated once.

Question 16

According to one study,40% of Internet users don't know the difference between company-paid Internet sites and independent Internet sites.

Question 17

Nearly all reporting tasks use secondary data.

Question 18

If ten percent of all the employees at Target responded to a survey,we could conclude that the responses represented the views of the remaining employees.

Question 19

A business report is defined as an orderly,subjective presentation of information for decision-making purposes.

Question 20

Information on a webpage is considered unpublished secondary data because it is not widely disseminated through primary sources.

Question 21

The big disadvantage of questionnaires is the low response rate,and those who do respond may not be representative (typical)of the population.

Question 22

Write the cover letter that accompanies a questionnaire as a persuasive message.

Question 23

Free-response items are the easiest questions to tabulate and to be freely interpreted.

Question 24

Websites of federal government institutions are designated by a ".fed" ending.

Question 25

To avoid biasing responses to your questions,arrange the alternatives logically,such as in alphabetical or chronological order.

Question 26

If you use verbs and adverbs as keywords,your search will return a larger number of results than if you use nouns as your keywords.

Question 27

Pilot-test your questionnaire on a broad cross-section of people,and make any needed improvements as you continue the survey.

Question 28

Several examples of good,credible sources are: Wikipedia,the Encyclopedia,Newsweek Magazine,People Magazine,and Time Magazine.

Question 29

Using the OR search operator decreases the number of hits.

Question 30

When you conduct a questionnaire,you survey people by telephone,email,mail,or interviews.

Question 31

The point of surveying people is to collect primary data.

Question 32

You may get more valid responses when you interview people face-to-face.

Question 33

No questionnaire is complete without directions plus a name and return address.

Question 34

The anonymity of a questionnaire increases the validity of some responses.

Question 35

Be sure that all the questions you include in a questionnaire are necessary to help you solve the problem.

Question 36

Mail questionnaires are most effective when sent to a target audience with similar interests and backgrounds.

Question 37

Commercial (.com)websites have up-to-date information to use for research reports and are the most credible.

Question 38

When the categories for a questionnaire item are mutually exclusive,you are covering every possible alternative.

Question 39

If you ask about sensitive issues such as age or salary,narrow the categories presented as alternatives to encourage more specific responses.

Question 40

Readers should be more concerned about the quality of information in a scholarly journal than about the quality of information on a recently updated website.

Question 41

When simplifying a table,you should strive to provide more specifics rather than risk reducing comprehensibility.

Question 42

Use a chart when individual values are more important than the overall picture of what the information represents.

Question 43

When presenting percentages that total 100%,you should avoid rounding numbers down.

Question 44

Presenting data in charts adds visual appeal and enhances reader comprehension.

Question 45

Cross-tabulation is the process of analyzing two or more pieces of data together.

Question 46

Line charts are effective for portraying changes in data over time.

Question 47

When arranging data in tables,you will confuse readers if you use a different organizational pattern than the pattern you used for questions in the questionnaire.

Question 48

Bar charts are graphs with horizontal or vertical bars representing values.

Question 49

To simplify a table,you might group together negative responses such as "strongly disagree" and "disagree" or positive responses such as "strongly agree" and "agree."

Question 50

To avoid confusing readers,pie charts should contain no more than four wedges.

Question 51

A pie chart is most effective for comparing trends in the overall magnitude or amount of various items.

Question 52

Although a table has less visual impact than a graph,it is an efficient way to present numerical data and allow readers to compare figures.

Question 53

Abbreviations and symbols should not be used in tables.

Question 54

When preparing a line chart,begin the horizontal axis with zero,even when the amounts are large.

Question 55

The point of a table summarizing the data gathered for a report is to convey important trends.

Question 56

Your readers should be able to understand each table without having to read the corresponding section of the report.

Question 57

Label all types of charts in your report as figures,and number them consecutively,separately from tables.

Question 58

The best use of a bar chart is to compare several variables at a certain point or over a specific time period.

Question 59

Tables typically appear above the text that first refers to them.

Question 60

If you create a table based on primary data,you should include a source note below it.

Question 61

Researchers have an ethical obligation to truthfully disclose all data when respondents ask.

Question 62

When you synthesize data,you look at how the tables and charts explain or deviate from the trends you are interpreting.

Question 63

You should discuss the overall finding(s)in your report before discussing cross-tabulation data and pointing out questions raised by the data.

Question 64

Which statement about primary and secondary data collection is correct?

A) It is important to start your data collection by designing primary data-collection instruments.
B) Most reports do not include secondary data.
C) Studying secondary data can provide the researcher with sources for additional information.
D) After collecting primary data, you will discover ways of collecting secondary research.
E) Rediscovering existing information is preferable to spending time collecting secondary data.

Question 65

A business report must be

A) well supported.
B) changed.
C) developed.
D) located.

Question 66

Pace your analysis of the data in your report to avoid overwhelming your reader with too many facts and figures presented too quickly.

Question 67

Before you begin interpreting data,be sure the information is relevant,complete,and accurate.

Question 68

Wedges in a pie chart are usually arranged clockwise in descending order or in another logical order,starting at 12 o'clock.

Question 69

You should reinforce key points in your report by presenting the information in both tables and charts.

Question 70

Before a writer collects data,they must

A) define the report purpose.
B) interpret the data.
C) solve the problem.
D) consider ethical dimensions.

Question 71

You should not use secondary data if

A) the researcher had a vested interest in the study's outcome.
B) appropriate procedures were used to collect the data.
C) the data reflects a high number of responses.
D) the data is old but remains accurate and relevant.
E) it is confirmed by several independent sources.

Question 72

When you rely on primary data,you have more control over all of the following except

A) accuracy.
B) completeness.
C) factoring.
D) relevance.
E) objectivity.

Question 73

When analyzing data,first look at each piece alone,then look at each in combination with other data,and finally synthesize all your findings.

Question 74

Charts are easier to comprehend and interpret when they are presented in a three-dimensional format.

Question 75

Which of the following statements about reports is not correct?

A) The report must provide the information that managers need to make sound decisions or solve problems.
B) The information contained in the report must be based on factual data.
C) Subjective statements such as conclusions and recommendations must be ethical.
D) The data must be presented objectively so decision makers can rely on the report when making decisions that affect the organization's well-being.
E) As long as all the information is included, a disorganized report will not prevent the reader from locating needed data.

Question 76

If you conduct a search using the keyword communicate,the results will include citations for

A) the word communication.
B) the word communicators.
C) the word communicate.
D) the word communicating.
E) the root commun.

Question 77

Which of the following do not generally yield primary data?

A) surveys
B) observations
C) interviews
D) diaries
E) experiments

Question 78

Which of the following is not a source of secondary data?

A) interviews concerning the problem at hand
B) company records of personnel data
C) books, brochures, pamphlets, and technical reports
D) Internet resources
E) scholarly journals and business magazines

Question 79

Users should be especially careful to evaluate the information on ____ for accuracy,fairness,and coverage.

A) government websites
B) advocacy websites and personal home pages
C) peer-reviewed journal pages
D) Boolean websites
E) educational institutions' websites

Question 80

Which of the following statements about information on the Internet is not accurate?

A) Web-based sources are dynamic and therefore credible.
B) No central group is responsible for checking the accuracy of posted information.
C) Users need to scrutinize Web-based data more carefully than published, peer-reviewed data.
D) Anyone can put nearly any type of information on a website.
E) The quality of information on the Internet can vary widely.