Deck 10: Writing the Report

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

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

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Secondary data must be published.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Library databases include information already evaluated by scholars and publishers.

Question 5

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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 14

Managers need information to make good business decisions.

Question 15

Three main methods of primary data collection are surveys, observation, and experimentation.

Question 16

Situational reports are only generated once.

Question 17

Nearly all reporting tasks use secondary data.

Question 18

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

Question 19

Information on a webpage is considered unpublished secondary data because it is not widely disseminated through primary sources.

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

The point of surveying people is to collect primary data.

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

Free-response items are the most time-consuming responses to tabulate and evaluate.

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

Question 34

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

Question 35

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

Question 36

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 37

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

Question 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

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

Question 41

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

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

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 45

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 46

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

Question 47

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

Question 48

To avoid confusing readers, pie charts should contain three to five wedges.

Question 49

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

Question 50

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

Question 51

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

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

Question 54

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

Question 55

Abbreviations and symbols are acceptable for use in tables.

Question 56

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

Question 57

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

Question 58

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

Question 59

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 60

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

Question 61

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 62

To get valid and reliable data from your audience, your language must be

A) action based.
B) in English.
C) clear and concise.
D) decision based.

Question 63

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

Question 64

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 65

The most frequently used method of collecting data for business research is the

A) questionnaire.
B) interview.
C) experiment.
D) observation.
E) online database search.

Question 66

Before a writer collects data, they must

A) identify a solution to the problem.
B) interpret the data.
C) define the report purpose.
D) consider ethical dimensions.

Question 67

You should evaluate the objectivity of Internet resources because:

A) not all site sponsors have the same motivation in presenting information.
B) content that is current should have appropriate citations with hyperlinks.
C) all statistical data should be clearly labeled and in a form that is easy to read.
D) you need to know whether the material is copyrighted or can be copied into your document.
E) you don't want grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors.

Question 68

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 69

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 70

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 71

Which of the following do you not have to consider when evaluating the quality of Internet resources?

A) the date the content was written or revised
B) sources for factual information on a page
C) the sponsorship of the website
D) the name, address, and telephone number for verification
E) the number of links to related newsgroups and listservs

Question 72

Mail questionnaires should not be used in which circumstances?

A) The questions allow respondents to answer quickly and easily.
B) The target audience is homogeneous.
C) The researcher has one week to collect and analyze all data.
D) The sample consists of people with similar interests and socioeconomic backgrounds.
E) The questionnaire does not require complex responses.

Question 73

Which of the following do not generally yield primary data?

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

Question 74

What is one way you can determine the authority of an Internet resource?

A) Check whether the sponsor recently updated the page.
B) Check for the name of the copyright holder.
C) Check for well-supported arguments on both sides.
D) Check for links to multiple sites.
E) Check for typographical errors.

Question 75

The questionnaire has an advantage over other methods of collecting primary data because

A) the anonymity of a questionnaire reduces the validity of some responses.
B) obtaining a representative sample over a large geographical area can be expensive.
C) the target audience has widely differing interests and education.
D) respondents note their answers at the most convenient time for researchers.
E) no interviewer is present to possibly bias the results.

Question 76

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

Question 77

What are two primary disadvantages of mail questionnaires?

A) The mailing costs are high, and the response rate is low.
B) The response rate may be low, and the respondents may not be representative of the population.
C) The mailing costs are high, and the validity may decrease because of the survey's anonymity.
D) Completing the questionnaire may be inconvenient, and respondents may not be representative of the population.
E) An interviewer is usually present to bias the responses, and respondents may not be totally honest.

Question 78

A business report must be

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

Question 79

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

A) Anyone can put anything on a website.
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) Web-based sources get more oversight, making them more credible..
E) The quality of information on the Internet can vary widely.

Question 80

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.