Business Analytical Report
INeal
Ch91.pptx
Conducting Business Research
9
Professional Writing and Speaking
Baker, Baker, and Robles
Chapter 9 Structure
Conducting Business Research
Secondary Research
Primary Research
Two Business Research Categories
Four Publication Categories
Popular Magazines
Trade Journals
Scholarly Journals
Newspapers
Contain research-based articles
reviewed by author’s unbiased professional peers. Time-consuming, painstaking review process. Content is highly reliable but has little information on current topics.
Cover a wide array of current topics published for general audiences. Writing is intended to be informative and
interesting. Only occasional scholarly content.
Targeted at specific industries or professions. Not scholarly in nature, but many are recognized as authoritative within their industry or profession.
Published for general audiences; the most current of all publications, covering news, editorial opinions, and other information of interest to the public. Occasional scholarly content.
Evaluating Website Information
Reliability
Authority
Currency
Purpose
Credible website content should (a) be current, (b) be written by subject-matter experts, (c) meet all the standards of rigorous, unbiased research, and (d) not be profit motivated.
Basketball
Basketball OR volleyball
Basketball AND women’s AND injuries
Basketball AND college NOT professional
Boolean Operators
Use Boolean operators for searches
Copyrights—What You Need to Know
Q: Why is documentation required?
A: To comply with copyright law, give credit to the people who created the original work, and tell people how to find the original source.
Q: What’s the difference between a patent, trademark, and copyright?
A: A patent protects an invention; a trademark protects a name, symbol, or design; and a copyright protects writing, software, music, art, and movies
Be aware that even if a formal copyright has not been granted by the United States copyright office, the textual expression is automatically protected by copyright.
Q: What is plagiarism?
A: Plagiarism is copying someone else’s text verbatim, paraphrasing someone else’s work, or blending other people’s content with yours without giving credit.
When to Document
Comparing Documentation Styles
APA (American Psychological Association)
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Chicago (University of Chicago Press)
Jansen, F. & Janssen, D. (2011). Explanations first: A case for presenting explanations before the decision in Dutch bad-news messages. Journal of Business and Technical Communication 25(1), 36-67.
Jansen, Frank, and Daniel Janssen. “Explanations First: A Case for Presenting Explanations before the Decision in Dutch Bad-News Messages.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication 25.1 (2011): 36-67. Business Source Premier. Web. 8 Sept. 2012.
Jansen, Frank, and Daniel Janssen. 2011. “Explanations First: A Case for Presenting Explanations before the Decision in Dutch Bad-News Messages.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication 25: 36-67. Accessed September 8, 2012. http://jbt.sagepub.com/content/25/1/36.
IEEE (University of Chicago Press)
[3] F. Hansen and D. Janssen, “Explanations first: A case for presenting explanations before the decision in Dutch bad-news messages,” J. Bus. Tech. Commun., vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 36–67, 2011. http://jbt.sagepub.com/content/25/1/36.
Quote
Paraphrase
Summarize
Exact words, sentences, or phrases from others’ unique material.
Substitute your own words for words used in others’ unique material.
Condense a larger amount of material into its main points.
“While M.B.A. students’ quantitative skills are prized by employers, their writing and presentation skills have been a perennial complaint. Employers and writing coaches say business-school graduates tend to ramble, use pretentious vocabulary or pen too-casual emails.”
M.B.A. students’ quantitative skills are valued by employers, but the employers say the students’ writing and presentation skills are lacking—they ramble, use flowery vocabulary, and write overly informal emails.
Employers compliment M.B.A. students on their quantitative skills but complain about their writing and speaking skills.
Three Ways to Include the Work of Others
Five Methods of Primary Research
Research Standards
Validity
Reliability
Research must measure what it purports to measure.
Research must be repeatable with consistent results.
Sampling Types
Random
Stratified Random
Systematic Random
1,000
Draw 100 randomly.
1,000
Draw 100 randomly, making sure the sample has the same predetermined attribute percentages as the total population (e.g., age, income, education).
Population
Sample Size = 100
1,000
Draw a 1-10 number randomly, such as 7. Then from a numbered list, draw the 7th, 17th, 27th, 37th, etc. names up to 1,000.
Sampling Type
Sampling Types and Examples
Either/Or
Restricted multiple choice
Unrestricted multiple choice
Ranking
Rating
Open
Select one of two options.
Select only one.
Check all that apply.
Rank options high to low.
Rate all options on a scale.
Answer in your own words.
Questionnaire Design Guidelines
Provide a clear title and clear instructions.
Ensure anonymity and confidentiality wherever possible.
Make sure each question helps achieve the objectives of the questionnaire.
Keep the questionnaire short and simple.
Organize the questions, grouping related questions into the same section.
Make questions as easy to answer as possible
Analyze the Data
Standardize your data
Understand the context of your data
Understand your data types
Calculate descriptive statistics
Visualize your data
Explore differences and similarities
Explore relationships
Explore themes
Analyze content
Visualize the Data
Text can be visually represented as word clouds—more frequent words are represented in larger font size.
Visualize the Data
Visuals can reveal trends and patterns in your data that statistics alone cannot.
Chapter 9 Structure
Conducting Business Research
Secondary Research
Primary Research
.MsftOfcThm_Text1_Stroke { stroke:#000000; }
