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Group Discussion Board 3
XXX
Liberty University
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Question 3.5
See the appendix for question.
Chapter Three, Question Five
An automotive manufacturer is conducting research to determine how variables impact
the demand for its brand. The company has identified that sales seem to increase when relative
to income increases per captia, when there are low interest rates, and when credit conditions
make it easier to get a loan. They have noted that the behavior of the buyer when purchasing one
of their vehicles is reflective of their age and gender. Finally, they have also identified factors
that appear to have a random impact on sales for their vehicles. These random factors are
competitor advertising, competitor dealer discounts, and introductions of new competitive
vehicles in the same market as their own brand.
The previously mentioned variables can be categorized, if we assume that sales and per
captia income are positively related and fit them into five categories. The five categories are
dependent, independent, moderating, extraneous, and intervening. Below is a breakdown of how
those variables fit into its classifying category.
Dependent: The dependent variable “is measured, predicted or otherwise monitored” and
it is expected to be the direct outcome based on the independent variable. An example of
this is the sales increase.
Independent: The independent variable can be manipulated and leads to the outcome or
dependent variable. Some examples of this are: Income per captia increases, low interest
rates, and favorable credit conditions.
Moderating: The moderating variable, if needed, falls in between the independent
variable and the dependent variable. It typically has a significant positive or negative
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effect on the dependent variable or the outcome. An example of this is the buyer age and
gender.
Extraneous: An extraneous variable either has a minimal or unknown effect on the
dependent variable or it has no direct significance to the origins of the problem. An
example of this is competitor advertising, competitor dealer discounts, or introductions of
new competitor models
Intervening: The intervening variable must be inferred based on the outcome of the
relationship of the independent variable compared to the dependent variable. It cannot be
measured precisely as it corresponds to either the independent or dependent variable. An
example of this is sales and per capita incomes are positively related (Cooper, Schindler,
2014, p. 55-58).
The hypothesis plays a vital role in the research process. It provides an outline to the
flow of the study. It separates those factors that have a role in the research and which ones are
distractions. It helps identify which form of research is the most appropriate given the working
information. It provides the skeleton for the meat of the research to be wrapped around (Cooper,
Schindler, 2014, p. 60). The utility of the model based on the hypothesis appears sound.
In a business environment, it is sometimes necessary to work through research to help
facilitate a decision with some level of uncertainty. By using this method of research and
delivery, a researcher can provide a decision maker with the information needed to make an
education guess as how to maximize the gains or minimize the risk in a business decision.
“Although there is evidence that people’s decisions occasionally violate the subjective expected
hypothesis”, the researcher can only present an honest assessment of the information they have
reviewed (Kim, 1991, p. 1).
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As you work through the research process with a hypothesis and variables, it is important
to keep a guiding light with you on the quest for truth. Ethics and a desire to uncover the truth
are at the core of research. If you start off trying to build research around a set conclusion, then
your results will not be accurate and eventually the foundation of your research will crumble
along with your reputation. John 8:12 can help a researcher stay out of the darkness of
untruthfulness. It says “… I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life” (New International Version). In relating the role of the
researcher to this scripture, we can also relate it to the role of the car salesman. The term “car
salesman” has a negative connotation to it. Through the years, companies have changed the title
of its “associates” to de-stigmatize their sales force from the perception of a sleazy salesman
(Simpson, Kahler, 1980, p. 1). As Christians, let us walk in the light of Christ and not force
ourselves to rename or reimage ourselves to gain favor in society’s eyes.
Question 3.6
See the appendix for question.
Introduction
Module three asks us to make careful research decisions and examine our observations
noting our female sales representatives exceeding male sales representatives in customer
retention. The proposal of concepts and constructs use to study the phenomenon follow below.
Additionally, how these concepts or constructs may be related to the explanatory hypotheses.
Concepts
To understand what concepts can be proposed for this topic, we first must understand
what a concept is. “Concept is a generally accepted collection of meanings or characteristics
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associated with certain events, objects, conditions, situations, and behaviors“ (Cooper &
Schindler, 2014, p. 50). Certain characteristics and behaviors to discover are:
Females are generally better listeners than men
Females are more nurturing than men
Females have better empathy abilities than men
Women have bigger hearts than men
These concepts can be proven by a case study conducted by the Perelman School of Medicine at
the University of Pennsylvania. The study confirms that there are differences in the way men
and women’s brains are wired.
“Other conclusions they came to were that men are better at learning and performing a
single task, processing spatial information and coordinating between the senses. Women,
similarly, take the lead in multitasking with superior social cognition skills, and perform
better on attention, word and face memory” (Mukunth, 2013, para. 5).
In addition to the study by the University of Pennsylvania, there are more studies that suggest
that women have a more likely ability than men to express better emotional feeling and thus
mimic their feelings of those around them. “A 1995 study in the Scandinavian Journal of
Psychology showed that women involuntarily imitate other peoples’ emotional expressions more
than men” (Simon-Thomas, 2007).
Constructs
Building a construct out of the concepts allows us to determine how we can better
observe the sales staff in the context of understanding, why women can retain customers better
than men. To understand a construct, “construct is an image or abstract idea specifically
invented for a given research and/or theory-building purpose” (Cooper & Schindler, 2014, p. 52).
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With these definitions in mind and the documented study of outcome by, a construct in this
scenario would be that women have better relational abilities than men and, therefore, will have
the ability to cultivate more nurturing Vendor/Client relationships.
Explanatory Hypotheses
According to Cooper & Schindler, explanatory hypotheses explains that a change of one
variable lead to a change in another variable (Cooper & Schindler, 2014 p. 59). When reviewing
the scenario provided in the text, “Our female sales representatives have lower customer
defections than do our male sales representatives.” It is hard for one to assume that the men
(variable one) lose their accounts due to women, (variable two) retaining theirs. In this scenario,
it explicitly states that women do not have as high a rate of customer defection as men.
Therefore, the two issues are mutually exclusive and have no bearing on one another with it
comes to explanatory hypotheses.
Conclusion
It is easier to assume that women will have better customer loyalty than men, due to their
instinctive abilities to connect emotionally, socially and word and facial memory. Therefore, we
now understand why customers may feel slightly worse with the relationship between our
company and them. It is a safe conclusion to assume that men and women’s brains are wired
with slight differences, and therefore we can move to train our male staff on how to use similar
instinctive techniques as women, to become better customer relationship managers.
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Question 4.5
See the appendix for question.
Chapter Four, Question Five
Conducting survey based, analytical research takes a solid, zeroed-in research question to
receive back reliable data. Currently the restaurant I work for is attempting to nail down the
reasons why our beef sales have decreased over the past few six months. While E. coli has been
an increasing topic in the news, we have no research to confirm our decreased beef sales. My
manager feels that surveying other area restaurants will aid in understanding the decrease in
sales.
While the hypothesis of the restaurant is currently E. coli, we have no way of actually
confirming this without some kind of a research being conducted. There could be faults with the
research technique my boss recommends. The restaurant business attracts minorities that may
have language barriers while conducting a survey if it was spoken. Dialect variations and
translations could have a negative outcome on survey results because of language differences
among survey participants (Renschler, 2013, p. 51). Another potential issue with the surveying
other local restaurants is bias and error. Wording in survey questions needs to be carefully
reviewed and analyzed to ensure that the questions limit both external and internal bias (Stratton,
2012). My boss also fails to realize that there is also selection bias within the current data
collection plan. We would be handpicking and looking at only local restaurants in our area,
when in fact, many other parts of the country may be seeing the same trends that we are currently
seeing. When conducting most surveys many of the responders are a concentrated subgroup of a
complete survey population (Stratton, 2012).
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There are some recommendations and revisions we can make to the research question and
method to better the research and data outcome. First, instead of surveying other restaurants I
would survey actual restaurant customers. Customers are going to be more open and honest than
other restaurant owners. Other restaurant owners are the business competition. They are more
likely to inflate their answers and feedback to “brag” to the other businesses. When surveying
customers I would include a survey with the customer’s bill and offer an incentive to fill it out,
such as a free appetizer. I would ask a few questions such as:
Do you prefer chicken or beef?
Do you fear issues of cross contamination such as E. coli in your meats?
Does this fear affect your ordering decision at restaurants?
There are many other ways to phrase these questions to get real results and data directly
from your customers rather than your competition, which would easily be skewed.
When survey research is done, it is important to note that there is usually some bias in this
research technique. It is essential to calculate a margin of error for most surveys conducted
(Stratton, 2012).
It is easy to fall into the “pattern of this world”. Romans 12:2 states “Do not conform to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will” (King James
Version). Research allows us to form opinions, answer questions and obtain facts.
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Question 5.6
See the appendix for question.
Introduction
Research and the collection of data are connected to a problem or concern that an
organization may have. It can include such items as an acquisition or merger and how this will
affect the employees and the corporate culture, introduction of new technology and how this will
affect employee motivation, and in our question, how can Gentlemen’s Magazine show that
men’s clothing stores are still a good vehicle for shoe advertisement and sales (Bell & Bryman,
2011).
The management-research question hierarchy is used to assist the researcher as they go
through the business research process (Cooper & Schindler, 2015, p. 108). The management
dilemma will lead the researchers to ask questions like: what has happened in the past, what is
going on currently, where does this dilemma take us, and what are we going to do about the
dilemma. Each of these questions will require specific research and a distinct explanation (Van
de Ven & Sminia, 2012). The research question will help management determine what they can
change to correct the problem. The investigative question will assist management in determining
the specific options that can help them solve the problem. The measurement question helps
management turn the problem and data into a measurable component. The final step or question
is the management decision and it should provide a solution to the problem.
When working with the Management-Research Question Hierarchy there are some things
to look at. In the management dilemma step actual symptoms to the problem will need to be
identified. If there is more than one dilemma and symptom then choosing the right one may be
difficult. In the management question step the purpose and objective of the research needs to be
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listed. Evaluation will need to be looked at and troubleshooting will take place. The research
question step is where the questions are fine-tuned. In this step the questions may be broken out
into subcategories. Hypothesis will need to be verified by use of quality tests and the evidence
will need to be reviewed to determine if it answers the questions and hypothesis. The scope of
the research would be set at this step. The investigative question step is where the researcher
will answer questions to obtain a conclusion about the research question. The measurement
question step is where questions are asked of respondents and notated. At this point further
exploration can be done if needed. This can include reviewing any recent developments, looking
at new technology, identification of additional individuals that the researcher may need to talk to
and looking at other situations that are similar to see what the outcomes were. Once all these
steps are completed, then the results are presented to management for their review and decision.
Management-Research Question Hierarchy for Gentlemen’s Magazine
1) Management Dilemma
a. Why do shoe manufacturers think that men’s clothing stores are a small and dying
business and not a good vehicle for advertising?
2) Management Question
a. How can Gentlemen’s Magazine show that men’s clothing stores are a good
vehicle for advertising?
3) Research Question(s)
a. Should a survey of men’s clothing stores be done to inquire how magazine
advertisements affect the stores shoe sales. Should a survey of stores customers
be done to inquire on what affected their decision to purchase shoes from the
store.
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4) Investigative Questions
a. What are men’s clothing stores position regarding magazine advertisements and
there affect on shoe sales? What are the reason’s customers decided to purchase
shoes from the men’s clothing store?
5) Measurement Questions
a. Interview store managers and sales staff to obtain information on the effectiveness
of magazine advertisements on their shoe sales. Mail out a questionnaire to
customers inquiring on reasons that led them to purchase shoes from the men’s
clothing store.
6) Management Decision
a. Provide recommendations on a course of action that should be pursued to obtain
the information necessary to secure advertising from shoe manufacturers.
As Christians we should inquire, research and pray before moving forward and making
decisions. This is true of any area of our lives and business is no exception. In Philippians 4:6 it
states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (New International Version).
Question 5.12
See the appendix for question. Proverbs 25:2 states, “It is the glory of God to conceal
things, but the glory of kings is to search things out” (English Standard Version). This means
that as people we should always be searching for answers and for questions.
The Management-Research Question Hierarchy
The management–research question hierarchy is used to help researchers through
different levels of questions. There is a function to the questions and there is an overall goal to
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help the company . The management dilemma, step one in the management–research question
hierarchy, is the problem that the company is having. Step two on the management-research
question hierarchy, is the management question, which is the management dilemma, put into
question form. The management question is what the problem is in the company, in the form of
a question (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p. 112). For example, should advertising rates be revised,
is a good management question. The research question(s) is step number three. In this step, the
researcher is to formulate questions that could resolve the management dilemma. “A research
question best states the objective of the business research study. It is a more specific
management question that must be answered” (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p. 112). The research
question is to guide the research to possible alternatives to the problem, without wasting time and
money. The investigative questions are to state the important information that the decision
maker needs to know. “They are the questions the researcher must answer to satisfactorily arrive
at a conclusion about the research question” (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p. 113). The fifth step
in the management–research question hierarchy, is the measurement questions. This is the
questions the researcher try and solve to complete their study. The most common two types of
measurement questions are: (1) predesigned, pretested questions and (2) custom-designed
questions (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, p. 115). Predesigned questions are questions that have
been studied and tested before; they are in literature and can be applied exactly or modified for a
specific need. The custom-designed questions are for the problem at hand and only for that
purpose. There is no research that would have been previously done on custom-designed
questions. The sixth and final step of the management–research question hierarchy, is
management decision (Agranoff & McGuire, 2001). This step is where management makes their
decisions based on the research conclusions. People should always ask questions; Proverbs 2:10-
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11 states, “for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you” (English Standard Version). As
researchers, knowledge should be key in understanding.
Part A
The president of a home health care service firm would have many possible problems;
one problem could be: the firm is experiencing a decrease in customers. The management
dilemma would be that the firm is experiencing a decrease in customers. The management
problem is, what can be done to increase the number of customers using the home health care
service firm. The research questions could be: (1) is the quality of service or the perceived
quality of service poor? (2) Is there less ill people needing the firm? (3) Are potential customers
receiving their care from other service providers? (4) Will advertising help the firm? The
investigative questions could be: (1) what is the likelihood that people are not needing home
health care service? (2) What are the customer service statistics? (3) Where are potential
customers going if they are not using the service? The measurement questions should be: (1)
what level of customer service do we have? (2) Do previous customers recommend us to others?
(3) What firms do most people that need a home health care service firm use? The management
decision would depend on what conclusions were found using the questions.
Part B
The vice president of investor relations from an auto manufacturer would have to deal
with the accounts of the company and making sure that those accounts were provided accurately
to the investors (Marston, 1996). A problem that may come up to the vice president of investor
relations from an auto manufacturer could be, there is a lack of investors that stay with the
company. The management dilemma would be that the firm keeps loosing their investors. The
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management problem is, what can be done to keep the investors in their company. The research
questions could be: (1) why are the investors leaving the firm? (2) How can we keep the
investors happy? The investigative questions could be: (1) is the company profitable enough to
keep the investors? (2) Are investors leaving us for someone else? (3) What is the potential profit
that we are loosing? The measurement questions should be: (1) how profitable to investors is the
company? (2) Where do the previous investors go when they leave the company? The
management decision would depend on what conclusions were found using the questions.
Part C
The retail advertising manager of a major metropolitan newspaper may have small or
large problems on his or her plate (Calkins & Holden, 1909). A problem that may happen is that
the newspaper is skeptical on advertising online. The management dilemma would be does the
company expand their advertising to the online market. The management problem is, should the
metropolitan newspaper expand their advertising to online. The research questions could be: (1)
what are the benefits of advertising online? (2) What are the risks of advertising online? The
investigative questions could be: (1) what are the potential profits if the metropolitan newspaper
decided to advertise online? (2) Is the metropolitan newspaper able to advertise online? (3) What
are the complications of online advertising? The measurement questions should be: (1) how
many people look at online ads? (2) What are the groups of people that we are missing by not
advertising online? The management decision would depend on what conclusions were found
using the questions.
Part D
The chief of police in a major city has many things to worry about. One of the problems
could be that there is high absenteeism of cops in one an area of the city. The management
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dilemma there is high absenteeism of cops in one an area of the city. The management problem
is, what is causing the high absenteeism in just the one part of the city. The research questions
could be: (1) what are the causes of the nonattendance? (2) Is that part of the city so dangerous
for the cops that they are calling off? (2) Has there been in illness going around? The
investigative questions could be: (1) what is causing the nonattendance of that part of the city?
The measurement questions should be: (1) how bad is the absenteeism in that part of the city? (2)
What is the previous years absenteeism in that part of the city? (3) Has this nonattendance
happened in the past? The management decision would depend on what conclusions were found
using the questions.
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References
Agranoff, R., & McGuire, M. (2001). Big questions in public network management research.
Journal of public administration research and theory,11(3), 295-326.
Bell, E., and Bryman, A. (2011) Business research methods 3e. Oxford University Press.
Retrieved from
Calkins, E. E., & Holden, R. (1909). Modern advertising. D. Appleton and Company.
Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2014) Business research methods. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
NewYork, NY.
Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S., & Sun, J. (2011). Business research methods(Vol. 11). New
York: McGraw-hill.
Cooper, D., & Schindler, P. (2014). Introduction to Business Research. In business research
methods (Twelfth ed.). New York, New York: McGraw- Hill Irwin.
Cooper, D., Schindler, P. (2014). Business research methods 12th (ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Companies Inc., New York, NY.
Kim, T. (1991). The subjective expected utility hypothesis and revealed preference. Economic
Theory, 1(3), 251. Retrieved
from:http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=bth&AN=4540428&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Marston, C. (1996). The organization of the investor relations function by large UK quoted
companies. Omega, 24(4), 477-488.
Mukunth, V. (2013, December 5). What makes women better listeners? Retrieved from
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/what-makes-women-better-
listeners/article5422122.ece
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Renschler, I., & Kleiner, B. (2013, April 1). Considering dialect in survey research. Retrieved
April 1, 2015, from
http://bms.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/118/1/51.full.pdf html
Simon-Thomas, E. R. (2007, June 1). Are women more empathic than men? Retrieved from
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/women_more_empathic_than_men
Simpson, E. K., & Kahler, R. C. (1980). A Scale for Source Credibility, Validated in the
Selling Context. Journal Of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 1(1), 17. Retrieved
from: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=bth&AN=6349510&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Stratton, S. (2012, August 1). Publishing Survey Research. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/1082019917?pq-
origsite=summon&accountid=12085
Van de Ven, A. and Sminia, H. (2012) Aligning process questions, perspectives, and
explanations. In: Constructing identity in and around organizations. Perspectives on
Process Organization Studies. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 306-319. ISBN
9780199640997
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Appendix
Question 3.5
The following is the question chapter three, number five:
An automobile manufacturer observes the demand for its brand increasing as per capita
income increases. Sales increases also follow low interest rates, which ease credit
conditions. Buyer purchase behavior is seen to be dependent on age and gender. Other
factors influencing sales appear to fluctuate almost randomly (competitor advertising,
competitor dealer discounts, introductions of new competitive models): (a) If sales and
per capita income are positively related, classify all variables as dependent, independent,
moderating, extraneous, or intervening. (b) Comment on the utility of a model based on
the hypothesis (Cooper & Schindler, 2014, p. 72).
Question 3.6
The following is the question chapter three, number six:
You observe the following condition: “Our female sales representatives have lower
customer defections than do our male sales representatives” (Cooper & Schindler, 2014).
Answer the following: (a) propose the concepts and constructs you might use to study
this phenomenon. (b) How might any of these concepts and/or constructs be related to
explanatory hypotheses (Cooper & Schindler, 2014, p. 72)?
Question 4.5
The following is the question chapter four, number five:
Based on an analysis of the last six months’ sales, your boss notices that sales of beef
products are declining in your chain’s restaurants. As beef entrée sales decline, so do
profits. Fearing beef sales have declined due to several newspaper stories reporting E.
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coli contamination discovered at area grocery stores, he suggests a survey of area
restaurants to see if the situation is pervasive.
Answer these questions: (a) what do you think of this research suggestion? (b) How, if at
all, could you improve on your boss’s formulation of the research question (Cooper &
Schindler, 2014, p. 90)?
Question 5.6
The following is the question chapter five, number six:
You have been approached by the editor of Gentlemen’s Magazine to carry out a research
study. The magazine has been unsuccessful in attracting shoe manufacturers as
advertisers. When the sales reps tried to secure advertising from shoe manufacturers,
they were told men’s clothing stores are a small and dying segment of their business.
Since Gentlemen’s Magazine goes chiefly to men’s clothing stores, the manufacturers
reasoned that it was, therefore, not a good vehicle for their advertising. The editor
believes that a survey (via mail questionnaire) of men’s clothing stores in the United
States will probably show that these stores are important outlets for men’s shoes and are
not declining in importance as shoe outlets. He asks you to develop a proposal for the
study and submit it to him. Develop the management-research question hierarchy that
will help to develop a specific proposal (Cooper & Schindler, 2014, p. 119).
Question 5.12
The following is the question chapter five, number twelve:
Develop the management–research question hierarchy (Exhibits 5-6 and 5-8), citing
management dilemma, management question, and research question(s), for each of the
following: (a) the president of a home health care services firm. (b) The vice president of
Running head: GROUP DISCUSSION BOARD 2 20
investor relations for an auto manufacturer. (c) The retail advertising manager of a major
metropolitan newspaper. (d) The chief of police in a major city (Cooper & Schindler,
2014, p. 120).
