Chapter 8 question 10:
What type of experimental design would you recommend in each of the following cases?
Suggest in some detail how you would design each study:
a A test of three methods of compensation of factory workers. The methods are hourly
wage, incentive pay, and weekly salary. The dependent variable is direct labor cost per unit
of output.
b A study of the effects of various levels of advertising effort and price reduction on the sale
of specific branded grocery products by a retail grocery chain.
c A study to determine whether it is true that the use of fast-paced music played over a
store’s public address system will speed the shopping rate of customers without an adverse
effect on the amount spent per customer.
a. For this type of study, the best approach would be to use a quasi-experimental design
which is called the non-equivalent control group. This design would be best suited
because the test and control groups and not assigned randomly. “ It is structured like a
pretest-posttest randomized experiment, but it lacks the key feature of the randomized
designs -- random assignment. In the NEGD [non-equivalent control group], we most
often use intact groups that we think are similar as the treatment and control
groups”(Trochim, 2006). The goal of the study would be to use the different
compensation methods in three different factories. The reasoning in using the same type
of compensation within each of the factories, is so that there is no corruption in the data
like if all of the different compensation amounts were distributed within the same factory.
It is important to not cause controversies, especially within a workplace, the bible says in
2 Timothy 2:23-25, “Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that
only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be
able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the
truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth”(Holy
Bible: New Living Translation). If workers in the workplace were compensated
differently then, it would not have a positive outcome.
b. For this particular case, the best type of research to use would be a factorial design. “A
factorial design is often used by scientists wishing to understand the effect of two or more
independent variables upon a single dependent variable”(Shuttleworth, 2009). This type
of study is easier to control and manipulate although, it does have some limitations
because both test subjects are usually interdependent. The way that the experiment will
be carried out would be to set up multiple tests in different cities and see the types of
feedback you receive from each location to see the effects of the various levels of
advertising.
c. This study can be conducted with multiple types of designs. One type of design is the
Group Time Series Design. This type of design has multiple observations that take place
before and after the experiment. “The time series format is especially useful where
regularly kept records are a natural part of the environment and are unlikely to be
reactive”(Cooper & Schindler, pg. 189, 2011). The way that this would be executed
would be to play no music within the store and record the reactions. And then to have
slow and fast type music playing while the customers are shopping to evaluate the way
that their shopping has changed or whether it has not. A different style approach to this
experiment would be the random block design. Randomized Block Design “splits up
experimental units into groups or blocks of equal size, and then assigns a treatment to
each group randomly. This makes sure that the data is not affected by outside situations”
(Munks). The way that this experiment would unfold is, the customers that come in at
lower traffic times, that tend to shop slower, would be played the faster music in order to
see if there is any change in the speed of their shopping. This would break up the
customers into a control and experimental categories that would then be compared.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Business research methods. New York: McGraw-Hill
Higher Education.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (2015). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House.
Munks, B. P. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2019, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-
randomized-block-design.html
Shuttleworth, M. (2009). Factorial Design - Testing the Effect of Two or More Variables.
Retrieved July 8, 2019, from https://explorable.com/factorial-design
Trochim, W. (2006). The Nonequivalent Groups Design. Retrieved July 8, 2019, from
https://socialresearchmethods.net/kb/quasnegd.php
Chapter 6 question 9:
Conduct a focus group among students in your class on one of the following topics:
a. The department’s problems offering requirements and electives essential for
meeting your graduation expectations.
b. Entertainment sponsored by your university to bring the community on campus.
“A focus group is a small-group discussion guided by a trained leader. It is used to
learn about opinions on a designated topic, and to guide future action”(Community Toolbox,
2018). The aspects that make focus group stand out as a way of research is that they are oriented
on a specific topic. A focus group will have an individual or “leader” that will guide the focus
group in the right direction. The group discussion is planned ahead of time so that all of the
aspects are covered as needed by the researcher. The participants of the focus group are
encouraged to speak freely and express their opinions. Focus groups are used in order to give a
voice to people who wouldn’t usually have in their own community. The best time to use a focus
group is when you have an idea or service that you are unsure about the popularity it could
receive. You would also you a focus group when “you want to ask questions that can't easily be
asked or answered on a written survey”(Community Toolbox, 2018).
For this particular focus group, it consists of 7 students from the ages of 22-31. All of the
students are in pursuit of their master’s degrees from Liberty University. The leader of this focus
group is Ms. Jaymie Howell who is also in her early 20’s and is in pursuit of her master’s degree
from liberty university. The main topic of our focus group is “The department’s problems
offering requirements and electives essential for meeting your graduation expectations.” The first
question asked within the focus group is “how long do the focus group members have until they
graduate?” That question will be followed up by “how many electives and requirements do they
have left, and what are they?” I would then open the floor for the discussion on whether they feel
like those electives or requirements are necessary for their field or unnecessary. The next
question I would ask is if the classes that they make required for your degree field, are at
appropriate times that suit you or are they rarely offered. The next question I would ask is, “why
do you think the reasons are for making a class required and then only offering it at an obscure
time and only having on class to offer. “I would begin to close the discussion by asking in which
ways that they university can fix these problems without it costing too much money or resources.
It is no secret that students feel as though they are too many obscure classes that have to
be taken within their degree and that universities are not giving proper chances for students to
take those classes, as well as have opportunities outside of college. “The trouble is that at many
schools, the curriculum has become so unwieldy that it is possible for students to graduate
without ever taking any of the courses that we would formerly have regarded as pillars of a
college education” (Leef,2013). Universities are causing unnecessary stress and anxiety around
students that is keeping many individuals away from the chance of gaining a degree. God gives
us words to remember when we feel like stress is building up in our lives, in John 14:27, it says
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world
cannot give. So, don’t be troubled or afraid” (Holy Bible: New living Translation, 2015).
Community Tool Box. (2018). Section 6. Conducting Focus Groups. Retrieved July 9, 2019,
from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-
resources/conduct-focus-groups/main
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (2015). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House.
Leef, G. (2013, November 07). The Terrible Erosion of the College Curriculum. Retrieved July
9, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeleef/2013/11/07/the-terrible-erosion-
of-the-college-curriculum/#797f8aeb5ebb
Chapter 8 question 6:
A lighting company seeks to study the percentage of defective glass shells being
manufactured. Theoretically, the percentage of defectives is dependent on
temperature, humidity, and the level of artisan expertise. Complete historical data are
available for the following variables on a daily basis for a year:
a Temperature (high, normal, low).
b Humidity (high, normal, low).
c Artisan expertise level (expert, average, mediocre).
Some experts feel that defectives also depend on production supervisors. However,
data on supervisors in charge are available for only 242 of the 365 days. How should
this study be conducted?
For this study, we can identify that there are various different dependent variables. The
dependent variable is “is the variable being tested and measured “in a scientific experiment. The
dependent variable is 'dependent' on the independent variable. As the experimenter changes
the independent variable, the effect on the dependent variable is observed and recorded”
(Helmenstine, 2018). Temperature, humidity, the artisan expertise level, and the supervision of
production are the dependent variables in this case. Although there is data for all of the
dependent variables, it is not completed data because there were on 242 days observed of the
year. Because of this absence of data, which is attributed to weekends and work holidays, there
cannot be a direct comparison between all of the variables. The most appropriate research model
for the lighting company would be the factorial design approach.
“Factorial designs are a form of true experiment, where multiple factors (the researcher-
controlled independent variables) are manipulated or allowed to vary, and they provide
researchers two main advantages. First, they allow researchers to examine the main
effects of two or more individual independent variables simultaneously. Second, they
allow researchers to detect interactions among variables”(Lavrakas, 2008).
The way that this study would be conducted is that each dependent variable, temperature,
humidity, artisan expertise level, and production supervision, would be observed at the same time
which would be more efficient that studying the variables independently. Therefore, the new way
that the experiment would unfold would be, for the 242 says of the year, the dependent variables
would be observed together at random. The dependent variables will have the negative effects,
positive effects, and the ways that they compare and interact with the other variables.
The role of a researcher, in this scenario, is to gain as much information to understand its
consumers and the data that is collected. The researcher is to make sure that they do not let the
corruption of other things interrupt their works so that they can deliver the best information that
they possibly can. In God’s word, we are given the advice in avoiding corruption. In Romans 16:
17-18 it says “ And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for
people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have
been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving
their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words, they deceive innocent
people”(Holy Bible: New living Translation, 2015).
Helmenstine, T. (2018, October 07). Understand the Difference Between Independent and
Dependent Variables. Retrieved July 14, 2019, from
https://www.thoughtco.com/independent-and-dependent-variables-differences-606115
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (2015). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House.
Lavrakas, P. (2008). Factorial Design. Retrieved July 14, 2019, from
https://methods.sagepub.com/reference/encyclopedia-of-survey-research-
methods/n175.xml
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