SOLUTION MANUAL
Business Research Methods, 14th Edition
by Pamela Schindler. All Chapters 1 - 17.
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Research Foundations and Fundamentals
Chapter 2: The Research Process: An Overview
Chapter 3: Stage 1: Clarify the Research Question
Part II: The Design of Business Research
Chapter 4: Stage 2: Research Design, An Overview
Chapter 5: Stage 2: Sampling Design
Chapter 6: Stage 2: Data Collection Design: Qualitative Research
Chapter 7: Stage 2: Data Collection Design: Observation Research
Chapter 8: Stage 2: Data Collection Design: Experiments
Chapter 9: Stage 2: Data Collection Design: Survey Research
Part III: Measurement
Chapter 10: Stage 3: Measurement Foundations
Chapter 11: Stage 3: Measurement Questions
Chapter 12: Stage 3: Measurement Instruments
Part IV: Collect, Prepare, and Examine the Data
Chapter 13: Stage 3: Collect, Prepare, and Examine Data
Part V: Analyze and Interpret Data
Chapter 14: Stage 4: Hypothesis Testing
Chapter 15: Stage 4: Measures of Association
Part VI: Stage 5: Report the Research
Chapter 16: Stage 5: Research Reports: Support Insights and Recommendations
Part VII: Research Project Overview
Chapter 17: An Integrated Example
, Chapter 1
Research Foundations and Fundamentals
SMARTBOOK
This is a, digital version of Business Research Methods, which can be accessed online via laptop. It is linked to Business
Research Methods‘ CONNECT features. The content of Business Research Methods SmartBook is the same as the printed
version of Business Research Methods but the digital features help focus a student‘s
learning on content. Students pay for a subscription to Business Research Methods SmartBook for the duration of your
term or semester.
As the instructor, you may assign Business Research Methods SmartBook or students may choose to
subscribe to SmartBook on their own.
If you want your students to have access to Business Research Methods SmartBook and its learning
features, you will need to set up your Business Research Methods Connect course.
CONNECT
Connect is the location for course preparation resources:
Quiz questions
o You select from this additional set of multiple-choice and true-false questions for each chapter to
create a self-assessment quiz for that chapter. Each question provides a pop-up learning note for
the correct answer, that you may opt to show (or not).
Connect Library for Instructors
o PowerPoint Slide Sets for each chapter
o Instructor‘s Manual for each chapter
o Test Bank for each chapter
o Written Cases
o Video cases
o Additional Materials Related to Cases (e.g., Case Discussion Guides, data sets, video material,
etc.)
o Supplemental appendices on topics you may want to assign related to a chapter.
o Supplemental chapter-related materials on topics you may want to assign related to a chapter.
o Sample Student Project
o Excel Chart Templates
Connect Library for Students
o Written cases
o Video cases
o Additional Materials Related to Cases (e.g., data sets, video material, etc.)
o Additional Materials Related to Chapters
, o Supplemental appendices
o Supplemental chapter-related materials
o Sample Student Project
o Excel Chart Templates
POWERPOINT
A complete PowerPoint slide deck comes with this chapter.
o Slides are grouped to assist different teaching styles and to facilitate full use of the book‘s
learning features.
Most slide groups are designed to facilitate discussion or student engagement;
suggested exercises are embedded in the notes section of the slides.
The Chapter Outline group can be used to guide a lecture.
Each slide deck contains the following slide groups:
o Industry Thought Leadership slides
one or more for each chapter, feature a quote tied to a chapter issue for
discussion.
Additional quotes may appear in the Active Learning Exercises of this
manual.
o Exhibits slides
one or more slides for each Exhibit (depending on exhibit size and
complexity), provide a full set of all exhibits that appear in the book.
o Text Image slides
provide in-text photos that appear with captions or that are cued to in-text
examples; use these for discussion.
o Snapshots/CloseUps/PicProfiles slides
one or more slides for each featured item in the chapter, serve as discussion
aids for those real research examples.
o PulsePoint
Provides a research finding that can be the point of discussion; consult the
Active-Learning Exercises section.
o From the Headlines slide
one per chapter, features the designated discussion question from the
Review and Discussion Questions section at the end of each chapter; the
suggested answer appears later in this manual.
o Video Discussion slide is a divider slide.
Use the small gold triangle in the lower left corner to enter a link to the
video you wish to use. You‘ll find some recommendations in the Active-
Learning Exercises section.
o Case Discussion slide is a divider slide
The text and this manual list the cases that are appropriate for this chapter.
Consult the separate Case Discussion Guide for discussion ideas.
Use the small gold triangle in the lower left corner to enter a link to the
video case or video case material (for some written cases) you wish to use;
right click the triangle to enter a link location.
o Learning Objectives slide(s)
one or more slides for each chapter, can be used for chapter review to
determine objective achievement from student reading, or at the end of a
class segment to determine objective achievement.
o Chapter Outline slides
provide a thorough coverage of chapter concepts; these slides are suitable
for use as an aid to the lecture-mode teaching style.
, o Key Term slide(s)
one or more for each chapter, provide a list of key terms from the chapter
that can be used for oral review and quizzing.
o Any one slide deck might be used for several class sessions, or only one, according to your
plan.
Faculty are encouraged to reorder the slides in any order that fits the activities you plan for your class session or
just make notes of the slides you want and jump to them.
TEST BANK
The test bank for each chapter contains the following:
Multiple-choice or true-false objective questions of one or more types, with answer noted, categorized by
difficulty according to Bloom‘s Taxonomy.
o Definition-based questions on key terms and concepts
o Application-based questions posing decision scenarios
o Application-based questions asking for justification or explanation
Essay Questions, with one possible answer noted.
ACTIVE-LEARNING EXERCISES
"Active learning" means students engage with the material, participate in the class, and collaborate with each other
in order to understand and retain the material. In an active-learning environment, students don‘t simply listen; they
aren‘t expected to memorize what is said but to understand the material, and later testing reflects this. An active-
learning environment requires prior preparation, both from you and the students; it helps if you can tell them
ahead of time what you will be doing in the next class.
The essence of an active-learning exercise is that the instructor sets the stage with a scenario and one or more
questions. To get the students to collaborate, the instructor may form teams based on some criteria.
Active-learning exercises do not always have to be team-based. There is always an output to an active-learning
exercise—either written or oral; you can provide a critique or assign another student team to provide one. You
should provide an assessment on these exercises; quality participation in such exercises should carry some weight
in a student‘s grade. My experience is that the more weight you give the exercises, the more and better the
participation. The more participation; the greater the learning.
This text has ample material for active-learning exercises. With the material below, you ask students to provide
a review or critique, provide an alternative approach, given an example, analyze an argument, provide the
alternative to the argument given, or apply concepts to a real management dilemma.
PicProfiles
o Extended Reality Use in Business…(image: donut graph) an Accenture Consultancy study
identified XR as one of four major technology trends affecting business in the next decade.
Use this to discuss technology and its impact on business in general and research in particular.
o National Youth Tobacco Survey…(image: man vaping) How the Food and Drug Administration
operationally defined vaping.
Use this to discuss the importance of operating definitions. Ask students to operationally
define other tobacco/tobacco substitute products.
Snapshots
o Analytics Under Delivers Compared to its Hype…(Image: Pie chart of State of Data
Analytics)…An MIT/Sloan Management Review and SAS report on data analytics users
use this to discuss the state of data driven decision making in business.
, o The Importance of Why: Big verses Small Data…(image: Lego blocks)…how big data alone
misled Lego and how a small research project revealed the strategy that pulled it back from near
bankruptcy.
Use this to discuss the importance of both types of data
o Research on Cyber Security…(image: computer hacker and various cyber attacks)…How Alert
Logic used research to discover cyber criminals‘ paths.
CloseUp
o None in this chapter.
Images
o Photograph of football players
Use this to discuss the distinction between data, information, and insights
o Photograph of key performance indicators on expanded computer screen business dashboard…
use this to discuss the role of research in collecting information for KPIs and for maintaining
business dashboards
o Photograph of an older individual on a climbing wall.
Caption: Apply deductive and inductive reasoning to the image to develop conclusions about what will happen in
the next photo frame.
Besides a great discussion about reasoning, this exercise can bring out biases about age and
gender, and a discussion about how researcher need to guard against bias.
o Model of Product Life Cycle Theory, from Kerin and Hartley, Marketing, 2021
use this to discuss models and theories.
o Model of interior home layout
use this to discuss features of models.
PulsePoint: Published research reveals many ways that businesses use research. You might use such
research findings to discuss a current phase of the research process or a current issue.
34…The percent of employees who never consider what their bosses, clients, or colleagues think
before posting to a blog, discussion forum, or social network.
In an environment where social media communication can make or break a firm‘s reputation,
this statistic reveals the need to have employee policies related to social media. You might use
this finding to stimulate a discussion on how organizations might use research to develop such
policies and how research might track employee compliance.
Industry Thought Leadership: Use these quotes to discuss a current issue related to the chapter.
―As big data increases, we see a parallel growth in the need for ‗small data‘ to answer the
questions it raises.‖
William C. Pink, senior partner
Creative Analytics
The above quote relates to the difference between data analytics and research. It‘s the perfect
opportunity to discuss the importance of each and the pitfalls of relying on only one:
―Research is creating new knowledge.‖
Neil Armstrong, Engineer and Astronaut
The above quote relates to the importance of discovery for its own sake, but also discovery for a
purpose. Anyone who saw the movie Hidden Figures (2016) can understand the importance of
applying established tools in new ways to new data, and using the perspectives of new individuals
to the race for space exploration. The engineers of NASA were attempting something that had
not been done before—a real dilemma—and needed not only visionary leadership but new
hypotheses to accomplish this.
, ―Forward-thinking executives recognize that analytics may be the only true source of sustainable
advantage since it empowers employees at all levels of an organization with information to help
them make smarter decisions.‖
Wayne Eckerson,
director of research, business applications and architecture group,
TechTarget
The above quote deals with the emergence in key performance indicators to inform. You can
use this quote to discuss the disadvantages facing organizations that do not invest in research
and analytical benchmarking.
Source: Wayne Eckerson, ―Big Data Analytics: Profiling the Use of Analytical Platforms in
User Organizations,‖ TechTarget, September 2011, p. 10, accessed March 5, 2012
(http://docs.media.bitpipe.com/io_10x/io_103043/item_486870/Big%20Data%20Analyti
csMarkLogic.pdf).
Additional Discussion Opportunities: Cases (Written and Video)
You will find a description of each case in the Case Abstracts section of the textbook. Cases and
case supplements, including discussion guides, are available in Connect or downloadable from
www.mhhe.com/schindler14e. Cases appropriate for discussion of concepts in this chapter include
the following.
Campbell-Ewald R-E-S-P-E-C-T Spells Loyalty
HeroBuilders.com
Open Doors: Extending Hospitality to Travelers with Disabilities
Additional Discussion Opportunities: Exhibits
o Show Exhibit 1-4. With recommendations from the students, complete the ―Job Interest
Construct‖ of the job redesign.
Terms to consider: Prior employment history; aptitude test results,
o Write several hypotheses that you have originated on the board; the topic is not important.
Alternatively, have students propose some. Then compare each hypothesis against the checklist in
Exhibit 1-10 in order to determine if it is a strong hypothesis or a weak one. Some ideas below:
Chip makers who advertise will sell more packages than chip manufacturers who don‘t
advertise.
Employees who take on leadership roles in projects, advance faster than those who act
only as a team member on projects.
Employees who maintain a healthy weight are more productive than those who are
overweight.
Machines that are maintained quarterly generate fewer defects than those maintained
annually.
Students who attend class will earn higher grades than those who don‘t attend.
Additional Discussion Opportunities: Video/Film
o Hidden Figures (2016), adapted from Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, can be tied to
numerous business research concepts. You can also tie what the characters in the movie are doing
and how researchers do those same things today, only differently.
o Money Ball (2011), adapted from Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis,
discusses how a money-strapped manager of a the Oakland A‘s professional baseball team built a
world series championship team from talented, but undervalued players. They looked at
, different variables, when choosing players, and built a team around a totally different hypothesis of
championship.
Additional Discussion Opportunities: Web Exercises
o Nielsen revealed its best-liked TV ads and its methodology on the following site. Have students use
Exhibit 1-3 to discuss the methodology used to arrive at the Nielsen conclusions.
https://www.marketingcharts.com/uncategorized-25514
CHAPTER EXHIBITS LIST
Exhibit Exhibit title
Number
1-1 Where Business Collects Information
1-2 Some Sources of Business Intelligence
1-3 The Research Process
1-4 Constructs Composed of Concepts in a Job Redesign
1-5 Independent and Dependent Variables: Synonyms
1-6 A Summary of Variable Types
1-7 Relationships among Types of Variables
1-8 Why Didn’t Sales Increase?
1-9 Why Is Tracy Nelson’s Performance So Poor?
1-10 Checklist for Developing a Strong Hypothesis
1-11 Model of the Traditional Product Life Cycle Theory
Notes an exhibit in the Research Process Series
CHAPTER LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students should understand…
1 The environment in which research decisions are made.
2 The language used by professional researchers.
, KEY TERMS
Key terms are shown in bold, as they appear in the text, throughout the Chapter Outline.
business dashboard hypothesis scientific method
business research causal hypothesis strategic inflection points
concept correlational hypothesis theory
conceptual scheme descriptive hypothesis variable
construct relational hypothesis confounding variable (CFV)
data induction control variable (CV)
data blending information dependent variable (DV) (criterion variable)
data catalog insights extraneous variable (EV)
data-driven organization management dilemma independent variable (IV) (predictor variable)
data silo model intervening variable (IVV)
decision operational definition moderating variable (MV)
deduction reasoning
CHAPTER OUTLINE
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR DECISION MAKING
Never been more important to learn and master the tools and processes of business research.
For all industries, it‘s a time of radical reinvention and innovation delivered at a breakneck pace.
KPMG’s CEO Outlook Survey reveals that ―the next 2-3 years will be more transformational than the last
50.‖
Companies face choice: agility or irrelevance.
Being too slow can lead to obsolescence.
A firm‘s success is dependent on improving its understanding of its customers, but that they must
do so in an ―ethical and protected way.‖
Firms face numerous strategic inflection points.
Andrew S. Grove, Only the Paranoid Survive.
A strategic inflection point is a ―time in the life of a business when its fundamentals are about to
change.‖
It is a disruption that demands a response.
Disruptions often come from unexpected sources, not the typical competitors.
o Kroger from Amazon; CBS and NBC from Netflix
Anticipating disruptions is critical
o Rita McGrath, Seeing Around Corners
o Must dislodge ―certain taken for granted assumptions.‖
PicProfile: Extended Reality (XR) Use in Business
Role of Data in Decision Making
Managers make countless decisions—a judgement after thoughtful consideration.
, Management decisions are triggered by a management dilemma—a problem or opportunity that
reflects the difference between a desired and actual condition.
Management decisions are followed by actions, even if the action is to do nothing.
Whether to collect information is a critical decision.
o Businesses collect data—raw, unprocessed facts in the form of numbers, text, pictures, audio
or video
Image: Football players
Example: NFL uses video of games, embeds chips in game equipment,
capturing important metrics
Exhibit 1-1 Where Business Collects Information
o When data is processed it becomes information—accumulating and organizing it; applying
rules of measurement, statistical summary, and testing; and developing data presentation to
make its meaning clear.
o Researchers generate insights—analyzing information in the context of a management
dilemma and the business‘s mission, goals, resources and culture.
o We mine data when we use existing data when faced with new dilemmas
Example: Amazon book recommendations based on your and other customers past
purchases.
Businesses don‘t always use the data they have effectively due to several factors
o State of digital transition
o Data silos
o Data interpretation deficiencies
State of Digital Transition
Moving from a paper-based data system to a digital data system is cumbersome, time-consuming, and
costly.
Paper-based data, information and insights often ended in a binder on a shelf.
It couldn‘t be easily aggregated or merged with other data.
A shift to digital storage doesn‘t guarantee easier access to data or having the right information.
Data Silos
Business data is often stored at the business unit level where decisions are made.
This practice creates a data silo—a collection of data or information in an organization that is isolated
from and not accessible by other parts of the organization.
Forrester Research estimates that between 60-73% of business data resides in data silos.
Data silos can be caused by company culture, competition between business units for finite
resources, geographic location of business units, layers of management, differing staff skill levels,
and software or hardware incompatibility.
Data silos encourage business units to collect and store duplicate data, generate higher costs, lead to
data inconsistencies, create incompatible data, prevent managers from seeing the broader picture,
from discovering trends, and can lead to missing time-sensitive opportunities.
