1. The High Cost of Organizational Change. Discuss the following issues
i. An employee survey has never been taken in this organization. In the charged atmosphere that appears to prevail, will the survey be perceived by participants as a means to report facts authentically, or will participants exaggerate the negative state of affairs, since they may view the survey as an instrument with which to create pressure. Would the report be unbiased when the researcher is in an environment where “he consoles himself” with the goodwill of 500 cooperative employees, who tie their hopes to the project?
ii. What methods can be adopted to eliminate this bias? Should the survey have been presented as a survey desired by management, or a general survey required by some other research organization? Would the latter deception be justified in the interest of unbiased research?
2. Part 1
Explain how each of the five evaluation factors for a secondary source influences its management decision-making value: (a) Purpose, (b) Scope, (c) Authority, (d) Audience, (e) Format
Part 2 (Two Parts) (a) Define the distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in a secondary search. (b) What problems of secondary data quality must researchers face? How can they deal with them?
3. 6. You have been approached by the editor of Gentlemen’s Magazine/or Women’s Magazine) to carry out a research study. The magazine has been unsuccessful in attracting shoe manufacturers as advertisers. When the sales force 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 you to develop a scientific proposal.
