Business research methods by william g zikmund download pdf

Sample is chosen by selecting a random starting point and then picking every nth element in succession from the sample frame. Sample results may be projected to the target population Only the permissible samples of size n that can be drawn have a known and equal probability of selection.

Desired Sample. Stratified Sampling Probability sample Sub-samples are drawn within different strata Each stratum is more or less equal on some characteristic Do not confuse with quota sample. Cluster Sampling The purpose of cluster sampling is to sample economically while retaining the characteristics of a probability sample. The primary sampling unit is no longer the individual element in the population The primary sampling unit is a larger cluster of elements located in proximity to one another.

Representativeness is Always Important Degree of accuracy Resources Time Advanced knowledge of the population National versus local Need for statistical analysis. Sample Size In general, the larger the sample size selected with the use of probability techniques the better.

The more heterogeneous a population is on a variety of characteristics e. Papadopoulos Response rates vary on the type of surveys e. Response rates under 60 or 70 per cent may compromise the integrity of the random sample. Determination of Sample Size Sample size may be determined by using: Subjective methods less sophisticated methods The rule of thumb approach: eg. Average of sample sizes of similar other studies; Cost basis approach: The number that can be studied with the available funds;.

Statistical formulae more sophisticated methods Confidence interval approach. Sample size determination using statistical formulae: The confidence interval approach To determine sample sizes using statistical formulae, researchers use the confidence interval approach based on the following factors: Desired level of data precision or accuracy; Amount of variability in the population homogeneity ; Level of confidence required in the estimates of population values.

Availability of resources such as money, manpower and time may prompt the researcher to modify the computed sample size. As a general rule of thumb, if your sample size n is greater than 30, you can replace by the sample standard deviation s. Open navigation menu.

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Uploaded by Parth Upadhyay. Document Information click to expand document information Description: mba. Did you find this document useful? Is this content inappropriate? Report this Document. Description: mba. Flag for inappropriate content. Download now. Zikmund For Later. Related titles. Carousel Previous Carousel Next. Jump to Page. Search inside document. If elements are similar smaller sample is needed May even be more accurate than census Indian Census uses samples to check accuracy of the Census Data- e.

Average of sample sizes of similar other studies; Cost basis approach: The number that can be studied with the available funds; Statistical formulae more sophisticated methods Confidence interval approach. Michelle Solomon. A CRM system brings together information about customers including sales data, market trends, marketing promotions and the way consumers respond to them, customer preferences and more. Database and Data Warehousing A database is a collection of raw data arranged logically and organized in a form that can be stored and processed by a computer.

Data warehousing is the process allowing important day-to-day operational data to be stored and organized for simplified access. Data warehouse is the multitiered computer storehouse of current and historical data. Data warehouse management requires that the detailed data from operational systems be extracted, transformed, placed into logical partitions, and stored in a consistent manner.

Input Management Input includes all the numerical, text, voice, and image data that enter the decision support system. Many functions within an organization provide input data. Input data can also come from external sources.

Major sources of data input: 1. Internal Records — accounting reports of sales and inventory figures. May involve either or both of the testing and issues types of research. Behavioral Tracking — modern technology provides new ways of tracking human behavior. Global positioning satellite GPS systems allow management to track the whereabouts of delivery personnel at all times. Can track actual customer behavior on the Internet. Scanner data refers to the accumulated records resulting from point of sale data recordings.

The term single-source data refers to the ability of these systems to gather several types of interrelated data i. Outside Vendors and External Distributors — market information as their products e. Companies called data specialists record and store certain business information. Computerized Data Archives Historically, collections of organized and readily retrievable data were available in printed form at libraries but are now available electronically e. Numerous computerized search and retrieval systems and electronic databases are available as subscription services or in libraries e.

Data wholesalers put together consortia of data sources into packages that are offered to municipal, corporate, and university libraries for a fee. Statistical Databases Contain numerical data for market analysis and forecasting. Geographic information systems use geographical databases and powerful software to prepare computer maps of relevant variables e. One source for these huge data warehouses is scanner data, but not all points of sale have scanner technology e.

The Universal Product Code, or UPC, contains information on the category of goods, the manufacturer, and product identification based on size, flavor, color, and so on.

Compustat is an example. Video Databases Video databases and streaming media are having a major impact on many goods and services e. The Internet is a worldwide network of computers that allows users to access to data, information, and feedback from distant sources. There is no central computer; instead, each message sent bears an address code that lets a sender forward a message to a desired destination form any computer linked to the Net. A host is where the content for a particular Web site physically resides and is accessed.

How is the Internet Useful in Research? Accessing Available Data Allows instantaneous and effortless access to a great deal of information. Collecting Data Questionnaires can be posted on a Web site and respondents can be invited to go to the particular URL and participate in the survey, which cuts down on costs i. When a consumer uses the World Wide Web, their usage leaves a record that can be traced and observed.

Navigating the Internet The World Wide Web WWW refers specifically to that portion of the Internet made up of servers that support a retrieval system that organizes information into documents called Web pages. Content providers — parties that furnish information on the WWW; maintain Web sites. A Web site consists of one or more Web pages with related information about a particular topic.

Introductory page or opening screen is called the home page because it provides basic information about the purpose of the document along with a menu of selections or links that lead to other screens with more specific information.

Connections between pages anywhere on the Internet are called hyperlinks. Search engine — a computerized directory that allows anyone to search the WWW for information based on a key word search e. Key word search — search engine searches through millions of Web pages for documents containing the key words. Google revolutionized search engines by basing searches on a mathematical theory known as graph theory, which greatly improved the accuracy and usefulness of results.

Interactive Media and Environmental Scanning Interactive medium — a medium i. Environmental scanning entails all information gathering that is designed to detect changes in the external operating environment of the firm. Information Technology Pull technology — consumers request information from a Web page and the browser determines a response.

Software is used to guess what information might be interesting to consumers based on the pattern of previous responses. Information is available only inside the organization or to those whom the organization deems as appropriate participants. Serve as knowledge portals that contain substantial amounts of organizational memory and can integrate it with information from outside sources. Can be extended to include key consumers as a source of valuable research e.

Internet2 A collaborative effort involving about universities, government entities, and corporate organizations in the U. Goal is to create a faster more powerful Internet by providing multimodal access, employing more wireless technologies, and building in global trading mechanisms.

What is the difference between data, information, and intelligence? Data are simply facts or recorded measures of certain phenomena things or events ; information is data formatted structured to support decision making or define the relationship between two facts. Market intelligence is the subset of data and information that actually has some explanatory power enabling effective decisions to be made. So, there is more data than information and more information than intelligence.

What are the characteristics of useful information? Information can be evaluated by using four characteristics: relevance, quality, timeliness, and completeness. Relevance is the characteristic of data reflecting how pertinent these particular facts are to the situation at hand.

Data quality is the degree to which data represent the true situation. High-quality data are accurate, valid, and reliable. High-quality data represent reality faithfully. Timeliness means that the data are current enough to still be relevant. Completeness refers to having the right amount of information.

What is the key question distinguishing relevant data from irrelevant data? Define knowledge management. What is its purpose within an organization? Knowledge is a blend of previous experience, insight and data that form organizational memory. The purpose of knowledge management is to organize the intellectual capital of an organization in a formally structured way for easy use.

What type of databases might be found in the following organizations? Holiday Inn Holiday Inn will have the standard accounting records, of course, but they will also have information about the characteristics of each registered guest.

They have the home address, destination on a trip, place of employment, perhaps the type of credit card used, and make of automobile. This will allow a great deal of direct mailing activity.

Frequent visitor questionnaires and loyalty program information would also provide customer data. The databases could be used to determine market performance such as average percentage of capacity used on a seasonal or weekly basis. The occupancy-to-variable-labor ratio could be monitored to access productivity in specific areas.

Comparison of occupancy rates before and after advertising and promotional efforts adjusted for seasonal variations could help measure the effectiveness of those expenditures. Data can be used to assess the effectiveness of promotional activities i. Data can also be maintained on support of the athletic programs in the form of donations.

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch would have information concerning all the different types of package sizes, sales volume within regions, etc. Anheuser-Busch has a computerized shelf-space management program for its retailers that audit sales, margins, and turnover by brand and package.

Further, to check on wholesaler performance, Anheuser-Busch has staff at headquarters record salesperson call frequency to each account, weekly and monthly sales of all beer, and shelf-space facings for all brands. Additionally, sales levels might help indicate advertising campaign effectiveness after adjusting for seasonal fluctuations. An extensive scanner database would exist for supermarket sales.

Beer sales in taverns and liquor stores would most likely be kept using a different type of record keeping system. While business research can perform four possible functions i. Performance refers to research that monitors specific metrics including financial statistics like profitability and delivery times.

The metrics that are monitored can be fed into automated decision making systems, and they can trigger reports that are delivered to managers. In this case, FedEx can monitor its performance of on-time delivery, customer complaints, and profitability. What makes a decision support system successful? Thus, a successful decision support system is one that stores relevant data and transforms them into organized information that is easily accessible to managers.

What is data warehousing? More specifically, a data warehouse is the mulitiered computer storehouse of current and historical data.

Data warehousing management requires that the detailed data from operational systems be extracted, transformed, placed into logical partitions, and stored in a consistent manner. While there, choose two cars that you might consider buying and compare them. Which do you like the best?

What would you do now? What are at least three pieces of data that should be stored in a data warehouse somewhere based on your interaction with Kelly Blue Book? Data warehousing assists decision making by storing and organizing relevant data for simplified access. The answers to this question will vary. The Internet is a worldwide network of computers that allows users access to data, information, and feedback from distant sources.

The Internet has no central computer; instead, each message sent bears an address code that lets a sender forward a message to a desired destination from any computer linked to the Net. Internet standards and technology, but the information is available only inside the organization or to those individuals whom the organization deems as appropriate participants. Thus, the key. Suppose a retail firm is interested in studying the effect of lighting on customer purchase behavior.

Which of the following pieces of information is the least relevant and why? Amount of natural light in the store. The compensation system for store salespeople. The color of the walls in the store. The type of lighting: fluorescent or incandescent.

It would seem that the compensation system for store salespeople would be the least relevant piece of information because it has no impact on the lighting.

The other factors could directly or indirectly influence the lighting in the store. List at least five types of data that are collected through the daily operations.