As we saw earlier (“Two Types of Research: Primary and Secondary,” pages 306–307), secondary research requires you to consult sources that are already available (books, periodicals, re[r]
(1)(2)Gathering and Summarizing Information
8 Doing Research, Evaluating Sources, and Preparing Documentation in the Workplace
9 Summarizing Information at Work
(3)304
ChaPter OutlIne Skills Necessary to Do Research
Characteristics of Effective Workplace Research The Research Process Two Types of Research: Primary and Secondary Primary Research Secondary Research The Importance of Note Taking
Documenting Sources A Business Research Report Conclusion
Doing Research, Evaluating Sources, and Preparing
Documentation in the Workplace
Being able to research is crucial for success on the job, whatever company or department you work for and whatever your job title Research is the lifeblood of a company You can expect to spend as much as 25 to 30 percent of your time at work doing research Companies use research to make major decisions that affect production, sales, service, hiring, promotions, and locations, as the research report at the end of this chapter illustrates (Figure 8.10, pages 349–363) Research follows a process You have to gather, summarize, and organize information be-fore you can interpret it Then, in interpreting it, you must be able to answer questions and solve problems Research does not always go as smoothly as you might expect it to Don’t get discouraged Understand that such hurdles are temporary, and see them as opportunities to make sure your work is accurate, complete, and relevant
SkIllS neCeSSary tO DO reSearCh
To effective research, you need to know how to ●
● network with people in your department, within your company, outside of your company, and potentially across the globe to gather relevant data
●
● read a host of print and online sources at your company or a library to find the most relevant studies/opinions on your topic ●
● direct observations, perform tests, and make site visits ●
● interview one person or a carefully selected group of people ●
● prepare and send out surveys and analyze the results
(4)●
● organize information into clear and accurate reports that answer questions and solve problems
●
● carefully and completely document your sources to give proper credit and to help readers find your sources
CharaCterIStICS Of effeCtIve WOrkPlaCe reSearCh
The research you on the job needs to follow the highest professional and ethical standards Businesses leave little margin for error and often not give employees a second chance to get it right To make sure your research meets your employer’s expectations, it must be
1 Relevant Job-related research must focus directly on providing specific an-swers and solutions to the key questions and problems affecting your company
2 Current Your information must be up-to-date Markets and technologies change rapidly, and employers will insist that your research is on the cutting edge of your profession
3 Accurate Double- and triple-check all of the facts and figures, dates, addresses, names, regulations, URLs, and so on, used in your research Don’t substitute guess-work and unsupported estimates for hard facts Make sure you record all informa-tion accurately
4 Thorough Look at a question or problem from all sides Network with col-leagues to look for any gaps or inconsistencies, as well as business opportunities Confirm all options and opinions Never omit important data
5 Realistic Base your research on realistic, profitable conclusions Unsubstantiated recommendations that fly in the face of a company’s protocol (e.g., drop a product line, hire or fire twenty-five people, or move a plant) may not be logical, profitable, or acceptable Be sure that your research is consistent with your company’s policies
6 Ethical and legal Obtain your findings ethically and lawfully so that you not infringe on the rights of others Plagiarism (see “What Must Be Cited,” page 338), raid-ing someone’s unpublished research, sharraid-ing confidential or privileged information with a third party, or skewing the results of a survey are all unethical acts Be sure, too, that all of your recommendations are environmentally sound; follow a strong green philosophy
the reSearCh PrOCeSS
(5)Let’s look at the process in more detail:
Step Confirm the purpose and audience of your report Know who your audience is and why you are writing to them
Step Consult a variety of resources Consult different sources in different me-dia formats: print, online, and possibly audio and video Don’t rely on only a single source—one website or one trade journal
Step Evaluate sources, both in print and online Given the explosion of in-formation online, you have to be able to evaluate the content of what you read Be prepared to read newspapers, journals, tests, surveys, interviews, websites, social media sites, blogs, and printed sources critically to see if the writers have a particu-lar agenda or bias that might slant their opinion on the topic
For more information, see “Evaluating Websites” on pages 331–333
Step Confer with appropriate resource people and experts at work, in your profession, and in your community These can be individuals from different divi-sions of your company (IT, human resources, finance) or co-workers and members of your collaborative team You might also consult various specialists who work for the local, state, or federal government
Step Continue to ask questions Be sure to ask the right questions at each stage of your investigation As you read, conduct an interview, make a site visit, send emails, or search databases, you may encounter dead ends, contradictions, and even new sources or leads you need to investigate
Step Document your sources One of the most important steps in the research process is documenting—citing the various sources of information (online, in print, from interviews, site visits, etc.) on which your report or presentation is based A later section of this chapter (“Documenting Sources,” pages 337–347) will give you specific guidelines for how to this
tWO tyPeS Of reSearCh: PrImary anD SeCOnDary
As we saw, you can expect to use many sources of information during the re-search process But essentially your rere-search will fall into two categories: primary and secondary Both kinds of research are important to help you obtain a bet-ter understanding of your topic and provide your supervisor or customers with the careful and complete answers and recommendations they expect You will often both types of research, as the marketing report at the end of this chapter (Figure 8.10, pages 349–363) illustrates In fact, one type of research sheds light on the other
conducting primary research
(6)places, and things, and it is often done in the office, in the field, or in a laboratory This type of research often requires gathering information from customers, clients, or other individuals who rely on your company’s products or services
Doing Secondary research
Secondary research involves consulting existing print and online sources When you conduct secondary research, you work with materials that someone else—an expert in your field, a government agency, even a competitor—has published, posted, or distributed
Methods of primary versus Secondary research
Here are some examples of the different methods of doing primary and secondary research on the job:
Primary Secondary
making direct observations evaluating websites and social media sites
performing tests searching databases
going on site visits/inspections reading books, journals, and magazines
conducting interviews consulting manuals and reference works
coordinating focus groups examining product reviews
developing, sending, and analyzing surveys using government documents
PrImary reSearCh
There are several ways of doing primary research, including the following: ●
● direct observation, site visits, and tests ●
● interviews and focus groups ●
● surveys
Direct Observation, Site Visits, and tests
Direct observation is seeing what is right in front of you—for instance, watching how an individual performs a task, determining how a piece of equipment works, or studying how a procedure is performed The key to conducting effective research is observing actively, not passively
(7)Conducting tests is another productive way to primary research involving the observation of people, places, conditions, and things A test can be as simple as examining two pieces of comparable office equipment side-by-side and noting how they compare, or trying out a new email marketing strategy Or it can be as sci-entifically demanding as conducting a laboratory test Figures 14.9 (page 580) and 14.10 (pages 581–583) are examples of reports based on laboratory tests conducted in the world of work
Sometimes you may have to use all three types of research based on observa-tion when preparing your report, as Kirk Smith did for a water-quality study in Figure 8.1 Not only did he observe and record the data-collection methods used at the three different municipal reservoirs, but he also visited these sites and conducted his own tests
Interviews and Focus Groups
Two other important sources of primary information come from interviews and focus groups You can a one-on-one interview with an expert in the field, a co-worker, a client, or another resource person Or you can hold a focus group, a question-and-answer session with multiple people—both company representa-tives and customers—attending Interviews with employees as well as with focus groups allow you to gather essential information from and about a variety of customers
Interviews
Interviews can be conducted in person, over the telephone, or through email, although Skype conversations and face-to-face meetings are the most productive way to generate relevant information Figure 8.2 (page 310) contains an excerpt from an interview with a U.S manager whose company transferred her to the com-pany’s Hongzhou, China, location for eighteen months Note how the interviewer researched and structured his questions to help other employees who might be transferred to China
Follow the process below when you have to conduct an interview for your workplace research
1 Set Up the Interview ●
● Ask your supervisor or co-workers to help you identify experts or relevant customers you should interview, or consult other sources, such as business directories, client or customer lists, or professional organizations
●
● Politely request an interview with the individual at his or her convenience Be flexible Your interviewee is giving you his or her time Always let the in-dividual know ahead of time exactly what you would like to discuss and why you are conducting the interview
●
(8)Provides key background information
States purpose Explains methods using specific techniques to record accurate measurements Records data objectively Identifies variables important for tests
Gives conclusion based on tests and observations
Water Flow and Quality Evaluation of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Drinking Water Source Area
Kirk P Smith
The drinking water source for Cambridge, Massachusetts, consists of three primary storage reservoirs (Hobbs Brook Reservoir, Stony Brook Reservoir, and Fresh Pond), two principal streams (Hobbs Brook and Stony Brook), and nine small tributaries Because previous investigations identified specific areas as potentially important sources of contaminants, several sites were selected for continuous monitoring to address the water supply regulations followed by the Cambridge Water Department (CWD) The purpose of this report is to evaluate the measurement methods used by the CWD
Reservoir altitude and meteorological measurement were recorded by monitoring stations installed at each reservoir Water quality measure-ments of reservoir water were also recorded at USGS stations 01104880 and 42233020 These data were recorded at a frequency of 15 minutes, were uploaded to a U.S Geological Survey (USGS) database on an hourly basis by phone modem, and were put on the Web at http://ma.water.usgs.gov Stream-stage measurements were also recorded by monitoring stations on each principal stream and at the outlet of the Stony Brook Reservoir These data were recorded every 15 minutes and were uploaded to a USGS data-base on an hourly basis by phone modem
In addition to measurements made on the principal streams, stream-stage and water-quality data were recorded by monitoring stations on of the small tributaries My visits to these sites and independent water samplings confirm that CWD’s measurements comply with USGS standards
Since the drainage areas of these sites are small and have large percentages of impervious surface, the risk of flooding, and often the quality of the water itself, can change rapidly To document these responses effectively, the moni-toring stations have recorded stream-stage and water-quality measurements at variable frequencies as high as minute These data were uploaded to a USGS database on an hourly basis and are available through http://ma.water.usgs
.gov I have found through visits and water sampling that CWD is not only
compli-ant with, but exceeds, USGS standards in measuring drainage area water quality
Source: Adapted from Hydrologic, Water-Quality, Bed-Sediment, Soil-Chemistry, and Statistical Summaries of Data for the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Drinking-Water Source Areas, Water Year 2004, by Kirk P Smith U.S Department of
the Interior/U.S Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005–1383
(9)Logical opening question about preparation for visit
Turns to problems in new job Asks for clarification
Relevant follow-up question Keeps interviewer focused on topic Asks for further information Good follow-up question
Q: How did you prepare for your transfer to China?
A: Before I left for my eighteen-month stay, I profited most from
partici-pating in teleconferences with our other Chinese offices and attending China trade fairs in the United States and Canada I also immersed my-self in intensive, but admittedly very basic, conversational Chinese And, of course, I partnered with several of I-Systems Chinese employees and managers here in Pittsburgh
Q: What would you say was the biggest obstacle an American manager
might face when working in China?
A: Seeing China through Western eyes.
Q: When you say “seeing China,” what you mean?
A: By that I mean looking at China from an American business perspective We
tend to think in U.S terms about expanding and opening markets, that is, what we can for China But my Chinese colleagues reminded me about China’s impact on American markets While the United States accounts for only about percent of the world’s population, China has about 20 to 25 per-cent of it and can powerfully influence our company’s decisions Accord-ingly, we needed to shift our thinking about what China could for us To this, we must have an appreciation of the Chinese way of doing business
Q: What characterizes the Chinese way of doing business, as opposed to
how we it in the United States?
A: Americans have no problems mixing business and pleasure In fact, we are
fa-mous for the business lunch or dinner Banquets are great occasions to talk shop, to sell our products, services, and websites But in China a dinner is strictly a social event, one for entertaining and not marketing It is considered rude in China to inject talk about sales, quotas, operations, or e-markets at a dinner
Q: Do you have any other advice for U.S workers whose companies relocate
them to China?
A: Be careful about gestures and gifts. Q: Why you link the two?
A: To illustrate a major blunder, one of my colleagues kept patting a
Chi-nese executive on the back, a sign in America of friendship and approval Not so in China It is seen as discourteous
Q: And the gifts?
A: While some business gifts are appropriate, never give a Chinese
execu-tive a clock or stopwatch It signals doom or death
© 2017 Cengage Learning
(10)2 Prepare for the Interview ●
● Continue to research your topic so that you have sufficient background information and not waste time by requesting information available on the Web or from another source
●
● Determine what information you need from the interview to help you solve the problem or answer the questions essential to your report Be sure to prioritize getting the essential information you need
3 Draft Your Questions Prepare your questions ahead of time, and take them to the interview Never try to wing it Your questions should be
●
● focused on the topic you want to find out about to avoid vague answers ●
● open-ended and designed to prompt thoughtful responses, not just yes or no answers
●
● objectively worded so that the interviewee is not forced to respond to loaded questions
Here are some examples of poorly written questions with effective revisions:
Vague Question Restricted Question
How can a website help customers? In what ways can we improve the navigational signals on our website to help customers find information quicker?
Yes or No Question Open-Ended Question
Do you think big business is opposed to a Would you identify two or three ways we
healthy environment? could green our office space?
Loaded Question Objectively Worded Question
Isn’t the future of real estate security What are your thoughts about the future of investments doomed to a bleak future? real estate security investments?
4 Conduct the Interview ●
● Show up for the interview on time, and dress appropriately ●
● Always ask permission to record the interview or to take photographs ●
● Stay focused Don’t stray from the topic or delve into personal matters ●
● Be an attentive and appreciative listener Let the interviewee most of the talking
●
● If the interviewee does not want to answer a question or has no further information to add, don’t press the point Move to the next question
●
● If the interviewee(s) says that something is “off the record,” respect his or her request and not include it in your transcript or notes, or on tape ●
(11)5 Follow Up After the Interview ●
● It’s best to read through your notes immediately after the interview, while the conversation is still fresh in your mind
●
● Thank the interviewee by letter or email within a day or two following the interview
●
● If the interviewee requested a transcript of the interview, send it to him or her ●
● Always request permission to quote anything from the interview in your report or presentation to your company or clients
Focus Groups
Focus groups are typically composed of loyal or prospective customers who have been invited to give a company their opinions about a specific product, service, or future project A company might also include paid consultants and even individu-als selected from competitors’ lists Focus groups are used to obtain a wider variety of opinions than individual interviews may give and they are more personal and interactive than surveys Businesses rely heavily on these groups to get honest, well- considered feedback from interested individuals and to incorporate that feedback into their research Focus groups are usually conducted in face-to-face meetings, but virtual meeting technologies (see “Tech Note on Virtual Meetings,” page 104) allow people outside of the area, even globally, to participate
Follow the guidelines below to conduct a successful focus group: Set Up the Focus Group
●
● Identify who should be invited to the focus group and how many individuals should be a part of that group Effective focus groups usually consist of six to twelve participants to get a diversity of opinions but keep the group from being too crowded and unmanageable
●
● Once you decide on the participants, give them with all of the details they need about the location, payment or reimbursement, and topics to be discussed
2 Prepare for the Focus Group ●
● Formulate the specific questions you need to ask As in a one-on-one inter-view, prepare your questions ahead of time, avoiding vague, yes or no, or loaded questions Limit your questions to allow for ample discussion time ●
● Plan to record the focus group and to bring in a co-leader or moderator to take notes Unlike in a one-on-one interview, you will not be able to take effective notes while leading a focus group
3 Conduct the Focus Group ●
(12)●
● Politely remind the group about confidentiality Many companies have par-ticipants fill out confidentiality agreements before the group meets
●
● Stick closely to the agenda Don’t stray off topic yourself or allow partici-pants to so
4 Follow Up After the Focus Group Meets ●
● Record any observations about the group dynamic as a whole and about the individual participants, since this information may affect your results ●
● Thank the participants again by letter or email within a day or two after the group meets
Use of Social Networking Sites as a Recruiting Tool Many researchers and compa-nies find social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter useful for recruiting participants for research projects and for studying consumer trends Companies or individuals wanting to organize a focus group, for example, can tweet a request to their customers on Twitter to generate participants, or have their followers partici-pate in a tweet chat that takes place at a designated day/time and uses specially des-ignated hashtags to allow participants to contribute their views Questions can be posed and responses generated on Twitter, or you can direct participants to a more formal online survey outside of Twitter
You can also use Facebook as a recruiting tool By creating a Facebook “event” for a research project or focus group, companies and researchers can advertise the project or focus group session, distribute information, and even begin to collect data about participants, all from the same site Twitter and Facebook are also useful for market researchers who need to find information about new products, services, technologies, and pricing This type of research is especially helpful when you need to gather information within specific communities Facebook, for example, allows users to create groups around virtually any topic, thus assisting researchers to find information, observe developing trends, or gauge reaction to new products by sim-ply joining the group and following the posts already there
Surveys
Surveys are among the most frequently used ways to conduct primary research in the world of work Think of a survey as an interview with a relatively large number of people The goal of a survey is simple—to collect and then quantify information about individuals’ attitudes, habits, beliefs, product loyalty, knowledge, or opin-ions You can conduct a survey over the phone, online, or by mail
Five Steps for Using a Survey
There are five basic steps you need to follow when using a survey as a part of your research on the job:
(13)answers about a given topic, conduct a telephone survey, which gives you an oppor-tunity to talk directly to the respondents and allows them to clarify their answers But if your aim is to obtain results quickly and inexpensively, an online survey Create the Survey Questionnaire There are many types of questions you can ask, as illustrated in Figure 8.3, including yes/no, ranking, rating, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions Researchers advise asking questions that require the least amount of effort on the part of the respondents (yes/no, multiple-choice) to in-crease their chances of answering your questionnaire Keep your survey to ten to fifteen questions in increase your response rate Note how the WH eComm ques-tionnaire in Figure 8.3 (pages 316–317) includes only twelve key questions, which the company needs to have answered to help it make important decisions Finally, design your questionnaire to look inviting and streamlined (See “The ABCs of Print Document Design” on pages 449–459 in Chapter 11 for guidelines to make your questionnaire look easy to complete.)
Here are some guidelines for writing specific questions to help you get the results you want—whether you are writing a mail or an online questionnaire or preparing a script for a telephone survey
1 Phrase questions precisely Vague questions only elicit answers that you cannot use or will be unable to analyze Use valid, quantifiable questions
Ineffective: Are we open enough hours on Saturdays? Yes No
Better: How many hours would you like us to be open on Saturdays?
2 Ask only one question at a time Avoid multiple questions within the same question, since you will not know the exact answer to each question
Ineffective: What is your overall impression of our customer support and delivery services?
poor _ fair good very good excellent
Better: (Turn the two questions above into two separate queries as follows.) What is your overall impression of our customer support service? poor _ fair good very good excellent How would you rate our delivery service?
poor _ fair good very good excellent
3 Clearly differentiate each option in multiple-choice questions If respondents are not sure of the differences among options, they may answer inappropriately be-cause of question overlap, or they may skip the question altogether
Ineffective: When is the best time to call you?
Daytime _ Afternoon _ Weekday _ After work _ Evening _ Night _
Better: When is the best time to call you?
Morning (8:00 a.m.–noon) _ Afternoon (noon–5:00 p.m.) _ Evening (5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.) _
(14)Ineffective: Which types of nonalcoholic beverages would you like us to offer? soda _ juice _ coffee/tea _ milk _
Better: Which types of nonalcoholic beverages would you like us to offer? soda _ juice _ coffee/tea _ milk _ bottled water _ other (please specify) _
(The “bottled water” and “other” options give respondents a fuller range of answers.)
5 Do not use unfamiliar jargon or abbreviations Don’t assume that respon-dents will understand the jargon your company or profession uses
Ineffective: What was your overall impression of the CGI in this film? poor _ fair _ good _ very good _ excellent _
Better: What was your overall impression of the computer-generated imagery used in this film to create the global village scene?
poor _ fair _ good _ very good _ excellent _
6 Do not ask inappropriate questions Refrain from asking questions about in-come, education level, or other personal matters such as age, ethnicity/race, gender, disability, religion, or sexual orientation unless these questions give you essential demographic information directly relevant to the topic of your survey
7 Avoid leading or biased questions Do not give your respondents slanted questions that bias their answer and thus the results of your survey
Ineffective: Were you impressed by this award-winning product? Yes _ No _
Better: Did you think this was an award-quality product? Yes _ No _
8 Limit multiple-choice and ranking items to five items The more complicated your list of multiple-choice or ranked items, the more difficult it will be for your re-spondents to give a clear and helpful answer and for you to analyze the survey results 9 Limit rating ranges to a scale of to As with item above, not com-plicate your survey by providing a scale with such a wide range of options that respondents are unclear about how they differ or overlap
The WH eComm Survey
Many online vendors ask customers, after a purchase, to rate their online shopping experience Online customer feedback not only helps e-commerce companies learn about the level of their customers’ satisfaction; it also helps them find out about customer preferences to make crucial business decisions
Note how the WH eComm survey in Figure 8.3 (pages 316–317) asks both types of ques-tions Some questions ask about customer preferences (questions 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and fall into this category), while others ask about customer satisfaction (questions 3, 4, 7, and 10) The
Case study
(15)Dear Valued WH eComm Customer,
At WH eComm, we are committed to providing our customers with high-quality e-commerce software through an efficient and user-friendly website Customer feedback is extremely important in helping us continue to improve our website So that we may best meet your needs, please answer a few questions about your experience at WH eComm You will find the survey on our website by clicking here Your answers will help us continue to improve WH eComm online and to give you the efficient and prompt service you deserve
To say thank you for filling out this short questionnaire, we want to offer you a 25 percent discount on your next purchase When you have completed the survey, your discount will automatically be credited to your WH eComm online account Many thanks for your time and your confidence in us,
Gregg Laos Manager WH eComm
How many times have you visited our website? First visit 2–4 times 5–7 times More than How did you hear about our website?
Colleague
Advertisement in business journal Another website
Search engine Other (please specify) Is the website easy to navigate?
Very easy Easy Somewhat easy Not easy revolutionizing e-commerce
Arial 10
<Gregg_Laos@whecomm.com> <Carol_Smith@acme.com>
WH eComm Customer Satisfaction Survey
Figure 8.3 An Example of an Online Survey
Cover email explains why survey is important to customers
Provides incentive to reply
Easy-to-read format Fill-in option does not require a lengthy answer Question is not phrased in a leading manner
(16)Figure 8.3 (Continued)
How effective did you find the following sections of WH eComm? Extremely Could be
effective Effective improved Ineffective
Web features
Search
FAQ
Online checkout
How many times have you purchased our products? 1–2 times 3–4 times 5–7 times 8–9 times More than
What types of products have you purchased from WH eComm? (Check as many as apply.)
E-commerce software Web design software Networking software E-conferencing software How helpful did you find our customer service?
Extremely helpful Helpful
Could be improved Not helpful
How have you most often contacted our customer service center? Phone Email Fax Web
How soon was your query answered (if applicable)?
Same day Next day Within days Within a week Longer 10 How satisfied were you with the speed and efficiency of our customer service
center?
Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied Dissatisfied
11 Please rank, in order of importance, which factors most influence your online purchases.
Shipping Returns Website Price options/time policy quality
Most important Least important
12 What would you most like to see changed or improved on our website?
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Home Multiple-choice items clearly differentiated Provides non-overlapping choices Limits options Ranking question supplies all necessary options Provides opportunity for respondent to elaborate One question can elicit a great deal of consumer information
(17)3 Choose the Survey Recipients The success of a survey, of course, depends on tar-geting the right audience and in the right numbers Sometimes that audience is small and easy to reach For example, you might survey people within your own com-pany, agency, or department (all of the nurses in ICU) But more often, the group you want to survey—all of your California customers or vendors, for example—is so large that you could not possibly survey the opinions of every member of that group In that case, you need to gather information from enough people to make reliable and relevant judgments about the larger population, and you have to select a representative cross section of individuals from the larger group (by age, gender, background, experience, education, etc.)
4 Reach the Survey Recipients Don’t expect all of your respondents, or even 40 or 50 percent, for that matter, to reply to your questionnaire Researchers find that a response rate of 12 percent from a statistically chosen sample group is still valid But to increase the chances of receiving replies from as many respondents as pos-sible, follow these time-tested procedures:
●
● Provide a cover letter or email, as in Figure 8.3, asking recipients to reply and thanking them in advance for doing so
●
● Offer respondents some incentive to answer the survey, such as the discount that WH eComm promises in Figure 8.3
●
● Indicate whether respondents should identify themselves or remain anonymous ●
● Clearly specify how the respondents are to answer the questions—using a check mark, circling the correct response, writing in a number, or just point-ing and clickpoint-ing
5 Compile and Analyze the Survey Results The final step in conducting a survey is compiling and analyzing the results and to arrive at reliable and workable solutions Here are some helpful tips to follow:
1 Keep your completed surveys organized, and save them Don’t throw away the completed surveys; you may need to refer to specific answers later, or your company or department may need to archive all surveys
questions about customer preferences can be used to help the company decide where to ad-vertise (“How did you hear about our website?”) and to determine which products to promote (“What types of products have you purchased from WH eComm?”) The questions about customer satisfaction, meanwhile, elicit information to help the company improve its service by assessing such things as the usefulness of its website (“Is the website easy to navigate?”) and the quality of its customer service (“How helpful did you find our customer service?”)
(18)2 Create a data sheet Originate a data sheet—for instance, an Excel spread-sheet—so that you can record all of the survey responses in one central document Break the data sheet into logical categories, for instance, separate rows for each sur-vey question and separate columns for each possible answer
3 Record responses completely and accurately Always record responses exactly as you receive them If the response to a question is blank or illegible (or gives several answers to the same question), discard that response rather than mak-ing somethmak-ing up or guessmak-ing what the respondent meant
4 Present your findings clearly and effectively To help your boss or other read-ers undread-erstand your findings, create one or more simple tables in which you present key information in an easy-to-read format Also supply a blank sample question-naire for reference
Online Survey Builders
There are a wide variety of free online survey-building websites, such as Survey Monkey (surveymonkey.com), Qualtrics (qualtrics.com), Free Online Surveys (freeonlinesurveys.com), and Kwik Surveys (kwiksurveys.com) that allow you to create, tally, and draw conclusions These programs provide help on how to gener-ate questions that will yield the best possible data, tabulgener-ate results automatically, and produce reports and graphics based upon those responses An online program is especially helpful when you have to conduct a very large survey, reducing the amount of time it would take to compile and quantify responses The automation of such programs further helps you to eliminate inaccuracies in the data that might otherwise occur as a result of human error
SeCOnDary reSearCh
As we saw earlier (“Two Types of Research: Primary and Secondary,” pages 306–307), secondary research requires you to consult sources that are already available (books, periodicals, reference works, websites, blogs, social media sites, etc.), as opposed to interacting directly with people, places, and things via direct observation, site visits, tests, interviews, focus groups, and surveys Secondary research involves gathering documents and reading, summarizing, and incorporating them into your report Libraries
As part of your workplace research, you can expect to use one or more of the fol-lowing types of libraries:
●
● corporate libraries ●
● public and academic libraries ●
● e-libraries Corporate Libraries
(19)Corporate libraries contain a vital history of a company’s activities, past and pres-ent, and also houses business-specific and confidential documents not found in a public or academic library
Types of Research Materials in a Corporate Library Regardless of the size of your company, the following documents and information are likely to be found in its corporate library, in its intranet archive, or in departmental files (e.g., IT, marketing, etc.):
●
● client and customer records ●
● corporate reports, studies, surveys, and proposals ●
● corporate newsletters—from inception to the present ●
● maps, diagrams, blueprints/specs ●
● legal records, including patents and contracts ●
● financial and operational information organized by month, year, or longer cycles
●
● books and trade periodicals directly related to your company’s research and business
●
● product and service literature (catalogs, descriptions, technical specifica-tions, training manuals, warranties, etc.) (See “Tech Note: Gray Literature,” page 328.)
●
● competitor information, including comparative analyses, competitor cata-logs, and sales information
Expect to supplement information from your corporate library with information from other sources and locations Materials found in a corporate library may take you only part of the way toward what you need to learn Supplement what you find in your corporate library with primary research, Web research, and trips to public or academic libraries
Public and Academic Libraries
To start your library research using a public or academic library, access the home page for a full range of its services and for directions on how to conduct a search Figure 8.4 shows the home page for one academic library, including links for reaching a librarian, accessing electronic resources, and locating relevant docu-ments Note how the library has made it easy for patrons to connect with the right department for assistance with their research To make searching even more ef-ficient and convenient, many libraries belong to a network, regional or global, of participating libraries, enabling patrons to access the catalogs of member libraries in the group, for instance the New Jersey State Library’s Directory of Libraries Also expect to consult WorldCat, a universal catalog of resources that lets you know whether the public and academic libraries in your area or the world over own a particular book, while Ex Libris Primo allows users to search their local library, regional, and international resources, as well as sources found with more standard web-based search engines like Google
(20)Intranets
As the name suggests, intranets are internal communication networks modeled after the Internet They use passwords, directories, search engines, and multimedia content Like the Internet, diversified companies, government agencies, and many large corpora-tions use intranets to post documents, share and archive information, coordinate calen-dars, hold virtual meetings, conduct training sessions, make announcements, and post newsletters (See Figure 4.5, page 128.) From a central directory, information is sent to, from, and within various divisions within the company—management, engineering, sales, human resources, environmental safety, public relations, and so forth Documents might be designated as available to all employees or restricted, depending on the au-dience for and content of the document Some files may, therefore, be closed to you because of confidentiality
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Figure 8.4 An Academic Library’s Home Page
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