EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION THROUGH MANAGING DATA

QUESTIONS ARE IN BOLD AND OPTIONS/ ANSWERS TO CHOOSE FROM ARE IN NORMAL TEXT

PART 1.

Select the best responses to the following questions.

1a. Which of these situations require a situational business report? Check all that apply.

• The account manager needs to compile a weekly list of active customer accounts.
• The financial planner needs to record the number of new clients she acquired this quarter.
• The company needs to analyze quarterly sales trends on one of its popular product lines to adjust branding.
• Associates sales numbers need to be tracked and compiled to determine who will receive a promotion.

1b. Your supervisor has asked you to prepare a situational report. Before you begin collecting data for your report, you should first:

• Choose the most appropriate approach for source selection.
• Determine what data is needed to solve the problem and make a decision.
• Search for relevant online resources.

1c. Which of the following is an example of primary data you might use while researching a report?

• A questionnaire you sent out to survey participants
• A journal article reporting research on employee productivity
• Personnel records on benefits enrollment trends

1d. Read the scenario and answer the questions that follow.

You are preparing a report that compares the design and information on websites of competitors in your industry.

(i) You should begin your search for relevant sources with ______ (Choose from: Google/ Google Scholar/ a library database)

(ii) because

• Search engine results will include websites, while databases may not.
• Internet sources are probably not reliable in this situation.
• Databases provide relevant articles that are most likely reliable and easily sorted.

PART 2

2a. Select the best response to the following question.

Why should you evaluate the quality of the sources you include in your report?

• Most managers demonstrate a high level of professionalism.
• Good information helps you make better decisions.
• Engaging a reader is easier with quality information.

2b. Read the scenarios and answer the questions that follow.

You work for a large cell phone company and are writing a report on mobile technology trends to help your company decide whether to offer a new kind of smartphone.

You find a website that tracks smartphone consumer trends. You need to determine whether you should include information from this website in your report.

What questions should you ask yourself about the website to evaluate it? Check all that apply.

• What time period does the website cover?
• Is the website accurate and reliable?
• Is the site designed to accommodate people with disabilities?

2c. You work for a large wedding planning company and are writing a report on 3D printing to help your company decide whether its beneficial to invest in a printer that can print customized wedding favors.

You find a research study that documents the costs associated with purchasing and maintaining various 3D printers. You need to determine whether you should include this information in your report.

What questions should you ask yourself about the research study to evaluate it? Check all that apply.

• How was the data analyzed?
• How many sources do the authors site?
• How consistent is the data with that from other studies?

3. Developing a Questionnaire and Cover Letter

3a. Select the best responses to the following questions.

Which of these is not an advantage to using surveys for data collection?

• Respondents may not be representative of the typical population you are surveying.
• Surveys can be administered in any geographical location.
• The anonymity of questionnaires increases the validity of some response rates.

3b. When constructing questionnaires, what types of language should you use in your questions to collect valid, reliable data? Check all that apply.

• Open-ended
• Leading
• Understandable
• Concise
• Precise

3c. Read the scenario and answer the question that follows.

Your company leases office space. The owner of the building in which you are located is going to renovate the space you use and is working with company management to reconfigure the office. Your management team sends out a questionnaire that includes the following question:

The renovated office space should include less fluorescent lighting and more common meeting areas.

____Agree

____Disagree

(i) This ______(is not/is) an effective question

(ii) because

• It is open-ended and confusing.
• It presents both ideas fairly and equally.
• It addresses more than one idea.

3d. Read the e-mail to announce a questionnaire, and then answer the question.

To: Workshop participants

From: John Lehman

Subject: Invitation to Customize Speak with Ease Workshop

Dear Workshop Participant:

I am writing to request your participation in a survey that will help me calibrate the upcoming workshop.

Your participation in a brief, two-minute survey will provide the information needed to customize your workshop experience.

You will need to answer two types of questions as you complete the survey: personal and professional.

You can find the survey by clicking on this link. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

John Lehman

(i) Which option is the best revision for the third paragraph?

• The questionnaire asks two categories of questions. First, you will be asked to rank your likes and dislikes regarding public speaking and presentations. Second, you will be asked simple questions about your current and past job experience.
• No revision is necessary.
• By first providing an overview of your comfort level with public speaking and then answering some background information on your professional experience, you will be helping me get a better understanding of your personalized public speaking needs.