Inquiring Minds Want to Know--Now! Question Seven & Eight
Case Study Assignment Four: Inquiring Minds Want to Know--Now!
Question Seven: Assume you are compiling your research report. How would you present the statistical information within this case to the Industry Week decision maker, the manager who must decide whether or not to continue to publish reader service cards? In the provided case study, Penton Media has performed a research study to determine consumer and industry interest in reader service cards, included in Penton publications (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). Research provided statistical data which much be evaluated and presented to Industry Week to determine future use of reader service cards. To get the message across, it will be necessary for leadership to format a research report which allows for a full understanding of data, both verbally and visually, to assist in making any future decisions. Verbalizing research allows for readers to gain access to full information regarding research methods and results. Through text, researchers explain findings, outline trends and provide contextual information (Baer, et al., 2009, p. 1). Vital to research reporting, the written word can assist Industry Week in understanding the data story, as well as answering questions management may have regarding how statistics were gathered and evaluated. For research data to be meaningful, and presented in a way which allows readers to see the relevance of research. Writing the report in an inverted pyramid style, similar to journalists, will allow for the most important facts to be presented, to ensure critical information is relayed properly (Baer, et al., 2009, p. 3). In writing, the researchers must strive to keep information simple and clear, relaying facts without patronizing or trivializing the reader. Accompanying verbal or written reports, visual information is important in statistical reporting. Considered one of the best techniques for understanding data, visual reports and tables can help
Question Seven: Assume you are compiling your research report. How would you present the statistical information within this case to the Industry Week decision maker, the manager who must decide whether or not to continue to publish reader service cards? In the provided case study, Penton Media has performed a research study to determine consumer and industry interest in reader service cards, included in Penton publications (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). Research provided statistical data which much be evaluated and presented to Industry Week to determine future use of reader service cards. To get the message across, it will be necessary for leadership to format a research report which allows for a full understanding of data, both verbally and visually, to assist in making any future decisions. Verbalizing research allows for readers to gain access to full information regarding research methods and results. Through text, researchers explain findings, outline trends and provide contextual information (Baer, et al., 2009, p. 1). Vital to research reporting, the written word can assist Industry Week in understanding the data story, as well as answering questions management may have regarding how statistics were gathered and evaluated. For research data to be meaningful, and presented in a way which allows readers to see the relevance of research. Writing the report in an inverted pyramid style, similar to journalists, will allow for the most important facts to be presented, to ensure critical information is relayed properly (Baer, et al., 2009, p. 3). In writing, the researchers must strive to keep information simple and clear, relaying facts without patronizing or trivializing the reader. Accompanying verbal or written reports, visual information is important in statistical reporting. Considered one of the best techniques for understanding data, visual reports and tables can help
Cited: Baer, P., Blessing, C., Capponi, E., Cukier, J., Duff, K., Flanders, J., . . . Wanders, A.-C. (2009). Making Data Meaningful Part 2: A guide to presenting statistics. United Nations. Retrieved from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/writing/MDM_Part2_English.pdf Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2011). Inquiring Minds Want to Know--Now! Business Research Methods 11 edition. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Retrieved from http://bb7.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-21052197-dt-content-rid-146629084_1/courses/BUSI600_B09_201330/InquiringMindsWanttoKnowNow.pdf