Research Reports & Insights Full Test Bank Ch.16

Business Research Methods, 13e (Schindler)

Chapter 16 Stage 5: Research Reports: Supported Insights and Recommendations

1) All of the following are contained in a research report except ________.

A) information

B) insights

C) data

D) conclusions

E) All of the above are part of a written research report.

2) Which of the following report-planning structures is more likely to result in recommendation implementation?

A) Data-centric

B) Audience-centric

C) Insight-centric

D) Objective-centric

E) Needs-centric

3) When a research report is focused on getting the audience to embrace recommendations, it will emphasize which of the following?

A) Data

B) Information

C) Insights

D) Actionable insights

E) Graphs

4) "Who will I be addressing?" and "Why should my listeners really care about the information I present?" are two questions that are ________.

A) key for developing the logos for your oral report

B) addressed in audience analysis

C) primary considerations for delivering Web oral reports

D) desirable for recall at the beginning of the oral report (recency effect)

E) ways of adapting to auditory learners

5) Several psychological principles have important implications for oral research reports. Which of the following is true?

A) An audience member comes to the oral report with past knowledge of the speaker's topic and will judge the oral report based on selective perception.

B) An audience member comes to the oral report with limited knowledge of the topic and will remain open-minded throughout the oral report.

C) Each audience member organizes his or her unique construct of the content presented, which is unrelated to listener experience and openness to change.

D) There is no need for the research presenter to attempt to construct imaginatively how the audience will interpret the message because it is impossible to know in advance.

E) All of the above are correct.

6) The ultimate success of an oral research report depends on the speaker's ability to ________.

A) know why listeners should really care about the information presented

B) understand the demographic and dispositional audience characteristics

C) anticipate audience response

D) know the needs of key audience members either through informal or formal advance conversations or feedback

E) All of the above are correct.

7) Noted presenter and author Nancy Duarte reminds us of the need to treat your audience as your first priority. She states, "They didn't come to your oral report to see you. They came to find out what you can do for them." This means that you should ________.

A) give your audience a reason for taking their time

B) provide content that resonates with your audience

C) ensure that it is clear what you want your audience to do

D) All of the above are correct.

E) None of the above is correct.

8) If an audience member searches a report for information that supports what he or she currently believes, they demonstrate ________.

A) confirmation bias

B) anchoring bias

C) conformity bias

D) survivorship bias

E) loss-aversion bias

9) If an audience member rejects an insight because he or she was convinced by a person they respect who rejected the insight and its recommendation, they demonstrate ________.

A) confirmation bias

B) anchoring bias

C) conformity bias

D) survivorship bias

E) loss-aversion bias

10) If an audience member reacts negatively to a recommendation because the report phrased it negatively, they demonstrate ________.

A) confirmation bias

B) anchoring bias

C) conformity bias

D) survivorship bias

E) loss-aversion bias

11) A formal audience analysis involves surveying audience members before the research report is developed.

12) Which of the following answers the question, "Who will receive the research report?"

A) Audience composition

B) Audience knowledge of the research question

C) Audience predispositions about research topic

D) How audience members will be affected by recommendations

E) All of the above are correct.

13) Which of the following aspects of audience analysis reveals the answer to the question, "Who is likely to reject or embrace a recommendation?"

A) Audience composition

B) Audience knowledge of the research question

C) Audience predispositions about research topic

D) How audience members will be affected by recommendations

E) All of the above are correct.

14) Which if the following is most likely to negatively influence achieving the desired audience effect.

A) loss-aversion bias

B) audience-centric planning

C) comprehensive audience analysis

D) written-only report structure

E) None of the above will negatively influence achieving the desired audience effect.

15) Which report structure allows for the greatest flexibility given the nature of research results?

A) Oral only

B) Written only

C) Oral plus written

D) Oral only and oral plus written

E) All of the above are correct.

16) When preparing for an audience of researchers, which type of written report should be used?

A) Informal

B) Technical

C) Management

D) Informational

E) Infographic

17) Long reports written for the client are types of written ________ reports.

A) formal

B) informal

C) memorandum

D) management

E) technical

18) Information such as the title of the report, name of the researcher or organization conducting the research, the name of the client and the date of release should appear on/in the ________ of a written research report.

A) title page

B) background

C) letter of authorization

D) executive summary

E) introduction

19) Jacob is writing a report on a study of how store traffic changes among senior citizens in Florida based on the weather. Which title below is most appropriate?

A) An investigation into the effects of weather on store traffic among senior citizens in Florida

B) Store traffic and weather effects

C) Driving patterns among seniors in Florida

D) The weather effect

E) State-based investigation of weather and store traffic

20) All of the following components should be included in the title of a written research report except ________.

A) study variables

B) type of relationship studied

C) population of interest

D) time frame of the research

E) All of the above should be included.

21) The most comprehensive discussion of the methodology used in the study will appear in a ________ research report.

A) short management

B) infographic

C) short technical

D) long management

E) long technical

22) What report component refers to a concise summary of the major findings, conclusions, and recommendations in a written report?

A) Authorization letter

B) Letter of transmittal

C) Introduction

D) Executive summary

E) Abstract

23) How many pages are typically needed to adequately report the required components of an executive summary?

A) One page

B) Two pages

C) Three pages

D) Ten pages

E) It depends on the report

24) Which type of written research report contains all possible report modules?

A) Short memo

B) Short letter

C) Long technical

D) Short technical

E) Long management

25) Which of the following written research reports should have a table of contents?

A) Informational report of five pages

B) Letter of transmittal

C) Management report of five pages

D) Technical report of 25 pages

E) All reports should have a table of contents.

26) A list of tables, list of graphs, list of appendices, and list of exhibits are found in which report component of the business research written report?

A) Table of contents

B) Letter of transmittal

C) Letter of authorization

D) Executive summary

E) Introduction

27) Which report component contains a clear statement of the management question and the business research problem?

A) Approach

B) Problem statement

C) Background

D) Table of contents

E) Methodology

28) Which report component of a written technical report includes discussion of sampling design, research design, and data collection procedures?

A) Introduction

B) Background

C) Methodology

D) Appendix

E) Findings

29) The target population being studied and the methods for selecting participants are all part of the ________ section of the methodology portion of a written research report.

A) research design

B) data collection

C) findings

D) introduction

E) sampling design

30) Where are copies of materials such as the survey instrument and consent forms placed in a written research report?

A) Introduction

B) Immediately following the table of contents

C) In an appendix

D) In the methodology section

E) These are not included in a report.

31) Which report component describes how data were handled and the statistical tests used?

A) Methodology

B) Introduction

C) Findings

D) Limitations

E) Appendix

32) Which report component is generally the longest?

A) Introduction

B) Methodology

C) Findings

D) Executive Summary

E) Appendix

33) Which question below best guides what should be included in the findings section of a written research report?

A) Is the material important to understanding the problem, insights, and recommendations?

B) What statistical techniques were used to determine the findings?

C) How does the finding relate to the hypothesis?

D) Who is reading the report?

E) What are the limitations of the findings?

34) In what report component of a written research report are complex tables, statistical tests, and supporting documents placed?

A) Introduction

B) Findings

C) Methodology

D) Recommendations

E) Appendix

35) Which of the following is true about research limitations?

A) Limitations affect the interpretations of information and should be revealed.

B) Limitations section of a report does not include how the researcher corrected for errors in research design.

C) Limitations are discovered before the data is collected.

D) The process of revealing limitations in a report influences pathos.

E) None of the above is true about limitations.

36) Which of the following is not an advantage of an infographic report format that reduces the information report to information that addresses, the research objectives?

A) Reduces the information report to information that addresses the primary research objectives

B) Addresses the time pressures of the managerial audience

C) Sharable

D) Less memorable

E) All of the above are correct.

37) What is the motivated sequence report framework for report organization?

A) It organizes using time sequences as a framework, for example, when each research activity (focus group, survey, experiment) occurred.

B) It organizes using the sequence of ideas that, by following the normal processes of human thinking, motivates an audience to respond to the speaker's purpose.

C) First part describes the cause of a problem, the second describes its effect, and the third presents a solution.

D) Material is organized from the least important information to the most important.

E) Benefits and disadvantages are discussed as well as how the benefits are superior.

38) Some research companies use templates that can be modified for specific research reports. When multiple reports are made to the same audience of managers using such a template approach, oral reports ________.

A) may fail to hold attention and communicate persuasively

B) will be greeted enthusiastically by typical managers

C) will meet the requirements of planning in analog

D) will meet the requirements for audience analysis

39) Research presenters are not just data presenters but must convince research sponsors to act. In building a research report, if a researcher puts the most important argument at the beginning of their recommendations, they are relying on ________ in building their oral report's organization.

A) recency effect

B) believability

C) credibility

D) primacy effect

E) contrast

40) Which report framework orders findings based on the most impact on the audience?

A) Research brief

B) Topical

C) Narrative

D) Classification

E) Motivated sequence

41) Which report framework orders findings based on the importance of the finding, with the most important appearing last.

A) Problem/solution

B) Climax order

C) Chronological

D) Present/past/future

E) Cause/effect/solution

42) Which of the following elements is useful in a written report for clarifying text that is difficult to understand?

A) Use of headings

B) Use of ample whitespace

C) Use of visuals

D) Use of well-known vocabulary terms

E) Use italics

43) Which findings presentation style is most common in a written report when there are only a few statistics?

A) Words/Text

B) Tables

C) Graphs

D) All of the above are correct.

E) None of the above is correct.

44) According to a recent poll on the Prevention magazine Website:

"Most people (56%) reported that even though they are overweight, their doctor never discusses the role of weight in leading a healthy life. Only 14% indicated that it was not an issue because they are already in good shape."

The Prevention magazine survey results are provided using ________ to present the statistics.

A) words/text

B) numbered list

C) table

D) graphs

E) bullet list

45) According to a recent poll on the Prevention magazine Website:

• 56% reported that their doctor never discusses weight.

• 30% indicated that their doctor discussed weight issues but only if they brought the topic up first.

• 14% reported that weight is not an issue for them.

The Prevention magazine survey report is using which findings presentation style for information?

A) words/text

B) numbered list

C) table

D) graph

E) allegory

46) Which findings-presenting style in a written report is best for enhancing comprehension and providing adequate information?

A) Words/Text

B) Numbered list

C) Tables

D) Graphics

E) Bullet list

47) Which findings-presentation style in a written report is best for making comparisons?

A) Words/Text

B) Numbered list

C) Tables

D) Graphs

E) Bullet list

48) A graphing technique used for time series and frequency distributions over time is called a ________.

A) boxplot

B) bar graph

C) pie graph

D) line graph

E) Pareto diagram

49) What type of graph uses symbols or images rather than bars to represent frequency data?

A) Line graph

B) Pie graph

C) Area graph

D) Pictograph

E) Map

50) In a written research report, if you were restricted to the choices below, which type of graph would be better for depicting components, the entirety, or frequencies of a single variable?

A) Bubble graph

B) Pie graph

C) Area graph

D) Stacked Pie

E) Geographic map or graph

51) In a written research report, if you were restricted to the choices below, which type of graph would be better for depicting clearly the relationship between two variables?

A) Simple pie graph

B) Simple column graph

C) Column with line graph

D) Pictograph

E) None of the above is correct.

52) Bar graphs differ from column graphs in that ________.

A) bar graphs are better when data labels must be longer

B) the frequencies are represented vertically in bar graphs

C) only bar graphs can present both negative and positive changes

D) bar graphs offer more easily seen comparisons between variables

E) None of the above is correct.

53) Which of the following graph or graph types offer a danger of obscuring rather than clarifying data?

A) Bar graphs

B) Three-dimensional surface line graphs

C) Column graphs

D) Exploding pie graph

E) Scatter plot

54) All of the following have a greater opportunity to obscure rather than clarify data except a ________.

A) Three-dimensional surface line graph

B) Multiple line graph

C) Spider (Radar) graph

D) Column graph

E) Column with line graph

55) The basis of persuasion was defined by Aristotle with his three principles of proof. They are ________.

A) logos, pathos, and ethos

B) logos, enthymeme, and forensic

C) forensic, deliberative, and epideictic

D) dialectic, rhetoric, and ethos

E) None of the above is correct.

56) Our perception of a presenter's character affects how believable or convincing we find that person. The projection of credibility via personal character is the researcher's ________.

A) logos

B) pathos

C) epideictic

D) ethos

E) peithos

57) Which of Aristotle's types of proof makes an appeal to the audience's self-interest?

A) Ethos

B) Pathos

C) Egos

D) Logos

E) Peithos

58) You need only achieve logos for an effective research report.

59) What are the three types of learners?

A) Learners in small, large, and research oral report audiences

B) Visual, auditory, and media-savvy

C) Rule of thirds-type learners

D) Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic

60) Which type of support material is appropriate for both kinesthetic and visual learners?

A) Facts and statistics

B) Story

C) Demonstration

D) Testimony/expert opinion

E) Analogy/metaphor

61) In a research oral report, a support material known as "analogy" is defined as ________.

A) a critical incident selected to prove an overarching claim; brief rather than detailed stories

B) numerical data used in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, but also found in data collection planning

C) a comparison between two different things to highlight a point of similarity; not offered as conclusive proof for an argument, but may be useful to clarify the argument or presenter's position

D) an implicit comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common; expresses the unfamiliar in terms of the familiar, achieving its effect via association, comparison, and resemblance

E) verifiable data about situations that exist or events that are known to have occurred; often involving statistical data

62) A type of support material in a research oral report that enhances ethos is ________.

A) testimony/Expert opinion

B) statistics

C) specific instance

D) metaphor

E) graph

63) Stories are a strong form of support material. Which is a principle of a good story?

A) Order stories in your narrative based on audience impact.

B) Stories must be grounded in the research data.

C) Use audience analysis to match the story to your audience and topic.

D) Use stories with a successful outcome to address survivorship bias.

E) All of the above are correct.

64) The research literature on oral research reporting ________.

A) recommends the narrative pattern as the superior report framework

B) does not support the conclusion of one overall superior report framework

C) provides experimental research for the use of trios, triplets, or triads

D) recommends the chronological report framework

E) recommends the motivated sequence report framework

65) Which of the following statements about "visualization" is not true?

A) Visuals are fundamental to business research oral reports.

B) Visualization involves developing and organizing support materials that help the audience share in your understanding of the data.

C) The composition and knowledge of the audience, the venue, and amount of time all influence choices in visualization.

D) Twenty percent of the information humans receive comes through their eyes. For research oral reports, this number is slightly higher.

E) Oral reports constructed solely as PowerPoint slides result in the presenter supplying the verbal content of a document ineffectually because the audience reads faster than the researcher can speak.

66) Which of the following describes how pathos is established in a research report?

A) By collecting past impressions from prior associations

B) Interviewing critical members of the intended audience

C) Surveying a sample of the invitees regarding agreement with a series of statements about issues

D) Discovering demographic and dispositional audience characteristics

E) All of the above are correct.

67) Facts as support material are ________.

A) verifiable data about situations that exist or events that are known to have occurred

B) a critical incident selected to prove an overarching claim

C) a single instance used to clarify a complex concept

D) a comparison between two different things to highlight a point of similarity

E) a foundation of pathos

68) Which of the following is not true about stories as support material?

A) Stories tell the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events.

B) Describing your experience with the research study lends a real-life impression that cannot be achieved through facts or statistics.

C) Stories are most powerful when they do not involve personal experience.

D) A good story must be persuasive, engaging, or memorable.

69) A demonstration as a support material ________.

A) establishes logos, ethos, and pathos

B) is essential in research oral reports to facilitate understanding of statistics

C) creates a natural, emotional response

D) involves the audience in an experience or activity to clarify a finding

70) Which psychological principle should influence visualization in a research report?

A) The audience's inability to process large amounts of information at one time should reduce the complexity of your support.

B) It is not critical for your oral report to convey what is new or a change with a separate slide or handout.

C) Unfamiliar visualization techniques should be used.

D) Your audience will not automatically group items together, even if you give them such groupings.

71) The support material design principle of whitespace means that the presenter should ________.

A) reduce ideas to their most simplistic to stick them in the minds of the audience

B) conceptualize the visual support materials on paper before composing the digital versions

C) leave empty space surrounding important key visuals and text

D) use the photographers tool (the rule of thirds), that is, compose visuals with real or imaginary cross-hairs that divide the visual field

72) Visual support materials are important in an oral research report because ________.

A) recall that accuracy varies as a function of an item's position on a list or an argument's sequence

B) the motivated sequence produces superior immediate recall though sight visualization

C) about 40 percent of us are visual learners

D) the narrative pattern of organization results in significantly favorable attitudes toward the oral report through visuals

73) Statistics are numerical information useful and expected in oral research reports. Which of the following statements about the use of statistics is true?

A) To be a credible source of support, the listener needs to know if a statistic is valid and reliable, used correctly, properly interpreted, and relevant to the point.

B) Statistics used in abundance have little effect on audience fatigue.

C) Visuals are essential in research oral reports to facilitate understanding of statistics.

D) All of the above are correct.

E) All but the effect of large amounts of statistics on audience fatigue are correct.

74) Which of the following principles related to clarity in design of visual support materials is true?

A) Smaller elements will be perceived to be more important than larger ones.

B) Larger elements will be perceived to be more important than smaller ones.

C) More bullet points improve understanding.

D) A bar graph overlaid with a line graph is easy to interpret as a simple bar chart.

E) None of the above is correct.

75) A ________ uses a single instance to clarify a complex concept.

A) story

B) demonstration

C) fact

D) flow aid

76) Using a metaphor as support material enhances a research report's ________.

A) relevancy

B) believability

C) balance

D) clarity

E) detail

77) Sara decides to build audio sound clips of some participant's answers into her final oral research report. This is called ________, and it enhances the oral report's ________.

A) example; ethos

B) testimony; pathos

C) example; pathos

D) testimony; ethos

E) testimony; logos

78) The choice of visual support material is affected by ________.

A) intended purpose

B) size of the audience

C) meeting room conditions

D) budget constraints

E) All of the above are correct.

79) If you are restricted to the following choices and you want a graph to display total frequency, group frequency, and changes over time, you would choose a(n) ________.

A) area graph

B) pie graph

C) bar graph

D) geograph

E) bullet bar graph

80) Which of the following visualization techniques is likely to have the biggest problem achieving data clarity with a nontechnical audience?

A) Area graph

B) Pie graph

C) Bar graph

D) Geograph

E) Bullet bar graph

81) The heuristic that the research report must stay within time and page limits deals with which characteristic for better support materials?

A) Balanced

B) Variety

C) Style

D) Spatial

82) Which audience-learning style supports the inclusion of testimonials in the research report?

A) Visual learner

B) Auditory learner

C) Audible learner

D) Kinesthetic learner

E) Tactile learner

83) Which type of support material enhances the credibility of a topic or insight in a research report?

A) Facts and statistics

B) Story

C) Demonstration

D) Testimony/expert opinion

E) Analogy/metaphor

84) Which findings presentation style is built from cross-tabulated data?

A) Words

B) Tables

C) Graphs

D) Words and graphs

E) Tables and graphs

85) The heuristic that the researcher provide different types of support deals with which characteristic for better support materials?

A) Balanced

B) Variety

C) Style

D) Spatial

E) Speaker specific

86) In editing the final version of a written report, you should do each of the following except ________.

A) simplify complex or jargon filled sentences

B) use shorter paragraphs

C) organize text with meaningful headings

D) put multiple, complex graphs on the same page

E) use color consistency to enhance meaning

87) When making an oral research report, the speaker should ________.

A) vary the volume, pitch, voice quality, articulation, and pace of speaking

B) memorize the speech

C) begin with recommendations

D) be comfortable enough with the material to "wing it"

E) speak quickly

88) A tendency presenters should avoid during an oral research report is to ________.

A) turn their back on the audience to read from a slide

B) maintain good eye contact

C) vary the volume and rate of speech

D) distribute a handout when ready to refer to it

E) All of the above are correct.

89) Which of the following is true about jargon and clutter in a research oral report?

A) Using jargon is a not a danger in delivery of a research report where your audience has knowledge of the techniques of research or statistical analysis.

B) Clutter in speech includes repetition of fillers such as "ah," "um," "you know," "like," "basically," or "exactly" and reduces speaker credibility.

C) Jargon does not add clumsy language and is not ultimately confusing.

D) Jargon is language specific only to research and is considered meaningless and generally unintelligible to people outside of the researcher group.

90) Four admonitions essential for oral research reports include ________.

A) avoid keeping your hands at your sides, being animated and lively, leaning forward, and slow speaking rates

B) use statistics, testimony, expert opinion, and narration format

C) be conscious of eye contact, gestures, body orientation, and paralanguage

D) develop your logical proof around facts, examples, specific instances, and pathos

91) A flow aid is used in research oral reports ________.

A) to advance a story

B) to plan an oral research report

C) to serve as an example

D) to establish associations or correlations between key findings

E) None of the above is correct.

92) Which of the following refers to the word choice and manner of expression used in a research report?

A) Report's research scope

B) Report's tone

C) Report's pace

D) Report's clarity

E) Report's simplicity

93) Which of the following refers to restricting content of a research report to only the topics and variables studied?

A) Report's research scope

B) Report's tone

C) Report's pace

D) Report's clarity

E) Report's simplicity

94) Which aspect of content and style in a research report has to do with actually preparing report pages and presentation slides?

A) Organize

B) Visualize

C) Compile

D) Practice

E) Deliver

95) The report heuristics a pause in an oral report is like whitespace in a written report influences which aspect of a report's content and style?

A) Organize

B) Visualize

C) Compile

D) Practice

96) If a research sponsor is worried about competitors discovering the results of the research before the company can implement changes, it is worried about what ethical issue?

A) Right to quality research

B) Right to participant confidentiality

C) Right to absence of sponsor deception

D) Right to findings nondisclosure

E) Right to purpose nondisclosure

97) A researcher who obtains written signed consent from a participant prior to using a video in her or his oral report is interested in the ethical ________.

A) right to quality research

B) right to participant confidentiality

C) right to absence of sponsor deception

D) right to findings nondisclosure

E) right to purpose nondisclosure

98) Provide some advice for an inexperienced speaker who is preparing to make an oral report.

99) What are three ways to keep your audience from disengaging during an oral research report?

100) Describe four of the seven supporting materials for oral reports listed in the chapter.

101) Describe the most important aspects of audience analysis in the planning phase of creating your oral report.

102) Provide some advice for a person writing a short management research report.