Business Research Methods: Survey Design & Sampling Analysis
This paper examines several applied business research scenarios, beginning with a small survey of fifteen business students regarding their career aspirations and hierarchical expectations. The bulk of the analysis focuses on a case involving publication reader service cards, evaluating the management dilemma, ethical considerations, sampling methodology, and research design. The paper critiques the study's use of disproportionate stratified random sampling, questions the relevance of survey questions, and assesses the presentation of statistical findings. It concludes with a managerial recommendation against further research investment, arguing the existing study failed to answer the central business question directly.
- Career Aspiration Survey Results: Survey of fifteen business students on career expectations
- Management Dilemma and Investigative Questions: Declining reader card returns and investigative focus
- Sampling Method and Ethical Considerations: Stratified random sampling rationale and privacy ethics
- Research Design Critique: Haphazard design and irrelevant research questions
- Survey Instrument and Data Analysis: Weak survey questions and SPSS data presentation
- Managerial Recommendations and Study Limitations: Recommendation against further research investment
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper takes a practitioner's perspective, consistently evaluating research decisions through the lens of a decision-maker rather than purely as an academic exercise.
- Each response is concise and directly addresses its prompt, avoiding unnecessary filler while still providing clear reasoning for each position taken.
- The critique of the research design is frank and specific — the author identifies exactly what was missing (a direct question about future card usage) rather than offering vague complaints.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates applied research critique — the ability to evaluate a study's methodology, sampling strategy, and instrument design against a stated management objective. The author correctly identifies the mismatch between the research questions asked and the business decision that needed to be made, which is a core skill in applied business research analysis.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized as a numbered response to a multi-part business research methods assignment. It opens with a standalone career aspiration survey, then moves through a sequential critique of a publication reader card study — covering the management dilemma, ethics, sampling, research design, survey instrument quality, data presentation, limitations, and a final managerial recommendation. The progression mirrors the standard stages of the business research process.
Career Aspiration Survey Results
In order to study career aspirations, a survey of fifteen business students was conducted to determine the highest organizational level each expected to reach in their career. The unit of analysis was scalar, with response options reflecting hierarchical levels within a corporation. The results were as follows:
Executive | Upper Management | Middle Management | Lower Management | Non-Management
These results show that business students have a wide range of aspirations and expectations for their careers. While some see themselves on a path to executive-level leadership, others see themselves reaching middle- or upper-level managerial positions as their apex. Notably, none of the business students surveyed felt they were likely to end up in a non-management role.
Because the goal was to create scalar units of measurement, the question did not distinguish between corporate hierarchy and entrepreneurship. The size of the company in question was therefore left to the interpretation of the respondent — a response of "executive" might simply reflect a desire to become an entrepreneur rather than to rise within an existing organization.
Management Dilemma and Investigative Questions
The management dilemma in this case is that the return rate on publication reader service cards appears to be declining. The investigative questions are designed to determine (a) what the actual return rate is, and (b) what reason or reasons account for the change. Management is specifically interested in testing whether customers are using other means of communicating with advertisers instead of these cards. The research also explores whether the cards are simply not delivering a fast enough response time, by examining the drivers of response time.
Sampling Method and Ethical Considerations
The primary ethical issue in this study is privacy. While there are not typically many ethical concerns associated with information-gathering research, it is important to maintain respondent privacy at all times. Additionally, the research becomes less valuable if the survey is not anonymous, as respondents may alter their answers when they believe they are being identified.
The sampling method used was disproportionate stratified random sampling. This approach is appropriate here because the goal is to understand variations in responses between customer groups rather than to extrapolate results across the entire population — the study is examining behaviors, not testing a hypothesis. Exploratory research of this type benefits from a method that gives an accurate portrayal of the customer base. A proportionate survey would not have been as effective for this purpose, since it might underrepresent smaller but behaviorally distinct customer segments (Lund Research, 2012).
References
Lund Research. (2012). Stratified random sampling. Lund Research. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://dissertation.laerd.com/stratified-random-sampling.php
No author. (2014). Business research process: An overview. EIS.HU.EDU. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from https://eis.hu.edu.jo/ACUploads/10643/Chapter%204.pdf
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