CONTENTS
PART 1 Scientific Inquiry's Role in Decision Making = 1
CHAPTER 1 The Role of Business Research in the Decision - Making Process = 3
OVERVIEW = 4
STRUCTURE OF DECISION MAKING = 4
Levels of Decision Making = 5
Decision - Making Process = 6
THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN DECISION MAKING = 8
Business Research Defined = 8
Business Research and Ethics = 9
Role in Decision Making = 10
MANAGER / RESEARCHER RELATIONSHIP = 11
PLAN OF THE BOOK = 13
SUMMARY = 15
NOTES = 16
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 17
SUGGESTED READING = 18
CHAPTER 2 Scientific Inquiry = 20
OVERVIEW = 21
DEFINITIONS = 22
Observations, Facts = 22
Concepts, Constructs, Definitions, Variables = 22
Problems, Hypotheses, Laws = 25
Theories, Models = 26
METHODS OF THEORY CONSTRUCTION = 30
Model Based Theory = 31
Deductive Theory = 31
Functional Theory = 32
Inductive Theory = 32
RELEVANCE OF SCIENCE IN BUSINESS RESEARCH = 32
Science Versus Nonscience = 33
Science Method = 34
STATE OF THE ART IN BUSINESS RESEARCH = 34
Level of Scientific Endeavor = 35
Computers and Business Research = 37
Where Do We Go from Here? = 38
SUMMARY = 39
NOTES = 40
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 42
SUGGESTED READING = 43
PART 2 Research Proposal = 45
CHAPTER 3 Beginning the Research Process = 47
OVERVIEW = 48
BUSINESS RESEARCH PROCESS = 48
The Process = 49
Interdependency of Steps = 51
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND FORMULATION = 51
Problem Identification = 52
Problem Formulation = 54
VALUE OF RESEARCH INFORMATION = 57
Bayesian Decision Analysis = 58
Simple Saving Method = 62
Return on Investment = 62
Present Value Method = 63
SUMMARY = 64
NOTES = 64
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 66
SUGGESTED READING = 66
CHAPTER 4 Research Proposal Development and Evaluation = 68
OVERVIEW = 69
PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT = 69
A Typology of Business Related Research Proposals = 71
Structure of Proposal = 73
A FRAMEWORK FOR PROPOSAL EVALUATION = 73
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONCERNS = 85
Gantt Chart = 86
Program Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT) = 86
Budgets = 86
SUMMARY = 87
NOTES = 89
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 90
SUGGESTED READING = 91
PART 3 Research Design = 93
CHAPTER 5 Fundamentals of Research Design = 95
OVERVIEW = 96
THE NATURE OF RESEARCH DESIGN = 96
ERROR REDUCTION THROUGH DESIGN = 98
Potential Sources of Error in the Research Design Process = 98
Managerial Strategies for Dealing with Error = 102
MAJOR TYPES OF DESIGNS = 104
Ex Post Facto Designs = 110
Experimental Designs = 111
SPECIFIC DESIGN CONFIGURATIONS = 114
Validity Concerns = 114
Specific Designs = 116
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 123
SUMMARY = 124
NOTES = 125
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 127
SUGGESTED READING = 128
APPENDIX : ADVANCED EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS = 130
CHAPTER 6 Foundations of Measurement = 138
OVERVIEW = 139
THE NATURE OF MEASUREMENT = 139
Components of Measurement = 140
The Measurement Process = 142
LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT = 144
Nominal = 145
Ordinal = 147
Interval = 148
Ratio = 149
EVALUATION OF MEASUREMENT SCALES = 149
Validity = 150
Reliability = 153
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 158
SUMMARY = 159
NOTES = 161
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 162
SUGGESTED READING = 631
APPENDIX : COMPUTATION EXAMPLE OF COEFFICIENT ALPHA FOR ENERGY CONSCIOUSNESS MULTI - ITEM SCALE = 165
CHAPTER 7 Scaling and Instrument Design = 167
OVERVIEW = 168
THE NATURE OF INSTRUMENT DESIGN = 168
SCALE DEVELOPMENT = 169
Question Phrasing = 171
Response Formats = 180
Frequently Used Scaling Techniques = 181
INSTRUMENT DESIGN = 183
Scale Sequencing and Layout = 186
Pretesting and Correcting = 187
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 187
SUMMARY = 194
NOTES = 194
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 197
SUGGESTED READING = 197
CHAPTER 8 Sampling Design = 199
OVERVIEW = 200
THE NATURE OF SAMPLING = 200
Terminology = 200
The Rationale for Sampling = 203
The Sampling Process = 204
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF SAMPLING = 207
Sample Design Choice Considerations = 213
Specific Sampling Designs = 214
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 231
SUMMARY = 232
NOTES = 233
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 235
SUGGESTED READING = 236
PART 4 Data Collection = 239
CHAPTER 9 Secondary Data Collection in Business Inquiry = 240
OVERVIEW = 241
SECONDARY DATA IN BUSINESS RESEARCH = 241
Uses of Secondary Data = 242
Search Strategy = 243
SELECTION OF DATA RETRIEVAL METHODS = 244
Manual Searches = 246
Online Searches = 250
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 256
SUMMARY = 258
NOTES = 258
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 261
SUGGESTED READING = 262
CHAPTER 10 Primary Data Collection = 263
OVERVIEW = 264
THE NATURE OF PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION (PDC) = 264
PASSIVE PDC = 268
ACTIVE PDC = 270
Personal Interviewing = 271
Telephone Interviewing = 276
Mail Interviewing = 277
Mechanical Interviewing = 278
A Comparisonof Collection Methods = 278
PDC VENDORS = 280
PANEL VENDORS = 286
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 287
SUMMARY = 288
NOTES = 289
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 293
SUGGESTED READING = 294
CHAPTER 11 Model Building : Use and Evaluation = 295
OVERVIEW = 296
IMPORTANCE AND TERMINOLOGY = 296
VERBAL VERSUS MATHEMATICAL MODES = 298
TYPES OF MODELS = 300
Classification Criteria = 300
Model Specification = 302
Managerial Objectives of Modeling = 304
MODEL CONSTRUCTION AND USE = 306
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 307
SUMMARY = 312
NOTES = 312
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 314
SUGGESTED READING = 315
APPENDIX : CHOOSING THE MODEL SOLUTION = 317
PART 5 Analytical Procedures = 329
CHAPTER 12 Basic Data Preparation and Analysis = 331
OVERVIEW 332
THE PREANALYTICAL PROCESS = 332
Step 1 Data Editing = 332
Step 2 Variable Development = 334
Step 3 Data Coding = 335
Step 4 Error Check = 336
Step 5 Data Structure Generation = 338
Step 6 Preanalytical Computer Check = 339
Step 7 Tabulation = 339
BASIC ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR BUSINESS RESEARCH = 340
CLASSIFICATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODS BY PURPOSE = 345
ASSOCIATIONS AND DIFFERENCES IN DATA ANALYSIS = 351
Associations = 351
Differences = 360
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 368
SUMMARY = 370
NOTES = 370
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 372
SUGGESTED READING = 375
APPENDIX : ADDITIONAL BASIC ANALYTICAL TOOLS = 376
CHAPTER 13 Analysis of Variance and Regression Techniques = 380
OVERVIEW = 381
NATURE OF VARIANCE DECOMPOSITION = 381
LINEAR MODELS = 384
One - Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) = 384
Two - Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) = 392
Liner Regression = 402
Analysis of Covariance = 417
NONPARAMETRIC ANOVA = 420
SUMMARY = 422
NOTES = 423
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 424
SUGGESTED READING = 426
APPENDIX : THE USE OF DUMMY AND EFFECT CODING TO EXAMINE GROUP DIFFERENCES USING MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION = 427
CHAPTER 14 Advanced Multivariate Analysis = 431
OVERVIEW = 432
INTRODUCTION TO MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS = 432
SELECTION OF A MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUE = 433
ANALUSIS OF DEPENDENCY = 435
Multivariate Analysis of Variance = 435
Multiple Discriminant Analysis = 438
Automatic Interaction Detection = 441
ANALYSIS OF INTERDEPENDENCY = 442
Factor Analysis = 442
Cluster Analysis = 446
COMMENT ON MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES = 447
SUMMARY = 448
NOTES = 448
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 450
SUGGESTED READING = 451
PART 6 Research Reporting and Evaluation = 453
CHAPTER 15 Ethical Considerations in Business Research = 455
OVERVIEW = 456
ETHICAL ISSUES IN BUSINESS RESEARCH = 456
Societal Rights = 457
Subjects' Rights = 458
Clients' Rights = 461
Researchers' Rights = 462
CODES OF ETHICS = 464
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 464
SUMMARY = 468
NOTES = 468
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 469
SUGGESTED READING = 470
CHAPTER 16 Research Reporting = 471
OVERVIEW = 472
WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORTS = 472
The Outline = 472
Guidelines = 479
ORAL PRESENTATIONS = 480
MANAGERIAL CONSIDERATIONS = 481
SUMMARY = 482
NOTES = 483
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 483
SUGGESTED READING = 484
CHAPTER 17 Evaluation of Business Research = 485
OVERVIEW = 486
EVALUATING A RESEARCH REPORT = 486
Problem Development = 508
Research Design = 510
Data Collection = 510
Analytical Procedures = 511
Reporting = 511
Overall Evaluative Score = 512
SUMMARY = 513
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS = 513
SUGGESTED READING = 513
APPENDIX A A Practitioner's Guide to Secondary Business Information Sources = 515
RESEARCH GUIDES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES = 516
ENCYCLOPEDIAS, DIRECTORIES, DICTIONARIES, AND HANDBOOKS INDEXES = 525
Pridoical Indexes = 525
Newspaper Indexes = 527
Document Indexes = 527
STATISTICAL SOURCES = 528
REFERENCES FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES = 532
OTHER SOURCES : INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS = 533
Handbooks = 533
Almanacs, Dictionaries, and Encyclopedias = 534
Directories = 534
Yearbooks = 535
A NOTE ON THE STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION (SIC) = 536
APPENDIX B A Guide to Selected Statistical Packages for Business Research = 538
MICROCOMPUTER PACKAGES = 539
STATPAC (Statistical Analysis Package) = 539
NCSS (Number Cruncher Statistical System) = 547
MAINFRAME PACKAGES = 550
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPS$$S^x$$) = 551
Statistical Analysis System (SAS) = 555
Statistical Software (BMDP) = 557
Comparing SPS$$S^x$$ , SAS, and BMDP = 560
APPENDIX C Selected Statistical Tables = 564
C. 1 RANDOM NUMBERS = 565
C. 2 AREAS UNDER THE NORMAL CURVE = 566
C. 3 DISTRIBUTION OF t = 568
C. 4 DISTRIBUTION OF x² = 570
C. 5 F DISTRIBUTION = 572
C. 6 FISHER'S Z TRANSFORMATION OF $$r_{xy}$$ = 587
INDEX = 589
