Analyse and Present Research Information

Assessment - Portfolio of Activities

These activities are to be completed in a simulated workplace environment. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. Students are expected to observe the following requirements while in session:

• Use appropriate interpersonal skills
• Be respectful to fellow members
• Follow 'student code of conduct'

SECTION 1: GATHER AND ORGANISE INFORMATION

Activity 1 -

1. Place the following 7 steps for effectively collecting, organising, recording and reporting information in their correct order.

• Formulate the research design
• Define the scope of the problem
• Prepare and analyse the data/ information
• Collect the required data/ information
• Define the problem/ objective
• Prepare and present the report
• Develop an approach to the problem/ objective

Activity 2 -

2. Identify whether the following sources of types of information are internal or external.

• Employee files
• Intranet
• Public library
• Procedure manuals
• Internet
• Newspaper articles
• Clients
• Sales reports
• Professional organisations
• Colleagues/ other staff
• Memos
• Asset records
• Journals
• Legislation
• Organisational Files

3. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false.

• The acronym IPP stands for Intimate Personal Property.
• The term 'corporate memory' refers to information/ knowledge of staff that is not formally recorded.
• According to the Privacy Act 1988, records of personal information must be protected against misuse, loss and unauthorised access.
• A database can only be accessed with a password.
• The term 'accuracy' refers to how complete information is.
• The Privacy Act 1988 does not apply to personal information held on databases.
• Paper-based files cannot be protected against unauthorised access.
• The Privacy Act 1988 states that an organisation can only collect personal information that directly relates to the activities of that organisation.
• Intranets are organisational networks that can be viewed by the general public.
• The Privacy Act 1988 requires individuals to provide personal information to their organisation even if it unreasonably intrudes upon the personal affairs of the individual.

Activity 3 -

4. List 5 sources of secondary information.

5. List 5 methods you could use to gather primary information.

6. What is the purpose and process of the following sources:

• Observation
• Interviews
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Focus groups
• Professional associations

Activity 4 -

7. List 5 examples of internal information that might be found online.

8. List 5 examples of external sources of online information.

Activity 5 -

9. Give 2 reasons why it is useful for an organisation to have an intranet.

10. Explain why it is useful for an organisation to have an extranet.

11. Explain why it is useful to bookmark or add a particular site address to your favourites.

12. What equipment do you need in order to connect to the Internet?

Activity 6 -

13. What types of classification systems are used in your workplace for filing or archiving information?

SECTION 2: RESEARCH AND ANALYSE INFORMATION

Activity 7 -

14. Rewrite the following hypothesis as:

a. Null hypothesis.

b. Purpose statement.

Employee sick leave will be reduced if staff are given a weekly massage.

15. Define the term 'hypothesis'.

Activity 8 -

16. What is a 'Lessons Learned' database?

Activity 9 -

17. Imagine you work for an organisation which is hosting a conference in Auckland. You have been given the task of organising the conference. To save time and money you have decided to use the Internet to locate products, services and information. Answer the following multiple choice questions.

The former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating will be the keynote speaker at the conference. You have been asked to research his career online and create a biography that can be distributed to attendees. Which of the following searches would yield the most relevant results?

• Former prime ministers
• 'Paul Keeting'
• Labor party
• 'Paul Keating'
• Australian politicians

You need to find a conference venue but you do not want to hold the conference in a hotel. Which of the following searches would yield the most relevant results?

• Conference venues AND New Zealand
• Conference venues AND Auckland
• Conference venues AND Auckland AND hotels
• Conference organisers AND New Zealand NOT hotels
• Conference venues AND Auckland NOT hotels

The managing director has asked you to organise accommodation for them. They expect you to find first rate accommodation in the centre of Auckland. Which of the following searches would yield the most relevant results?

• Hotels AND cbd AND new Zealand AND luxury
• Hotels AND Auckland AND luxury AND cbd
• Accommodation AND Auckland
• Really nice accommodation AND Auckland AND cbd
• Accommodation AND Auckland AND cbd

They have also asked you to organise transportation for them. You are unsure which keywords to use. Which of the following searches would yield the most relevant results?

• Hire car NOT limousine
• Limousine hire car
• Hire car OR limousine
• Lease vehicles
• Transport links

You have been asked to find a caterer that specialises in Maori seafood buffets. You have conducted a search using the keywords 'caterer AND Auckland'. The search has yielded over 300,000 results. What should you do?

• Contact the first 10 caterers as they are listed in order of quality.
• Find a caterer by another means.
• Undertake a new search using the search term 'conference AND Auckland NOT Maori seafood'.
• Conduct a search within the search using the term 'Maori seafood buffet' to reduce the number of results.
• Cook the food yourself.

Activity 10 -

18. Identify whether the following statements are fact or opinion.

a. In 2005, more rain fell in Tasmania than in any other state or territory.

b. All people over the age of 18 should have a life insurance policy in place.

c. Sharks are fascinating animals to study.

d. The cost of petrol is too high.

e. Between May 2006 and May 2007, the average earnings of females in Australia rose by 4%.

f. Cats are easier to look after than dogs.

g. During an asthma attack, muscles around the airways tighten up.

h. Governments must invest more money in the environment.

i. Diamonds are the hardest substance known to humans.

j. Saturn takes longer to travel around the Sun than Earth does.

19. Match the following terms to their explanations:

k. The level of consensus among the data.

l. The average score for a set of responses.

m. The distribution of responses around the mean.

Explanations:

• Standard deviation
• Frequency distribution
• Mean

Activity 11 -

20. What needs to be supplied to show that assumptions, recommendations or conclusions are valid?

SECTION 3: PRESENT INFORMATION

Activity 12 -

21. What are the advantages of telephone, internet and video conferences?

Activity 13 -

22. List 4 things you can do to ensure that reports are clear and easy to understand.

Activity 14 -

23. What is a communication plan?

24. What questions should be asked when creating a communication plan?

25. What are the benefits of freely sharing information?

Activity 15 -

26. Why is it important to obtain feedback about the solutions that have been proposed and implemented?

Gather and organise information -

1. Define:

a. Primary information.

b. Secondary information.

c. Quantitative information.

d. Qualitative information.

e. Primary information is information gathered as a result of first-hand experience.

f. Secondary information is information gathered from sources after the event.

g. Information that is quantifiable; information about numbers, statistics, things that can be measured and expressed as numbers.

h. Qualitative data provides insights and understanding of the problem setting, and cannot readily be explained statistically; information that consists of descriptions of events, opinions, such as customers' likes and dislikes, judgments about customer service and so on.

2. List the skills needed to collect, organise and record information efficiently.

3. Research and analyse information - What questions need to be answered so that a framework for research can be established?

4. Name 4 things you can do to increase your chances of yielding relevant results from a search engine search.

5. Present information - List 5 rules that should be observed when creating a visual presentation.