Assignment

Part 1

Prepare a one-page description of your plans to solve the problem for one of the following research studies. Use the following headings for the problem:

1. Statement of the Problem
2. Research Method and Sources of Information (BE SPECIFIC)
3. Nature of Data to Be Gathered and Analyzed
4. Hypothesis or Hypotheses to Be Proved or Disproved (if feasible)

Here are some ideas to get you started:

a. Investigate a problem occurring on your campus (e.g., declining enrollment in some majors, increasing tuition, delayed financial aid payments, high cost of textbooks, or closed classes) or in a job or student organization position you hold.

b. Superior Foods, Inc., is considering adding organic versions of its frozen vegetables in an effort to establish itself as a leader in this fast-growing market. To increase its available supply of organic produce, management recognizes the need to assist local growers in adopting organic farming methods. The first step in this process is to recruit experts in organic farming to design and implement training.

c. Rainbow Pool and Spas initiated a website to provide answers to frequently asked questions and product-update information. Customer response has been outstanding, freeing up the company's toll-free telephone lines for calls about more technical, nonrecurring problems-a primary goal of the service. As marketing manager, you are considering the possibility of starting a corporate blog and a microblogging site on Twitter to strengthen your relationship and communication with customers.

d. As branch manager of a bank, you are faced with the task in a sagging economy of reassuring customers of the solvency of your institution. Your current strategies for casting a positive light on negative performance indicators don't seem to be effective.

Part 2

Select the most effective graphic means of presenting the following data. Justify your decision.

a. Data showing the growth in the number of companies offering employees paid time for volunteerism over a five-year period

b. Data showing the number of downloads from iTunes by media type (music, books, and TV segments) for the past quarter

c. Data showing percentage of organizational projects that are delayed, on time, or ahead of schedule

d. Growth in credit card debt over the past four years by state

e. Data showing the relationship of the functional areas of a company from the CEO to the vice presidents to the line supervisors

f. Predicted unemployment rate in regions of the U.S. for the year 2015

g. Instructions for conducting interrogations of employees suspected of committing fraud

h. Figures comparing the percentage of warranty claims of a company's three product lines for the past four quarters

i. Data showing the number of people utilizing the portfolio option of a financial investment firm's website. The data should depict the number of portfolios opened by investors in five age categories during each of the past four quarters.

j. Graphic tracking the progress of a product development team working on a new refrigeration product for a 2013 launch date.