Case Supplement to
Business Research Methods, 6th edition

Click the link for each of the cases in the Case Supplement chart below to locate an abstract of that case. An asterisk appears at the end of the case name for each case with a downloadable Excel data set. To locate the data set: click on the case name, then click on the data set link and follow the instructions to save the data set to diskette or your hard drive.

 

by chapter in Business Research Methods, 6th edition
 Case Name

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 15

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 18
Sturgel Division        X              
Xerox Abuses*                X      
Workload Ratings*                    
T-Shirt Designs*          X            
Healthy Lifestyles*                    
AIDS Rates for Females                X      
Agri Comp*                X      
Overdue Bills*                    X  
Medicare Laboratories*                    
HiTech Engineering*                  X    
Violence on TV*          X        X    
The Brazing Operation*                    
Rubbergate*                    
Waste Paper*                  X  
Performance Evaluations*                  X  X  X
McDonald's Tests Catfish Sandwich      X                
Retailers Unhappy with Displays by Manufacturer              X        
BBQ Products Cross Over the Lines of Varied Tastes  X                    
Can this Survey be Saved?    X                  


Case Abstracts


Sturgel Division

This case profiles Martha, the manager of the Information Services division of Sturgel. She is trying to determine whether a survey of users should be conducted annually to assess the quality of service provided to the other divisions of the company, with the results used to make policy and procedural changes in her division. If a survey is deemed appropriate, the student is asked to design the survey.

No downloadable data set.


Xerox Abuses

The case profiles an experiment between the offices of the third and tenth floors offices of a firm in their use of their floor's Xerox copier. Each tenth floor worker has been assigned a personal copy card, the third-floor workers have not. The case asks the student to determine whether issuing personal copy cards will effectively lower copier usage if implemented company-wide.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Workload Ratings

Students are provided data from 161 course evaluations and asked to determine whether instructors who demand a significant amount of work by their students are evaluated more harshly than those who demand less.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


T-Shirt Designs

This case focuses on research done by Julio, a student looking to raise money to pay off a portion of his student loans. The case provides a survey and data set, then asks the student to prepare a report recommending one of two prototype t-shirts Julio is considering.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Healthy Lifestyles

The case provides state by state data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC in Atlanta) annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. The student is asked to present a summary of the data.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


AIDS Rates for Females

In the early 1980s, AIDS was not generally considered a big issue for women. The student is asked to examine 1991 data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to present summary date that will reveal if this was the case a decade later, and to highlight salient features or any important trends. Data is presented in table form.

No downloadable data set.


Agri Comp

Agri Comp, a supplier of computer systems for farmers, has surveyed it dealers on whether to change its procedure for settling warranty claim disputes. Currently local dealers handle warranty services for customers via local repair followed by a reimbursement claim to Agri Comp. Denied claims follow an internal company appeal process. Dealers have been complaining about the fairness of the appeal process and in a recent survey were asked to respond to an alternative process, an impartial mediator. The student is asked to review survey results and determine whether the costly external mediator process would be worth implementing to keep the dealers happy.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Overdue Bills

A collection agency accountant is evaluating the time it takes to collect delinquent accounts so that an advertising slogan can be developed. He suspects that the amount of time is determined by the size of the delinquent account and draws a sample of accounts to determine if he is correct. The student is asked to recommend a slogan to the marketing department based on an analysis of the results.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Medical Laboratories

A hospital faces a 20% price increase from its outside testing lab based on rising costs of testing and diminishing profits. The student is asked to analyze data from 16 different medical labs and make a recommendation about the financial health of each lab, supporting or refuting the basis of the proposed price increase.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


HiTech Engineering

The student is asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of promotional approaches used by this designer and manufacturer of industrial products. Based on the data, the student is asked to identify the most effective method currently employed or a combination of approaches.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Violence on TV

KTDS TV faces a rising number of viewer and advertiser complaints about program violence. The general manager is concerned about whether the complaints represent a sample of true viewer opinion or are a result of the vocal disparaging of TV violence by a recent political candidate. Students are asked to evaluate the results of a public opinion poll and report to KTDS's general manager.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


The Brazing Operation

A manufacturer is evaluating the metallurgical structure and corrosion-resistance of is vacuum brazing process. It extracts a sample from its statistical process control data to determine if its goals are being met. The student is asked to analyze the data and make a recommendation.

View data set.

Download Excel97 data set.


Rubbergate

This case reveals data drawn during the House Banking Scandal dubbed Rubbergate. The data presented evaluates the banking practices of a sample of U.S. congressmen/congresswomen. The student is ask to analyze the data and draw conclusions about whether a lobbying firm should exclude certain congress persons from its efforts, based on their banking record.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Waste Paper

This case depicts the results of a statistical process control procedure that measures waste of a printer, which produces small books for a variety of customers. The student is asked if the "waste factor" used in estimating bids for printing jobs should be the same for all sizes of 4-color books, or should vary based on book pages.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


Performance Evaluations

Ann, an independent consultant in human resources issues, is evaluating the quality and veracity of the employee evaluation procedure used by XYZ Co. She draws a sample of 144 employee evaluations, using 10 variables. The pool of evaluations contains 125 employees who remain employed with the company and 19 who left or were terminated. The student is asked to evaluate the data and report to Ann what she should report to XYZ Co.

View data set.

Downloadable Excel97 data set.


McDonald's Tests Catfish Sandwich

This case describes the test marketing for McDonald's catfish sandwich in the Southeastern USA. It asks the student to assume they are the new-product development team and assess the research design described.

No downloadable data set.


Retailers Unhappy with Displays from Manufacturer

This case asks the student to design an experiment to test a new display design for Raid, following the release of survey results by a retail advisory board that revealed 60% dissatisfaction with current racking systems provided to retailers by manufacturers.

No downloadable data set.


BBQ Products Cross Over the Lines of Varied Tastes

This case asks students to assess measurement and scaling issues in the context of the introduction of a frozen, microwaveable BBQ product line into the southeast by Rich Products, Buffalo, NY. The new line is being introduced with commercials depicting Ruby, a fictitious waitress at Pork-O-Rama who prefers the taste of the new frozen line.

No downloadable data set.


Can this Survey be Saved?

This case depicts a discussion between individuals who are trying to assess the quality of research based on the sampling procedure and the results based on the sampling process. It asks the student to evaluate the sampling process and make recommendations to use the collected data or resample. Data included with case.

No downloadable data set.