BBS200 Business Research: An Integrated approach

PRACTICE Examination

After reading the following case scenario, please answer ALL four questions below in the
answer booklet provided.
Background
Only in America do counties (the equivalents of Australian local governments) have the
constitutional authority to legally set minimum wages. A large shopping mall in California
crosses two county lines, Santa Clara and San Jose. Not only does the county boundary cut
through the shopping mall, but it also directly cuts through The GAP department store.
Currently staff are being paid differently depending on which section of the store they are
working. Menswear and children’s wear is located on the San Jose side of the county line,
whilst women’s wear and accessories is on the Santa Clara side. In Santa Clara, the
minimum wage is $AUD8.81/hour for retail staff. However in San Jose, the average
minimum pay for retail workers has been set at $AUD11.02/hr. There are approximately 12
employees in the store. Five of these employees are full-time, and the rest are casual. There
is also a store manager, Phil, who looks after the entire store. As you might expect, there
has been a significant amount of turnover from the Santa Clara side of the store. Phil is in a
difficult situation - he cannot afford to pay everyone the same wages. He needs your
assistance in determining the best course of action as the cost of high turnover is really
hurting the business. Phil would like you to present a plan that covers the following.

Questions (Total 40 Marks)

Using the flowchart of Business Research Process (below) answer the following four (4)
questions. Justify and substantiate any position you adopt and any conclusion you reach.
1. Define the management dilemma, management question(s) and the research
question(s). Be sure to develop question(s) that address the concerns outlined in the
above scenario. (8 Marks)

2. Selection of a research approach: What type of data collection design will you use to
help develop some recommendations? Identify the data collection methods that are
relevant to the research problem. Justify your chosen research approach. (13 Marks)

3. Selection of the sample design: Identify the different sample designs that could be
used. What sampling design would you recommend? Who will you speak to and
why? Justify your sample design. (13 Marks)

4. Ethical implications of your research strategy and proposal: Identify any ethical
issues you will need to consider. How will you ensure that the research will be
conducted in an ethical manner? (6 Marks)

1
Research process from Blumberg, Cooper and Schindler (2014, p. 46).

Blumberg B.F., D. R. Cooper, and P. S. Schindler, P.S. 2014. Business Research Methods.
4th ed. London: McGraw-Hill.

End of Paper