Case study 1

A: Overall, the research questions are written well, with appropriate statistical language. They are also concise and clear. However, it is not clear from research question 3 what it is asking and raises questions around how the research team intends to link an individual’s social media posts and level of interaction with sales. Did they track each person? It’s also not clear what types of posts the research team are looking into, are they all posts? Posts related to the company?

B: There is no mention of the sample size, or even the population from where the sample was taken. There is also no description of the types of social media users’ samples, what are their ages, gender, do they have families, etc. It is still not clear how the some of the variables will be used to answer the research questions, especially the third one.

C: The results may not come as a surprise; however, it is still not clear how some of the variables are linked. For example, are the users making social media posts making purchases from the company? It may not be appropriate to make the causal statements the research team is making in the results section.

D: The discussion section has come to an erroneous causal inference, and it is still unclear as to how the variables mentioned are linked.

E: I would be unhappy with the report and would seek to dig deeper into social media users and whether their interactions are related to the company and its associated webpages and media platforms. I would also seek to be provided with survey data, which could help to triangulate some of the data needed to answer the research questions. For example, I would want to know if people interacting with my company’s social media platforms purchased products from my company.

Case study 2

A: Overall, the research questions are written well, with appropriate statistical language. They are also concise and clear. When thinking through the research questions, the kinds of data that will be collected may need ethical clearance. This has not been mentioned so far.

B: There is no mention of the sample size, or even the population from where the sample was taken. More information should also be provided in terms of the levels of measurement they will be using for each of the variables identified. Age might have been a useful additional variable, when collecting demographic data. Also, whether the staff included in the data collection were part-time or full-time, could have been useful when looking at variables such as salary and benefits.

C: More detail would have been useful, especially the diversity index. Which departments showed less diversity over others? Also, the levels of measurement for some of the variables used, such as gender, are not inclusive and miss out certain groups of people such as non-binary individuals.

D: Some of the conclusions presented are difficult to digest. For example, how does the research team know the company has made progress in promoting workplace diversity? Additional qualitative data could help drill down on some of the results, as well as survey data.

E: I would like to see a more detailed study, and presentation of data. However, if a prospective employer did present me with the data presented in this case study, I think I would have to give term credit for looking into this important area, and also for sharing their findings. It would demonstrate transparency, as well as a willingness to make positive change.

Case study 3

A, B and C: Answers to these questions will be specific to an individual’s preferences and responses.

Case study 4

A, B, C, D and E: Answers to this case study will depend on the web-based example chosen.