Primary Research: Conducting Interviews [LO-4]

Imagine you are going to interview a midlevel manager in a large corporation about the company’s meeting practices. Read the questions and then (1) critique them, as a whole, indicating what is effective or ineffective about this series of questions and (2) select five questions and revise them to make them more effective.

a. What is your position in the company?

b. To whom do you report?

c. Do you attend or run many meetings?

d. Do your meetings start on time? Run late?

e. Do you distribute or receive a meeting agenda several days in advance of the meeting?

f. Do you like your job?

g. Do you travel a lot for your job?

h. Has your company cut back on travel expenditures?

If so, how and why?

i. Does your company use videoconferencing or online meetings as an alternative to travel?

j. Does your company own its own videoconferencing equipment?

k. Are virtual meetings more or less effective than faceto-

face meetings?

l. How long have you worked at this company?

m. Who are your most important customers?

n. How often does your management team meet with the managers of other companies?

o. Does your company produce a wide range of products or only a few specialty items?

p. How do you keep your meetings on track?

q. Does someone prepare written minutes of meetings?

Are the minutes distributed to meeting members?