A manufacturer would like to survey users to determine the demand potential for a new power press. The new press has a capacity of 500 tons and costs $225,000. It is used for forming products from lightweight and heavyweight steel and can be used by automobile, construction equipment, and major appliance manufacturers.

(a) Identify the population and sampling frame that could be used.

(b) Describe how a simple random sample can be drawn using the identified sampling frame.

(c) Could a stratified sample be used? If so, how?

(d) Could a cluster sample be used? If so, how?

(e) Which sampling technique would you recommend? Why?