1. After more than 75 years in the business, Walsworth Publishing's leadership was well aware of the efforts that go into juggling school work and the production of a high-quality school yearbook. They examined their communication and production processes and decided to implement the Information Builders' WebFOCUS-based reporting portal, an online platform. Each of the more than 4,000 schools had its own dashboard, and the volunteer student staff and faculty advisor could access the dashboard in real time. The online dashboard contained notices, progress towards deadlines, alerts about missing or corrupt content, and more. What should be the research measure(s) to determine the effectiveness of the new online (digital) dashboard process for improving efficiency and quality of each school's yearbook?

2- Discount department store, Kohl's recently announced its customers would "have a new easy, secure and private way to pay in stores with the rollout of Apple Pay, as well as the ability to use Apple Pay within the Kohl's app. Kohl's customers would also be able to add their Kohl's Charge card as a form of payment within Apple Pay." Some analysts were surprised that the announcement came from Kohl's before it came from technology-focused Best Buy or more upscale Macy's. Let's say as a researcher this decision was being considered. While your typical shopper was older, you wanted to attract the Millennials and they were more technology attuned. What information do you need about your shopper and the targeted Millennials to make this substantial investment worthwhile? What type of scale would you use, and why?

3- A recent study of Ivy League college students showed 20% had tried performance-enhancing drugs to improve their academic performance. A Royal Society study found senior employees find the effects more powerful than 19-year-olds. A Financial Times article claimed these drugs are "becoming popular among city lawyers, bankers, and other professionals keen to gain a competitive advantage over colleagues." A Nature readership study showed 20% had used or were using such drugs. Scientists predict the use of cognitive enhancers is likely to increase as bioethical and psychological concerns are overcome. While users reported headaches, jitteriness, anxiety, and sleeplessness, such side effects didn't appear to discourage use. Design the measurement instrument that would assess whether the employees in your firm or university were using so-called "smart drugs" to enhance their ability to work harder, longer, or smarter.

The learning objectives are:

Generate the critical decisions involved in selecting an appropriate measurement scale for a measurement question.

Prepare the characteristics and use of various questions based on the categories of scales: rating, ranking, sorting, and other scales.

Analyze the process of developing the measurement instrument.

Compare and contrast the major categories of elements within a measurement instrument and the purpose each plays.