Media reports suggest that disgruntled shareholders are becoming more willing to put pressure on corporate management. Is this an impression caused by a few recent high-profile cases involving a few large invcstors, or is shareholder activism widespread? To answer this question the Wirthlin Group, an opinion research organization in McLean, Virginia, sampled and questioned 240 large invcstors (money managers, mutual fund managers, institutional investors, etc.) in the United States. One question they asked was: Have you written or called a corporate director to express your views? They found that a surprisingly large 40% of the sample had (New York Times, Oct. 31,1995).

a. Identify the population of interest to the Wirthlin Group.

b. Based on the question the Wirthlin Group asked, what is the variable of interest?

c. Describe the sample.

d. What inference can be made from the results of the survey?