Question

Identify the type of scale being used in each of the following questions (nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio). Do you agree with the analysis used in each case? If no, please explain why.

1) During which season were you born?

? Winter ? Spring ? Summer ? Fall

Analysis: Winter was shown to be the most popular month with an average of 52.8.

2) Which of the following courses have you taken in the MBA program?

? MKT 501 ? ACT 504 ? FIN 507 ? OIM 509

Analysis: MKT 501 was the most frequently taken course with because the median is 9.4.

3) How satisfied are you with Time magazine?

? mostly satisfied ? somewhat satisfied ? not too satisfied ? not satisfied

Analysis: The average satisfaction score is 4.5 which seems to indicate a high level of satisfaction with Time magazine.

4) What is your total household income? _____

Analysis: The average income is $70,000.

5) What is the level of education for the head of the household?

? High school graduate ? Some college ? College graduate ? Postgraduate

Analysis: The responses indicated that 30 percent of the samples have some high school education, 25 percent are high school graduates, and 15 percent have some college education, while 10 percent are college graduates or postgraduates. The mean education level is 3.4.

6) On an average, how cups of coffee do you drink in a day?

? 0 to 1/2 cup ? 1/2 cup to 1 cup ? 1 cup to 2 cups ? 2 cups to 3 cups

Analysis: Twenty percent of the respondents drink less than 1/2 a cup of coffee a day, whereas three times as many drink more than 1 cup a day.

Answer 1

1.

The seasons are of ordinal measurement and so the analysis using average is inappropirate. The appropriate measure to use is mode.

2.

The courses are of ordinal measurement and so the analyssis using median is inappropriate. The approrpriate measure to use is mode.

3.

The satisfaction score is of interval measure and so the analysis using average is appropriate.

4.

The total household income is of ratio measurement but it will be skewed and so the analysis using average would be inappropriate. The appropriate measure to use in median.

5.

The level of education is of ordinal measurement and so the analysis using relative frequencies would be appropriate but using mean is not appropriate. The appropriate measure to use is mode.

6.

The number of cups of coffee is of ratio measurement and so using mean, mode and median are appropriate. Using only the frequency distribution would not be sufficient.