Data Collection & Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CSC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Data Collection & Analysis flashcards as text
What is 'spend-based' data collection in the context of Scope 3 GHG accounting?
Answer: Using financial expenditure with suppliers multiplied by economic emission intensity factors to estimate emissions
The spend-based method estimates Scope 3 emissions by multiplying supplier spend (in dollars) by emission intensity factors (kg CO2e per dollar) from economic input-output databases.
A consultant discovers that two different facilities report water withdrawals using different measurement units (gallons vs. liters). What is the most critical data quality step?
Answer: Standardize all data to a single unit before aggregation to prevent systematic calculation errors
Unit standardization before aggregation is essential to prevent systematic errors; mixing gallons and liters in calculations produces meaningless totals.
Which principle of the GHG Protocol's Corporate Standard requires that the GHG inventory boundary consistently reflect organizational changes over time?
Answer: Consistency
The Consistency principle requires that methodologies and boundaries remain comparable across reporting periods so trends can be meaningfully tracked.
In stakeholder engagement for sustainability data collection, what is the primary advantage of focus groups over quantitative surveys?
Answer: Focus groups capture nuanced qualitative insights and allow probing of unexpected responses in real time
Focus groups enable in-depth qualitative exploration and dynamic follow-up questioning, revealing context and nuance that fixed-response surveys cannot capture.
A sustainability consultant uses a heat map to present the results of a double materiality assessment. What do the axes of this heat map typically represent?
Answer: Impact materiality (environmental/social impact significance) on one axis and financial materiality (business risk/opportunity significance) on the other
Double materiality heat maps plot topics by their significance from two perspectives: impact on environment/society and financial significance to the business.
When using regression discontinuity design to evaluate the impact of a corporate energy efficiency program, what serves as the 'threshold'?
Answer: The eligibility cutoff for the program (e.g., facilities above a certain energy consumption level required to participate)
Regression discontinuity exploits a cutoff (threshold) that determines program eligibility, comparing facilities just above and below the cutoff to estimate causal impact.
Which chain-of-custody standard is most commonly used to verify the flow of sustainably sourced materials through a supply chain data collection process?
Answer: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC Chain of Custody certification for forest products
FSC and PEFC chain-of-custody standards provide verified tracking of certified sustainable materials from source through all processing steps to the final product.