Free CBDA Identifying Research Questions Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A business analyst is tasked with helping a retail company understand its declining sales. Which of the following represents the MOST effective initial research question?
- What is the correlation between our marketing spend and monthly sales figures over the past two years? (Correct answer)
- Why are our sales going down?
- Should we increase our social media advertising budget?
- What are our competitors doing to increase their sales?
Correct answer: What is the correlation between our marketing spend and monthly sales figures over the past two years?
A strong research question is specific, measurable, and focused. It guides the data analysis process effectively. 'What is the correlation between our marketing spend and monthly sales figures over the past two years?' is specific (marketing spend, sales figures), measurable (correlation), and time-bound (past two years), making it an actionable question for a data analyst. The other options are too broad, presumptive, or externally focused for an initial internal investigation.
Question 2: A stakeholder asks the data analyst to investigate 'customer churn.' Before proceeding, which of the following is the most critical first step for the analyst to take in refining this request into a research question?
- Gather all available customer data.
- Propose a predictive model for identifying customers at risk of churning.
- Define 'customer churn' with specific, measurable criteria in collaboration with the stakeholder. (Correct answer)
- Research industry benchmarks for acceptable churn rates.
Correct answer: Define 'customer churn' with specific, measurable criteria in collaboration with the stakeholder.
Before a research question can be properly formulated, key terms must be clearly defined. 'Customer churn' is a vague term. The analyst must work with stakeholders to establish a specific, measurable definition (e.g., 'a customer who has not made a purchase in the last 6 months') to create a focused and answerable research question. The other steps would be premature without a clear definition.
Question 3: A business data analyst is using a collaborative game to generate and group potential research questions with stakeholders. Participants write questions on sticky notes and then group them by theme on a whiteboard. Which collaborative technique is being used?
- Fishbowl
- Product Box
- People Polling
- Affinity Map (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Affinity Map
An Affinity Map (or Affinity Diagram) is a technique used to organize a large number of ideas into their natural relationships. Participants write ideas (in this case, research questions) on sticky notes and then group them into clusters of related items, which helps in identifying common themes and priorities.
Question 4: Which of the following characteristics is LEAST essential for a good research question in a business data analytics context?
- Feasible
- Relevant
- Original (Correct answer)
- Specific
Correct answer: Original
While originality can be valuable, it is not the most critical aspect of a research question in a business context. Questions must be feasible (answerable with available data and resources), relevant to business objectives, and specific enough to guide analysis. A business may need to re-ask a question that has been answered before (e.g., quarterly performance analysis) to track changes over time, making originality less of a priority than direct business value.
Question 5: A restaurant chain wants to improve customer satisfaction. An initial research question is proposed: 'How can we improve the customer experience?' Why is this a weak research question for a data analytics project?
- It focuses on a lagging indicator.
- It is too broad and not directly measurable. (Correct answer)
- It does not specify a target customer segment.
- It requires qualitative, not quantitative, data.
Correct answer: It is too broad and not directly measurable.
A strong research question needs to be focused and specific enough to be answered with data. 'How can we improve the customer experience?' is too broad and subjective. A better approach would be to break it down into more specific, measurable questions like, 'What is the relationship between wait times and customer satisfaction scores?' or 'Which menu items receive the lowest ratings from online reviews?'.
Question 6: A business analyst is working with the marketing department. The department's goal is to increase user engagement on the company's mobile app. Which of the following is the best research question to support this goal?
- Which new features should we add to the app?
- How can we get more users to download our app?
- What is the impact of push notifications on the daily active user count? (Correct answer)
- Is our app's user interface better than our competitor's?
Correct answer: What is the impact of push notifications on the daily active user count?
This question is specific, actionable, and directly tied to the goal of increasing user engagement. It identifies a specific variable (push notifications) and a clear metric to measure (daily active user count). This allows the analyst to design a clear test and provide data-driven recommendations. The other questions are either too broad, speculative, or focus on acquisition rather than engagement.
Free CBDA Identifying Research Questions Questions and Answers
A business analyst is tasked with helping a retail company understand its declining sales.
Which of the following represents the MOST effective initial research question?