Ann Ellis is a systems analyst at CyberStuff, a large company that sells computer hardware and software via telephone, mail order, and the Internet. CyberStuff processes several thousand transactions per week on a three-shift operation and employs 50 full-time and 125 part-time employees. Lately, the billing department has experienced an increase in the number of customer complaints about incorrect bills. During the preliminary investigation, Ann learned that some CyberStuff representatives did not follow established order entry procedures. She feels that with more information, she might find a pattern and identify a solution to the problem. Ann is not sure how to proceed. She came to you, her supervisor, with two separate questions. Is a questionnaire the best approach, or would interviews be better?
Whether Ann uses interview, questionnaire, or both techniques, should she sample by random, include an equal number of people from each shift, or use some other approach? As Ann’s supervisor, what would you suggest, and why?