You’re the new marketing manager for a small firm that offers computer repair services. The company’s owner approves your proposal for a telephone survey to learn more about the needs of firms that are not current customers. You identify local firms for the sample and hire a researcher to call them. The interviewer tells respondents that their answers will be anonymous and used only for research purposes. About halfway through the data collection, the interviewer tells you that respondents are confused by one of the questions and that their answers to that question are probably useless. The question concerns the issue that is most important to your new boss.
Do you admit the problem to others in your company? If the sales manager asks for the completed questionnaires, including all the names and responses, what would you say? Please explain.