The manager of a company wants to investigate job satisfaction among its employees. One morning after a meeting, she talks to all 25 employees who attended. Does this sampling plan result in a random sample? What type of sample is it? Explain.
Who attended the meeting? What percentage of the total work force was it?
If only engineers attended the meeting, they didn't represent the support personnel.
In order to determine whether the sampling plan results in a random sample, we need to understand what a random sample is. A random sample is a subset of a population in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample. Random sampling helps to ensure that the sample is representative of the entire population and reduces bias.
In the given scenario, the manager of the company talks to all 25 employees who attended the meeting. This sampling plan does not result in a random sample because not all employees in the company have an equal chance of being included in the sample. Only the employees who attended the morning meeting are included, which might not represent the entire population of employees.
Instead, this sampling plan can be classified as a convenience sample. A convenience sample is a non-random sampling method where the researcher selects individuals who are easily accessible or readily available. In this case, the manager chose to talk to the employees who attended the meeting because they were readily available at that specific time.
Although a convenience sample can provide some useful insights, it may introduce bias and limit the generalizability of the findings to the entire population of employees. To obtain a more representative sample, the manager could consider using random sampling techniques, such as selecting employees from a list or using a random number generator to select individuals from the employee database. This would help ensure that all employees have an equal opportunity to be included in the sample, increasing the likelihood of obtaining a more unbiased and accurate representation of job satisfaction among all employees.