A research company performed a study of Machiavellian traits in accountants. Machiavellian describes negative character traits that include manipulation, cunning, duplicity, deception, and bad faith. A questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 800 acccounting alumni of a large university; however, due to nonresponse and incomplete answers, only 216 questionnaires could be analyzed. Several variables were measured, including age, gender, level of education, income, job satisfaction score, and Machiavellian ("Mach") rating score. The research findings suggest that Machiavellian behavior is not required to achieve success in the accounting profession. Complete parts a through f.

a. What is the population of interest to the researcher?

All 216 accounting alumni who returned the questionnaire

B.

The 800 accounting alumni

C.

All accounting alumni of the large university

D.

All alumni of the large university

b. What type of data (quantitative or qualitative) is produced by each of the variables measured?

A.

The quantitative variables are gender, level of education, job satisfaction score, and Machiavellian rating. The qualitative variables are age and income.

B.

The quantitative variables are gender, level of education, and job satisfaction score. The qualitative variables are age, income, and Machiavellian rating.

C.

The quantitative variables are age, income, and gender. The qualitative variables are level of education, job satisfactionscore, and Machiavellian rating.

D.

The quantitative variables are age, income, job satisfactionscore, and Machiavellian rating. The qualitative variables are gender and level of education.

c. Identify the sample. Choose the correct answer below.

A.

The sample is the 216 accounting alumni who returned the questionnaire.

B.

The sample is all accounting alumni of the large university.

C.

The sample is the 800 accounting alumni who returned the questionnaire.

D.

The sample is all alumni of the large university.

d. Identify the data-collection method used. Choose the correct answer below.

A.

The data are from a designed experiment.

B.

The data were collected observationally.

C.

The data are from a survey.

D.

The data are from a published source.

e. What inference was made by the researcher?

A.

Machiavellian behavior is not required to achieve success in the accounting profession.

B.

Gender does not have an effect on success in the accounting profession.

C.

A high level of education is important to achieve success in the accounting profession.

D.

Job satisfaction is important to achieve success in the accounting profession.

f. How might the nonresponses impact the inference?

A.

Nonresponses decrease the sample size, making the results more accurate.

B.

Nonresponses cause inaccuracies in the values of the data being recorded.

C.

Nonrespondents may be more Machiavellian in nature, biasing the results.

D.