Final answer:
The presence of bias can manifest in various forms such as selection bias, non-response bias, and biased reporting. These biases can be seen in situations where survey samples are not representative of the entire population, respondents are influenced by management attitudes, or personal experiences overshadow broader perspectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario where a business director surveys staff near their office to determine challenges employees faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bias present is that of selection bias. This is due to the fact that employees are only being surveyed near the business office and after work hours, which likely does not represent the entire workforce. People who work remote, have different schedules, or do not pass by the surveyed area are not included, potentially skewing the results to not fully represent employee challenges.
In the other example, students were supposed to interview front-line workers about their work environment. However, bias was introduced through the manager's dismissive attitude towards employee feedback and issues with anonymity. This could have led to a non-response bias where the workers who chose to participate may not reflect the overall sentiment, as reluctant employees might be those most affected by or sensitive to the issues being studied.
Another aspect to consider is the potential for biased reporting when individuals draw upon personal experiences alone, as in the case of a student analyzing the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal experiences can introduce a subjective view and potentially lead to an overemphasis on specific aspects that were most impactful on an individual level but not necessarily reflective of the broader situation.