Question

In chapter 1, we introduced several sampling methods: Simple random sample, stratified sampling, systematic sampling, and cluster sampling. All the sampling methods except for convenience sampling, allow for unbiased statistical inference to be made. Convenience sampling typically leads to an unrepresentative sample and biased results. In this week's discussion board, you are asked to design a sample that is representative of the population and unbiased. Scenario: A marketing executive for Coca- Cola, Inc. wants to identify television shows that people in the Seattle area who typically drink Coke are watching. The executive has a list of all households in the Seattle area. Task: You are asked to design a sample to obtain the individuals in the sample. Use the provided scenario to help the Coca-Cola executive identifying the television shows. Design a sample that meets the requirements we discussed in the previous chapter. You need to explain why did you choose this sampling method.

Answer 1

For the coca-cola case, stratified sampling coupled with random sampling will be used.

Explanation:

Before going into discussing the scenario, it is evident to discuss the properties of mentioned sampling methods. They are as follows:

Random sampling as the name indicates is purely by randomness. It is a sample in which each element of the population has an equal chance of coming on.

Systematic sampling is easier than random sampling. Here all the elements are arranged in an order and the kth element is considered after a specific interval.

Cluster Sampling is another type of sampling where the population is divided into groups probably on the basis of their geographical location and all the elements of the cluster are then used.

Stratified Sampling is a two-step sampling method where firstly the population is divided into strata, groups on basis of some characteristic, like gender, age, and then another sampling method as the random or systematic method is chosen to pick samples from each of these strata.

On the basis of properties presented and the scenario outlined, it is evident that the population will be divided into strata based on age, gender, profession, and education, and then a random sampling within each stratum is used for all the population of the Seattle area.