| Course | DDBA 8300 Qualitative and Quantitative Methodology for Applied Business Research |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 7 |
| Paper type | Instrument choice memo |
| Length | About 660 words, 4 pages |
| Format | Memo, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DDBA 8300 Week 7
Memorandum
To: Doctoral study chair
From: DBA candidate
Date: October 8, 2026
Re: Instrument for the claims triage adoption study
The Question and the Instrument
My research question asks: "What is the relationship between claims adjusters' perceptions of a new automated triage system's usefulness, its ease of use and the support available, and their intention to rely on its recommendations?" The setting is a composite regional property and casualty insurer whose 180 adjusters began using a system last spring that scores incoming claims for complexity and suggests which adjuster should handle each. Use has been uneven. The question asks about relationships among perceptions and intention across adjusters, so I am choosing an adapted survey. This memo shows each topic written both ways and explains why the survey version fits.
The Topics in Both Forms
Table 1
Each Topic as a Scaled Item and as an Interview Prompt
| Topic | Scaled item (1 to 7, strongly disagree to strongly agree) | Interview prompt | |
|---|---|---|
| Usefulness | Using the triage system helps me resolve claims faster. | Tell me about a claim where the triage score helped you, or got in your way. | |
| Ease of use | The triage system's scores and suggestions are easy for me to understand. | Walk me through what you do when a triage score comes in. | |
| Support | When the triage system confuses me, I can get help quickly. | When something about the system puzzled you, what did you do? | |
| Peers | Adjusters whose judgment I respect rely on the triage system. | How do other adjusters on your team talk about the system? | |
| Intention | I intend to follow the triage system's recommendations on most new claims. | How do you decide whether to follow a recommendation? | |
Scaled items adapted from published technology acceptance measures; prompts drafted for comparison.
What Each Form Would Produce
The interview prompts would produce stories: specific claims, workarounds and doubts, in the adjusters' words. They would show why an experienced adjuster distrusts the score on water damage claims, or how a team leader's skepticism spread. Those stories would be valuable for designing training. The scaled items would produce numbers for every adjuster who responds, allowing a test of whether usefulness, ease of use, support and peers relate to intention, and how strongly.
Why the Survey Fits
My question asks about relationships among perceptions and intention across 180 adjusters, which only the scaled items can test. The constructs are established. Venkatesh et al. (2003) combined eight earlier models of technology acceptance into a unified model in which expected gains in job performance, expected effort, the influence of others and supporting conditions predict intention and use, and validated measures for each. Davis (1989) had earlier found usefulness more closely tied to use than ease of use, which is why usefulness leads the item list. My items adapt that wording to the triage system. Using an established instrument also lets me compare my results with prior studies and gives the committee confidence in the measures.
How the Items Will Be Adapted and Tested
DeVellis (2017) recommends that adapted items be reviewed by people familiar with the setting and tested before full use. I will ask two senior adjusters and the claims training manager to read each item for clarity and fit, revise items they flag and pilot the survey with ten adjusters from the commercial lines team, who are not in the study population. I will check each scale's internal consistency in the pilot and drop or rewrite items that do not hold together.
What the Survey Will Miss
The survey will not explain why perceptions differ. If adjusters who handle complex claims rate usefulness low, the survey will show it but not say why. I will add one open-ended item at the end, asking adjusters to describe one situation in which they chose not to follow a recommendation, to collect brief explanations without changing the design.
References
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
DeVellis, R. F. (2017). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425-478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
DDBA 8300 Week 7 instructions, in plain terms
This week asks you to choose an instrument for your study by comparing two forms. List the main topics your study must cover. Write each topic as a scaled survey item and as an open interview prompt, and present them side by side. Explain what each form would produce for your study. Choose the form your research question calls for and explain why, citing the source of any established measures you adapt. Describe how you will adapt and test the instrument, such as expert review and a pilot with people outside the study population. State what the chosen form will miss and any small step you will take to reduce that loss. Most memos for this week run about two pages around a single comparison table.
How the DDBA 8300 Week 7 example is put together
The memo states the research question about perceptions and intention to rely on the triage system and announces the survey. A table sets five topics as seven-point items and as prompts such as "walk me through what you do when a triage score comes in." A section contrasts the stories the prompts would gather, such as a senior adjuster's distrust of scores on water damage, with the numbers the items would produce. The choice rests on the question's focus on relationships across 180 adjusters and on established measures from Venkatesh and colleagues, with Davis's finding on usefulness. DeVellis supports review by two senior adjusters and the training manager and a pilot with ten commercial lines adjusters. One open item closes the instrument.
DDBA 8300 Week 7 rubric: what earns full marks
Credit goes first to the side-by-side comparison, which should show that each topic genuinely works in both forms and that the difference lies in what each produces. Instructors weigh the link between the research question and the chosen form; a choice justified by preference rather than by the question earns little. Adapting established measures, with sources, strengthens validity and comparability, and a plan for expert review and piloting shows care. Credit also goes to identifying what the chosen form will miss and taking a proportionate step, such as one open item, without turning the study into a mixed design. The memo should be concise and addressed to the decision maker, usually the chair.
DDBA 8300 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
Instrument choice is often made by habit. Write each of your topics both ways before deciding; the exercise shows what each form can and cannot capture. Then read your research question again: if it asks about relationships across many people, you need ratings; if it asks how people experience something, you need prompts. Look for published measures before writing your own and cite them. Plan to have people who know the setting read your items and to pilot with people outside your sample. Add one open item if you need a little explanation. A tutor can help you adapt published items to your setting.
Get a DDBA 8300 Week 7 example written to your instructions
Share the Week 7 prompt and rubric, the constructs your question involves, and any published scale you are considering. The instrument memo, with a paired-item exhibit, adaptation notes and the refused alternative, returns in 24-48h, and your first request is free. Items in the sample are paraphrased for a parallel tool, so check your chosen scale's terms of use before adapting it.
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DDBA 8300 Week 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DDBA 8300 Week 7 sample paper?
The instrument choice memo, including the table of items and prompts, is reproduced lower on this page and is free.
What study does the DDBA 8300 Week 7 memo concern?
How claims adjusters' perceptions of a new triage system relate to their intention to follow its recommendations.
Why is a survey chosen over interviews?
The question asks about relationships among perceptions across 180 adjusters, which only scaled items can test.
How will the survey be adapted and tested?
Senior adjusters and the training manager review the items, then ten adjusters outside the study pilot them.
What will the survey miss?
Why perceptions differ, which one open item asking about a declined recommendation partly addresses.