ACCA Applied Knowledge · Management Accounting · Sampling methods
An interviewer is told to question 50 men and 50 women in a shopping centre about a new product, choosing whoever is willing to answer. Which is the main disadvantage of this quota sampling?
The main disadvantage is that individuals within each quota are chosen by the interviewer rather than at random. This can create bias and means sampling error cannot be measured, although the method is quick, cheap and needs no sampling frame.
- AIt cannot ensure the sample matches the population's gender mix
- BIt is slower and more costly than random sampling
- CThe selection within each quota is not random, so bias may arise and sampling error cannot be measuredCorrect
- DIt requires a complete sampling frame of all shoppers
Explanation
Quota sampling sets quotas for groups, but the interviewer chooses who fills them, so selection is non-random. This can introduce interviewer bias and means sampling error cannot be statistically calculated. Its advantages are speed, low cost and no need for a sampling frame, which makes the other options wrong.
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