A large company wants to compare two incentive plans for increasing sales.The company randomly assigns a number of its sales staff to receive each kind of incentive and compares the average change in sales of the employees under the two plans. Is this study a survey, an experiment, an observational study, or a case study? survey experiment observational study case study Explain your reasoning. the staff were asked a set of questions based on which incentive methods would increase sales the incentive methods are randomly assigned the incentive methods were chosen voluntarily one or a small group of sales staff were examined in-depth

## Step 1<br />The problem describes a scenario where a company is comparing two incentive plans for increasing sales. The company randomly assigns a number of its Sales staff to receive each kind of incentive and compares the average change in sales of the employees under the two plans.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />This scenario is an example of an experiment. In an experiment, the researcher manipulates one or more factors (in this case, the incentive plans) and measures the effect on the outcome (the change in sales).<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The key characteristic of an experiment is that the researcher has control over the variables. In this case, the company is controlling the incentive plans and observing the effect on sales. This is different from a survey, where participants are asked questions and their responses are collected. It is also different from an observational study, where the researcher observes and measures characteristics of interest without manipulating the study environment. Lastly, it is different from a case study, which involves an in-depth analysis of a single individual or a small group.