Employee Rank is an example of __ data.
a.nominal
b.ordinal
c.interval
d.ratio
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
b. Ordinal
Explanation:
Employee rank is an example of ordinal data because it represents a categorical variable with a meaningful order or hierarchy. Ordinal data is a type of categorical data where values are ranked in a specific sequence, but the differences between these ranks are not necessarily equal.
Characteristics of Ordinal Data:
- Ranking or Ordering – In an employee ranking system, individuals are arranged in a specific order based on criteria such as performance, experience, or seniority.
- No Fixed Interval – The difference between ranks is not uniform. For example, the performance difference between rank 1 and rank 2 may not be the same as the difference between rank 2 and rank 3.
- Cannot Perform Arithmetic Operations – Since ordinal data does not have a defined scale, mathematical operations like addition or subtraction are not meaningful. However, comparisons such as “higher than” or “lower than” can be made.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect:
- Nominal Data (Option a): Nominal data consists of categories without a meaningful order (e.g., employee department names like HR, IT, and Sales). Since ranking has an order, it is not nominal.
- Interval Data (Option c): Interval data has equal distances between values but lacks a true zero point (e.g., temperature in Celsius). Employee ranks do not have equal intervals, making this option incorrect.
- Ratio Data (Option d): Ratio data has equal intervals and a true zero point (e.g., salary, height, weight). Employee ranks do not have a true zero or consistent intervals, so this is not a valid choice.
Thus, employee rank is best classified as ordinal data because it represents a meaningful order without equal intervals.