Question

Wal-Mart has a highly sophisticated system of recording data and being able to view results. For instance, Wal-Mart managers know from their scanner data that five pair of Wrangler Blue Jeans were sold from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on a certain day, and by what size. If the sales were made via credit card, Wal-Mart also knows "who," and has developed histories of what combinations of products its customers buy. The preceding is an observational situation involving which of the following?
a. people watching people
b. people watching phenomena
c. machines watching people
d. machines watching phenomena
e. All of these are observation situations

Answer 1

Answer:

c. machines watching people

Explanation:

Machines watching people refers to a phenomena whereby via employment of specialized machinery, an organization is successfully able to observe the activities of it's customers and at the same time also track data relating to their identity and other credentials.

In the given case, the sophisticated system entails deciphering the customer shopping pattern and the merchandise sold during a period whereas the payment mechanism of cards also helps in tracing down the identity to ensure no unscrupulous person can go unnoticed.

Thus, it's a case of machines keeping a watch or surveillance on the customers and their identity.