RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

• (Business Research Methods)

Week 7
2
Self-Administered Questionnaires
Self-Administered Questionnaires
Printed Questionnaires
Electronic Questionnaires
Mail
E-Mail
In-Person Drop-Off
Internet Website
Inserts
Interactive Kiosk
Fax
3
Self-Administered Questionnaires

• Self-administered questionnaires are those
  questionnaires that are filled in by the
  respondent independently, i.e. without the direct
  interaction with an interviewer
• There are many ways for distributing
  self-administered questionnaires, for example, by
  mailing or faxing questionnaires to people, by
  posting them on websites, by distributing them at
  certain locations and places (airline flights,
  resteraunts, hotels etc.), by including them as
  inserts in magazines and so forth
• Researchers who have to interpret
  self-administered questionnaires have to be
  skillful at trying to understand what is being
  conveyed to them in written or electronic -
  rather than verbal - form

4
Mail Surveys

• A mail survey is a self-administered
  questionnaire dispatched to respondents through
  the mail
• Mail surveys have several advantages and
  disadvantages
• geographic flexibility
• cost
• respondent convenience
• interviewers absence
• standardized questions
• time factor
• length of the questionnaire

5
Mail Surveys Advantages (1)

• Geographic Flexibility Mail questionnaires can
  be distributed over a geographically wide area
  simultaneously and quickly, including to
  respondents who may live in remote or not so
  cheaply accessible areas, and respondents who may
  not be easy to reach due to extensive
  comittments, such as executives. Mail
  questionaires can also be easily and quickly
  distributed at meetings or to employees in an
  organization, along with basic guidelines for
  filling in the questionnaire
• Cost Mail questionnaires are comparatively
  cheaper to conduct than personal interviews and
  telephone surveys, but can still be quite costly
  because of the costs of printing and mailing
  questionnaires, and possible follow-up actions

6
Mail Surveys Advantages (2)

• Responent Convenience Questionnaires can be
  filled out at the respondents convenience. The
  respondent has time to think about his or her
  answer which may provide more accurate data and
  information to the interviewer than would be
  possible in the case of personal interviews or
  telephone surveys
• Interviewer Absence Respondents may be willing
  to disclose sensitive information in a mail
  survey which they may not be willing to do if
  being interviewed personally

7
Mail Surveys Disadvantages (1)

• Interviewer Absence Respondents may attach a
  different subjective meaning to questionnaires,
  which are outside the control or influence of the
  interviewer who cannot be consulted or queried.
  Respondents may thus misunderstand certain
  questions or aspects of the survey
• Standardized Questions Misunderstanding of
  questions on the part of the respondent can
  create problems since no interviewer is present
  to answer queries or clarify misunderstandings or
  overcome comprehension problems
• Time Factor Mail surveys may be inappropriate
  if time is very limited and information is needed
  quickly. Usually, it can take a few weeks before
  completed mail questionnaires are received,
  follow-up action initiated and the information
  analyzed

8
Mail Surveys Disadvantages (2)

• Length of Mail Questionnaire If the
  questionnaire is quite long (usually gt 6 pages),
  respondents must give considerable effort and may
  not be willing to invest the effort. Sometimes,
  this reluctance can be overcome by using
  incentives
• Wrong Respondents Questionnaires may not be
  answered by the target respondents (e.g. senior
  executives), instead, the task of filling up the
  questionnaire is delegated to subordinates
• Social Factors The response rate is dependent
  on social and economic factors such as the
  education level of the respondent and his or her
  economic status. More educated and well-to-do
  respondents, and those with more interest in the
  subject of the survey, tend to reply more to
  questionnaires than respondents with lessor
  education and of lessor economic means

9
Techniques to Increase Mail Survey Response Rates

• There are several techniques which can be used to
  increase response rates to
• mail surveys. Examples
• Using a stamped return envelope
• Designing and formatting attractive,
  easy-to-understand and interesting questions
• Inclusion of a cover letter or personalized
  letter
• Preliminary notification a few days prior to
  launching the mail survey
• Monetary incentives
• Follow-up efforts
• Survey sponsorship (nature of organization
  undertaking the survey)
• Miscellaneous innovative techniques (e.g.
  commemorative postage stamps, colour of
  questionnaire, mechanics of conducting mail
  surveys)

10
Fax Surveys

• Fax Survey A survey in which questionnaires
  are distributed and/or returned through fax
  machines
• Advantages
• Reduction in printing and postage costs for the
  researcher and faster distribution and return
  than through mail surveys
• Disadvantages
• Not all respondents have fax machines and some
  respondents may not want to return the fax if
  transmission cost is high due to geographical
  distance. As with mail surveys, respondents with
  more extreme views, who are interested in the
  subject of the survey, will be more likely to
  respond, thus creating a bias effect

11
eMail Surveys

• eMail Survey A survey in which questionnaires
  are distributed and returned via eMail. Surveys
  conducted with eMail are especially suited for
  time-sensitive issues
• Advantages
• Speed of distribution, lower distribution and
  processing costs, faster turnaround time, more
  flexibility, and less handling of paper
  questionnaire
• Disadvantages
• Not all respondents have eMail. There may be
  concerns on the part of the respondents about
  confidentiality, the format of eMails can differ
  considerably depending on the programmes used and
  the settings of the respondents computer (spam
  management). Moreover, respondents have different
  skill levels in handling eMails, especially
  complicated survey-related ones

12
Internet Surveys

• Internet Survey An internet survey is a
  self-administered questionnaire which is posted
  on a website. Some major advantages of using the
  Internet for Conducting Surveys
• access to a large (possibly global) audience on
  24-hour basis
• Real-time data entry and analysis
• More accurate data capture if properly programmed
• obtaining confidential, anonymous answers quickly
  and cost-effectively
• No costs for paper, postage, data entry and
  administrative costs
• Large samples can be larger than with interviews
  and other types of self-administered
  questionnaires
• Questionnaires can include use of appealing
  multimedia aids including photographs or drawings
  of prototypes
• Callbacks are automated (if response incomplete
  or not given)
• eMail can be used to invite respondents to visit
  the website, for e.g. to participate in panels
• Flexible and personalized questioning of
  respondents

13
Internet Surveys

• Some major disadvantages of using the internet
  for conducting surveys
• Many people in the general population do not have
  access to the internet
• Different levels of technology may be prevalent
  (broadband or dial-up connectivity) which may
  result in some users not being able to access
  information as quick as others
• Hardware deficiencies and/or software
  incompatability
• Different computer skill levels
• Physical incentives (e.g. inclusion of money) is
  not possible, only the promise of a future reward
• Research on internet surveys is small and so are
  ideas for improving response rates

14
Other Survey Types

• Other types of surveys include
• Kiosk Surveys, i.e., surveys conducted with the
  help of computers are installed in kiosks in
  different public locations, such as exhibitions
  and trade shows, conferences and conventions,
  museums and so forth. A disadvantage of using
  kiosk surveys is that usually computer-literate
  persons and those having the time and interest in
  the survey subject will respond
• Mixed Surveys, i.e., a combination of personal
  and telephone interviews, mail, eMail, fax and
  internet. Mixed surveys have both advantages
  (e.g. better screening of respondents) and
  disadvantages (waning respondent interest or
  non-availability)

15
Pretesting

• Pretesting is a technique used to improve the
  quality of questionnaires with a view to ensuring
  that respondents understand and do not omit
  questions or do not misinterpret instructions
  given to them for filling out the questionnaire
• Pretesting involves sending questionnaires to a
  group of respondents for the purpose of detecting
  flaws in the questionnaires design or
  instructions. Pretesting can, alternatively, rely
  on asking other research professionals to do this
  assignment or asking the manager or client who
  commissioned the research (who should always read
  the questionnaire to ascertain whether it suits
  his or her requirement)
• Problems typically occur in wording questions,
  problems with lead questions, and bias due to the
  question sequence

16
Ethical Issues in Survey Research

• Ethical Considerations while undertaking survey
  research include
• Avoidance by the researcher of deception and
  misinformation and practices that may harm,
  humiliate or mislead respondents
• Observing respondents right to privacy and
  confidentiality
• Honesty in collecting data
• Objectivity in analysing and interpreting data

17
Advantages and Disadvantages of Typical Survey
Methods

• No survey form is perfect. It depends on the
  nature of the research problem and objectives of
  the research, the information required, the
  time-frame, budget and other available resources
  for the research, and a host of other issues
• For a comparative tabulation of the respective
  advantages and disadvantages of the various
  methods for conducting surveys, see William G.
  Zikmund, Business Research Methods, 7.ed., p. 228.

18
Scientific Observation

• Scientific Observation is the systematic process
  of recording the behavioural patterns of people,
  objects, and occurrences as they are witnessed
• In observation, there is no direct interaction
  with respondents no communication or
  questioning takes place while data is collected
• A major advantage of observation (over surveys)
  is that the data collected is done at the time
  the actual behaviour or situation takes place,
  and it is not subject to distortions,
  inaccuracies and respondent biases and so forth.
• A major limitation of observation is that many
  cognitive phenomona such as attitudes,
  motivations, expectations, intentions and
  preferences cannot be observed. Also, observation
  usually is of short-duration as observation over
  longer periods is tedious and expensive

19
Observable Phenomena

• There are 7 types of observable phenomona
• Human behaviour or action (e.g. movement
  patterns of workers in a factory or consumers in
  a shopping mall)
• Verbal behaviour (e.g. statements made by
  shoppers waiting in the queue)
• Expressive behaviour (e.g. body language, facial
  expressions and tone of voice)
• Spatial relations (e.g. proximity of the offices
  of corporate executives to the office of the CEO)
• Temporal patterns (e.g. duration it takes an
  employee to perform a task)
• Physical objects (e.g. how much paper is
  recycled in an office)
• Verbal or pictorial records (e.g. how many
  graphics and sketches appear in an appliance
  instruction manual)

20
Means of Observation

• There are two ways for observing people,
  objects, events and other phenomona
• Human Observation Human observers are used when
  the behaviour or situation to be recorded is
  complex and not easily predictable in advance of
  the research
• Mechanical Observation - Mechanical Observation
  is used when the behaviour or situation to be
  recorded is routine, repetitive or programmatic

21
Visible and Hidden Observation

• Visible Observation This occurs when the
  observers presence is visible to the research
  subject
• Visible Observation has the advantage that the
  research subject is aware of his or her
  participation in the research and can choose to
  terminate it if desired the disadvantage lies in
  that the subject may adapt his or her behaviour
  and that the data collected may consequently not
  be accurate
• Hidden Observation This occurs when the
  observers presence is not visible to the
  research subject
• Hidden Observation has the advantage that the
  subjects consent is not required and that
  because the subject is unaware of being observed,
  he or she will not adapt the behaviour
  accordingly the disadvantage lies in the
  violation of the subjects privacy

22
Direct Observation

• Direct observation is an attempt by the
  researcher to observe and record what naturally
  occurs without creating any artificial situation
• Direct observation can yield many types of data
  more accurately than through questioning (e.g.
  respondents being interviewed might not be able
  to indicate how much time they spend performing
  individual tasks but direct observation can
  determine this quite straightforwardly)
• Direct observation is often the only feasible or
  economic option for collecting data (e.g.
  collecting data on market prices for specific
  products or determining where the majority of a
  supermarkets customers come from based on their
  car registration numbers)
• Direct observation also has shortcomings.
  Observer Bias, for instance, may arise from the
  element of subjectivity brought into play by
  observers and false attributions about the
  subjects educational background and economic
  status, failure to record all the relevant data
  and misinterpretation of the data (facial
  expressions are wrongly interpreted, spatial
  proximity has another reason etc.)

23
Scientifically Contrived Observation

• Scientifically contrived observation is about
  observing subjects in an artificial environment
  created by the observer for the purpose of
  collecting data. Examples
• A researcher posing as a passenger on an airline
  may complain about the quality of lunch to the
  air hostess in order to record her reaction
• A researcher posing as a shopper asks about a
  product in the local supermarket in order to
  evaluate the performance of the sales person
• Contrived observation has its advantages. One
  major disadvantage, though, is that it is or
  can be seen as a means of entrapment and
  putting subjects in a difficult or embarrassing
  situation