CHAPTER

2. CHAPTER 1234 0001 897251 00000 Descriptive Research Designs: Survey Methods and Errors 9 9-2

3. Value of Descriptive Survey Research Designs • Surveys are great tools because they allow a research team to collect data from a large number of respondents. • Surveys are useful indicators of the attitudes and feelings of a target population since they are configured in such a way to permit smooth and efficient analysis via statistical programs like SPSS. • Despite the view that customers are “surveyed-out” consumers continue to feel special when they are asked for their opinions about products, services, issues, and people in a concise format. 9-3

4. Pros and Cons of Quantitative Survey Research Designs Advantages of Survey Methods • Ability to accommodate large sample sizes; increase generalizability of results • Ability to distinguish small differences • Ease of administering and recording questions and answers • Capabilities of using advanced statistical analysis • Abilities of tapping into factors and relationships not directly measurable 9-4a

5. Pros and Cons of Quantitative Survey Research Designs Disadvantages of Survey Methods • Difficulty of developing accurate survey instruments (questionnaire designs) • Limits to the in-depth detail of data structure • Lack of control over timeliness, and potentially low response rates • Difficulties in determining whether respondents are responding truthfully • Misinterpretations of data results and inappropriate use of data analysis procedures 9-4b

6. Personal Interviews Advantages • Flexible • Abundance of information • Exceed original questions • High data control • Relatively high response rate Involves face-to-face communication between an interviewer and a respondent.

7. Personal Interviews – cont’d Disadvantages • Expensive • Slow data collection • Narrow geographical coverage • No anonymity • Biased interviewer

8. Types of Personal Interview Surveys • Door-to-Door Interviews • Office Interviews • Mall-Intercept Interviews • Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) • Computer-Assisted Self-Interviews (CASI) • Fully Automated Self-Interviews (FASI)

9. Major Advantage: Interview occurs in a comfortable place for respondent Major Disadvantage: Interviewer getting into respondent’s home Door-to-Door Interviews

10. Office Interviews • Take place at the respondent’s workplace. • Tend to obtain information about industrial products and services. • Useful information provided includes: • Gatekeepers • Product users • Product buyers • Influencers • Final decision makers

11. Mall-Intercept Interviews • Shoppers are intercepted to answer survey questions. • Problems: • Low response rates • Suspect data • Possible respondent selection biased • Crowded, loud place

12. Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) Interviewer inputs responses into a computer terminal, desktop, or laptop during the interview.

13. CAPI Advantages • Respondents don’t have to be computer literate. • Follow-up questions can be incorporated in the survey. • Words generated by respondents can be used to make the survey-completion effort user-friendly. • Measures time it takes respondent to complete questions. • Can display graphics. • Eliminates the need to manually code data. • Reduced chance for data-entry errors. • Data collection and coding are quicker.

14. CAPI Disadvantage • Does not allow respondents to choose their own schedule for completing the survey.

15. Computer-Assisted Self Interviews (CASI) Researchers locate respondents and lead them to nearby computer terminals. Respondents then read and respond to each question directly on the computer.

16. Fully-Automated Self-Interviews (FASI) Respondents independently locate a computer station or kiosk and respond to questions on the computer screen.

17. Telephone Surveys These surveys can be done with respondents directly, by voice, by fax, or with computer assistance.

18. Telephone Survey Advantages • Extensive area coverage is possible. • Data collection is fast. • Interviewer has control over the survey content, although to a lesser extent than in personal interviews. • Administration costs tend to be lower for personal interviews but higher than for mail surveys. • Respondent anonymity.

19. Telephone Surveys Disadvantages • Potential for interviewer bias • Willingness to respond depends on several factors, including: • Time of day • Subject • Capability of interviewer • Number of survey questions

20. Types of Telephone Surveys • Personal Interviews by Telephone • Voice-Mail Surveys • Fax Surveys • Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) • Fully Automated Telephone Interviews (FATI)

21. Personal Interviews By Telephone • Dialing • Random-digit dialing (RDD) • Systematic RDD • Electronic white pages (EWP) • Disadvantages • Impersonal • Low participation • No product demonstration

22. Voice-Mail Surveys • Completely Automated Telephone Survey (CATS): Use a prerecorded voice of a professional interviewer to pose fixed-response questions to respondents, who provide answers by pushing buttons on the telephone. Outbound calling and inbound calling are available. • A type of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. Allows information to be collected without a human interviewer. Respondents use their touch-tone telephones to record their responses. If they don’t have a touch-tone telephone, they respond to the survey by speaking their answers into their telephones.

23. Voice-Mail Surveys – cont’d • Fax Surveys: Can be done manually or automatically by computers. • Advantages: • Ease of implementation • Quick response time • Low cost • Disadvantages: • Impersonal nature of faxes • Inability to control who completes the survey

24. Person-Administered Surveys 9-5

25. Person-Administered Surveys 9-6

26. Person-Administered Surveys 9-7

27. Person-Administered Surveys 9-8

28. The Integration of Offline and Online Methods 9-9a

29. The Integration of Offline and Online Methods 9-9b

30. The Integration of Offline and Online Methods 9-9c

31. The Integration of Offline and Online Methods 9-9d

32. Factors: Situational Characteristics 9-10a

33. Factors: Situational Characteristics 9-10b

34. Factors: Task Characteristics 9-11a

35. Factors: Task Characteristics 9-11b

36. Factors: Respondent Characteristics 9-12

37. Sensitive Topics in Marketing Research • Income • Racial Issues • Environmental Issues • Politics • Religion • Personal Hygiene • Sexual Preference • 9/11/2000 • Capital Punishment • Gun Control 9-13

38. Respondent Characteristics • Diversity • Incidence • Participation 9-14

39. Types of Error: Nonresponse Nonresponse error: Occurs when a sufficient number of the initial prospective respondents are not included in the final sample of a study. Results in a portion of the population not being represented or being underrepresented when the response pool is systematically and significantly different from those respondents who did respond. Main biases:Refusal: when a prospective respondent is simply unwilling to participate in the question-and-answer exchange.Not at home: when reasonable attempts to initially reach the prospective respondent fail to produce an interviewer/respondent encounter.Wrong mailing address: when prospective respondent’s address is outdated or no longer active.Wrong telephone number: when the prospective respondent’s telephone number either is no longer in service or is incorrect on the sample list. 9-15

40. Types of Error: Response Response error: Occurs when a significant number of respondents either unconsciously misrepresent or deliberately falsify their responses. Main biases:Hostility: responses that arise from feelings of anger or resentment engendered by the response task. Social desirability: response is based on what is perceived as being socially acceptable or respectable. Prestige: response intended to enhance the image of the respondent in the eyes of others. Auspices error: response dictated by the image or opinion of the sponsor, rather than the actual question. 9-16a

41. Types of Error: Response Response error: Occurs when a significant number of respondents either unconsciously misrepresent or deliberately falsify their responses. Main biases:Yea- and nay-saying: response influenced by the global tendency toward positive or negative answers. Mental set error: cognitions or perceptions based on the influence of previous response over later ones. Extremity error: responses influenced by clarity of extreme scale points and ambiguity of midrange options. Acquiescence error: response based on respondent’s perception of what would be desirable to the sponsor. 9-16b

42. Types of Error: Measurement & Design Construct development error: Occurs when the researcher does not accurately or completely identify the important subdimensions of the various topics or constructs being included in the survey research. The necessary data is misdefined, or mistakes are made of what the overall composite should be of the critical concepts and constructs being investigated. Main biases:Incomplete constructs: only partial data requirements are met; creates inappropriate guidelines for scale measurement and questionnaire design activities. Low reliability/validity: construct validity is not maintained, which increases the likelihood of collecting either irrelevant or low quality data. 9-17

43. Summary of Learning Objectives • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using quantitative, descriptive survey research designs to collect primary data. • Discuss the many types of survey methods available to researchers. Identify and discuss the factors that drive the choice of survey methods. • Explain how the electronic revolution is affecting the administration of survey research designs. • Identify and describe the strengths and weaknesses of each type of survey method. • Identify and explain the types of errors that occur in survey research. 9-18