Unit no 06_collecting primary data by communication

Collecting Primary Data by Communication
Dr. Dhobale J V
Assistant Professor
IBS, IFHE, Hyderabad.
IBS Hyderabad 1
Business Research Methods (SHRM-431)
Chapter No.-06

Objectives
 The concept of structure as it relates to
questionnaires.
 Drawbacks of using high degrees of structure.
 Explain what is meant by disguise in a
questionnaire context.
 Differentiate among the main methods of
administering questionnaires.
 Discuss three important aspects used to
compare the four different methods of
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Introduction
 Although observational research usually
results in more accurate data about individual
behavior, communication techniques must be
used to capture most other kinds of data from
individuals.
 We'll discuss the three key decisions that you'll
need to make when using communication:
1. The degree of structure to use.
2. Whether to disguise the questionnaire.
3. Which method to use.
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Structured versus Unstructured
Communication
 The first decision is how much structure , or
standardization, to use on the questionnaire.
 highly structured questionnaire - fixed-
alternative questions - the questions and the
response categories are completely
standardized.
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Communication
 Now consider another way of asking a similar
question, one involving much less structure: This is an
example of an open-ended question , a type of
question for which respondents are free to reply using
their own words and are not limited to a fixed set of
possible answers.
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Communication
 Most open-ended questions used for collecting
primary data for descriptive research have a
standardized question that everyone receives.
 Highly structured questionnaires, like the first
question above, are relatively simple to
administer.
 Highly structured questions also help improve
the consistency of responses across different
people because standardized questions and
responses.
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Communication
 There are certain disadvantages associated with high
degrees of structure –
 Fixed alternative questions tend to provide the most
reliable responses, they may also encourage
misleading answers.
 High structure is most useful when the possible replies
are well known, limited in number, and clear-cut.
 They work well for obtaining factual information &
obtaining expressions of opinion.
 They are not very good at getting primary data on
motivations.
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Disguised versus Undisguised
Communication
 The second consideration in the use of
communication to gather primary data
concerns disguise .
 Disguise - The amount of knowledge about the
purpose or sponsor of a study communicated
to the respondent. An undisguised
questionnaire, for example, is one in which the
purpose of the research is obvious.
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Communication
 An undisguised questionnaire makes the
purpose of the research obvious, either in the
introduction, the instructions, or the questions
themselves.
 There are two general situations in which the
use of disguise is often necessary –
1. When knowledge of the sponsor or topic of the
survey is likely to cause respondents to change
their answers.
2. Disguise is also used to help create a more
natural environment in which to collect data from
individuals.
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Communication
 The Ethics of Disguise -
 It seems a little strange to suggest that
deception can be used to get at the truth in a
situation.
 Research participants have a right to know
why they are being asked to provide answers.
 Debriefing - The process of providing
appropriate information to respondents after
data have been collected using disguise.
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Communication
 The Ethics of Disguise -
 It seems a little strange to suggest that
deception can be used to get at the truth in a
situation.
 Research participants have a right to know
why they are being asked to provide answers.
 Debriefing - The process of providing
appropriate information to respondents after
data have been collected using disguise.
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Methods of Administering Questionnaires
 General Methods are –
1. Personal interviews
2. Telephone interviews
3. Mail questionnaires
4. Internet-based questionnaires.
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 There are three key aspects to consider –
1. Sampling control - Response rate.
2. Information control - Questions & the degree
of error in the answers or their interpretation
3. administrative control - Time and monetary
costs of the different approaches.
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1. Personal interviews - A personal
interview involves a direct face-to-face
conversation between an interviewer and the
respondent.
 Time and place of personal interview
depends on the needs of the research and
the convenience of the respondents.
 Mall intercepts are popular for conducting
personal interviews among consumers.
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1. Personal interviews –
 Computer Aided Personal Interview -
Computerized personal interviewing or
computer-assisted personal interviewing
(CAPI) involves either the interviewer or the
respondent recording the answers at a
computer terminal.
 Sampling Control - whom to contact in a
study; Response rates are also higher.
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 Information Control - Personal interviews
can be conducted using questionnaires with
any degree of structure.
 One can gather a lot of information in a
personal interview.
 This process is full of opportunities for
researcher bias & bias from the respondent's
side.
 personal interviews must be undertaken with
great care, including substantial interviewer
training.
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 Administrative Control - Personal
interviews cost more to conduct than any
other communication method.
 Using personal interviews generally takes a
great deal of time.
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2. Telephone Interviews -
 A telephone interview is similar in some
ways to a personal interview, except that the
conversation between researcher and
respondent takes place over the telephone.
 Response rates have usually been quite
reasonable; Costs are much lower than with
personal interviews.
 As a result, telephone interviews have been a
popular means of securing communication
data for many years.
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 Sampling Control - Several companies
generate and sell lists of consumer or
business telephone numbers from which to
draw a random sample.
 One or more telephone books might also
serve as a list of potential sampling elements
– drawbacks unlisted numbers, not up to
date.
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 Sampling Control –
 random-digit dialing (RDD) , which uses a
computer to randomly generate numbers to
be called. These systems usually
automatically dial the calls as well.
 Response rates that have traditionally been
fairly good have begun to suffer in recent
years, mostly as a result of caller ID and
answering machines used for screening calls.
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 Sampling Control –
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 Information Control - Most of the time,
telephone studies use simple fixed-alternative
questions that are easy to explain by the
interviewer and easy to answer by the
respondent.
 The use of computer-assisted interviewing
(CAI).
 Telephone interviews allow probing and
follow-up on respondent answers when
necessary.
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 Information Control - Because of the human
contact, a degree of trust can be developed,
particularly on longer surveys.
 There's still a chance that bias will enter
because of the social interaction, it's less
likely than with personal interviews.
 One of the biggest disadvantages of
telephone interviews is the limited amount of
information that can be gathered from any
given individual.
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 Information Control - If the telephone
questionnaire is developed correctly, you can
collect a lot of information in 5–10 minutes.
 It's usually smart to use common rating
scales and response categories that people
are familiar with and to keep them as
consistent as possible throughout the
interview.
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 Administrative Control - Although it is usually
more costly to collect data using telephone interviews
compared with mail or Web-based questionnaires, the
solid response rates for this method have traditionally
kept the cost-per-contact reasonable.
 Interviewers must be recruited and trained, and as
with personal interviews, each interviewer can visit
with only one respondent at a time.
 Quality control can be assured by having supervisors
periodically listen in on interviews in progress.
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3. Mail Questionnaires - The mail
questionnaire approach involves surveys
sent to designated respondents with an
accompanying cover letter and reply
envelope.
 It has different forms also like surveys can be
e-mailed to respondents as well.
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3. Mail Questionnaires –
 Sampling Control
 If you want to be able to project the results of
the survey to the overall population, you'll have
to start with an accurate mailing list of the
people in the population.
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 Mail questionnaires provide little control in
getting a response from the intended
respondent. You can carefully identify desired
respondents and offer them incentives, but
you can't control whether the respondents
actually complete and return the
questionnaires.
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 There's no way to know that the intended
respondent really completed a returned
questionnaire, or if someone else may have
completed it.
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 Information Control -
 With written questions, there is no opportunity
for interviewer bias from the wording of
questions or the way that the questions are
asked.
 It's also possible to include graphics, pictures,
or other artwork if respondents need to see a
stimulus in order to respond effectively.
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 Information Control –
 Mail questionnaires is that they are the only
method that can be truly anonymous.
 Mail questionnaires do not allow clarification of
questions or response categories, and you
can't ask follow-up questions or clarify
answers.
 More work for respondents translates into
fewer questionnaires returned.
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 Information Control –
 Respondents can review the entire
questionnaire before answering the questions.
This is a real problem if the researcher wants
to assess awareness for certain brands and
also ask specific questions about those brands
in the same survey.
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 Administrative Control –
 Compared with hiring and training
interviewers, it doesn't cost a lot to print
surveys, buy a mailing list, and pay postage
(outbound and inbound), so mail surveys have
an advantage over personal interviews and
telephone questionnaires when it comes to
cost.
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 They take longer than telephone surveys (but
they're often faster than personal interviews)
because the surveys must go through the
postal system going and coming, and
respondents respond if and when they want to.
 Not everyone can be reached by e-mail.
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4. Internet-Based Questionnaires -
 A questionnaire that relies on the Internet for
recruitment and/or completion; two forms
include e-mail surveys and questionnaires
completed on the Web.
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4. Internet-Based Questionnaires -
 The cost of mail surveys coupled with the low
response rates and increased reliance on
electronic communications make online
surveys increasingly attractive - so attractive,
in fact, that more and more major research
firms are using Web-based surveys with
Internet panels as the primary point of access
to potential respondents.
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4. Internet-Based Questionnaires –
 Sampling Control -
 As with all techniques, the ability to obtain an
accurate list of population members’ contact
information is the first key aspect of sampling
control.
 You should note, however, that many e-mail
samples are developed by encouraging
individuals to join a panel in exchange for gifts
and/or other incentives.
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 Sometimes Web-based studies produce very
respectable to excellent response rates.
Studies using purchased e-mail lists or online
panels, however, often have very low
response rates just like other communication
methods.
 The key is to do the necessary background
work to distinguish the good panel that is
managed properly from the one populated with
“professional” panelists. 38IBS Hyderabad

 the good news is that established firms are
well aware of these issues and take panel
management quite seriously. The bad news is
there is no perfect approach.
 The response rate is a much better indicator of
the quality of the research effort and, in
particular.
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 Information Control
 Web-based questionnaires are very effective if
you need to include pictures and/or other
graphics with the questionnaire.
 you can collect a lot more information.
 There is essentially no interviewer bias in the
way questions are asked, and any type of
question can be used.
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 Information Control
 There is no ability to probe, explain questions,
or ask for respondents to explain their
answers.
 Question sequencing can be programmed into
the survey, ensuring that the appropriate next
question appears on the screen for the
respondent.
 The comfort level of respondents is likely
higher with Web-based questionnaires than
with any other approach except mail.
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 They are quite inexpensive and they provide
very quick turnaround.
 Respondents effectively code their own
responses when they reply to the questions on
the survey. This eliminates one step where
error can enter into the data set.
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Comparing Methods of Administering
Questionnaires
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Review
 The concept of structure as it relates to
questionnaires.
 Drawbacks of using high degrees of structure.
 Explain what is meant by disguise in a
questionnaire context.
 Differentiate among the main methods of
 Discuss three important aspects used to
compare the four different methods of
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References
 MARKETING RESEARCH – A SOUTH ASIAN
PERSPECTIVE by Brown, Sutter , Adhikari,
Cengage Learning, India.
 Business Research Methods - Donald R
Cooper, Pamela S Schindler, J K Sharma,
MCGraw Hill Education
 Business Research Methods - Naval Bajpai,
Pearson Education, India.
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Unit no 06_collecting primary data by communication

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Unit no 06_collecting primary data by communication