Samenvatting
Business Research Methods Endterm Summary
Full summary of the chapters required for the endterm of Business Research Methods, chapters 7-12.
[Meer zien]Voorbeeld 4 van de 31 pagina's
Voorbeeld 4 van de 31 pagina's
In winkelwagengesponsord bericht van onze partner
Gekoppeld boek
Titel boek:
Auteur(s):
- Uitgave:
- ISBN:
- Druk:
Voorbeeld van de inhoud
BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODSChapter 7 – Survey Research
1. FOUNDATIONS OF SURVEY RESEARCH
Social science research – understanding and measuring people’s knowledge, opinions, perceptions and behaviors.
We collect this data with surveys.
- Survey: a measurement tool used to gather information from people by asking questions about one or more
topics.
- It is a systematic way of asking people to volunteer information regarding their opinions and behaviors.
- Information is collected from a sample in a way that makes it possible to generalize results to the population
within a certain degree of error.
2. TYPES OF SURVEY RESEARCH
- A survey can be administered in two key ways: questionnaires and interviews.
Questionnaires
- Questionnaires: completed by the respondent, self-administered. Does not necessarily have short, closed-ended
questions.
- Mail survey: a paper-and-pencil survey that is sent to respondents through the mail.
• Advantage: inexpensive to administer (costs – postage and printing questionnaire), wide geographical
coverage, respondent can fill out at their own convenience.
• Disadvantage: low response rate and responses are not detailed.
- Group-administered questionnaire: a survey that is administered to respondents in a group setting. For instance,
if a survey is administered to all students in a classroom, we would describe that as a group-administered
questionnaire. A sample of respondents is brought together and asked to respond to a structured sequence
question.
• Advantage: convenience, high response rate, respondents can ask questions.
• Disadvantage: facilities needed.
- Household drop-off survey: a paper-and-pencil survey that is administered by dropping it off at the respondent’s
household and, either picking It up at a later time or having the respondent return it directly. This method
assures a direct personal contact with the respondents while also allowing the respondent the time and privacy
to respond to the survey on their own.
• Advantage: respondent can fill out at their own convenience, personal and can ask questions, high response
rate.
• Disadvantage: Less economical – time and travel costs.
- Point-of-experience: a survey that is delivered at or immediately after the experience that the respondent is
being asked about. E.g. customer-satisfaction survey
• Advantage: ensures timely and accurate data, quick responses
- Electronic survey (e-survey): a survey that is administered via a computer program, typically distributed vie email
or a website.
• Advantage: elimination of paper, postage and data entry costs, timely responses, reach out to international
respondents.
• Disadvantage: difficult to access a random sample.
• Email survey: any survey that is distributed to respondents via email. Generally, the survey is embedded in
the email message and the respondent can reply to complete it, is transmitted as an email, or is reached by
providing a link in the email that directs the respondent to a website survey.
Advantage: survey is pushed directly to the respondent’s computer, easy to create.
• Web survey: a survey that is administered over a website (internet/intranet). Respondents use their web
browser to reach the website and complete survey You have to pull the respondent to a website.
Advantage: capable of interaction and good graphics.
- Dual-media surveys: a survey that is distributed simultaneously in two ways. E.g. if you distribute a survey to
participants as an attachment they can print, complete, and fax back, or they can complete directly on the web
as a web form. Respondents selected preferred method of response
,Interviews
- Interview: researchers asks the participants questions and completes the instruments based on their responses.
Interview instrument is similar to questionnaire but also includes instructions for interviewer and space to
record any observations. Far more personal form of research.
- Personal interview: A one-on-one interview between an interviewer and respondent. The interviewer typically
uses an interview guide that provides a script for asking questions and follow-up prompts.
• Advantage: easier for respondent to express impressions and opinions.
• Disadvantage: very time consuming and resource intensive.
- Group interview: an interview that is administered to respondents in a group setting. A focus group is a
structured form of a group interview.
• Advantage: can trigger brain storming,
enables deeper consideration of complex
issues than many other survey methods.
• Disadvantage: have to consider possible
desirability complex.
- Focus group: a qualitative measurement
method where input on one or more focus topics
is collected from participants in a small-group
setting where the discussion is structured and
guided by a facilitator.
• Often used in marketing research and social
research.
- Telephone interview: a personal interview that
is conducted over the telephone.
• Advantage: gather information rapidly,
interviewer can ask follow-up questions.
• Disadvantage: many people do not have
publicly listed telephone numbers, people
don’t like intrusion, expensive.
3. SELECTING THE SURVEY METHOD
- Decisions regarding what type of survey method to use usually depend on target populations, the kind of
information that is being sought and the availability of resources (budget and time).
Population Issues
- Can the population units be identified? Can sometimes be difficult or impossible to compile a list of the units to
be sampled.
- Is the population literate? Requirement for questionnaires is that your respondents can read.
- Are there language issues? It may be beneficial to produce multiple versions of the questionnaire to serve
respondents who speak various languages.
- Will the population cooperate? Research may involve respondents who are involved in illegal activity e.g.
immigrants.
- What are the geographic restrictions? The population may be dispersed. Some respondents may be reached
electronically.
Sampling Issues
- What data is available? The information that you can get about the sample.
- Can respondents be found? Is it easy to locate the respondents in the sample?
- Who is the respondent? Who exactly is the respondent in the study?
- Can all members of the population be sampled? You may only have a sampling frame which is only a fraction of
the population.
- Are response rates likely to be a problem? Some respondents may refuse to respond.
- Will incentives for participation help? Increasing response rates by using carefully chosen incentives.
Question Issues
- What types of questions can you ask? The questions may be personal, complex, detailed etc.
,- Will filter questions be needed? A filter question may be needed in order to determine whether the respondent
is qualified to answer your question of interest.
- Can question sequence be controlled? Can the questions be sequenced in advance or are follow-up questions
necessary?
- Will lengthy question be asked? If the subject of interest is complicated, you may need to provide some
background information for a question.
- Will long response scales be used?
Content Issues
- Can the respondents be expected to know about the issue? The respondent may no keep up with the news or
may not be the right kind of respondent to participate in the study. Personal/telephone interview is appropriate.
- Will the respondent need to consult records? Respondents may need to look up information in records.
Electronic questionnaire is appropriate.
Bias Issues
- Can social desirability be avoided? People generally want to look good in the eyes of others and thus may not
tell the truth.
- Can interviewer distortion and subversion be controlled? The interviewer may ask the questions in the wrong
way or may not listen carefully.
- Can false respondents be avoided? May be hard to determine who responded on a mail survey. People may
incorrectly identify themselves.
Administrative Issues
- Costs. The cost will restrict you to the type of survey you can conduct.
- Facilities. Facilities needed to manage and process your study. Equipment, room etc.
- Time. Some surveys take longer than others. Need enough time for the respondents to respond.
- Personnel. Different surveys require different personnel.
4. Survey Design
- Before constructing survey: reflect on full list of issues, find specific purpose, decide on type of analysis that will
be run, research prior publication for prior questionnaires.
- Decisions: content, wording, placement.
- Primary issues when writing a question:
• Determining the question content, scope, and purpose.
• Choosing the response format that you use for collecting information from the respondent.
• Figuring out how to word the question to get at the issue of interest.
- Then need to place the question in the survey.
1. Types of Questions
- Two broad types: structured (various response options) and unstructured (open-ended, create own answer)
questions.
Structured questions:
- Dichotomous response format: a question response format that allows the respondent to choose between only
two possible responses. E.g. yes/no or male/female or true/false.
- Questions based on level of measurement:
• Nominal response format: a response format that has a number beside each choice where the number has
no meaning except as a placeholder for that response. Makes data entry more efficient.
• Ordinal response format: a response format in which respondents are asked to rank the possible answers in
order of preference.
• Interval level response format: a response measured using numbers spaced at equal intervals where the size
of the interval between potential response values is meaningful. An example would be a 1-to-5 response
scale.
o This is also known as a Likert-type response scale.
o Likert-type response scale: response format where responses are gathered using numbers spaced at
equal intervals.
o Interval response scale is also used for a sematic differential response format or a cumulative response
format.
, - Filter or contingency question: a question you ask the respondents to determine whether they are qualified or
experienced enough to answer a subsequent one. Have to keep the following in mind:
• Avoid having more than three levels (two jumps) for any question.
• If only two levels, use graphics to jump to direct the respondent to the correct subsequent question.
• If possible, jump to a new page.
• Web surveys only show the appropriate questions based on response to filter questions.
2. Question Content
- Is question necessary and useful? Determine whether the question needs to be asked and at what level of
detail.
- Are several questions needed? Sometimes additional questions are required if the question has multiple
subparts.
• Double-barreled question: a question in a survey that asks about two issues but only allows the respondent a
single answer. For instance, the question “What do you think of proposed changes in benefits and hours in
your workplace?” asks simultaneously about two issues but treats it as though they are one.
- Do respondents have the needed information? May need to ask a filter question to determine if the question is
appropriate for them to answer.
- Does the question need to be more specific? When the questions are asked generally, the information obtained
may be difficult to interpret.
- Is the question sufficiently general? Questions could also be too specific.
- Is the question biased or loaded? Your own biases and blind spots may affect your wording.
- Will the respondent answer truthfully? People may be sensitive when it comes to answering some of the
questions such as about age and income. Response brackets may be a potential solution. Response brackets: a
question response format that includes groups of answers, such as between 30 and 40 years old, or between
$50,000 and $100,000 annual income.
3. Response Format
- Response format: the format you use to collect the answer from the respondent.
- Two types of response formats: structured and unstructured response formats.
Structured response format: provides a specific format for the respondent to choose their answer. For example, a
checkbox question lists all of the possible responses.
- Helps the respondent respond more easily and helps the researcher accumulate responses more efficiently.
- Constrains the respondent and limits the researcher’s ability to understand what the respondent really means.
- Types: fill-in-the-blank (e.g. name, checklist line), check the answer (check box), circle the answer.
- Multi-option or multiple-response variable: a question format in which the respondent can pick multiple
variables from a list. Treat each option as a separate variable. E.g. check the answer.
- Single-option variable: a question response list from which the respondent can check only one response. E.g. only
selecting one option.
- Checklist:
• Are all of the alternatives covered?
• Is the list of reasonable length?
• Is the wording impartial?
• Is the form of the response easy, uniform?
Unstructured response format: a response format that is not predetermined and that allows the respondent or
interviewer to determine how to respond. E.g. open-minded question.
- Written text and detailed answers.
- Short comment boxes or transcript of an interview.
4. Question Wording
- Wording differences can confuse the respondent or lead to incorrect interpretations of the question.
- Can the questions be misunderstood? Some terms may be vague.
- What assumptions does the question make? There may be assumptions made about the question.
- Is the time frame specified? This will make the question more specific.
- How personal is the wording? Make sure the questions are appropriate for the context.
- Is the wording too direct? May be threatening or disturbing for the respondent.
- Other wording issues:
Voordelen van het kopen van samenvattingen bij Stuvia op een rij:
Verzekerd van kwaliteit door reviews
Stuvia-klanten hebben meer dan 700.000 samenvattingen beoordeeld. Zo weet je zeker dat je de beste documenten koopt!
Snel en makkelijk kopen
Je betaalt supersnel en eenmalig met iDeal, creditcard of Stuvia-tegoed voor de samenvatting. Zonder lidmaatschap.
Focus op de essentie
Samenvattingen worden geschreven voor en door anderen. Daarom zijn de samenvattingen altijd betrouwbaar en actueel. Zo kom je snel tot de kern!
Veelgestelde vragen
Wat krijg ik als ik dit document koop?
Je krijgt een PDF, die direct beschikbaar is na je aankoop. Het gekochte document is altijd, overal en oneindig toegankelijk via je profiel.
Tevredenheidsgarantie: hoe werkt dat?
Onze tevredenheidsgarantie zorgt ervoor dat je altijd een studiedocument vindt dat goed bij je past. Je vult een formulier in en onze klantenservice regelt de rest.
Van wie koop ik deze samenvatting?
Stuvia is een marktplaats, je koop dit document dus niet van ons, maar van verkoper bastudent. Stuvia faciliteert de betaling aan de verkoper.
Zit ik meteen vast aan een abonnement?
Nee, je koopt alleen deze samenvatting voor €6,49. Je zit daarna nergens aan vast.
Is Stuvia te vertrouwen?
4,6 sterren op Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
Afgelopen 30 dagen zijn er 56326 samenvattingen verkocht
Opgericht in 2010, al 14 jaar dé plek om samenvattingen te kopen