BUSINESS MARKET RESEARCH ZIKMUND BABIN CARR GRIFFIN BUSINESS MARKET RESEARCH EIGHTH EDITION

LEARNING OUTCOMES After studying this chapter, you should be able to Summarize ways researchers gather information through interviews Compare the advantages and disadvantages of conducting door-to-door, mall intercept, and telephone interviews Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of distributing questionnaires through the mail, the Internet, and other means Discuss the importance of pretesting questionnaires Describe ethical issues that arise in survey research © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Interviews as Interactive Communication Interactive Survey Approaches Those that allow spontaneous two-way interaction between the interviewer and the respondent. Can be either personal or electronic. Noninteractive Media Those that do not facilitate two-way communication and are largely a vehicle by which respondents give answers to static questions. Tradition forms with less flexibility Self-administered mail and Internet surveys © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Personal Interviews A personal interview is a form of direct communication in which an interviewer asks respondents questions face-to-face. Versatile and flexible Truly interactive © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Advantages of Personal Interviews Opportunity for Feedback Probing Complex Answers High Participation Personal Interviews Props and Visual Aids Length of Interview Completeness of Questionnaire © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Disadvantages of Personal Interviews Interviewer Influence Lack of Anonymity of Respondent Personal Interviews Cost © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Door-to-Door Interviews Personal interviews conducted at respondents’ doorsteps in an effort to increase the participation rate in the survey. Callbacks Attempts to recontact individuals selected for a sample who were not available initially. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Door-to-Door Interview Characteristics Speed of data collection: moderate to fast Geographical flexibility: limited to moderate Respondent cooperation: excellent Versatility of questioning: quite versatile Questionnaire length: long Item nonresponse: low Possibility of respondent misunderstanding: lowest Degree of interviewer influence of answer: high Supervision of interviewers: moderate Anonymity of respondent: low Ease of call back or follow-up: difficult Cost: highest due to travel costs Special features: visual materials may be shown or demonstrated; extended probing possible © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Mall Intercept Personal Interview Personal interviews conducted in a shopping mall. Interviewers typically intercept shoppers at a central point within the shopping center or at the main entrance. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Mall Intercept Interview Characteristics Speed of data collection: fast Geographical flexibility: confined, urban bias Respondent cooperation: moderate to low Versatility of questioning: extremely versatile Questionnaire length: moderate to long Item nonresponse: medium Possibility of respondent misunderstanding: lowest Degree of interviewer influence of answers: highest Supervision of interviewers: moderate to high Anonymity of respondent: low Ease of call back or follow-up: difficult Cost: Lower than door-to-door Special features: taste tests, viewing of TV commercials possible © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Personal Interviews Global Considerations Variations in willingness to participate Sensitivity to interview subject matter Beliefs about appropriate business conduct © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Telephone Interviews Telephone Interviews Mobile Phone Interviews Personal interviews conducted by telephone. The mainstay of commercial survey research. “No-call” legislation has limited this capacity. Mobile Phone Interviews In U.S., no telemarketing can be directed toward mobile phone numbers. Recipient of call is even more likely to be distracted. Area codes not necessarily tied to geography. Phones have varying abilities. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Phone Interview Characteristics Speed Cost Absence of face-to-face contact Cooperation Incentives to respond Representative samples Callbacks Limited duration Lack of visual medium © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Types of Telephone Interviews Central Location Interviewing Conducting interviews from a central location allowing firms to hire a staff of professional interviewers and to supervise and control the quality of interviewing more effectively. Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) Allows answers to telephone interviews to be entered directly into a computer for processing. Computerized Voice-Activated Telephone Interview Combining computerized telephone dialing and voice-activated computer messages to allow researchers to conduct telephone interviews without human interviewers. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Telephone Interview Recap Speed of data collection: very fast Geographical flexibility: high Respondent cooperation: good Versatility of questioning: moderate Questionnaire length: moderate Item nonresponse: medium Possibility of respondent misunderstanding: average Degree of interviewer influence of answer: moderate Supervision of interviewers: high, especially with central location interviewing Anonymity of respondent: moderate Ease of call back or follow-up: easy Cost: low to moderate Special features: fieldwork and supervision of data collection are simplified; quite adaptable to computer technology © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

EXHIBIT 10.1 Self-Administered Questionnaires Can Be Either Printed or Electronic © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Mail Questionnaires Characteristics of Mail Questionnaires Geographical flexibility Cost Respondent convenience Anonymity of respondent Absence of interviewer Standardized questions Time is money Length of mail questionnaire © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Self-Administered Questionnaires Response Rate The number of questionnaires returned or completed divided by the number of eligible people who were asked to participate in the survey. Factors that Bias the Response Rate Persons who will complete questionnaires versus those persons who will not. Person filling out survey is not the intended subject. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Increasing Response Rates for Mail Surveys Cover letter Money helps Interesting questions Follow-ups Advance notification Survey sponsorship Other techniques Keying mail questionnaires with codes © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

EXHIBIT 10.2 A Cover Letter Requesting Participation in a Survey © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

EXHIBIT 10.3 Plots of Actual Response Patterns for Two Commercial Surveys © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Fax Surveys A survey that uses fax machines as a way for respondents to receive and return questionnaires. Advantages Reduce sender’s printing and postage costs Is quicker than traditional mail surveys Disadvantage Only respondents with fax machines who are willing to exert the extra effort will return questionnaires. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

E-Mail Surveys Surveys distributed through electronic mail. Ways to contact respondents: Include a questionnaire in the body of an e-mail. Distribute questionnaire as an attachment. Include a hyperlink within the body of an e-mail. Advantages Speed of distribution Lower distribution and processing costs Faster turnaround time More flexibility Less handling of paper questionnaires Disadvantage Not all e-mail systems have the same capacity © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Internet Surveys A self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web site. Respondents provide answers to questions displayed online by highlighting a phrase, clicking an icon, or keying in an answer. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Internet Survey Characteristics Speed and cost effectiveness Visual appeal and interactivity Respondent participation and cooperation Representative samples Accurate real-time data capture Callbacks Personalized and flexible questioning Respondent anonymity Response rates Security concerns © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Other Approaches Kiosk Surveys Mixed-Mode Survey Research Placed in high-traffic locations (e.g., airports). Mixed-Mode Survey Research Employs any combination of survey methods. Text-Message Surveys May use SMS (short-message service) or MMS (Multi-Media Service). © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Selecting the Appropriate Survey Approach Questions to be answered: Is the assistance of an interviewer necessary? Are respondents interested in the issues being investigated? Will cooperation be easily attained? How quickly is the information needed? Will the study require a long and complex questionnaire? How large is the budget? © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Pretesting Survey Instruments Screening procedure that involves a trial run with a group of respondents to iron out fundamental problems in the survey design. Basic Ways to Pretest: Screen the questionnaire with other research professionals. Have the client or the research manager review the finalized questionnaire. Collect data from a small number of respondents. © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ethical Issues in Survey Research Many ethical issues apply to survey research: Respondents’ right to privacy Use of deception Respondents’ right to be informed Need for confidentiality Need for honesty in collecting data Need for objectivity in reporting data © 2010 South-Western/Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publically accessible website, in whole or in part.