1. SURVEY RESEARCH: BASIC METHODS OF COMMUNICATION WITH RESPONDENTS
1. To understand when personal interviews, telephone interviews, or self-administered surveys should be conducted 2. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews 3. To explain when door-to-door personal interviews should be used instead of mall intercept interviews 4. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of telephone surveys 5. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of mail, the Internet, and other means of distributing self-administered questionnaires 6. To understand how to increase response rates to mail surveys 7. To provide examples of the influence of modern technology on survey research 8. To select the appropriate survey research design 9. To discuss the importance of pre-testing questionnaires

2. Human Interactive Media and Electronic Interactive Media
Media Used to Communicate With Respondents
Human Interactive Media and Electronic Interactive Media
Human interactive media are a personal form of communication
Electronic interactive media allow marketers to reach a large audience, to personalize individual messages, and to interact using digital technology
Non-interactive Media
Self-administered questionnaires printed on paper are non-interactive

3. Using Interviews To Communicate With Respondents
Interviews can be categorized based on the medium the researcher uses in communicating with individuals and recording data

4. Personal Interviews Personal Interview
Face-to-face communication in which an interviewer asks a respondent to answer questions

5. Personal Interviews (cont’d)
The Advantages of Personal Interviews
The opportunity for feedback
Probing Complex Answers
Probing: A method used in personal interviews in which the interviewer asks the respondent for clarification of answers to standardized questions
Length of Interview
Completeness of Questionnaire
Item nonresponse: Failure of a respondent to provide an answer to a survey question
Props and Visual Aids
High Participation

6. Personal Interviews (cont’d)
Disadvantages of Personal Interviews
Interviewer influence
Lack of anonymity of respondent
Cost

7. Personal Interviews (cont’d)
Door-to-Door Interviews and Shopping Mall Intercepts
Door-to-door interview
Personal interview conducted at respondents’ doorsteps in an effort to increase the participation rate in the survey
Callback
An attempt to recontact individuals selected for a sample who were not available initially
Mall intercept interview
Personal interview conducted in a shopping mall
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited –8

8. Personal Interviews (cont’d)
Global Considerations
Willingness to participate in a personal interview varies dramatically around the world
The norms about appropriate business conduct also influence business people’s willingness to provide information to interviewers

9. Telephone Interviews Telephone Interview
Personal interview conducted by telephone, the mainstay of commercial survey research

10. Telephone Interviews (cont’d)
The Characteristics of Telephone Interviews
Speed
Cost
Absence of face-to-face contact
Cooperation
Representative samples
Callbacks
Limited duration
Lack of visual medium

11. Central Location Interviewing
Telephone interviews conducted from a central location using WATS lines at fixed charges

12. Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing
Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)
Technology that allows answers to telephone interviews to be entered directly into a computer for processing
Computerized Voice-Activated Telephone Interview
Combining computerized telephone dialling and voice-activated computer messages to allow researchers to conduct telephone interviews without human interviewers
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited –13

13. Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing
Global Considerations
Different cultures often have different norms about proper telephone behaviour

14. Self-Administered Questionnaires
Survey in which the respondent takes the responsibility for reading and answering the questions

15. Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)
Mail Questionnaires
Mail Survey
A self-administered questionnaire sent to respondents through the mail
Advantages and disadvantages of mail surveys:
Geographic flexibility
Cost
Respondent convenience
Anonymity of respondent
Absence of interviewer
Standardized questions
Time is money
Length of mail questionnaire

16. Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)
Response Rate
The number of questionnaires returned or completed divided by the number of eligible people who were asked to participate in the survey

17. Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)
Increasing Response Rates for Mail Surveys
Cover letter
Letter that accompanies a questionnaire to induce the reader to complete and return the questionnaire
Incentives help
Interesting questions
Follow-ups
Advance notification
Survey sponsorship
Other techniques
Keying mail questionnaires with codes

18. Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)
Global Considerations
Researchers conducting surveys in more than one country must recognize that postal services and cultural circumstances differ around the world

19. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution
Drop-off Method
A survey method that requires the interviewer to travel to the respondent’s location to drop off questionnaires that will be picked up later
Fax Surveys
A survey that uses fax machines as a way for respondents to receive and return questionnaires
Surveys
Surveys distributed through electronic mail

20. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)
Internet Surveys
A self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web site
Advantages and disadvantages of Internet surveys:
Speed and cost-effectiveness
Visual appeal and interactivity
Respondent participation and cooperation
Representative samples
Accurate real-time data capture
Callbacks
Personalized and flexible questioning

21. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)
Internet Surveys (cont’d)
Advantages and disadvantages of Internet surveys (cont’d):
Respondent anonymity
Response rates
Security concerns
Kiosk Interactive Surveys
A computer with a touch screen may be installed in a kiosk at a trade show, at a professional conference, in an airport, or in any other high-traffic location to administer an interactive survey

22. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)
Survey Research That Mixes Modes
Mixed-mode survey
Study that employs any combination of survey methods

23. Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research Design
To determine the appropriate technique, the researcher must ask several questions:
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?

24. Pre-Testing Pre-Testing
Screening procedure that involves a trial run with a group of respondents to iron out fundamental problems in the survey design

25. Ethical Issues in Survey Research
Many ethical issues apply to survey research:
Respondents’ right to privacy
The use of deception
Respondents’ right to be informed about the purpose of the research
The need for confidentiality
The need for honesty in collecting data
The need for objectivity in reporting data