1. Chapter Seven Descriptive Research Designs: Survey Methods and Errors
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

2. Learning Objectives
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using 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.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

3. Learning Objectives
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.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

4. Introduction
The researcher should consider using a descriptive research design to collect primary data if:
They require primary data from members of the defined target population, and
If management’s initial decision problems are linked to specified questions concerning:
Who, what, when, where, why and how about known members (or elements) of the target population.
Identifying meaningful relationships, establishing the existence of true differences and/or verifying the validity of relationships between the marketing variables.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

5. Survey Research Methods
Research procedures for collecting large amounts of data using question and answer formats.
Collect ‘standardised’ data.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

6. Select the Research Design - Descriptive Research Designs
Descriptive research designs include a range of survey research methods.
These include person-administered surveys, telephone-administered surveys, self-administered surveys and online-administered surveys.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

7. Descriptive Research Designs
The need for descriptive research designs:
When the researcher requires large amounts of information from enough members of the target population so that inductive logic and probabilistic inferences can be drawn.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

8. Survey Research Methods
These methods are important in marketing research:
Generally associated with descriptive and causal research.
Distinguished by the need to collect data from large samples of people.
Administered to selected individuals with responses recorded in a structured and precise manner.
Provide specific facts and estimates so that accurate predictions can be made.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

9. Advantages and Disadvantages of Quantitative Survey Research Designs
Advantages of Survey Methods
Disadvantages of Survey Methods
Ability to accommodate large sample sizes at relatively low costs - this increases generalisability of results.
Ability to distinguish small differences.
Ease of administering and recording questions and answers.
Can use advanced statistical analysis.
Abilities of tapping into factors and relationships not directly measurable.
Difficulty of developing accurate survey instruments (questionnaire designs).
Limitations to the in-depth detail in the data.
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.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

10. Types of Survey Methods
Person-administered surveys
Requires trained interviewer.
Telephone-administered surveys
Generally use CATI.
Self-administered surveys
Respondent records answers without an interviewer.
Online-administered surveys
Conducted online.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

11. Types of Survey Methods— Person-Administered
In-home interview
An interview takes place in the respondent's home or, in special situations, within the respondent’s work environment (in-office).
Executive interview
An interview takes place with the business executive in person.
Shopping centre/ Mall-intercept interview
The interviewer stops shopping patrons and asks for feedback during their visit to a shopping centre or a shopping mall.
Purchase-intercept interview
The interviewer stops the respondent and asks for feedback at the point of purchase.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

12. Types of Survey Methods— Telephone-Administered
Telephone interview
An interview takes place over the phone. Interviews may be conducted from a central telephone location or the interviewer’s home.
Computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)
A telephone interview takes place using a computer: the interviewer reads the questions from a computer screen and directly records the answers. Computer software can manage selection of telephone numbers and the order of questions to be asked. Questions can be skipped where appropriate and the question order can be rotated.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

13. Types of Survey Methods— Self-Administered
Direct mail survey
AS EXHIBIT 7.2
Mail panel survey
AS EXHIBIT 7.2
Drop-off survey
AS EXHIBIT 7.2
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

14. Types of Survey Methods— Online
Fax survey
AS EXHIBIT 7.2
survey
AS EXHIBIT 7.2
Internet survey
AS EXHIBIT 7.2
See Exhibit 7.2
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

15. Other Survey Designs Drop off surveys Fax surveys Direct mail
Mail panels
Proctor and Gamble’s
Zoomerang
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

16. Online Techniques are Replacing Traditional Techniques
Techniques such as CAPI are replacing personal interviews.
CATI has replaced (in most cases) traditional telephone interviews.
Exhibit 7.3 on the next slide shows the new online methods.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

17. The New Online Methods Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

18. Benefits of the Computer-Assisted Data Collection Methods
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

19. Factors for Selecting the Appropriate Survey Method
Situational Characteristics
Budget of available resources
What degree of appropriate resources can be committed to the project?
Consider:
Total dollars and worker hours available.
Cost of collecting the required data.
Completion time frame
How much time is needed for completing the research project?
Consider:
Data-gathering
Analysis
Information-generation activities
Quality requirement of the data
How accurate and representative is the derived information to the research problem? Consider:
Completeness
Generalisability
Precision
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

20. Factors for Selecting the Appropriate Survey Method
Data quality determination definitions
Completeness
How much information and what degree of detail are needed for the defined research problem?
Generalisability
At what level of confidence does the researcher want to make inferences about the defined target population form the data results?
Precision
What is the acceptable level of error that the data results may have in representing true population parameters?
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

21. Factors for Selecting the Appropriate Survey Method
Task Characteristics
Difficulty of the task
How much effort is required by the respondent to answer the questions?
How hard does the subject have to work to answer the questions?
How much preparation is required to create a desired environment for the respondents?
Stimuli needed to elicit the response
How much physical stimulus does a respondent need? Do specific stimuli have to be used to elicit a response? How complex do the stimuli have to be?
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

22. Factors for Selecting the Appropriate Survey Method
Task Characteristics
Amount of information needed from the respondent
How detailed do the respondent’s answers have to be? Will probing activities be needed? How many questions should there be? How long should the respondent expect to take?
Research topic Sensitivity
To what degree are the survey’s questions socially, politically and/or personally sensitive?
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

23. Factors for Selecting the Appropriate Survey Method
Respondent Characteristics
Diversity
AS EXHIBIT 7.6
Incidence rate
AS EXHIBIT 7.6
Degree of survey participation
AS EXHIBIT 7.6
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

24. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Random sampling errors and Non-sampling errors
Random sampling error
Error associated with the sampled data results due to some form of natural random chance or random fluctuations in the data estimates.
The statistically measured difference between the actual sampled results and the estimated true population results.
As sample size increases, sampling error decreases.
Non-sampling error
All errors that enter survey research design that are not related to the sampling method or sample size.
Often called systematic error.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

25. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Respondent error sources
Refusal: A prospective respondent is unwilling to participate.
Non-response 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 is not represented or is under represented.
Not at home: A prospective respondent is not reasonably able to be reached despite reasonable attempts.
Wrong mailing address: A prospective respondent’s address is outdated or inactive.
Wrong telephone number: A prospective respondent’s telephone number is no longer in service or is incorrect.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

26. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Respondent error sources
Hostility: A response that arises from feelings of anger or resentment due to the response task.
Response error
Occurs when a significant number of respondents either unconsciously or deliberately misrepresent or deliberately falsify their responses.
Social desirability: A response based on what is perceived to be socially acceptable or respectable.
Prestige: A response intended to enhance the image of the respondent.
Auspices error: A response dictated by the image or opinion of the sponsor rather than the actual question.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

27. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Respondent error sources
Yea- and nay- saying: A response influenced by the tendency towards positive or negative answers.
Response error
Occurs when a significant number of respondents either unconsciously or deliberately misrepresent or deliberately falsify their responses.
Mental set error: A response based on perceptions influenced by previous responses over later ones.
Extremity error: A response influenced by clarity or extreme scale points and ambiguity of midrange options.
Acquiescence error: A response based on the respondent’s perception of what would be desirable to the sponsor.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

28. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Measurement and design error sources
Construct development error
Occurs when the researcher does not accurately or completely identify the important sub-dimensions of the constructs to be measured.
The data is misidentified because the composite does not represent the intended object to be measured.
Incomplete constructs: Only partial data requirements are met. This creates inappropriate guidelines for scale measurement and questionnaire design activities.
Low reliability or validity: Construct validity is not maintained, which increases the likelihood of collecting irrelevant or low-quality data.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

29. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Measurement and design error sources
Lack of precision: Decreases reliability of data quality.
Scaling measurement error
Occurs when the researcher designs inaccuracies into the various scales used to collect the primary data.
Errors could come from inappropriate questions or set-ups, scale attributes or actual scale points used to represent respondents’ answers.
Lack of discriminatory power: Respondents encounter difficulties in accurate expression or sensitivity between possible answers. Data cannot be used to detect small differences.
Ambiguity of questions or set-ups: Misleads or confuses the respondent.
Inappropriate scale descriptors: Survey collects wrong or incomplete data which severely reduces the researcher’s ability to create meaningful information.
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

30. Survey instrument design error Types of researcher error sources in survey research methods
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

31. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Measurement and design error sources
Data analysis error
Represents a group of errors that relate to subjecting the data to inappropriate analysis procedures.
Inappropriate analysis
Predictive analysis
Misinterpretation error
Inaccurate transformations of data and analysis results into usable bits of information for the decision maker.
Interpretative bias
Selective perception
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

32. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Administrative error sources
Data processing error
Occurs when researchers are not accurate or complete in transferring the data from respondents to computer data files.
Data coding errors
Data entry errors
Data editing errors
Interviewer error
Occurs when interviewers distort information, in a systematic way, from respondents during or after the interviewer/respondent encounter.
Unconscious misrepresentation
Recording errors
Cheating
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex

33. Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods
Administrative error sources
Sample design error
Represents systematic inaccuracies created by using a faulty sampling design to identify and reach the selected ‘right’ respondents.
This will limit the generalisability, reliability and validity of the collected data.
Population specification error
Sample selection error
Sampling frame error
Copyright  2007 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
PPTs t/a Marketing Research 2e by Hair, Lukas, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Judy Rex