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

2. 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
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3. 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
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4. 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
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5. Advantages of Personal Interviews
Opportunity for Feedback
Probing Complex Answers
High Participation
Personal Interviews
Props and Visual Aids
Length of Interview
Completeness of Questionnaire
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6. Disadvantages of Personal Interviews
Interviewer Influence
Lack of Anonymity of Respondent
Personal Interviews
Cost
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7. 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.
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8. 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
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9. 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.
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10. 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
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11. Personal Interviews Global Considerations
Variations in willingness to participate
Sensitivity to interview subject matter
Beliefs about appropriate business conduct
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12. 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.
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13. Phone Interview Characteristics
Speed
Cost
Absence of face-to-face contact
Cooperation
Incentives to respond
Representative samples
Callbacks
Limited duration
Lack of visual medium
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14. 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.
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15. 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
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16. EXHIBIT 10.1 Self-Administered Questionnaires Can Be Either Printed or Electronic
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17. 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
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18. 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.
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19. 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
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20. EXHIBIT 10.2 A Cover Letter Requesting Participation in a Survey
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21. EXHIBIT 10.3 Plots of Actual Response Patterns for Two Commercial Surveys
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22. 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.
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23. E-Mail Surveys Surveys distributed through electronic mail.
Ways to contact respondents:
Include a questionnaire in the body of an .
Distribute questionnaire as an attachment.
Include a hyperlink within the body of an .
Advantages
Speed of distribution
Lower distribution and processing costs
Faster turnaround time
More flexibility
Less handling of paper questionnaires
Disadvantage
Not all systems have the same capacity
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24. 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.
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25. 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
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26. 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).
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27. 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?
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28. 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.
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29. 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
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