Business Research Design

Business Research Design Questionnaire Design

Questionnaire Definition • A questionnaire is a set of questions to be asked from respondents • It should also have appropriate instructions for interviewer for proper administration Functions • Enables data collection • Lends structure to the interview • Provides standard mean to write down answers • Helps in processing collected data

Various steps in questionnaire design • Preliminary Decisions • Question content • Response format • Question wording • Question sequence • Pre-test, revision & final draft

Preliminary Decisions • Required Information : The information needed keeping in view objectives of the study. Questionnaire translates information needed into a set of specific questions • Target population: The characteristics of respondent group has great influence on questionnaire design.(users/nonusers, illiterates/educated) • Interviewing Technique: The format & type of questions will be different for personal interviews, FGD,s ,Mailed Questionnaires & telephonic interviews

Effect of Interviewing Method on Questionnaire Design Department Store Project Mail or personal Questionnaire • Please rank order the following department stores in order of your preference to shop at these stores. Begin by picking out the one store that you like most and assign it a number 1. Then find the second most preferred department store and assign it a number 2. Continue this procedure until you have ranked all the stores in order of preference. The least preferred store should be assigned a rank of 10. No two stores should receive the same rank number. Store Rank Order 1. Lord & Taylor ____________ 2. Macy's ____________ . . 10. Wal-Mart ____________

Effect of Interviewing Method on Questionnaire Design Telephone Questionnaire • I will read to you the names of some department stores. Please rate them in terms of your preference to shop at these stores. Use a ten point scale, where 1 denotes not so preferred and 10 denotes greatly preferred. Numbers between 1 and 10 reflect intermediate degrees of preference. Again, please remember that the higher the number, the greater the degree of preference. Now, please tell me your preference to shop at .......(READ ONE STORE AT A TIME) Store Not So Greatly Preferred Preferred 1. Lord & Taylor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2. Macy's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 . . . 10. Wal-Mart 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Question Content • Once the information needed is specified & type of interview method is decided next step is to determine individual question content • Five major questions need to be answered while deciding question content --Utility of question ( Can the question be dropped ?) --Effectiveness of question (Double barreled question) --Respondents’ ability to answer accurately( Memory Lapse) --Respondents’ willingness to answer(Sensitive Question) --Effect of external events( rained last week)

Response Format • Unstructured/open ended: Questions that respondents answer in their own words • Structured/ closed ended :Questions that pre-specify the set of response alternatives & the response format:( multiple Choice, Dichotomous, Scales)

Open Ended vs Closed Ended

Response Format Undisguised/Direct: Questions that are directly asked to get respondents’ answer Disguised/ Indirect :Questions that are indirectly asked to tackle sensitive issues or to probe onto respondent’s psyche or to get rid of biased responses(Projective techniques used mostly for exploratory research)

Choosing Question StructureUnstructured Questions • Unstructured questions are open-ended questions that respondents answer in their own words. • What do you like about Surf Detergent? • Do you intend to buy a new car within the next six months? __________________________________

Choosing Question StructureStructured Questions • Structured questions specify the set of response alternatives and the response format. A structured question may be multiple-choice, dichotomous, or a scale.

Choosing Question StructureMultiple-Choice Questions • In multiple-choice questions, the researcher provides a choice of answers and respondents are asked to select one or more of the alternatives given. What do you like about Surf Detergent? ____ Its cleaning power ____ Its price ____ Its fragnance ____ It dissolves easily ____ Its stain removing ability ____ Any other( Pl.Specify)

Choosing Question StructureMultiple-Choice Questions • In multiple-choice questions, the researcher provides a choice of answers and respondents are asked to select one or more of the alternatives given. Do you intend to buy a new car within the next six months? ____ Definitely will not buy ____ Probably will not buy ____ Undecided ____ Probably will buy ____ Definitely will buy ____ Other (please specify)

Choosing Question StructureDichotomous Questions • A dichotomous question has only two response alternatives: yes or no, agree or disagree, and so on. • Often, the two alternatives of interest are supplemented by a neutral alternative, such as “no opinion,” “don't know,” “both,” or “none.” Do you intend to buy a new car within the next six months? _____ Yes _____ No _____ Don't know

Choosing Question StructureScales • Scales were discussed earlier: Do you intend to buy a new car within the next six months? Definitely Probably Undecided Probably Definitely will not buy will not buy will buy will buy 1 2 3 4 5

Undisguised vs Disguised Questions • Completely disguised questions are sometimes needed to get true answers • Are you a good parent? Direct OrUndisguised • What is your opinion on deficiencies you have observed in how other bring up their children? Indirect or Disguised • A qualified analyst can interpret the answers to gauge how good a parent the respondent is • If Pepsi has sponsored a study respondents might be biased towards Pepsi. • To get unbiased opinions researchers sometimes do not disclose the sponsors

A QUESTIONNAIRE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE QUESTIONS IT ASKS

A Good Questionnaire Appears • As easy to compose as a good poem • But, it is usually the result of long, painstaking work

Question Wording • Question wording is translation of desired question content & structure into words that can be easily &clearly understood by respondents • Guidelines for question wording define the issue-Define clearly the issue being addressed language of communication- Language respondents understand use non technical words-Matching vocabulary level avoid ambiguous words-Should have a single meaning avoid leading questions-Leads respondent to an answer avoid implicit alternatives-Alternative not explicitly given avoid generalizations & estimates-Qs Specific not general Avoid double barrelled Questions-Two or more ideas included in one question

Question Wording Define the issue: ---Which brand of shampoo do you use? (incorrect) ---Which brand or brands of shampoo have you personally used at home during the last month? In case of more than one brand please list all the brands that apply .( Correct) ---Who = Respondent ---What =What brand ---When = Last week, last time, last month ---Where = At home

Question Wording Please list all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping trip to a department store. (Incorrect) In the list that follows, please check all the departments from which you purchased merchandise on your most recent shopping trip to a department store. 1. Women's dresses ____2. Men's apparel ____3. Children's apparel ____4. Cosmetics ____...16. Jewelry ____17. Other (please specify) ____ (Correct)

Question Wording(Recall) How many litres of soft drinks did you consume during the last four weeks? (Incorrect) How often do you consume soft drinks in a typical week? (Correct) 1. ___ Less than once a week 2. ___ 1 to 3 times per week 3. ___ 4 to 6 times per week 4. ___ 7 or more times per week

Question Wording Use ordinary non technical word: ---Do you think the distribution of soft drinks is adequate? (incorrect) ---Do you think soft drinks are easily available when you want them?( Correct) Avoid ambiguous words --In a typical month how often you shop in a department store?

Question Wording Avoid Leading Questions: ---Do you think patriotic Indians should buy imported cars that would put Indian labour out of work ? Yes---- No---- Don’t know------ (incorrect) --- Do you think the Indians should buy imported cars Yes---- No---- Don’t know------ (correct)

Question Wording Avoid Leading Questions: ---Do you think that TV has a negative effect on children ?(Incorrect) --- (What are your views on effect of TV on children? (correct)

Question Wording Avoid implicit alternatives: Do you like to fly when traveling short distances? (incorrect) Do you like to fly when traveling short distances or would you like to drive ? (correct) Avoid generalizations & Estimates What is the annual per capita expenditure on groceries in your household? (Incorrect) What is the monthly expenditure on groceries in your household? How many members are there in your household? (correct)

Avoid Double barreled questions • Sometimes, several questions are needed to obtain the required information in an unambiguous manner. Consider the question, “Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty and refreshing soft drink?” (Incorrect) • Such a question is called a double-barreled question, because two or more questions are combined into one. To obtain the required information, two distinct questions should be asked: “Do you think Coca-Cola is a tasty soft drink?” and “Do you think Coca-Cola is a refreshing soft drink?” (Correct)

Question Wording Avoid Double barreled Questions: --Do you like fuel efficient cars with comfortable seats? (Incorrect) --Do you like fuel efficient cars ? --Do you like cars with comfortable seats? ( Correct)

Order of Questions • Questions should be properly sequenced for better & effective responses • The sequencing tends to drive the interview through a funnel shaped process starting with general questions & progressing to more specific ones • The interviewer before moving to sequential steps should give a brief introduction about purpose of the survey

Order of Questions Sequencing involves following steps • Lead-In Questions • Qualifying Questions • Warm-Up Questions • Specific Questions • Demographic Questions

Order of Questions • Lead-In Questions: ---Introductory, non threatening or ice breaking --Crucial in gaining participants’ confidence --About hot topics of the day with little importance to survey --Q:It is generally said that economic condition in India is by product of political situation.Do you agree? --Ans: Yes/No

Order of Questions • Qualifying Questions: ---Questions that slowly lead to survey’s objective --Questions that evaluate the respondent & qualify him/her for further questioning. -- Survey for estimating market potential for a new fluoride based toothpaste brand could ask qualifying question like Q: What type of toothpaste do you like ? Ans : Fluoride, Herbal , Calcium

Order of Questions • Warm –up questions: --- After a series of lead in & qualifying questions warm up questions are asked --Questions that play on respondents' mind by making them think of certain facts related to survey -- Survey for estimating market potential for a new fluoride based toothpaste brand could ask warm-up question like Q:When was the last time you bought toothpaste? Was it fluoride or herbal ?

Order of Questions • Specific questions: --- After a series of lead in , qualifying & warm up questions specific questions are asked --Questions that are specific to research objectives -- Are asked to participants who show favorable response or are end users of product (Fluoride Toothpaste) --Questions relating to usage pattern, influential factors in using fluoride toothpaste --These questions play a major role in data collection & analysis --After ensuring that enough rapport has been established this section can probe to get insights into sensitive issues

Order of Questions • Demographic questions: ---These are necessary part of every survey --Set of questions related to age, sex, location, occupation used for classification in analysis --These are kept at the end to avoid respondent's resistance & to prevent his attention from being diverted --

Pre Testing ,Revision & Final Draft • Pre Testing: ---It refers to testing questionnaire on a small sample selected on convenience basis ---To identify & eliminate flaws in all aspects of questionnaire from question content to question sequence ---Pre testing is always done by personal interviews so that first hand information about likely problems in data collection can be obtained ---After pre testing the questionnaire is revised by removing flaws --After the revision the questionnaire is ready as a final draft used for actual survey

The Major Decisions in Questionnaire Design 1. What should be asked? 2. How should each question be phrased? 3. In what sequence should the questions be arranged? 4. What questionnaire layout will best serve the research objectives? 5. How should the questionnaire be pretested? Does the questionnaire need to be revised?

1. Do you believe that private citizens have the right to own firearms to defend themselves, their families, and property from violent criminal attack? Yes No Undecided

2. Do you believe that a ban on the private ownership of firearms would be significantly reduce the number of murders and robberies in your community? Yes No Undecided

1a. How many years have you been playing tennis on a regular basis? Number of years: __________ b. What is your level of play? Novice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -1 Advanced . . . . . . . -4 Lower Intermediate . . . . . -2 Expert . . . . . . . . . -5 Upper Intermediate . . . . . -3 Teaching Pro . . . . -6 c. In the last 12 months, has your level of play improved, remained the same or decreased? Improved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . -1 Decreased. . . . . . . -3 Remained the same . . . . . -2

2a. Do you belong to a club with tennis facilities? Yes . . . . . . . -1 No . . . . . . . -2 b. How many people in your household - including yourself - play tennis? Number who play tennis ___________ 3a. Why do you play tennis? (Please “X” all that apply.) To have fun . . . . . . . . . . -1 To stay fit. . . . . . . . . . . . -2 To be with friends. . . . . . -3 To improve my game . . . -4 To compete. . . . . . . . . . . -5 To win. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -6 b. In the past 12 months, have you purchased any tennis instructional books or video tapes? Yes . . . . . . . -1 No . . . . . . . -2

Dear Passenger: Indian Airlines is pleased to have you on board today. To help us provide the best service possible, we need to know more about you and your opinions of our service. If you are over 18 years old, we would appreciate it if you would complete this questionnaire. Your flight attendant will pick up your completed questionnaire shortly. Thank you.

1. Please indicate: Flight number ___________ Date_____________ 2a. At the city where you boarded this particular plane, did you make a connection from another flight? Yes, from IA . . . . 1 Yes, from Other Airline . . 2 No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 b. Did you board this plane at the airport from which it just took off, or were you a through passenger for which that was an intermediate stop? Boarded here . . . . . . . . . . 1 Through passenger. . . . . . 2 3. How would you rate the overall service from IA for this flight, all things considered, from your arrival at the airport terminal until now? Excellent Good Fair Poor Overall Service . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4

4. Please rate each of the following with regard to this flight, if applicable. Excellent Good Fair Poor 1 2 3 4 Courtesy and Treatment from the: Skycap at airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Airport Ticket Counter Agent . . . . . Boarding Point (Gate) Agent . . . . . Flight Attendants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Your Meal or Snack. . . . . . . . . . . . . Beverage Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seat Comfort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carry-On Stowage Space. . . . . . . . Cabin Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video/Stereo Entertainment . . . . . . On-Time Departure . . . . . . . . . . . .

Identify the Form and Layout Questionnaire Design Process Specify the Information Needed Specify the Type of Interviewing Method Determine the Content of Individual Questions Design the Question to Overcome the Respondent’s Inability and Unwillingness to Answer Decide the Question Structure Determine the Question Wording Arrange the Questions in Proper Order Reproduce the Questionnaire Eliminate Bugs by Pre-testing

Questionnaire Design Checklist Step 1. Specify The Information Needed Step 2. Type of Interviewing Method Step 3. Individual Question Content Step 4. Overcome Inability and Unwillingness to Answer Step 5. Choose Question Structure Step 6. Choose Question Wording Step 7. Determine the Order of Questions Step 8. Form and Layout Step 9. Reproduce the Questionnaire Step 10. Pretest

Questionnaire Design Checklist . • Step 1. Specify the Information Needed • Ensure that the information obtained fully addresses all the components of the problem. Review components of the problem and the approach, particularly the research questions, hypotheses, and specification of information needed. • Prepare a set of dummy tables. • Have a clear idea of the target population. • Step 2. Type of Interviewing Method • Review the type of interviewing method determined based on considerations discussed in Chapter 6.

Questionnaire Design Checklist . • Step 3. Individual Question Content • Is the question necessary? • Are several questions needed instead of one to obtain the required information in an unambiguous manner? • Do not use double-barreled questions.

Questionnaire Design Checklist • Step 4. Overcoming Inability and Unwillingness to Answer • Is the respondent informed? • If respondents are not likely to be informed, filter questions that measure familiarity, product use, and past experience should be asked before questions about the topics themselves. • Can the respondent remember? • Avoid errors of omission, telescoping, and creation. • Questions which do not provide the respondent with cues can underestimate the actual occurrence of an event. • Can the respondent articulate?

Business Research Design