Marketing research / data collection

Marketing Research / Data Collection

Marketing Research/ Data Collection Number Department If my dean were to conduct a survey involving high school seniors about their perception of the school in attempts to design better informational brochures for them, I would urge s/he employs quantitative research methodology by using measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns so that we arrive at information that can be translated into useable statistics (while quantifying attitudes, opinions, behaviors and other defined variables). Such quantitative data collection methods would involve telephone interviews and internet surveys of the seniors requesting information about the school. The survey will predominantly use open-ended questions where respondents are allowed to freely express themselves, explain their views/ opinions and add any sort of recommendations in the end (Vogt, 2010, 377). There are a number of disadvantages of conducting surveys using telephone interviews. For one, telephone interviews are simpler to arrange, and the process itself takes much less time than face-to-face interview sessions. In addition, the cost of interviewing a large number of candidates is much lower than if they were interviewed in person. Telephone interviews also offer wide geographical access, that is, seniors currently in any part of the globe can be interviewed. However, candidates may be unfamiliar with the format or feel uncomfortable using the telephone which would make them nervous or provoke uncharacteristic response. It is also cumbersome evaluating a respondent in terms of non-verbal behavior or body language over the phone. These cues are important in shaping opinion but cannot be gauged from telephone interviews (Vogt, 2010, 411). Internet surveys also come with their fair share of advantages and disadvantages. One of the numerous advantages of internet surveys is the low costs involved in collecting data. Automation and real-time access is another desirable feature of internet surveys as respondents input their own data and it is automatically stored electronically. This makes analysis easier and one that can be streamlined. In addition, rapid deployment and return times that cannot be achieved by other methods are possible with internet surveys. It is also convenient for responders as they can answer questions on their schedule, at their own pace or can even start a survey, stop, attend to other matters and complete the survey later – flexibility. One can also require respondents to provide only one answer to single choice questions, significantly minimizing error and since respondents are not disclosing information directly to another person, they may be more willing and open to share information. However, online surveys are constantly affected by limited sampling and respondent availability as some sections of the respondents are less likely to have internet access. It is much difficult drawing probability samples based on e-mail addresses and website visitations. There could be additional co-operation problems as internet users are today bombarded with numerous messages and can easily ignore/ delete interviewer’s advances. The lack of a trained interviewer to clarify data can result in unreliable information. The type of student sampling to be employed is probability sampling where all seniors have a chance of being selected and the results are thus more likely to accurately reflect the entire population. Using this method, the dean can thereafter generalize the results from a random sample/ expolate the results to the entire population. In this quest however, there are certain constraints that will have to be encountered. These methods of data collection can be time consuming and costly requiring extensive preparation of collection material, personnel and respondents. One requires a number of trained people who will oversee the survey and gather all the relevant information as are necessary. A lot of time is needed in preparation and actual completion of the survey and the whole process generally requires capital input which can reach burdensome levels (Vogt, 2010, 418). ReferencesVogt, W. P., 2010, Data collection, Los Angeles: SAGE, 377, 411, 418.