abhishreshthaa
Abhijeet S
DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS
1) PERSONAL INTERVIEW
An interviewer asking questions generally face-to-face to other persons conducts personal interview.
This sort of interview may be in the form of direct personal investigation or it may be an indirect oral investigation.
This method is particularly suitable for intensive investigations.
Advantages
1. More information and that too in greater depth can be obtained.
2. Interviewer can overcome any resistance, if any, of the respondents; this interview can be made to yield an almost perfect sample of he population.
3. There is greater flexibility as questions can be restructured as when needed, especially in the unstructured interviews.
4. Observation method can supplement verbal recording of answers.
5. Personal information can be obtained easily in this method.
6. Sample control can be maintained, as non-response generally remains low.
7. Unlike mailed questionnaire, the interviewer can usually control which persons will answer the questions.
8. The interviewer can catch the respondent off-guard and thus record the spontaneous reactions.
9. The language of the interview can be changed according to the education level of the respondent.
10. The interviewer can collect supplementary information about respondent's personal characteristics and environment, which helps while interpreting, results.
Disadvantages
1. It can be quite expensive method, especially when large and widespread geographical sample is taken.
2. Possibility of bias of interviewer and respondent is maximum.
3. Certain respondents such as important officials cannot be approachable under this method.
4. It is time-consuming especially when sample is large and re-calls o respondents are to be made.
5. Sometimes the presence of he interview can over-stimulate he respondent and he may give imaginary answers to make the interview interesting.
6. Under the interview method the organization required for selection, training and supervising the field-staff is more complex with formidable problems.
7. Interviewing at times may introduce systematic errors.
8. Interview presupposes a proper rapport with respondents for free and frank responses, which is not always possible.
2) TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS
This method of collecting information consists contacting information consists contacting respondents on telephone itself.
It is not a very widely used method, but plays important role in industrial surveys in developed regions.
Advantages
1. It is more flexible in comparison to mail method.
2. It is faster in obtaining information than other methods.
3. It is cheaper compared to personal interviews; here the cost per response is very low.
4. Recall is easy; callbacks are economic and simple.
5. There is higher rate of response than mailing method
6. Replies can be recorded without causing embarrassment to respondents.
7. Interviewer can explain requirements more easily.
8. Access can be gained to respondents who otherwise cannot be contacted for one reason to other.
9. No field staff is required.
10. Wider distribution of sample is possible.
Disadvantages
1. Little time is given to respondents to answer, as these types of interviews do not last for more than 5 minutes.
2. Survey is restricted to people who have telephones.
3. Cost plays a major part in extensive geographical coverage.
4. It is not suitable for interviews having comprehensive answers to various questions.
5. Some extent of interviewer's bias exists.
6. Questions have to be short and probes are difficult to handle.
3) COMMERCIAL SURVEYS
Commercial surveys can be divided into three types: Periodic, Panel and Shared surveys. Each of them are discussed below
Periodic surveys
Periodic surveys are conducted at regular intervals, ranging from weekly to annually held surveys.
They use a new sample of respondents for each survey, focusing on the same topic and allowing the analysis of trends over a period.
Periodic surveys are conducted by mail, personal interview and telephone.
The disadvantage here could be that when periodic surveys are conducted at known intervals, they might affect the behavior being measured.
An example of this kind of surveys could be TRPs.
Panel surveys
Panel surveys, sometimes called interval panels, are conducted among a group of respondents who have agreed to respond to a number of mail, telephone or occasionally personal interviews over time. These need not occur regularly.
But a continuous panel or panel data (explained more in panels) refers to a group of individuals who agree to report specified behaviors over time.
The advantages of this method are
The research firm initially collects all the personal information about the respondents and does not waste time again in collecting this information during interviews. This increases the quality of the research data.
The response rate can be as high as 70% - 90%.
Shared surveys
Shared surveys, sometimes referred to as omnibus surveys, are administered by a research firm and consist of questions supplied by multiple clients.
Such surveys can involve mail, telephone, or personal interviews.
The respondents may be drawn from either an interval panel or random selection.
The main advantage here is the cost factor.
4) AUDITS
Audits involve the physical inspection of inventories, sales receipts, shelf facing and other aspects of marketing mix to determine sales, market share, relative price, distribution and other relevant information.
The different types of audits are store audits, product audits and retail distribution audits.
Store audits
The basis for the store audit of retail stores sales is the simple accounting arithmetic of
Opening inventory
+ Net purchases (receipts-transfers out-returned inventory +transfers in)
- Closing inventory
= Sales
These audits provide sales data on packaged products. The clients receive report on the sales of their own brand and of competitor's brands, the resulting market shares, prices, shelf facing and other important information.
Product audits
Product audits are similar to store audits but focuses on products rather than store samples. Although they provide similar information as of store audits it differs as in it tries to cover all the types of retail outlets that handle a product category.
Retail distribution audits
Retail distribution audits are similar to store audits however these audits do not measure inventory sales: instead they are observational studies at the retail level. Field agents enter stores unannounced and without permission.
They observe and record the brands present, price, shelf facings and other relevant data for selected product categories.
5) PANELS
A panel is a group of individuals or organizations that have agreed to provide information to researcher over a period of time.
A continuous panel, the focus of this section, has agreed to report specified behaviors on regular basis.
There are 2 types of panels: retail and consumer, consumer further divided into diary panels and electronic panels.
Retail panel
In this method data is collected from the checkout scanner tapes of a sample of supermarkets and other retailers that use electronic scanning systems.
For this to happen the product should carry the Universal Product Code (UPC) often referred to as bar code.
The advantages of this method are
1. Greater frequency
2. Elimination of breakage and pilferage being counted as sales
3. More accurate price information
The disadvantages are
1. Only big supermarkets have scanners
2. The quality of scanner data is dependent on checkout clerk. For e.g. if a person is buying 5 packets of packaged milk. In that case the clerk may put only 1 in the scanner and then multiply it by 5. So the rest 4 wont come in the scanner's data.
Consumer panels
Diary panels
A diary panel as the name implies, is a panel of households who continuously record in a diary their purchase of selected products. It is used for those product categories for which purchasing is frequent like food and personal care products.
Electronic panels
Electronic panels are composed of households whose television viewing behavior is recorded electronically. The sets were wired to household meters. The meters were connected to a central computer by a telephone line and automatically recorded when the set was turned on and the station to which it is turned on.
The problem here is that it is difficult to understand whom all and how many people were watching and what their demographics are.
6) Mail Questionnaire
Advantages
1. It is easier to approach a large no. Of respondents spread all over the world through post.
2. A mail questionnaire is free from any interviewer’s bias and errors, which may undermine the reliability and validity of the results emerging from the survey.
3. A mail questionnaire will not have any distribution bias as it will not show any particular preference or dislike for a certain individual or household.
4. When the questions asked to the respondents need time to be answered and needs some thinking, mail questionnaire is ideal.
5. Mail Questionnaire saves time in collecting the desired information as a large no. Of respondents can be approached all over the country.
6. It saves money as cost of traveling, boarding and lodging of interviewers is not to be incurred.
7. There is no difficulty in having central supervision and control over the survey operations over a large region.
8. It avoids the bias arising from any inhibitions in answering questions. (During some personal questions the respondents may hesitate to answer them in the presence of the interviewer)
9. It will not have the problem of non-contacts in the strict sense, as might be the case in personal interviews when the interviewer finds that the respondent, being away from home is not available.
Limitations
1. It is not suitable when questions are difficult & complicated. In such a case the help of interviewer is required to offer some introductory explanation to the respondent.
2. When the objective is to get the spontaneous answers of the respondent or his own answers uninfluenced by others who may influence his thinking.
3. It is not possible to verify whether the respondent himself has filled in the questionnaire. (e.g.: If a questionnaire is targeted to a housewife she may ask her husband to fill it up on her behalf). This can result into incorrect answers.
4. In case there is any ambiguity or any inconsistency in the answers it will be difficult for the researcher to make use of such questionnaire, as he has to accept it.
5. The respondent may go through his answers after he has filled in the entire questionnaire and may make certain modification in his original answers as a result of which these answers cannot be regarded as independent.
6. It does not allow the researcher to supplement the information by his personal observations.
7. A mail questionnaire normally has a relatively poor response compared to a questionnaire canvassed personally.
1) PERSONAL INTERVIEW
An interviewer asking questions generally face-to-face to other persons conducts personal interview.
This sort of interview may be in the form of direct personal investigation or it may be an indirect oral investigation.
This method is particularly suitable for intensive investigations.
Advantages
1. More information and that too in greater depth can be obtained.
2. Interviewer can overcome any resistance, if any, of the respondents; this interview can be made to yield an almost perfect sample of he population.
3. There is greater flexibility as questions can be restructured as when needed, especially in the unstructured interviews.
4. Observation method can supplement verbal recording of answers.
5. Personal information can be obtained easily in this method.
6. Sample control can be maintained, as non-response generally remains low.
7. Unlike mailed questionnaire, the interviewer can usually control which persons will answer the questions.
8. The interviewer can catch the respondent off-guard and thus record the spontaneous reactions.
9. The language of the interview can be changed according to the education level of the respondent.
10. The interviewer can collect supplementary information about respondent's personal characteristics and environment, which helps while interpreting, results.
Disadvantages
1. It can be quite expensive method, especially when large and widespread geographical sample is taken.
2. Possibility of bias of interviewer and respondent is maximum.
3. Certain respondents such as important officials cannot be approachable under this method.
4. It is time-consuming especially when sample is large and re-calls o respondents are to be made.
5. Sometimes the presence of he interview can over-stimulate he respondent and he may give imaginary answers to make the interview interesting.
6. Under the interview method the organization required for selection, training and supervising the field-staff is more complex with formidable problems.
7. Interviewing at times may introduce systematic errors.
8. Interview presupposes a proper rapport with respondents for free and frank responses, which is not always possible.
2) TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS
This method of collecting information consists contacting information consists contacting respondents on telephone itself.
It is not a very widely used method, but plays important role in industrial surveys in developed regions.
Advantages
1. It is more flexible in comparison to mail method.
2. It is faster in obtaining information than other methods.
3. It is cheaper compared to personal interviews; here the cost per response is very low.
4. Recall is easy; callbacks are economic and simple.
5. There is higher rate of response than mailing method
6. Replies can be recorded without causing embarrassment to respondents.
7. Interviewer can explain requirements more easily.
8. Access can be gained to respondents who otherwise cannot be contacted for one reason to other.
9. No field staff is required.
10. Wider distribution of sample is possible.
Disadvantages
1. Little time is given to respondents to answer, as these types of interviews do not last for more than 5 minutes.
2. Survey is restricted to people who have telephones.
3. Cost plays a major part in extensive geographical coverage.
4. It is not suitable for interviews having comprehensive answers to various questions.
5. Some extent of interviewer's bias exists.
6. Questions have to be short and probes are difficult to handle.
3) COMMERCIAL SURVEYS
Commercial surveys can be divided into three types: Periodic, Panel and Shared surveys. Each of them are discussed below
Periodic surveys
Periodic surveys are conducted at regular intervals, ranging from weekly to annually held surveys.
They use a new sample of respondents for each survey, focusing on the same topic and allowing the analysis of trends over a period.
Periodic surveys are conducted by mail, personal interview and telephone.
The disadvantage here could be that when periodic surveys are conducted at known intervals, they might affect the behavior being measured.
An example of this kind of surveys could be TRPs.
Panel surveys
Panel surveys, sometimes called interval panels, are conducted among a group of respondents who have agreed to respond to a number of mail, telephone or occasionally personal interviews over time. These need not occur regularly.
But a continuous panel or panel data (explained more in panels) refers to a group of individuals who agree to report specified behaviors over time.
The advantages of this method are
The research firm initially collects all the personal information about the respondents and does not waste time again in collecting this information during interviews. This increases the quality of the research data.
The response rate can be as high as 70% - 90%.
Shared surveys
Shared surveys, sometimes referred to as omnibus surveys, are administered by a research firm and consist of questions supplied by multiple clients.
Such surveys can involve mail, telephone, or personal interviews.
The respondents may be drawn from either an interval panel or random selection.
The main advantage here is the cost factor.
4) AUDITS
Audits involve the physical inspection of inventories, sales receipts, shelf facing and other aspects of marketing mix to determine sales, market share, relative price, distribution and other relevant information.
The different types of audits are store audits, product audits and retail distribution audits.
Store audits
The basis for the store audit of retail stores sales is the simple accounting arithmetic of
Opening inventory
+ Net purchases (receipts-transfers out-returned inventory +transfers in)
- Closing inventory
= Sales
These audits provide sales data on packaged products. The clients receive report on the sales of their own brand and of competitor's brands, the resulting market shares, prices, shelf facing and other important information.
Product audits
Product audits are similar to store audits but focuses on products rather than store samples. Although they provide similar information as of store audits it differs as in it tries to cover all the types of retail outlets that handle a product category.
Retail distribution audits
Retail distribution audits are similar to store audits however these audits do not measure inventory sales: instead they are observational studies at the retail level. Field agents enter stores unannounced and without permission.
They observe and record the brands present, price, shelf facings and other relevant data for selected product categories.
5) PANELS
A panel is a group of individuals or organizations that have agreed to provide information to researcher over a period of time.
A continuous panel, the focus of this section, has agreed to report specified behaviors on regular basis.
There are 2 types of panels: retail and consumer, consumer further divided into diary panels and electronic panels.
Retail panel
In this method data is collected from the checkout scanner tapes of a sample of supermarkets and other retailers that use electronic scanning systems.
For this to happen the product should carry the Universal Product Code (UPC) often referred to as bar code.
The advantages of this method are
1. Greater frequency
2. Elimination of breakage and pilferage being counted as sales
3. More accurate price information
The disadvantages are
1. Only big supermarkets have scanners
2. The quality of scanner data is dependent on checkout clerk. For e.g. if a person is buying 5 packets of packaged milk. In that case the clerk may put only 1 in the scanner and then multiply it by 5. So the rest 4 wont come in the scanner's data.
Consumer panels
Diary panels
A diary panel as the name implies, is a panel of households who continuously record in a diary their purchase of selected products. It is used for those product categories for which purchasing is frequent like food and personal care products.
Electronic panels
Electronic panels are composed of households whose television viewing behavior is recorded electronically. The sets were wired to household meters. The meters were connected to a central computer by a telephone line and automatically recorded when the set was turned on and the station to which it is turned on.
The problem here is that it is difficult to understand whom all and how many people were watching and what their demographics are.
6) Mail Questionnaire
Advantages
1. It is easier to approach a large no. Of respondents spread all over the world through post.
2. A mail questionnaire is free from any interviewer’s bias and errors, which may undermine the reliability and validity of the results emerging from the survey.
3. A mail questionnaire will not have any distribution bias as it will not show any particular preference or dislike for a certain individual or household.
4. When the questions asked to the respondents need time to be answered and needs some thinking, mail questionnaire is ideal.
5. Mail Questionnaire saves time in collecting the desired information as a large no. Of respondents can be approached all over the country.
6. It saves money as cost of traveling, boarding and lodging of interviewers is not to be incurred.
7. There is no difficulty in having central supervision and control over the survey operations over a large region.
8. It avoids the bias arising from any inhibitions in answering questions. (During some personal questions the respondents may hesitate to answer them in the presence of the interviewer)
9. It will not have the problem of non-contacts in the strict sense, as might be the case in personal interviews when the interviewer finds that the respondent, being away from home is not available.
Limitations
1. It is not suitable when questions are difficult & complicated. In such a case the help of interviewer is required to offer some introductory explanation to the respondent.
2. When the objective is to get the spontaneous answers of the respondent or his own answers uninfluenced by others who may influence his thinking.
3. It is not possible to verify whether the respondent himself has filled in the questionnaire. (e.g.: If a questionnaire is targeted to a housewife she may ask her husband to fill it up on her behalf). This can result into incorrect answers.
4. In case there is any ambiguity or any inconsistency in the answers it will be difficult for the researcher to make use of such questionnaire, as he has to accept it.
5. The respondent may go through his answers after he has filled in the entire questionnaire and may make certain modification in his original answers as a result of which these answers cannot be regarded as independent.
6. It does not allow the researcher to supplement the information by his personal observations.
7. A mail questionnaire normally has a relatively poor response compared to a questionnaire canvassed personally.