---

Designing Data Collection Method and Forms

COLLECTION OF PRIMARY DATA

Types of primary data obtained in marketing

Awareness/knowledge, attitudes, intentions, behaviors, psychographics, demographics.

Basic means of obtaining data -communication & observation

Types of communication methods - 2 by 2 of structured-unstructured versus disguised-

undisguised is a useful way to think about methods

Structure assumes knowledge of questions & responses

Undisguised assumes respondents are able & willing to provide information

Methods of administration of questionnaires - Criteria for evaluation & strengths/weaknesses of each method

Observation methods - Advantages & disadvantages

DATA COLLECTION FORMS

Questioning is a social process- Completing a questionnaire interview is like a social

conversation

Participation is voluntary, participants may have nothing tangible to gain

Some differences from a social conversation: Interviewers offers no judgments; Complete confidentaility is assured; Evasion of questions may be difficult for participants

The central focus of the conversation is the questionnaire; hence if conversation has to

be good, then questionnaire should be good

Ethical principles in question asking: Right to privacy; informed consent; confidentiality

Questionnaire development is a process with a sequence of steps;

Starts with linking research objectives to information to be sought in questionnaire

Need to consider method of administration

Steps are iterative

Questionnaire content; Are respondents able; Are respondents willing

Response format - open-ended versus closed ended questions; advantages & disadvantages

Question wording

Use simple words

Avoid ambiguous words/questions

Avoid leading questions

Avoid implicit alternatives

Avoid implicit assumptions

Avoid generalizations & estimates

Avoid double-barreled questions

Question sequencing

Use simple interesting opening questions

Use the funnel approach, ask broad questions first

Carefully design branching questions

Ask for classification information last

Place difficult or sensitive questions near the end

Physical layout, reexamination, & pretesting

ATTITUDE MEASUREMENT

Importance of measuring attitudes

Types of scales - Likert, semantic differential graphic, etc.

Issues in scale construction

Number of response categories

Odd or even number

Balanced versus unbalanced

Extent of verbal labeling

Numbering

Forced versus nonforced

BASICS OF MEASUREMENT

Importance & Definition of measurement

Rules for assigning numbers to characteristics of objects/people/events

Types of measurement scales

Nominal to label

Ordinal to rank

Interval to judge differences

Ratio

Difficulty in measurement - conceptual versus operational definitions

Measurement error - Systematic & random error

Reliability - the extent to which a measure is free of random error

Different types of reliability

Stability - Reliability over time

Equivalence - between items or forms of a measure

Ways of measuring reliability - test-retest, coefficient alpha, etc.

Validity - does the measure measure what it aims to measure

Different types of validity-

Pragmatic - does measure predict well

Content - does the measure capture the content of a domain

Construct - what is the measure measuring (nomological, convergent,

& discriminant validity provide evidence of construct validity

Developing measures - define the domain, generate items, collect data, purify measure

Back to Marketing Research Homepage