Chapter 11 Questionnaire Design International Marketing Research V. Kumar Opinions Four men, a Saudi, a Russian, a North Korean, and a New Yorker are walking.
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Chapter 11 Questionnaire Design International Marketing Research V. Kumar Opinions Four men, a Saudi, a Russian, a North Korean, and a New Yorker are walking down the street. A marketing researcher says to them, “Excuse me, what is your opinion on the meat shortage?” The Saudi says, “What’s a shortage?” The Russian says, “What’s meat?” The Korean says, “What’s an opinion?” and the New Yorker says, “Excuse me? What’s an excuse?” International Marketing Research V. Kumar Questionnaire • Questionnaire is the vehicle of communication between researcher and survey respondents • Questionnaires make it possible to quantify various aspects of the research that are being studied. • Researchers follow a specific sequence of steps to design a questionnaire International Marketing Research V. Kumar Designing the Questionnaire Planning what to measure Formatting the questionnaire Questionnaire wording Translation a) Translate from English to foreign language b) Retranslate back to English to ensure equivalency Measurement and construct equivalency a) Functional equivalency b) Conceptual equivalency c) Category equivalency Sequencing and layout decisions Pretesting and correcting problems Questionnaire in multiple languages International Marketing Research V. Kumar Designing the Questionnaire Questionnaire building is an art! A questionnaire is always custom-built! International Marketing Research V. Kumar Designing the Questionnaire (Contd.) Formatting the Question Decision to be made regarding the degree of freedom to be given to the respondents in answering the questions Alternatives Open ended with no classification Open ended where the interviewer uses precoded classifications to record the response Close ended or structured format in which a question or a supplementary card presents the responses to be considered International Marketing Research V. Kumar Factors that need to be considered when developing a questionnaire • Respondent should understand the question • Respondent must have adequate knowledge to answer the question • Respondent should be willing to participate without any external coercion International Marketing Research V. Kumar Information collected by questionnaire • Demographic data: Respondent information based on age, sex, income, education, etc. • Psychographic data: Based on VALS (Values, Attitude, and Lifestyle) Eg: Attitude of people towards credit • Behavioral data: Tracks the actual action taken by the consumer in terms of buying the product and the different ways in which the product is put to use International Marketing Research V. Kumar Organization of a Typical Questionnaire Location Type Starting questions Broad, general questions Next few questions Questions up to a third of the questionnaire Major portion of the questionnaire Last few questions Function To break the ice and establish a report with the respondent Simple and direct To reassure the questions respondent that the survey is simple and easy to answer Focused questions Relate more to the research objectives and convey to the respondent the area of research Focused questions; To obtain most of the some may be difficult information required and complicated for the research Example Do you own a personal computer? What brands of personal computers did you consider when you bought it? What attributes did you consider when you purchased you personal computer? Rank the following attributes of a personal computer based on their importance to you Personal questions To get classification What is the highest that may be perceived and demographic level of education by the respondent as information about the you have attained? sensitive respondent International Marketing Research V. Kumar Question Format Open Vs Close ended: Close-ended questions offer a set of choices, while openended questions give the respondent the freedom to provide his/her response. • Close ended questions have the advantage of easy analysis, • They also have a drawback in the sense that a thorough research has to be conducted and all possible options must be included in the response set. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Question Format (contd) Direct vs. Indirect: Direct questions avoid ambiguity regarding the question content and meaning while indirect questions probe the respondent by asking them to list choices of their friends or peers rather than their own. Examples: It is common to discuss sexual preferences in the United States, but this is taboo in a lot of Asian cultures. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Question Format (contd) Verbal vs. Non-verbal: Most questionnaires are designed such that questions can be read out to respondents. E.g.: Interviews, Mail Surveys Sometimes non-verbal cues become necessary. For E.g.: Target sample consists of children or in countries where literacy levels are low. Examples of non verbals are Picture cards and other visual aids Note: Visual aids can also be used in countries where literacy levels are high. This is usually done to ensure that the translation of the questionnaire has been done correctly. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Types of Questions 1. Open-response question: People look for different things in a job. What would you prefer most in a job? 2. Close-response question: People look for different things in a job. What would you prefer most in a job? Work that pays well Work that gives a sense of accomplishment Work where you make most decisions by yourself Work that is steady with little chance of being laid off. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Closed-response Questions What type of fast-food restaurant do you visit most often? Burger Chicken Seafood Don’t know Mexican Pizza Chinese Other (please specify) International Marketing Research V. Kumar Issues in Questionnaire Design Ideally, the multiple choices should be mutually exclusive. How many long-distance calls do make in a week? less than 5 5-10 More than 10. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Number of Response Categories Generally five to seven categories Ideally the multiple choices should be mutually exclusive International Marketing Research V. Kumar Order of Response Categories Responses are likely to be affected by the order in which they are presented. What factor influences your fast-food restaurant choice most ? Convenient location Quality of food Menu selection Fast service Reasonable prices Brand name Cleanliness International Marketing Research V. Kumar Order of Response Categories To prevent order bias, place the average or expected response at various positions in the sequence of categories International Marketing Research V. Kumar Range of Response Categories Respondents who do not know the answer might take categories as cues. How many long-distance calls do make in a week? less than 5 less than 10 5-10 or 10-20 More than 10. More than 20. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Handling uncertainty Should respondents be provided with a Don’t know or No opinion option? Sometimes this is an easy way out Sometimes it is the true fact Error is introduced either way! International Marketing Research V. Kumar Wording • Respondent base should decide wording • Questions should be short and precise • Break questions into smaller topics • Keep questions free of bias and ambiguity International Marketing Research V. Kumar Question Wording Avoid ambiguous words How many times per month do you visit a fastfood restaurant? Never Occasionally Sometimes Often International Marketing Research V. Kumar Question Wording Are any questions "double-barreled”? Are you satisfied with the price and the service of Taco Bell? International Marketing Research V. Kumar Question Wording Is the question applicable to all respondents? Why do you like fast-food? Assumes that respondent likes fast-food. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Pretesting and Correcting Problems Pretest Design Pretesting Specific Questions For Variation Meaning Task difficulty Respondent interest and attention Pretesting the Questionnaire Flow of the questionnaire Skip patterns Length Respondent Interest and Attention International Marketing Research V. Kumar Tips on Questionnaire Design Designing a questionnaire for international marketing research involves a lot of preparation by the researcher. Following are some of the pitfalls to avoid when designing questionnaires: – Avoid using complicated words and long, complex sentences. – Do not use words or phrases that are specific to one country or culture. They may not be understood by all respondents. This is particularly true of diverse cultures where the people speak many languages and dialects. – Do not use double-barreled questions. A double-barreled question is one that combines two questions into one and creates ambiguity for the respondent. An example would be to ask respondents if they are satisfied with the price and quality of a product. Respondents who are satisfied with one but not the other will not be able to answer this question. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Tips on Questionnaire Design (cont..) – Do not use questions that are leading or loaded. These questions convey the opinion of the researcher and force the respondent to answer one way or another. Consider the question, “Don’t you agree that the Internet is a good source of information?” This is a leading question that forces the respondent to answer in a manner that is acceptable to the researcher. A loaded question introduces a very subtle bias. “What do you think is a good source of information---the Internet or some other medium?” Is an example of a loaded question. Avoid using words and phrases that convey strong emotions to the respondent. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Tips on Questionnaire Design (cont.) – Instructions should not confuse the respondents. Keep the instructions short and precise. – Avoid asking questions that are not applicable to respondents. Asking college students about desktop or laptop computer ownership in the United States is relevant. Asking the same question to college students in many developing countries may induce bias in the results International Marketing Research V. Kumar Translation • Important for both verbal and non-verbal stimuli • Translation-back-translation useful • May not be possible to translate all words and phrases • Pretesting helps ensure quality of translation International Marketing Research V. Kumar Cultural Issues • Pay attention to social, psychological and ethnic aspects of society • Concept should be familiar to the respondent International Marketing Research V. Kumar Construct Equivalence •Functional equivalence: Involves establishing that given concept of behavior serves the same purpose or function from country to country. Example: In the United States bicycles are primarily used for recreation, but in several developing countries they serve as a mode of transportation. Hence in the U.S., the relevant competing products would be other recreational sports items. In other countries, the competing products could be other modes of transportation. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Construct Equivalence – Conceptual equivalence: Deals with individual interpretation of objects and stimuli. The focus is on individual variations in attitudes and behavior rather than societal norms and behavior.( as was the case with functional equivalence) People from different cultures exhibit personality traits, such as aggression, authoritanism, or need for affiliation. Example: In the U.K., engagement implies commitment to marry, whereas in Italy or Spain, it merely means having a boyfriend or girlfriend. International Marketing Research V. Kumar Construct Equivalence – Category equivalence: Relates to categories in which relevant objects or other stimuli are placed. For Example: In many countries beer is considered a soft drink. A lot of countries differ in the way they classify soft drinks, carbonated sodas, powdered or liquid concentrates, etc. Occupations are placed in different categories in different countries. International Marketing Research V. Kumar What’s in a Name? Chevrolet launched its “Nova” in the Mexican market without giving any thought to the implications of the name, which, in Spanish, translated to “does not go.” There were no takers for a car that was called “does not go.” A sign in a zoo in Hungary had the following to say: “Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.” Coors translated its slogan, “Turn it loose,” into Spanish, which read “Suffer from Diarrhea.” “Nik Nak” potato chips failed dismally in the United Arabic Emirates because the word means aphrodisiac in Arabic A restaurant in Switzerland had the following sign: “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.” International Marketing Research V. Kumar What’s in a Name? (cont.) Clairol introduced its “Mist Stick,” a curling iron, in Germany, only to find that “mist” is slang for manure in German. Pepsi’s “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation” translated into “Pepsi brings you ancestors back from the grave” in Chinese. Dress shop in Hong Kong: “Ladies have fits upstairs.” “Cool-Piz” and “Pokari Sweat” tried to penetrate the soft drink market in Korea and failed for obvious reasons. Online airline ticket office in Denmark proudly advertised “We take your bags and send them in all directions.” Sign in a hotel in Romania: “The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.” International Marketing Research V. Kumar Randomized Response Technique P[Yes] = P[Yes|S.Q] * P[S.Q] + P[Yes|I.Q] * P[I.Q] where S.Q = Sensitive Question I.Q = Innocent Question International Marketing Research V. Kumar Exercises Why did you purchase a Sony brand Walkman? Price was lower than other alternatives Feel it represents the highest quality Availability of local service Sound is better Warranty is better Looks good International Marketing Research V. Kumar Exercises Have you ever listened to a Long John Silvers radio commercial? Which of the following restaurants do you visit frequently? Burger King Pizza Hut James Coney Island International Marketing Research V. Kumar Exercises Do you agree that, since fast-food restaurants produce a disproportionate amount of waste, they should be subject to an additional environmental tax? Yes No International Marketing Research V. Kumar Exercises How often do you eat fast food? Daily Every second day Once a week Every two weeks International Marketing Research V. Kumar