Small Business Framework - Research - The Legal Services Board

used," and" compared" to" face]to]face" surveys," they" are" particularly" prone" to"
termination"(de"Leeuw"et"al."2008,"Cooper"and"Schindler"2001),"particularly"in"
the"case"of"electronic"and"voice"automated"telephone"surveys"(Bowling,"2005)."
However," Computer" Assisted" Telephone" Interviewing" (CATI 19 )" allows" complex"
routing"to"be"hidden"from"interviewers"and"respondents"(as"with"CAPI"for"face]
to]face"administration).""
Telephone"methods"are"relatively"inflexible"as"a"consequence"of"their"lack"
of"visual"cues"(de"Leeuw"et"al.,"2008),"with"related"limitations"in"the"degree"to"
which"sensitive"or"complex"issues"can"be"addressed"(without"show"cards/text"in"
front"of"the"respondent,"options"for"self]completion,"etc.)."They"are"also"prone"to"
the"same"social"desirability"bias"issues"as"face]to]face"methods"(Bowling,"2005)."
"
Web]based"
Beyond" programming" costs," web]based" administration" is" likely" to" offer" a" low]
cost" option." There" are" no" paper," postage," mailing" or" data" entry" costs" (when"
compared"with"postal"surveys)"and"no"need"for"a"large"field"force."While"not"an"
immediate" consideration," web]based" surveys" can" also" reach" international"
populations."Provided"a"suitable"sample"frame"can"be"constructed,"there"is"also"
the" opportunity" to" produce" a" far" larger" sample" than" for" other" modes" (at" little"
increase" in" cost)." Time" required" to" implement" web]based" surveys" is" typically"
short," and" data" can" often" be" returned/analysed" in" real" time." With" suitable"
programming" expertise," complex" routing" and" randomisation" can" also" be"
introduced" into" surveys," as" well" as" more" interactive" elements" (as" unlike"
telephone" surveys," for" example," online" surveys" can" integrate" visual" aids" (de"
Leeuw" et" al.," 2008)," such" as" with" CSJS" developmental" surveys)." Issues" around"
item"non]response"can"also"be"addressed"through"built]in"prompting"(Fricker"et"
al.," 2005) 20 "and" there" are" fewer" issues" regarding" social" desirability" bias"
(Bowling," 2005)." As" with" postal" surveys," online" surveys" are" less" intrusive" and"
more"private"than"telephone"or"face]to]face"surveys"(de"Leeuw"et"al.,"2008)."
" A" key" disadvantage" of" online" surveys" is" in" the" production" of" a" suitable"
sample"frame"and"determining"the"extent"to"which"computers"are"used"(Bowling,"
2005)"(e.g."by"different"sectors"in"the"present"study)."This"may"be"accentuated"by"
a"lack"of"complete"email"addresses"(Bowling,"2005;"Groves"et"al.,"2009)."These"
issues"may"be"less"of"a"concern"for"a"sample"of"businesses"than"for"the"general"
public,"though"coverage"issues"will"remain"(de"Leeuw"et"al.,"2008). 21 "In"the"case"
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skewed"in"length"with"a"long"tail."Similarly,"for"small"businesses,"survey"length"will"need"to"be"considered"
more"than"average"time."
19"Telephone" surveys" may" also" use" interactive" voice" response" (IVR," also" known" as" T]ACASI" or" telephone"
ACASI"(Groves"et"al.,"2009))"in"which"recorded"questions"a"played"to"respondents"who"use"their"keypad"or"
voice"to"respond.""
20"Fricker" et" al.," 2005" showed" improvements" over" telephone" surveys" where" prompting" was" used," though"
Bowling"(2005)"observe"that"such"measures"do"not"prevent"(and"may"increase)"premature"termination."
21"Though"these"could"be"far"less"of"a"problem"for"sector"specific"studies,"particularly"where"contact"could"be"
facilitated"by"representative"bodies..""
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