Small Business Framework - Research - The Legal Services Board
Small Business Framework - Research - The Legal Services Board
Small Business Framework - Research - The Legal Services Board
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" Perhaps" the" greatest" disadvantage" is" the" difficulty" in" engaging"<br />
respondents,"which"results"in"low"response"rates,"particularly"when"compared"to"<br />
face]to]face" administration" (e.g." see" Groves" et" al." 2009)." This" problem" may" be"<br />
reduced"by"reminders"and"sponsorship"from"a"respected"body"(Bowling,"2005,"<br />
Newby"et"al."2003),"but"is"likely"to"remain"significant"nonetheless."This"is"partly"<br />
since"completion"is"easy"to"terminate"prematurely"(de"Leeuw"et"al.,"2008)."Postal"<br />
methods" also" suffer" from" high" item" non]response" within" surveys" (Bowling,"<br />
2005)." While" costs" are" reduced," it" is" also" more" likely" that" incentives" will" be"<br />
required"in"order"to"encourage"participation.""<br />
As"there"is"no"interviewer"involvement"in"postal"surveys"interviewer"bias"<br />
is" avoided," although" another" effect" of" this" is" a" likely" reduction" in" quality" and"<br />
completeness"of"responses"(e.g."Groves"et"al."2009;"de"Leeuw"et"al."2008).""<br />
<strong>The</strong>"data"collection"period"for"postal"surveys"is"generally"relatively"long"<br />
(certainly" when" compared" to" web]based" and" telephone" administration)" and"<br />
there" will" be" the" need" for" a" period" of" data" entry" once" surveys" are" returned"<br />
(which"can"result"in"additional"errors)."Significantly,"postal"surveys"are"by"far"the"<br />
most"restrictive"with"regard"to"complexity,"length"and"routing"(e.g."de"Leeuw"et"<br />
al.,"2008)."<strong>The</strong>y"need"to"be"relatively"simple"both"to"encourage"participation"and"<br />
because" respondents" are" relied" on" to" follow" routing" instructions" (as" routing" is"<br />
not"hidden"as"it"would"be"for"other"modes)."""<br />
"<br />
Overall"comparison"<br />
In" very" general" terms, 25 "Table" 5.3" (adapted" from" Owens," 2005)" sets" out" a"<br />
comparison" between" face]to]face," telephone," web]based" and" postal" modes" of"<br />
survey"administration"on"the"basis"of"a"number"of"key"variables."Note,"that"this"is"<br />
a"simple"comparison,"and"the"performance"of"different"modes"for"each"domain"<br />
may" vary" considerably" depending" on" the" precise" characteristics" of" a" proposed"<br />
survey."<br />
'<br />
'<br />
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25"<strong>The</strong>re" has" been" a" considerable" amount" of" study" examining" the" impact" of" mode" of" administration" on" a"<br />
variety" of" aspects" of" data" quality 25 "and" on" a" range" of" additional" sources" of" error." <strong>The</strong>se" include" studies"<br />
examining" mode" differences" in" acquiescence" bias" (i.e." tendency" to" say" ‘yes’" to" questions)," primacy" and"<br />
recency"effects,"recall"effects"and"length"of"response"(among"other"sources,"see"Groves"et"al.,"2009;"de"Leeuw"<br />
et"al.,"2008;"Bowling,"2005"for"further"information)."<br />
! 45!