Small Business Framework - Research - The Legal Services Board

sector." However," small" businesses" (excluding" micro]businesses)" may" be" less"
appropriate"for"such"an"approach,"given"their"far"broader"range"of"legal"forms,"
business"structures"and"activities."
There" are" four" main" modes" used" to" administer" surveys;" face]to]face,"
telephone,"Internet"(web"based)"and"mail."Surveys"also"vary"in"whether"they"are"
interview" based" or" self]administered." In" practice," combinations" of" modes" are"
also"frequently"used."In"choosing"a"mode"of"administration,"there"are"two"basic"
issues"to"be"addressed."What"is"appropriate,"given"the"research"question?"What"
is"the"impact"of"a"particular"mode"of"data"collection"on"survey"errors"and"costs?"
In"the"case"of"the"benchmark"survey,"data"coverage"is"best"for"physical"addresses"
and" telephone" numbers," with" poor" coverage" for" email" addresses." Face]to]face"
surveys"usually"yield"the"highest"cooperation"and"lowest"refusal"rates,"allow"the"
longest"questionnaires"and"high"levels"of"complexity,"and"are"generally"regarded"
as" producing" the" highest" quality" responses." Telephone" methods" are" relatively"
inflexible,"and"suffer"from"related"limitations"in"the"degree"to"which"sensitive"or"
complex"issues"can"be"addressed."However,"they"are"economical,"and"provide"an"
alternative"should"face]to]face"prove"unaffordable."
Recommendation!9!
If"affordable,"we"recommend"a"face]to]face"survey,"which"would"be"likely"to"
combine"the"highest"data"quality"with"the"greatest"potential"for"survey"length,"
flexibility"and"complexity.!
"
Constraining"maximum"interview"length"is"an"important"consideration"in"
the"context"of"the"business"benchmark"survey."The"questionnaires"set"out"in"the"
appendices"to"this"document"therefore"provide"a"full"range"of"options"for"going"
forward." The" short]form" questionnaire" is" designed" primarily" for" testing" the"
novel" and" critical" aspects" of" the" survey," although" it" could" be" used" as" part" of" a"
low]cost" representative" survey" were" a" substantial" survey" not" a" viable"
proposition."The"long]form"questionnaire"is"designed"to"provide"questions"and"
question"modules"that"are"likely"to"be"of"interest"to"sponsors"of"business"focused"
legal"need"surveys."These"can"be"selected"from"in"building"up"a"questionnaire"for"
implementation." The" number" of" times" respondents" would" be" presented" with"
‘loop’" questions" should" be" set" to" yield" an" appropriate" average" and" maximum"
interview"duration."""
Owner]managers/managing" directors" should" be" the" first" port" of" call" for"
interviews"in"the"case"of"small,"and"particularly"micro"businesses."
In" testing" elements" of" the" survey," piloting" should" ultimately" utilise" the"
same" mode" of" delivery" as" main]stage" fieldwork." However," developmental" and"
initial"pilot"survey"work"could"utilise"a"lower"cost"mode"of"delivery."If"main]stage"
fieldwork"is"to"be"face]to]face,"we"suggest"that"online"developmental/initial"pilot"
surveys"are"appropriate,"given"the"possibility"of"presenting"questions"in"a"very"
similar"form.""
! 76!