BMO6630 Business Research Methods: Reflective Report on Questionnaire

This reflective report delves into the use of questionnaires as a survey administration method within business research. It justifies the selection of questionnaires based on cost-effectiveness and reduced bias, further elaborating on the advantages such as flexibility in qualitative and quantitative research, ease of administration, and the ability to gather data from large samples. The report also acknowledges disadvantages including potential dishonesty, unsuitability for historical context, and biases. Reflections on the administration procedure highlight the importance of participant briefing and clarity. Suggestions for improvement include offering incentives and advance notification. Changes to the questionnaire are proposed, focusing on layout, question wording, and the inclusion of more open-ended and demographic questions. Key lessons learned emphasize the importance of target population selection, aligning units of analysis with research objectives, and the crucial role of the administration process in influencing research outcomes. The report concludes that the choice of survey administration method is vital for both cost and data accuracy, stressing the need to adhere to research questions and objectives for relevant and accurate information.

Reflective Report 1
ASSIGNMENT 2 PART B: REFLECTIVE REPORT
by (Name)
BMO6630 Business Research Methods
Tutor
Institution
Date

Reflective Report 2
Reflective Report
When doing research, one of the most important factors to consider is the research
design and the data collection method. Data is an essential aspect of research since it
determines the validity of research and significantly influences the research outcomes. One of
the most commonly used data collection method in the survey. According to Lee et al. (2009,
p. 2), survey research refers to a method of data collection where samples are drawn,
respondents interviewed, and data analyzed in order to represent a certain population. The
survey instrument provides an opportunity for a researcher to assess people's perceptions,
attitudes, and opinions on certain issues as well as factual knowledge in the given population
(Swidorski 1980, p. 5). According to Cooper et al. (2006), the types of surveys include
questionnaires and sampling. In this report, the survey administration methodology used is a
questionnaire.
Justification for Survey Administration method Used
Cost is one of the critical considerations when choosing a survey administration
method. Questionnaires are essential for describing the features of a large population, and
when compared to other data collection methods such as clinical trials experiments, it is the
most cost-effective method (Ponto 2015, p. 170). The main costs incurred when using
questionnaires are for printing or setting up online questions. Other costs may include postage
and for purchasing envelopes. Another reason for selecting questionnaire as the survey
administration method is to avoid bias. The questionnaires allow the respondents to provide
more valid and candid information (Singleton & Straits 2009, p. 15). Questionnaires enable
respondents to remain anonymous, and thus they can provide open and honest answers which
are impossible with other survey administration methods.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of the survey Administration Method used
Advantages
Questionnaires are flexible because they can be used in both qualitative and
quantitative research (Bird 2009, p. 1310). A questionnaire can have both close-ended and
open-ended questions. Whereas closed questions are used in quantitative research, open
questions are commonly used in qualitative research (Bird 2009, p. 1309). It is quite easy to
administer and analyse closed-ended questions and hence, save a lot of time (Sarantakos
2005). Open-ended questions, on the other hand, provide freedom to the respondents an
opportunity to test the hypothesis (McGuirk & O’Neill 2016). Questionnaires allow
researchers to obtain data from large samples of the population. Questionnaires are suited to
gather demographic data that actual features of the study sample (McIntyre 2011, p. 74).
Questionnaires provide an opportunity for time and space for free-form responses
through open-ended questions which allow participants to share their experiences,
understandings, opinions, and interpretations of social processes and situations (McGuirk &
O’Neill 2016). Questionnaires are also flexible regarding the types and number of variables
that can be used in the study and require a minimal budget to create and administer (Bell
2013, p. 68). Questionnaires are capable of eliciting information about attitudes which are
difficult to measure using other methods (McIntyre 2011, p. 75).
Disadvantages
One of the disadvantages of questionnaires is that they are not always the best tool for
collecting information (Debois 2016). For instance, if there is a previous data, questionnaires
may not be able to provide clear insight. As noted by Pinsonneault and Kraemer (1993),
questionnaires can be unsuitable where a reference to historical context is required.
Dishonesty can also be an issue, especially where there are many positives (Debois 2016).
Respondents sometimes do not provide truthful answers, and this can significantly affect the

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validity and reliability of results. Bell (2013) noted that biases are common in many ways
such as failure of participants to provide answers or provision of inaccurate responses. Errors
may also arise from intentional misreporting of behaviours by some of the respondents who
want to confound the results or to hide inappropriate behaviour (Glasow 2005).
Reflections on the Administration Procedure
Boynton (2004) notes that a good response to the questionnaire can be achieved by
understating the study group (p. 1372). Errors in administering questionnaires can
significantly hamper the research progress (Boynton 2004, p. 1372). After taking all the
precautions, questionnaires can successfully be administered.
In a nutshell, I can attest that the administrative procedure was successful. Before
administering the questionnaires, all the participants were briefed about the questions after
being assured that their responses will be used for academic purposes only and will not be
shared anywhere else. After taking time to explain to them what the questions were all about,
the participants seem to have understood. Some of them looked confused at first, but after
explanation, they showed some sense of understanding after asking for some clarifications.
The participants were ready and willing to answer the questions, and this was evidenced by
the fact that some of them volunteered to distribute the questionnaires to their colleagues due
to a large number of participants present. The respondents answered all the questions in the
questionnaire without skipping any of them. While some of them were fast in responding to
the questions, some took a bit longer time. The fastest respondent took 12 minutes while the
slowest took 25 minutes. On average, the respondents took 18 minutes to complete the
survey.
Suggestions for improving the administration procedure
It is the objective of any researcher to get as many responses as possible. It is,
therefore, essential to developing strategies that would maximise response rates. The

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administration procedure used was face-to-face delivery. Boynton (2004) suggests that it is
always good to show gratitude to the respondents upon completion of a questionnaire. This
will make them pay attention to the minor details in the questionnaires.
One way of improving the administration process is to offer participants some
incentives as an appreciation for completing the questionnaires (Meadows et al. 1998).
Incentives motivate the participants to take part in the study, and it will show that a
researcher cares about the participants’ time. It is imperative to note that it is no easy to get
people to participate in a study when they could be doing other beneficial things. It is,
therefore, important to appreciate such people by offering them some form of incentives.
Such incentives can include buying them lunch or give them some money for personal use.
Another way to improve the administration process is by notifying the participants of
the study in advance. The researcher can do this by sending a personalised invitation to each
participant. This will give them ample time to prepare for the day, and it will also help to
avoid lateness. Bowling (2005) states that participants of a study should be notified at least a
week prior to the study date as this will allow them to prepare psychologically (p. 285).
Changes required to the Questionnaire
One of the changes that can be made to the questionnaire is the layout. According to
Kelly et al. (2003, p. 261), questionnaires need to be clear and presented well. Questions that
contain double negative should be removed since they are ambiguous and may lead to
dishonest answers. The current questionnaire has only a few open-ended questions. It is,
therefore, important to add more questions so that participants can share more of their views
and experiences on the research topic. According to Kelly et al. (2003, p. 263), open
questions can provide useful insight into the topic if well answered.
The question's wording can also be changed to ensure that they are more and easily
understandable. There should also be questions that make a reference to past data in order to

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understand the participants' experience. More questions about demographics should be
developed to capture the details of participants.
Key lessons learnt
Choosing a target population is very crucial in research as it determines what kind of
responses that one is likely going to receive. According to Torchiano et al. (2017, p. 35), the
target population choice is vital because it determines the research validity. It is, therefore,
essential to avoid restricting population-based factors such as availability.
Another important lesson learnt is that the units of analysis should be guided by the
objectives of the research and the research questions. Without aligning the review with the
research objectives and research questions, the results obtained will be useless to the study.
The questions of the questionnaires should be designed in such a manner as to seek answers
to the research questions.
Administration process in survey research is very crucial because it significantly
influences the outcomes. Researchers should plan well and inform the participants in
advance. It is also imperative to note that motivating the participants is key to increasing the
response rates. As demonstrated by studies, incentives to participants ensure that they
complete their survey early enough.
Conclusion
The various studies in this report have demonstrated that the choice of survey
administration method is crucial as it determines the amount of money that one is likely
going to spend on research. As discussed in the paper, questionnaires are cost-effective and
less time-consuming compared to other data collection methods. However, the accuracy and
validity of the information obtained through questionnaires are determined by the manner in
which the questionnaires will be administered. It is vital for researchers to stick to the
research questions and objectives in order to gather relevant and accurate information.

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List of References
Bell, S., 2013. Learning with information systems: Learning cycles in information systems
development. Routledge.
Bird, D.K., 2009. The use of questionnaires for acquiring information on public perception of
natural hazards and risk mitigation-a review of current knowledge and practice. Natural
Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 9(4), p.1307.
Bowling, A., 2005. Mode of questionnaire administration can have serious effects on data
quality. Journal of public health, 27(3), pp.281-291.
Boynton, P., 2004. Administering, analyzing and reporting your questionnaire. BMJ,
329(7461), p. 323
Cooper, D.R., Schindler, P.S. and Sun, J., 2006. Business research methods (Vol. 9). New
York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Debois, S. 2016. 9 Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires. [online]. Available at: <
https://surveyanyplace.com/questionnaire-pros-and-cons/>
Glasow, P.A., 2005. Fundamentals of survey research methodology. Retrieved January, 18,
p.2013.
Kelley, K., Clark, B., Brown, V. and Sitzia, J., 2003. Good practice in the conduct and
reporting of survey research. International Journal for quality in health care, 15(3), pp.261-
266.
Lee, G., Benoit-Bryan, J. and Johnson, T.P., 2009, October. Survey methods in public
administration research: A content analysis of journal publications. In 10th National Public
Management Research Conference.

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McGuirk, P.M. and O'Neill, P., 2016. Using questionnaires in qualitative human geography.
McIntyre, L.J., 2011. The practical skeptic: Core concepts in sociology (p. 304). McGraw-
Hill.
Meadows, K.A., Gardiner, E., Greene, T., Rogers, D., Russell, D. and Smoljanovic, L., 1998.
Factors affecting general practice patient response rates to a postal survey of health status in
England: a comparative analysis of three disease groups. Journal of evaluation in clinical
practice, 4(3), pp.243-247.
Ponto, J., 2015. Understanding and evaluating survey research. Journal of the advanced
practitioner in oncology, 6(2), p.168.
Sarantakos, S., 2012. Social research. Palgrave Macmillan.
Singleton Jr, R., Straits, B.C., 2009. Approaches to social research. Oxford University Press.
Torchiano, M., Fernández, D.M., Travassos, G.H. and de Mello, R.M., 2017, May. Lessons
learnt in conducting survey research. In Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on
Conducting Empirical Studies in Industry (pp. 33-39). IEEE Press.