BUSINESS RESEARCH

METHODS
CHAPTER PRESENTATION

PRESENTED TO:
MAM AMBER JAMIL

PRSESENTED BY:
MAHNOOR NASEER
FARHEEN RASHID
UZMA JAVED
SANIA NISAR
(MBA 27 A)

INTERVIEW

Questioning

techniques

funnel questioning techniques

Although there are numerous reasons for asking questions the information we
receive back (the answer) will depend very much on the type of question we
ask.

The Funnel Questioning Technique starts with generalized questions related to

the business problem the training is supposed to address, and then gradually
narrows down to specific details. Here's how it works. Here's how it works.

Begin by asking your sponsor a broad question.

What are some of your feelings about working for this organization?

Next, ask open-ended questions about their response.

Continue by narrowing with closed-ended questions.

Clarify the issue with the final set of open-ended questions.

Move on to the next issue.

This transition from broad to narrow themes is called funnel technique

The funnel questioning technique is a simple, reliable way to get the answers you
need to develop better training programs. Use it to question sponsors, target
participants and their managers, and subject matter experts. Your funnel questioning
technique will deliver better information than you've ever had before!

Unbiased questions:

It is important to ask unbiased questions to ensure that you

minimize bias in the responses. For example, tell me how you
experience your job is a better question than, boy, the work you
do must be really boring; let me hear how you experience it.

The latter question is loaded in terms of the interviewers own

perception of the job. A loaded question might influence the types of
answers received from the respondent. Bias could also be introduced
by emphasizing certain words, by tone and voice inflections and
through inappropriate suggestions.

Clarifying issues

A clarifying question helps to remove ambiguity, elicits additional

detail, guides you as you answer a question that had been put to you,
or just satisfies your curiosity. Clarification is a useful tool in job
interviews, consulting, sales, investigation, and interrogation, but it
must be used with delicacy and sensitivity.

Clarifying is a technique you can use when you are further along in
the reference interview. Remember, you begin the interview with
paraphrasing and open questions. But you may need to clarify a point
by asking for a particular bit of information.

If certain things that are being said are not clear, the researcher
should seek clarification.

For example, if the respondent happens to say, the facilities here are
really poor; we often have to continue working even we are dying of
thirst, the researcher might ask if there is no water fountain or
drinking water available in the building. The respondents reply to this
might well indicate that there is a water fountain across the hall, but
the respondent would like one on his side of the work area as well

Helping the respondents to think

through issues

If the respondent is not able to express her

perceptions, or replies, I dont know, the researcher
should ask the question in a simpler way or rephrase
it. For illustration, if a respondent is unable to specify
what aspects of the job he dislikes, the researcher
might ask the question in simpler way.

For example, the respondent might be asked which

task he would prefer to do: serve a customer or do
some filling work. If the answer is serve the
customer the researcher might use another aspect
of the respondents job and ask the paired question
again. In this way, the respondent can sort out which
aspects of the job he likes better than others

Taking notes

When conducting interviews, it is important that the

researcher makes written notes as soon as the
interviews are taking place, or as soon as the
interview is terminated.

The interviewer should not relay on memory,

because information recalled from memory is
imprecise an often likely to be incorrect.

The interviews can be recorded on tape if the

respondent has no objection.

However, taped interviews might bias the

respondents answer because they know that
their voices are being recorded, and their
anonymity is not preserved in full.

Review of tips to follow when

interviewing

Establishing credibility as able researcher is important for the success

of the research. . This can be gifted by being sincere, pleasant, and
non evaluative.

While intervewing the researcher has to ask broad questions initially

then narrow them to specific areas.

Ask questions in an unbiased way

Offer clarification when needed

Help respondents to think through difficult issues.

Face to face or telephone interview

Interviews can be conducted either

face to face or over the telephone.

They may also be computer
assisted. Structured interviews in
Business research are conducted
face to face.

 Structured

interviews may be either face to

face or through the medium of telephone.
Many market surveys, for instance, are
conducted through structured telephone
interviews. Computer assisted telephone
interviews (CATI) are also possible, and easy
to manage

Advantages of face to face interview

The researcher cam adapt the questions as

necessary, clarify doubts, and ensure that the
responses are properly understood by repeating and
rephrasing the questions

The researcher can also pick up non verbal cues from

the respondent like stress, discomfort, nervous
tapping and other body language.

Disadvantages of face to face

interview

The main advantage of face to face interview are

the geographical limitations they may impose on
the survey and the vast resources needed if such
surveys need to be done nationally and
internationally. The cost of training interviewers
to minimize interviewer bias are also high.

It might be possible that the respondents feel

uneasy in the face to face interview.

Advantages of telephone interview

From the researchers point

of view
Number

of people can be

reached in a relatively short

period of time.

Advantages from respondents point

of view
It

eliminates discomfort that some of them

might feel in facing the interviewer.

It

is also possible that most of them might feel

less uncomfortable disclosing personal
information over the telephone than the face
to face.

Disadvantages of telephone
interview

The main disadvantage of telephone interviewing is

that the respondent could unilaterally terminate the
interview without warning or explanation by hanging
up the phone.

And the other disadvantage of telephone interview is

that the researcher will not be able to see the
respondent to read the nonverbal communication

Additional sources of bias in

interview data
Biased

data will be obtained when

respondents are interviewed while they are
extremely busy or are not in good humor.

Sampling

biases, which include inability to

contact persons whose telephone numbers
have changed, could also affect the quality of
data.

Computer-assisted interviewing

which refers to the way in which computers can be

used in the development and administering of survey
questionnaires. it has also been known as computerassisted survey information collection .

rather than using a paper questionnaire, interviewers

carry laptops from which questions are read out and
responses to the survey questions are entered.

CAI was first used in the UK in 1990 on the labour

force survey, and by 1995, all of the social surveys
carried out by the office for national statistics used this
method. it is thought to be one of the most influential
developments in survey data collection.

one of the most commonly used software programmes

for this is Blaise, which was developed by statistics
Netherlands (although this is by no means the only one
of its kind).

Types of computer assisted

interviewing
There are two types of computer assisted
interviewing.

CATI (Computer-assisted telephone interviewing)

CAPI (Computer-assisted personal interviewing )

Computer-assisted telephone
interviewing:
Is

atelephonesurveyingtechnique in which
the interviewer follows a script provided by a
software application. It is a structured system
ofmicrodatacollection by telephone that
speeds up the collection and editing of
microdata and also permits the interviewer to
educate the respondents on the importance of
timely and accurate data.

 the

software is able to customize the

flow of the questionnaire based on the
answers provided, as well as
information already known about the
participant. It is used inB2Bservices
and corporate sales.

CATI may function in the following manner:

A computerized questionnaire is administered to

respondents over the telephone.

The interviewer sits in front of a computer screen.

Upon command, the computer dials the telephone

number to be called.

When contact is made, the interviewer reads the

questions posed on the computer screen and records
the respondent's answers directly into the computer.

Interim and update reports can be compiled

instantaneously, as the data are being collected.

CATI software has built-in logic, which also enhances

data accuracy.

The program will personalize questions and control

for logically incorrect answers, such as percentage
answers that do not add up to 100 percent.

Computer-assisted personal
interviewing
Is

an interviewing technique in which the

respondent or interviewer uses a computer to
answer the questions.

It is similar tocomputer-assisted telephone

interviewing, except that the interview takes place
in person instead of over the telephone.

This method is usually preferred over a telephone

interview when the questionnaire is long and
complex.

It has been classified as a personal interviewing

technique because an interviewer is usually
present to serve as a host and to guide the
respondent.

Advantages of Software Packages:

Field notes taken by interviewers as they collect data
generally have to be transcribed, hand-ceded, hand
tabulated, and so on all of which are time consuming.
Automatic indexing of the data can be done with
special programs.
The two modes in operation are:

Indexing such that specific responses are coded in a

particular way.

Retrieval of data with a fast search speed.

We can thus see that computer make a big impact on

data collection. With greater technological
advancement and a reduction in hardware and software
costs, computer assisted interviews program to become
a primary method of data collection in the future.

Review of interviewing:
Interviews are one method of obtaining data; they can

either be Unstructured or structured, and can be

conducted face to face, over the telephone, or the
computer.
Unstructured

interviews are usually conducted to obtain

definite ideas about what is, and is not, important and
relevant to particular problem situations.

 Structured

interviews give more in depth information about

specific variable of interest. To minimize bias in responses,
the interviewer must establish rapport with the respondent
and ask unbiased questions.

Face-to-Face

interview and conducted over the telephone

have their advantages and disadvantages, and both have
their uses in different circumstances.

Computer assisted interviewing

which entails heavy initial investment, is an
assets for interviewing and for the analysis of
qualitative, spontaneous responses. Computer
interactive interviews have become an
increasingly important mode of data collection
in recent years.
.

Advantages

and Disadvantaged
of face to face interview and
telephone interview

Modes of data collection

Advantages

Disadvantages

Personal or face-to-face
interviews

Can establish rapport and

motivate
Respondents.
Can clarify the questions, clear
doubts.
Can read nonverbal cues.
CAPI can be used and responses
entered in a portable computer.

Take personal time.

Costs more when a wide
geographic region is covered.
Interviewers need to be trained.
Can introduce interviewer bias.

Telephone interviews

Less costly and speeder than

personal interviews.
Can reach a wide geographic area.
Can be done using CATI.

Nonverbal cues cannot be

read.
Interviews will have to be kept
short.
Respondent can terminate the
interview at any time.

THANK YOU