summarize each point as indicated make it sensible

1.Definesurveys and describethe type ofinformation that maybe gathered ina survey. A survey represents a way of describing public opinion by collecting primary data through communicating directlywith individual samplingunits. Surveys provide asnapshot at agiven point intime. More precisely,this is asample survey becausethe respondents' opinionspresumably represent a sample of the larger target population's opinion. Members of the sample are known as respondents. Surveys gather information to assess consumer knowledge and awareness of products, brands, or issues and to measure consumer attitudes, feelings, and behaviors. Additionally, surveys describe consumer characteristics, including purchasing patterns, brand usage, and descriptive characteristics includingdemographics and lifestyle.Surveys provide aquick, efficient, andaccurate means of assessing information about a population.

2.Identify sources of error in survey research. Two major forms of error are common in survey research. The first, sampling error is inadequacy of respondents to represent a population of interest even if other survey aspects are valid. Sampling error results from random sampling error, chance variation given that a sample is some fraction of the entire population, and systematic sampling error that resultsfrom a flawedsampling frame. Thesecond major categoryof error, systematicerror, takes several forms. Nonresponse error is caused by sampling units that fail to respond to a survey. This type of error can be detected by comparing the demographics of the sample popula-tion with those of the target population and making a special effort to contact underrepresented groups. In addition, response bias occurs when a response to a questionnaire is falsified or misrepre-sented, either intentionally or inadvertently. Administrative error also contributes to nonsampling, systematic error. Administrative error represents a flaw in the execution of the survey or sample plan. Exhibit 7.1 summarizes the sources of error.

3.Summarize the ways researchers gather information through personal interviews. An interactive surveyapproach facilitates two-waycommunication where therespondent and the interviewer truly have a personal dialogue. A face-to-face personal interview typifies this approach, but other media, including mobile phones and landline phones, allow two-way com-munication. Face-to-face interviewscan be conducteddoor-to-door, although thismode is used less and less these days. Mall intercepts provide another alternative for personal interviews. They give the advantage of allowing respondents to interact with actual products or market-ing stimuli. Landlinetelephone interviews arestill widely usedwhen a representative samplebecomes a priority.Mobile phone surveyshave potential, butlegal restrictions likethe Tele-phone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) make using them more difficult and expensive than landline surveys.

4.Know the advantages and disadvantages of conducting surveys using self-administered questionnaires. Self-administered questionnaires provide less interactivity than personal inter-views but provide increased efficiency. Self-administered surveys can be administered through snail mail-delivered paperquestionnaires or e-mailand Internet-based surveyapproaches. They typi-cally are less expensive than personal interviews although gathering representative data generally is expensive through any means. Self-administered questionnaires also can provide for faster data collection. The structured response though provides little flexibility to stray beyond the questions written on the survey.

5.Appreciatethe importance of pretesting questionnaires. Pretestinga questionnaire isa useful way to discover problems while they can still be corrected. Pretests may involve screening the questionnaire with other research professionals and/or conducting a trial run with a relatively small set of respondents. Despite their obvious value, researchers too often move forward without adequately pretesting survey instruments and sampling frames.

6.Describe ethical issues that arise in survey research. Researchers must protect the public from misrepresentation andexploitation. This obligationincludes honesty aboutthe purpose of a research project and protection of subjects' right to refuse to participate or to answer particular questions. Researchers also should protect the confidentiality of participants and record responses honestly. If a survey cannot be administered in a way that prohibits any unique identification of respondents, researchers should not promise anonymity. Lastly, as technology evolves, researchers should be mindful of ways that good ethics can be breeched in sometimes subtle ways, including adding volumes of spam and breeches of confidentiality.