Chapter 4: Marketing Research

E-ACTIVITY: CONDUCTING SURVEYS (p. 138)

Activity: Take and Design Online Surveys

In this activity, you will complete online surveys and learn about the different ways in which Internet survey questions can be set up. Once you have learned more about how to design a survey you will be asked to design a short survey for a service.

1. Working with a partner, visit the Environics Group's Web site and complete the Environics' "Tech Survey" (which is shown on page 139 of your Student Book). What kind of "techno-person" are you? Do you think that the results of this survey describe your relationship with technology accurately? How well do you think the questions match the purpose of the survey? Discuss with a partner.
   
   
2. Now visit Survey Said, a company that produces software products for conducting surveys online, and read their demonstration surveys: Airline Passenger Survey, Automotive Customer Service Survey, and Smitty's Food Center Survey. What kind of questions are asked in each of these surveys? What purpose would the surveys fulfill for the marketers of the different companies?
   
   
3. Now it is your turn. With your partner, design an online survey consisting of 10 questions on one of the following topics: "Internet Use" or "Cellular Phone Use." Set your questions up on a piece of paper, as they would appear on the respondent's screen. Be sure to remember the purpose your survey is to serve and the audience who will be answering your questions. Conduct your survey with a small group of fellow students to be sure that the wording of all your questions is clear.