Errors Resulting From Research Design?

¶ … errors resulting from research design?

Research studies are expensive and often time consuming for both the study's participants and observers. A study is not something that should be embarked upon casually, given that a flawed or biased design can produce an inaccurate, biased, or skewed result for the organization conducting the research. For example, over-emphasizing an ethnic group or national region in the demographic composition of the study, or relying too much upon subjective perceptions on the part of the study's takers, could result in a campaign that did not appeal to a wide audience, or cause an unpopular product may be launched nationally. A design that encourages inaccurate information about a customer demographic or a group of people to be accumulated is thus costly for the company in the short-term, and could alienate an entire customer base in the long-term, if inaccurate information becomes the crux of a new strategy, for the development of a new product line, to make just one example.

DQ3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys to conduct research?

Surveys are cheaply and easily administered by the study's designers, but surveys are easily ignored when they come in the mail, or even voluntarily and in person. There is little incentive to fill in a written survey -- or fill them in accurately or in details, as there is no face-to-face contact. A personal survey is also brief, and might cause the speaker to wish to simply quickly please the survey's taker, and leave, rather than give thoughtful replies without being influenced by the taker's reactions.