Survey Paper
In the world of research and information gathering there a number of tools and methods that can be used that will assist in the research process. Among these tools are surveys. Surveys allow researchers to obtain information from individuals through questionnaires delivered through mail, electronically via the internet, or in-person. The method of delivery for the current survey will be through the mail. This will enable researchers to reach a large geographical population range, as well as reach customers who may not frequently visit the business locations. The rate of response will inevitably be low, but a 30% return rate will be acceptable to acquire reliable data. The survey will also be available and presented in-person to customers who visit our banking locations. With the information gathered through the survey, our researchers will be able to begin determining the answer to our question.
The survey that has been created will enable researchers to address the problem statement of: “are the highest users of banks services concerned about earning interest on their account balances.” This problem statement requires that information be obtained in two key areas. The first area that information must be obtained is to determine who the highest users of the banks services are. Once that information is obtained, we can begin to determine the importance of earned interest on those accounts. This survey is designed to address both key areas of importance, and is formatted to easily differentiate the two categories. Survey questions at the beginning of the survey are target to obtain data relative to determining who the highest users of the banks services are. The second part of the survey is structured to obtain customer’s opinions and feelings on how high interest levels of their bank accounts affect their satisfaction as a customer. The last question is an open ended question that gives participants an opportunity to put their opinions into words that were not expressed or asked in the survey. This will enable our researchers to obtain valuable information that may have otherwise been difficult or impossible to obtain.
Determining if the questions asked on a survey are relevant to and appropriate for addressing the research problem is very important. Providing useless questions will result in useless data, as well as wasted time and effort on the part of the researchers. Questions one through four of the survey are directed at obtaining personal information of the participants. Those questions will provide data on the age ranges, marital status, number of children, and average yearly wages of the customers. These questions, when combined with questions 5, 6, and 7 will help researchers identify who the highest users of the banks services are. Questions five through 7 provide data that will be used to determine which customers are the largest users of the banks services. These questions will tell researchers how much money is deposited on average, the purpose for the money and the interest earned on the money, and the number of active accounts that a customer may have. Therefore, questions one through 7, when combined, will provide the necessary data to identify who the highest users of the banks services are, and are appropriate to the problem statement. Questions 8, 9, and 10 are designed to collect data on the importance of interest rates on accounts to customer satisfaction. Question 8 is a yes or no question that will tell researchers if these individuals have ever switched banks for higher interest rates. This question will be perhaps the most appropriate as it will determine if customers have previously switched for reasons similar to the problem statement. Questions 9 and 10 will provide data that will help to display the customer’s opinions on interest rates, and determine how the interest earned on their accounts affects their plans for the ultimate goal of retirement.
The survey questions will be measured using a variety of rating scales. Questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 all use the category scale which elicits on response from a group of possible choices. Question 8 will be measured using the dichotomous scale, or is a simple yes or no question. This style of question is easy to measure as there are only two possible responses. Question 3 is a hybrid question which will use two rating scales the first is a dichotomous rating scale which elicits a yes or no answer. If yes is chosen, then a category scale is used in the question. The ninth question on the survey will use a numerical scale with bipolar adjectives at both ends of the scale. This type of measurement and rating scale will help researchers in obtaining data that displays customer opinions on the topic. Question 10 utilizes an itemized rating scale in the form of a fixed or constant sum scale. This type of scale asks the participant to rate the importance of each aspect of the scale based on the total rating equaling a predetermined sum; in this case the sum is 100. The final question on the survey is an open ended question that allows the participant to state their honest opinions on the topic and express their feelings in a way that may have not been provided by the previous questions on the survey.
Research is no different than any other business related issue when it comes to ethics. Ethical decisions should be made at every step of the research process and the information used should not be abused. Maintaining customer privacy and using the customer’s data for only the reasons specified is among the most important ethical aspects of conducting the survey. The organization is asking consumers for their personal information, and this information must be used wisely and only in manners disclosed with the survey participants. Another ethical consideration that we must make is to make customers feel that they are not obligated to take the survey. Doing so may negatively affect the customer’s satisfaction.
A substantial amount of effort has gone into developing a survey that will address both components of the problem statement. The questions have been constructed in a simple form in which the majority of individuals with little knowledge of banking terms will be able to understand. The survey flows in a consistent and structured manner which elicits the information necessary for researchers. Obtaining reliable and accurate data is critical to ensuring that management makes the appropriate decisions to answer the problems at hand. This survey will take the researchers one step closer to completing their goal.

References
Sekaran, U., (2003). Chapter 9: Measurement: Scaling, Reliability, & Validity. Research Methods for Business. A Skill-Building Approach, Fourth Edition. Copyright Wiley Inc., A Pearson Education Company.
Sekaran, U., (2003). Chapter 10: Data Collection Methods. Research Methods for Business. A Skill-Building Approach, Fourth Edition. Copyright Wiley Inc., a Pearson Education Company.