The primary research undertaken in this project consisted of a questionnaire administered to SMMEs. A questionnaire, according to Haralambos (1985), consists of a list of preset questions to which respondents are asked to supply answers. The questionnaire consisted of both open and close-ended questions with a specific purpose of achieving a comprehensive response in terms of both quantitative and qualitative information.
According to Robinson (2007), questionnaires are easier to analyse. Robinson (2007) indicated that data entry and tabulation for nearly all surveys can be easily done with many computer software packages. He further indicated that in most instances questionnaires are familiar to most people and nearly everyone has had some experience completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive. Questionnaires reduce bias since there is uniform question presentation and no middle person bias. The researcher's own opinions will not influence the respondent to answer questions in a certain manner since there are no verbal or visual clues to influence the respondent (Robinson, 2007).
Robinson (2007) argued that mail-in questionnaires are less intrusive than telephone or face-to- face surveys. Unlike other survey implementation methods, Robinson (2007) believed that the respondent, in this instance is not interrupted by the research instrument (questionnaire). When a respondent receives a questionnaire in the mail, he/she is free to complete the questionnaire
at his/her own convenience. In this study, the researcher dropped off questionnaires with respondents and left a forwarding address for completed questionnaires to be returned.
One major disadvantage, according to Haralambos (1985), of written questionnaires is the possibility of low response rates. However, in this study the researcher administered approximately 600 questionnaires targeting SMMEs who participated at various conferences and fairs. At the end of the study, 250 questionnaires were collected and analysed which is a high response rate of 50%. Further disadvantages Haralambos (1985) cited include the inability to probe responses since the respondent is not necessarily in front of the researcher. As questionnaires are structured instruments, Haralambos (1985) believed that they allow little flexibility to the respondent with respect to response format. In essence, he argued that they often lose the “flavour of the response” (Haralambos, 1985: 198). He further believed that by allowing frequent space for comments, the researcher can partially overcome this disadvantage.
Such open-ended comments are among the most helpful of all the information on the questionnaire, and they usually provide insightful information that would have otherwise been lost (Haralambos, 1985). In this study the researcher also inserted spaces for respondents to add their own comments and suggestions, however, in instances where the researcher was looking for open-ended responses to specific questions, such as identification of problems or looking for solutions in order to provide creative information that would add value to the study, such lines were left blank. It is important to note, that very few interviewees provided responses for these open-ended questions or comments when given a chance to do so.
However, blank responses could also point to a lack of understanding on the subject matter.
According to Burgess (2001: 12), nearly 90% of all communication is visual; therefore gestures and other visual cues are not available with written questionnaires. The lack of personal contact, according to Burgess (2001), will have different effects depending on the type of information being requested. A questionnaire therefore requesting factual information will probably not be affected by the lack of personal contact and probing sensitive issues or attitudes may be severely affected (Burgess, 2001). Burgess (2001) believed that questionnaires are simply not suited for some people, for example, a written survey to a group of poorly educated people might not work because of weak reading skills. In the case of the
sample of this study there was a high level of literacy among respondents which was evident from the analysis of the socio-economic profile. However, Burgess (2001) added that in terms of those questionnaires that were not responded to, this could be attributed to the low literacy of those individuals who chose not to participate. He further added that more frequently, people are turned off by written questionnaires because of the length as well as the fear relating to how the information obtained will be used.
Despite the disadvantages cited in the above discussion, questionnaires are a common method used for gaining information since there are also numerous advantages that justifies their use (Burgess, 2001). Written questionnaires, according to Burgess (2001), become even more cost- effective as the number of research questions increases when compared to face-to-face interviews if one measures cost in terms of the researcher’s time. This is especially true for studies involving large sample sizes and large geographic areas (Burgess, 2001). In this instance, the EMA is quite large and in order for the researcher to ensure that she was able to reach out to as many SMMEs as possible, she had to make use of this method. Time constraints on both the side of the researcher as well as the SMMEs would have made conducting 250 interviews extremely difficult.
In this study, both open-ended and closed-ended questions were made use of in the questionnaire in order to ensure that comprehensive responses were received. Closed-ended response options must contain a possible response, including some response category for those who do not want any of the other choices. Such response categories used in this study included
“yes”, “no” or “uncertain”. Other response categories included specific options identified by the researcher to respond to the question raised. According to Robinson (2007), closed-ended response categories are useful for gathering quantitative, easily coded and analysed data and they are most suitable for mass surveys, especially for mailed or telephone surveys.
Robinson (2007) indicated that open-ended questions provide no answer choices. Robinson (2007) described such questions as easy to ask and allow for a wide variety of responses, including the creative and unusual. He further described open-ended questions as especially useful when you don't know the likely values or can't anticipate how the respondent will respond. The information gathered by open-ended questions could then be used to develop
appropriate close-ended questions for another questionnaire (Robinson, 2007). These questions, according to Robinson (2007), forced the respondent to think and allow the respondent to clarify and explain a response. If the respondent takes needed time and makes the effort, responses can be enlightening and produce useful information. Robinson (2007) argued that the response rate will be lower because the blank space is demanding and intimidating, especially for those who don't like to write. Robinson (2007) indicated that since responses are not really ordered, analysis requires considerable time and effort. It may be difficult to measure and classify responses. He further indicated that responses may be off base because there is inadequate guidance from the instrument itself. Open-ended response options provide respondents with the opportunity to respond to the question in whatever way they see fit.
Robinson (2007) listed the following advantages of open-ended response options:
• allows the respondents to suggest a range of possibilities unknown to the researchers
• avoid the bias of a list of response possibilities
• generate rich details, key words and phrases; are sometimes easier (for example, write in your statement rather than pick from a list of all statements)
• are often used in exploratory research or in early stages of a project
• can generate ideas for future closed-ended response options
• can gather data to explain responses to closed-ended response options (for example, if a respondent said yes, why?)
• allows the respondent to provide feedback to the researcher or the sponsor of the research
• can promote a positive feeling for the respondents that their inputs are valuable
Some of the problems identified with open-ended response categories, according to Robinson (2007), are as follows:
• they need careful pre-testing
• data may be more difficult to code and analyse
• may be left unanswered more often than closed-ended response categories
• requires motivation on the part of the respondent
• requires well-trained interviewers for in-person interviews
• takes more time for analysis for large samples
Once data is collected, the next step is to design a proper format for data entry. According to Arsham (2003), very often data are entered in such a way that it is not readable by statistical software. Arsham (2003) argued that although computer technology is very advanced, data values can only be either numeric or non-numeric. Numeric values can be quantified while non-numeric values can only be summarised in most cases. As a result of the fact that data obtained through fieldwork is difficult to interpret in raw form, the statistical programme used for the analyses and presentation of data in this study specifically is the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Arsham (2003) declared that SPSS for Windows is an effective statistical package for data analysis. Data is coded and captured into digital format from where it is interpreted and expressed either in tables or graphically. This facilitates the proper application of data to tackle problems and questions in research. Arsham (2003) accentuated the significance of incorporating critical thinking skills in the analysis of data gained through research.
The use of the SPSS included the use of descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics are theoretical postulates used to draw inferences about populations and to estimate the parameters of those populations (Okech, 2004). The necessary descriptive statistics were obtained in tabular form. Data was checked for errors and cleaned up and most of the tabulations were retained as is evident in chapter six.