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A Note on the Use of Survey Research Firms to Enable Empirical Data Collection
Author(s) -
Schoenherr Tobias,
Ellram Lisa M.,
Tate Wendy L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of business logistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.611
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 2158-1592
pISSN - 0735-3766
DOI - 10.1111/jbl.12092
Subject(s) - data collection , exposition (narrative) , empirical research , supply chain management , business , survey data collection , survey methodology , marketing , supply chain , survey research , population , knowledge management , computer science , sociology , medicine , philosophy , statistics , business administration , mathematics , epistemology , art , social science , literature , demography , pathology
This forward thinking article examines the risks and rewards of using survey research firms to enable empirical data collection, and issues a cautionary note about its application. An exposition and discussion of this form of data collection in supply chain management is relevant today, due to the “survey‐fatigue” among the population of business professionals from whom we seek a response. While this approach has some history in other disciplines, it is still relatively new among supply chain management researchers. To help supply chain management scholars assess the appropriateness of this type of data collection method, this forward thinking article provides invaluable guidance as derived from the authors' recent experiences with the approach. As such, we share our observations and lessons learned. The conclusion is that the use of survey research firms for empirical data collection can be a viable, alternative approach to self‐administered surveys. However, care should be taken in its application.