An Empirical-Comparison Of Direct Questioning, Scenario, And Randomized-Response Methods For Obtaining Sensitive Business Information

    Authors

    R. L. Armacost; J. C. Hosseini; S. A. Morris;K. A. Rehbein

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Decis. Sci.

    Keywords

    QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS; SAMPLING AND SURVEY METHODS; AND STATISTICAL; TECHNIQUES; INTERVIEW; Management

    Abstract

    Certain business practices include legal but ethically questionable activities. Surveys intended to determine the nature and extent of such activities must employ questioning methods which mitigate the inherent threat of sensitive questions and account for social desirability effects. This study uses a national mail survey of chief executive officers (CEOs) of manufacturing firms to compare the performance of direct questioning, scenario, and randomized response methods for estimating the prevalence of several sensitive business practices. The direct questioning and scenario versions used self-reporting (individual-based) questions, as well as the CEO's perceptions of the extent to which others engage in questionable activities (other-based). In general, the estimates of the prevalence of selected questionable activities were lowest when the individual-based direct questioning was used and highest when other-based (either direct questioning or scenario) methods were used. The individual-based scenario and randomized response estimates represented intermediate estimates. Suggested guidelines for using the three methods for eliciting sensitive information are discussed.

    Journal Title

    Decision Sciences

    Volume

    22

    Issue/Number

    5

    Publication Date

    1-1-1991

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    1073

    Last Page

    1090

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:A1991HA66400006

    ISSN

    0011-7315

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