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Question: Discuss about the Useful Method of Data Collection within Business and Management Research. Answer: Introduction Researchers always desire to collect the most accurate data possible to substantiate, justify, or test their hypothesis. Enabling such milestones in a study requires the use of an effective survey instrument that conforms to the requirements of the data to be collected. Although choosing the right tool can be at times challenging, the underlining factors remain to be efficiency, reliability, compatibility, and cost of the surveying tools to be used (Lee, Vargo Seville, 2013, p.34). Depending on the population under study, its composition regarding gender, cultural practices, and literacy levels will dictate the best tools to be used to extract data from it. Even though, there are still more challenges that make developing an effective survey instrument intricate and involving. Accordingly, most researchers will opt to undertake a pilot study first to test the efficiency of the data collection tools he/she intends to use. Challenges in Developing Survey Instruments Just like any undertaking, developing tools for data collections also have difficulties. This makes the process involving and demanding high levels of accuracies or making informed decisions on the instruments to be used. Since survey instruments are meant to collect data from the whole population, their precision has to be upbeat for a better outcome. In essence, any study involving the collection of data whether qualitative or quantitative needs pre-tested tools for better results (Ahern, Gardner Courtney, 2016, p. 26). However, several issues make the development process of designing survey instruments challenging. Compatibility Depending on the nature of the data that needs to be collected, developing the appropriate tools can become a challenging task. For instance, when both qualitative and quantitative data is required, the instrument should be compatible with the forms of the various data. Although the leading questions can be used to obtain critical information concerning both types of data, it is usually not enough for the whole set of data needed (Bishop Verleger, 2013, p. 8). Considering the data analysis procedure to be used by a researcher, the instrument used should be able to gather the datatypes needed. Such a requirement while designing a survey instrument makes the process even more complicated and challenging to the research despite the research questions being ready. For example, when a researcher wishes to use a questionnaire in collecting data, it has to be developed in a way that all the information collected is relevant to the study. If nominal, ordinal, and scale variable datatypes ar e needed, I have to have the ability to be able to gather all data in the one instrument. Composition of the Population In most cases, when undertaking a study, there is human involvement in the process. Accordingly, their structure affects the nature and type of the instrument to use while extracting information from them. Since precision is the key consideration while obtaining data from the study population, the tools should match both social and ethical requirements (Srensen, 2013, p. 948). Furthermore, the literacy levels of the population sometimes make it impossible to use some types of instruments or make their preparation more difficult. For instance, when an online questionnaire is to be used to source data from a particular population, the development process will be complex and arduous. This is because the forms have to be made compatible with all existing operating systems and the contents are also comprehensible by the whole population. Such a requirement makes the development process of such a survey instrument not only challenging but also time-consuming and sometimes costly. Reliability Reliableness of data collecting tools is among the top concerns of any researcher who wants to collect data from the whole population. While designing a survey instrument, the focus is always on making sure its use will yield accurate results. According to Iliopoulou, Kitchell, and Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan (2013, p. 1682), the development procedure of a research tool becomes challenging when its reliability is challenged by human-induced factors such as culture, religion, education or even geographical locations. In instances where there is a cosmopolitan community without a common language, designing the instrument even becomes more challenging as it will need expertise from the various ethnic groups to ensure the contents are the same despite the differences in the language used. Other than challenges caused by human factors, some organizational requirements may require some authorisations particularly when its employees are to be part of it. In this case, the researcher will need to have the data collection tools accompanied by authorization materials especially when financial or medical information is to be collected (Iliopoulou, Kitchell, and Yuzbasiyan-Gurkan, 2013, p. 1685),. For this reason, the whole procedure becomes challenging and makes it consume more time than it might be expected. Validation of the Instrument In testing the effectiveness of the survey instrument before its actual use, several errors may emerge necessitating immediate changes. In fact, even after correcting the flaws noticed during the pilot study, more errors may still be present only to be identified later when the instrument is being used. According to Akter, DAmbra, and Ray (2013, p. 184), validating data collection tool literally takes more than just ensuring all the research questions are presented in the research tool for presentation to the target population. It should account for the acceptability of the language used and confidentiality of information that will be gathered. Essentially, ensuring that the data collection instrument does not have loopholes that can lead to the identification of responded has to be forefront. However, in some instances, it becomes apparent to let the instruments be able to capture data that can identify the respondents mostly in the cases where a health related study is being undert aken (Akter, DAmbra Ray, 2013, p. 185) Generally, the tasks that are accompanied with developing research instruments can be challenging if there the one preparing does not have adequate knowledge of the population he/she intends to use for the study. Again, depending on what the research questions are, the instrument can be difficult to design. For instance, when using a questionnaire that uses either the Cronbach or Likert scale, deciding on allocations of the corresponding scores or degrees increases the complexity in developing the tool (Bunton, 2016, p. 1183). Therefore, it is essential for a researcher to ensure that he/she is sure of the variables and their possible measurement scale so that it can be easier to design a reliable, compatible and valid survey instrument. Strategies and Principles for Developing an Effective Survey Instrument The accuracy and dependability of surveying tools in collecting data from the field is a concern to many organizations/individuals. Developing the right instrument has always posed a challenge to many but with the input of some strategies, cross-checking and ensuring that the tools are valid can solve the whole problem. According to McCoach, Gable, and Madura (2013), the idea of having an effective survey instrument relies on the strategies and the key principles that guide its development and use. For this reason, some key strategies that ensure a survey instrument is valid, effective and reliable for use exists. Checking Content Validity While developing research work, there are always certain aspects that needs to be met to make the all the information presented is consistent with the topic under study. One way of addressing this issue is developing survey instruments that explicitly integrate all the contents of the research. Starting with the statement of the problem, objectives of the study and in some instances research questions and hypothesis, a good instrument should focus on answering/conforming to the requirements of these sections. Although in some scenarios it may not be possible of including all the contents of the research instrument fully, there is always room for a bigger percentage of including the critical details (Hess, et.al, 2013, p. 25). It is thus paramount to ensure that the contents of the instrument are valid and consistent with the research questions. Logical Sequencing of Questions Among the greatest determinant of an effective survey tool is how it is designed to systematically answer the research questions without overriding information (Jnese, et.al, 2015). Due to this fact, most researchers opt to break their data collection instruments into sections/parts that prepare the respondents to present information under certain categories one at a time. For instance, a questionnaire or an interview can have categories of questions ranging from, demographic, education, social well-being, and other information types clustered together for consistency in information recording. This not only makes the instrument more efficient but also aids in easy data entry from the collection tools after the data gathering exercise (Bruck Towns, 2013, p. 689). Checking Internal Consistency Depending on the type of issues to be addressed in the survey instrument, checking on the uniformity of the scale for measuring items of the same concept is essential. All the elements or concepts in a particular set of questions need to use the same scale that measures the variables involved. For instance, when measuring satisfaction on various issues as education, trade, social responsibility, and economic conditions, the same scale needs to be used so that the information obtained can be consistent and easier to interpret. In such a case, measures such as low, moderate, and high can be used to measure the levels of satisfaction. As pointed out by (Preibusch, 2013, p. 1139), observational type of instruments may not necessarily rely on written questions, but the researcher undertaking the observation must have in mind a picture of what low, moderate or high means so as to gauge the levels accurately. Such considerations while designing how the instrument is going to be used is an e ssential feature of an effective survey tool. Choice of Language and Tone It is worth noting that no subject in a survey study is compelled to provide information for the research. In fact, respondents answer questions asked if they are only willing to participate. When an offending language is used in the research instrument, there are higher possibilities of the interviewees shying away in answering some of the questions asked (Mola, 2013, p. 712). For instance a phrase like.Can you provide your demographic details here only sound more of demanding than requesting. In such a case, an effective way of showing a respective tone could be Please enter/provide the following demographic details about you. This sounds more friendly that the previous phrase. It is thus vital to decide on the choice of words to be used to deliver the contents of the survey instrument. Furthermore, using a harsh tone reduces the chances of being offered the correct information by the respondents from the study population (Greene, et.al, 2016, p. 137). Developing a Mixed Set of Questions While it remains relevant to consider short and precise questions in a survey instrument, it should also give room for both closed and open-ended questions. The nature pf the data needed will always determine how the questions will be sequenced. According to Young and Bryan (2015, p. 8), designing an instrument that gives a chance for respondents to give a personal account of certain issues as required by the research provides a more realistic and real image of the issue being addressed. Unlike the close-ended questions, allowing participants to inject their personal observations also increases the chances of obtaining information that is more accurate. Despite the fact that it takes the time to complete open set of questions, it is still vital to include both at ago in the survey instrument to make it more effective and reliable (Linsky, et.al, 2016, p. 747). Conclusion The primary challenge when designing a survey instrument is said to be compatibility, reliability and validity issues. Researchers find it hard to entirely develop a sound and upbeat instrument without letting undergo pre-testing procedure. Even after the pilot study and modifications, certain deficiencies that are unnoticed may still present at a later stage. However, by employing some strategies, one can develop an effective survey instrument that can be used to collect data from the study population without raising any ethical, validity or accuracy issues. 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