Q2014 short course proposal

Training Course Q2014
1. Title:

Identifying, preventing and dealing with quality issues
in business surveys

2. Instructors1:

 Ger Snijkers (contact person), Statistics Netherlands:
 Gustav Haraldsen, Statistics Norway:  Jacqui Jones, UK Office for National Statistics:
3. Abstract:
Business surveys differ in important ways from social surveys, for example:  The business population is dynamic  Businesses can be in more than one survey and in recurring surveys  Samples are skewed to large businesses  A different response process that often involves more than one person  A greater reliance of self-completion data collection  Industrial classification coding  Businesses may be re-contacted during editing to confirm data Using a process-quality perspective, derived from the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM), this course provides an introductory overview of methodological considerations in designing and conducting business surveys issues aligned to identifying, preventing and dealing with quality issues. The course provides an integrated process-quality approach to methods and procedures that optimize the design of a survey, covering all stages in the survey process, including sampling, questionnaire design, response improvement communication strategies, and post-collection procedures such as editing, imputation, analysis and dissemination. It also covers how to effectively plan, manage and monitor the survey. In every step we will discuss quality issues in relation to identifying, preventing and dealing with them. This course is appropriate for practitioners, researchers and methodologists in survey methodology, who work in Statistical Institutes, universities, non-profit and for-profit survey organizations, international statistical organizations (e.g., OECD, IMF, UN, Eurostat), and Central Banks. It is also relevant for users of survey data and statistics, such as policy makers, analysts, and researchers, to improve their knowledge and aid their interpretation of statistical outputs that form the basis for policy decisions or statistical analyses. 4. Outline
Introduction – the basics in business surveys with a focus on quality issues:  Stages in the survey process and the statistical processes – from 1 The actual instructors could vary dependent on availability at the time of Q2014  Major differences between household surveys and establishment  The business context and response burden  Total Survey Error and quality frameworks applied to business  Planning the survey and the survey organizational context  Questionnaire communication design and pretesting  An integrated approach to survey communication and response  Managing data collection, capturing, coding and cleaning with a focus on process and quality indicators using paradata 5. Learning outcomes

Participants completing this course will gain an understanding of the stages in the survey
process as utilized in business surveys, particularly with regard to the following:
 Differences between business surveys and social surveys, and their impact on
 The survey production process and quality trade-off decisions in every step  Effects of the business context on survey participation and response processes  The concept of response burden  Quality dimensions to be considered in business surveys, including sampling and  Procedures for planning a business survey, and how to consider the organizational  How to develop an effective designed questionnaire communication, taking the  How to develop a communication plan aimed at response improvement strategies,  Monitoring and managing data collection using paradata-based indicators  Capturing, coding and cleaning survey data, and quality and process indicators  Issues in producing statistical and analytical data products from business survey data The class will combine lecture and discussion of shared experiences to illustrate application of principles to actual survey practices. 6. Material this course draws on
Snijkers, G., Haraldsen,G., Jones, J., and Willimack, D. K. (2013). Designing and Conducting Business Surveys. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.

Source: http://www.q2014.at/fileadmin/user_upload/Q2014course_2_for_Web.pdf