FACULTATEA DE AUTOMATICĂ Ș I CALCULATOARE

SEMESTRUL II – SEMINAR 7

SURVEY

A. LEAD IN
Businesses, educators, government officials and everyday folk have an interest in collecting
information. A survey is just that: a way to collect information about and learn from your
respondents.

According to dictionaries, a survey consist in an examination of behaviours, opinion,

preferences etc. by asking people questions

Surveys are generally considered a marketing tool, or a method to check advertising

efficiency. Lately their application field enlarged.
Give short answers to the following questions
a. Why are surveys designed for?
 Surveys are used to increase knowledge in fields such as social research
and demography. Survey research is often used to assess thoughts,
opinions, and feelings.
b. How many surveys have you answered?
 I have answered 10 surveys.
c. Which ones did you complete?
 All of them.
d. Why did you complete some and trash others without a second glance?
 I prefer to answer important surveys, not just a simple one.
e. Have you designed a survey?
 No, I haven’t.
Although surveys might appear easy to design at first blush, there's more than meets the
eye. You need experience and a theoretical background to produce the best, most useful
surveys to gather useful information. Use your own experience in answering surveys to
figure out how to create a productive one.
That is why a good plan is needed

Designing the Survey

1 Establish the goals for the survey. 

Simply put, what do you hope to gain from your survey?

The questions you ask all need to point back to this essential idea.

A. The goal of your survey

You start designing a survey, because you want to answer to a main question. This answer
will improve our activity; it will turn it into a more efficient one.
Here are some examples of surveys’ goals:
 To find a solution to improve company’s activity
 To figure which new product is needed
 To check the success of a product
 To find out how to enlarge the target public of your products
 To find out the opinion of the employees
 To figure which department is working better than other
 To find out the relationship between employees.
Please complete the list.

B. The Target Public

When you think about

the goal of your survey,
you also figure which is
your Target public. In
other words, who will
benefit from your
product?
 1. Read the following text and then complete the list with
the possible target public groups
2.

The target pubic can be divided according to age, profession, rural/urban, education,
nationality, economic interests.
For example, there are surveys, which are used for improving the management insight a
company. Let say that you're an employer and you want to figure out whether your
employees are happy with their working conditions. The survey questions you ask, either
directly or indirectly, need to address the happiness of your workers. You could ask
them directly, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are your working conditions?" or you
could formulate a more indirect question, like "True or False: I wake up every day feeling
like I am a happy person because I work in a friendly environment."
Other surveys have a large addressability. For example, you want to know how much a
product (toothpaste, computer program, car telephone application) answers to the
public’s expectations.
There are surveys that are designed in order to discover a gap. You want to create a new
product, but you want to find out which are the public’s expectations. In order to be
successful you need to figure a certain age group.
Possible TARGET PUBLIC
a. Employees
b. Kindergarten teachers
c. Teenagers
d. School teachers
e. Gamers
f. Parents

Figure out your survey size

The sampling size is important. Too large and it could be extremely time consuming and
expensive to analyse, too small, and you may not achieve an accurate portrayal of the
information you are seeking. For each survey, your sample size might be different. You need
to consider the following factors when determining how many people you’re going to
survey.
 2. Ask the Right Questions

When you design a questionnaire, you

complete need to be sure that you ask the right
questions (those, which give you correct and
objective answers). You have to think to the
number of questions.
A long questionnaire is boring and people give
inaccurate, vague answers, or they refuse to
complete the whole questionnaire.

In a questionnaire, there can be three different types of questions

a. Identification –
 Even if all questionnaires are anonymous sometimes we need to
identify the target public, and we write some identification questions.
 There are questioning -
 Age group (under 20; 20-30; 30-50; over 65 etc.)
 Sex – female/male
 Education - secondary – school, high school, university,
post-graduate
 Rural/urban (town or city)
 User grade (if the survey is about a certain device)
b. Closed questions
These are questions with suggested answers, generally 3 (yes, no, I don’t
Know? /not yet)
 For example: Have used our new Samsung model JH10?
YES NO NOT YET

c. structured questions 
You ask a question and then provide answer choices below.
 An example of a structured question would be:
(1) "What is your favourite online activity?"
(a) Chatting/IM
(b) Social Networking
(c) Knowledge Sharing/Forums
(d) Shopping/Ecommerce
 d. Unstructured questions remove predetermined answers from
the equation. Instead of leading the respondent in a particular
direction by giving him or her answers to choose from,
unstructured questions encourage the respondent to develop a
very personal answer. An example of an unstructured question
would be:

(2) "Talk about your first experience stepping into an Apple Store."

Answer:
There are downsides of all type of questions. The closed questions with their three chooses
may not correspond to your experience and your particular answer represents the fourth
option. The downside of a structured question is that it's often not very specific. The
downside of an unstructured question is that it's hard to analyse the response and/or put it
into a spreadsheet. The partially structured question softens the downsides of each.
Here it is an example:
"How would you describe your attitude toward paying for music? Select all that apply
."(__) I never pay for music(__) As a rule, I pay for music I listen to(__) I often download music
illegally(__) I seldom download music illegally (__) I could be enticed to pay for music if I got more in
exchange (__) There is nothing that could entice me to pay for music(__) I feel bad for musicians
who are trying to earn a living wage(__) I don't feel bad for musicians who are trying to earn a living
wage

At the beginning of this section, I mentioned that a good questionnaire should have an
appropriate number of questions. The perfect number is a hard to achieve goal, because,
once again you should remember the target public and the survey goal.
a. If it is a survey, addressing to a large category it should be quite short. It ideal
structure may be:
 Identification questions
 Closed questions (4/5)
 Structured questions – (3/4)
 Unstructured questions –(2)
b. If it is a survey addressing to people inside of a company or community, the ideal
structure is a little bit different:
 Identification questions may not be needed, or at least they are reduced.
For example if it is a questionnaire for universities the question about age are
irrelevant.
  The number of closed questions may be reduced in favour of structured
questions
 According to the survey’s goal, more than two unstructured questions may
be relevant, because they clearly show people’s opinion.
Generally speaking, a survey with more than 20 questions is boring. The ideal number, no
matter the target public or goal, is 15-20.

3. Distribute the
questionnaire
1. Find a way to distribute your survey. Once you have decided what type(s) of
survey(s) you will be using, you want to give thought to how you'll give all your respondents
the questions.
 The internet has made online questionnaires very simple to design and send.
Services like Google Forms, Survey Monkey, and others offer surveys that are easy
to make and free.
 If you are going to distribute telephone surveys or want to conduct face-to-
face surveys, expect to shell out money. The data that you gather is usually more
representative, but it comes at a price. You can often hire professional contractors
to conduct the survey for you.
2.

How do you promote a survey?

1. By putting it out on any social forum, and asking your friends and family to post it.
2. If the survey is for an organization, then it could be advertised on the organization's
website and thus publicized.

By promoting it, you enlarge the number of respondents; therefor the results are more accurate.

This is just the first part of the seminar about surveys. Next time we are going to talk about how to
collect the data, how to analyse them and how to write the survey report.
Choosing the right parameters, format, and length can make your survey a success and bring
you the information you need.

HOMEWORK

1. Choose a topic for your survey

2. Decide which is its goal
3. Choose a target public
4. Design the draft of the questionnaire
5. Decide how are going to promote your survey

DEADLINE – APRIL 24

1. My topic for survey is a market research about a new phone.

2. Its goal is to find out where we are the best (the company) and where we have to work.
3. Our target public will be small groups separated by ages(18-20,20-35,35-55+)
5. I will promote your survey with the help of email and social media.
Market Research-Phone J114 Testing
1. How old are you?
() 18-20
() 20-35
() 35-55+
2. Sex:
() Female
() Male
3. What is your first reaction to the phone?
() Very positive
() Neutral
() Negative
4. How would you rate the quality of the product?
() High quality
() Low quality
5. How innovative is the product?
() Very innovative
() Neutral
() Not so innovative
6. When you think about the product, do you feel it is useful for you?
() Definitely need
() Neutral
() Definitely don’t need
7. How would you rate the value for money of the product?
() Excellent
() Average
() Below average
8. How likely are you to replace your current phone with this one?
() Very likely
() Not so likely
9. In your words, what are the things that you like most about this phone?
 (Type
here…)________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

10. What are the things that you would most like to improve in this new
phone?
(Type
here…)________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

FACULTATEA DE AUTOMATICĂ Ș I CALCULATOARE

SEMESTRUL II – SEMINAR 8

S U R V E Y (II)
COLLECTING DATA AND SURVEY
REPORT

Define your purpose.

 Decide exactly what you want to learn from the survey.

1. Is it quantitative or qualitative?
2. Are you looking for numbers or explanations, or both?)
Your objective in giving the survey should guide you to a good explanation to your
survey-takers about why it’s important to hear from them. Let people know why they
should take the survey and how it will help something: their customer service, medical
research, how local tax revenues are allocated, etc. If it’s an academic survey, explain
how it will help your research, and what you ultimately hope to do with it -- a book,
article, etc.
Depending on the kind of survey you created, you will be collating it in different ways.
1. For a survey with a spectrum (from strongly disagree to strongly agree), you can assign
numerical values to each response (highest numbers are best) and tabulate quantitatively.
2. For a longer survey with written responses, you typically group the answers together by
question and then deal with each question at a time.

Analyse the results. 

In order to quantify the opportunity of your survey, you have to ask yourself the following
questions:
1. What did you learn from the survey?
2. Was it what you believed you would find, or not?
3. What is the dominant tend?

Take the results and use them for whatever role they were intended -- from the kinds of
changes people want to see in a town or city to public services to changes in the way
customer service is delivered, or a computer program works. Surveys are a great way to
hear from a lot of different people, so now it is up to the survey taker to make sure the
people’s voices are heard. If it was an academic survey, you can analyse your results, put
them in context, and hopefully publish.
A survey is a useful tool for research (academic, marketing, social) if its results are correctly
interpreted. After the interpretation, you write a report
REPORT

Before talking about survey report, answer the following questions in order to figure how
familiar you are with this institutional writing.
1. Have you ever written a report? For example, when you were away on a
study/business trip? No I haven’t.
2. Before enrolling in a certain school have read a report on that institution.
Yes, I read.
3. Can you imagine some reasons for which you will have to write reports?
Sure, I can. We write them for a short conclusion about that product/problem for
making a good choice and changes.
Then we need to clarify certain theoretical aspects.

DEFINITION
A report is a type of institutional writing in which you give a spoken or written account of
something. It is given in the form of an official document, after thorough investigation or
documentation.
A report may be written by a person or by a team. It may be required by a person (general
manager, dean, chancellor, head of department) or by an organisation, enterprise etc
(university senate, town hall council, students’ organisation)

STRUCTURE

From the structure point of view, reports tend to be quite conventional, because some rules
have to be followed, whatever the subject of the report is.
Reports’ structure includes processes and steps that are similar to those used in other type
of writing and are not really determined by the subject of the report.
STEP 1 – briefing
It is an informative, short, concise and clear text, which has a conventional structure, which
includes the following:

 The name of the person/organisation which needs the report

 The name of person/organisation to whom the report is commissioned
 The aim of the report (Ex: to identify new target public for the company products)
 When the report is going to be finished.
 If there are some deadlines during the research/ project/ campaign which is
reported.
EXAMPLE
“Politehnica” University wants to improve the Library activity. Therefor the Senate design a
survey concerning the way in which students use the Library. The data are collected and
they are used in clarifying different aspects. A report is required in order to establish how
much the library is used during the summer.

From Chancellor
To Chief of Departments/ Library Manager
Date – Bucharest 1 February – 2020

Please prepare a report on the registration of students at Politehnica University Library.

You would pay special attention to aspects concerning the activity during holidays.
Mention to which faculty belong the students. Specify if they are attending summer schools, specific
course, PHd, master or bachelor studies.

The aim of the report is to show a clear image of library activity during holidays and to suggest
improvements

The report should be presented on October -10 th.

Some reports are for a limited use/access (for example police reports). Those reports are
marked CONFIDENTIAL. They must be read only by the person/team it is addressed.

HOMEWORK
Write a briefing in which you ask for a report concerning one aspect of your survey

From The Legal Department

To Chief of Departments/ Design Manager
Date-Bucharest April20-2020

Please prepare a report on the participation of clients in the latest survey.

You would pay special attention to aspects concerning the activity of our product, if
they are pleased.
Mention to which group of age belong the participants, and their opinion.

The aim of the report is to show a clear image of their opinion and what
improvements they want.

The report should be presented on September -10th.

STEP 2 – the report wording

Title page
 The title of the report
 The name of the company
 The name of the writer
 The date of report wording
 References
Introduction

 It is the part where general ideas and aims are mentioned.

 It may also say something about limitations and difficulties.

The main body

 Is the part where each information is objectively mentioned and figures are
compared? If the report is one on a survey, compare the answers to the
questionnaire.
 Ideas concerning the aim of the report and different aspects are clearly organised.
 Arguments for and against are mentioned in order to sustain the purpose exposed in
the introduction.

The main body of a report consists of:
 Title
 Terms of reference
 Proceedings
 Findings
Conclusions
 Analysing the data the report’s writer can draw some conclusion and underline the
findings
 Based on the conclusions of the report the writer can make some recommendations
concerning the future actives.

STEP 3
The draft of the report is send to the person/company/organisation, which ordered the
report. They make observations/recommendation and after operating the required aspects,
the final version of the report is ready.

If it is a long report a summary is necessary.

TASK

a. Title 1. What you think about the

information
b. Terms of reference 2. What you were asked to investigate
c. Proceedings 3. What you thing should be improved
d. Findings 4. What the report is about
5. Conclusions 6. Mention fact and figures
7. Recommendations 6. What you did to get information
Mach the part of the report mentioned in the first column with descriptions on the right

The feedback about the new product- Phone J114

From our Clients
Our company is a global leader and we want to be so in the next years. For that, we are making in
every season when a new product appears, we prepare a survey for those who test the new product
to figure it out where we are the best and where we have to work. There are three primary groups
that participated in our survey: 18-20, 20-35, and 35-55+.

Every group said that our new product is a good one, like usual. The battery is very strong, the
camera is like a professional one. Likewise, they wrote that they would like it more if the case was
made of aluminium, the screen more resistant to scratches and the smaller speaker. Also, they are
very satisfied with the price of the phone, besides its high level features, it has a low price that
allows a large number of consumers to buy it.

We do not have negative feedbacks that is a good point for our company.
HOMEWORK – FINAL EVALUATION

Design a survey; title and questionnaire

Write the survey report

DEADLINE – 15 May
REFERENCES

1. Alexa, Maria, Michaela Ionesco – Writing (Student’s Book), editura Credis,

Universitatea Bucuresti, 2008
2. Stephens, Mary – Practice Writing (revised edition), Longman, Edinburgh, 2005
3. Mihaela, Ionescu – Writing – Theory and Practice – Editura Conspress, Bucureti,
2008
4. White, Rob – Writing – 0xford University Press, 2007
  My topic for my survey will be about stress on Business
Employees. Its goal is to figure it out how stressed are the
employees and how we can reduce the level of stress. I`ve
chosen an IT Company in Bucharest to complete my survey.

Work Stress Questionnaire

 Circle your answers

1. Age:
20-25/25-35/35-60
2. Your Department:
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Do you have influence over how your work is organised?
Yes No
2. Are job events clearly predictable or are they subject to last-minute deadlines?
Usually/Sometimes/Rarely predictable
4. Do you know exactly what is required of you at work?
Yes No
5. Is too much required of you at work?
Yes No
6. Does your job involve contact with clients/public?
Yes No
7. Have you been adequately trained to perform your job?
Yes No
8. Do you experience conflict at work?
Never/ Sometimes/ Frequently
9. Have you experienced organisational change at work in the past 12 months?
Yes No
10. Do you suffer from any of the following?
Headaches Cramps/ Indigestion Insomnia/ Fatigue/ High Blood Pressure
11. What would be the solution to your stress at work?
Reduce Workload/Achievable Deadlines/ Opportunity to participate in decision
making/Better Training
Other: _____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
12. Would you like to have more questionnaires like that?
Of course/No
 Survey Report

The Effects of Stress on Business

Employees and
Manage Employee Stress
 Today, many organizations and employees are experiencing the effects of stress on work
performance. Managers need to identify those suffering from negative stress and implement
programs as a defense against stress.
 The purpose of this study was to determine the negative effects of stress on employees and
the methods employers use to manage employees' stress.
 There are three primary groups that may benefit from this study. The first group, consisting
of employees in today's business organizations, may learn to identify ways that stress
negatively affects their work performance. Identifying the negative effects may enable them
to take necessary action to cope with stress. By sharing this knowledge, employees can act
as a vehicle to help management implement appropriate stress reduction programs. The
second group that may benefit from this study is employers who may gain insight as to how
stress is actually negatively affecting employees’ work performance. Finally, educators can
use these findings as a valuable guide to incorporate into their curriculum. By emphasizing
to students the importance of developing programs to deal with stress, the students may be
able to transfer this knowledge to the workplace, thereby improving the quality of the work
environment.
 This study was designed to determine the effects of stress on employees and to discover
methods employers use to manage employees' stress. Sixty questionnaires were distributed
to business employees in the IT’s company in Bucharest, and the response rate was 78.3%.
 All returned responses from the sample were considered full-time employees by their
employers. The respondents were also asked to indicate their age group.
 Based on the findings and conclusions in this study, the following recommendations are
made: 1. Employers should offer various stress reduction programs to help employees
manage stress because stress is prevalent in the workplace. 2. Employers should conduct a
survey of the programs they already offer to discover which programs are the most effective
for managing their employees' stress. 3. Employees should share their ideas for managing
stress with their employers in order to help their employers implement appropriate stress
reduction programs. 4. Educators should incorporate into their business curriculum
discussions of stress in the workplace and ways to manage stress. 5. Additional research
should be done. First, other areas negatively affected by stress should be studied to
determine if stress affects other aspects of an employee's life. In addition, other factors
should be examined to learn what the personal and work-related causes and symptoms of
stress are for an individual.