scholarly journals Enhancing the collection and analysis of survey and administrative data by linking

Author(s):  
Peter Smith ◽  
Jamie Moore ◽  
Gabriele Durrant

BackgroundLinking survey and administrative data can enhance their collection and analysis. By linking the issued sample to administrative data, the representativeness of a survey can be assessed during and at the end of data collection. An understanding of the (lack of) representativeness can inform adaptive and responsive survey designs to improve representativeness and/or reduce survey costs. It can also aid the assessment of potential survey non-response bias and the implementation of strategies to adjust for such bias during analysis. Comparison of responses to the same question in two linked datasets can help identify problematic questions. This information can then be used to improve question wording to reduce measurement error in future surveys and to account for such error during analysis. ObjectivesTo assess how the representativeness of a survey changes after each attempt to contact the interviewees, and to assess the nature and extent of differential reporting between a face-to-face survey and the self-completion 2011 UK Census. Methods (including data)We present our recent research developing representativeness indicators based on the coefficient of variation of the response propensities calculated after each attempt to contact the interviewees and illustrate their use using Labour Force Survey (LFS) data linked to contemporaneous data from the 2011 Census. We also describe our work on differential reporting between the LFS and the Census, focussing on the reporting of highest qualification and ethnicity. Findings and ConclusionsOur results suggest that considerable savings can be made by reducing the number of attempts to obtain a response without a detrimental effect on representativeness and that face-to-face interviews obtain more accurate information than self-completion questionnaires.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sew Ming Tian

Through face-to-face interviews with seven immigrant women living in the Flemingdon Park area, this paper explores the barriers that immigrant women encounter in accessing the labour market, and the challenges they face in the labour market. The findings suggest that lack of work experience, language barriers, absence of networks, lack of education, and family responsibilities and gender roles are major barriers that immigrant women have to cope with while accessing the Canadian labour market. Working environment and underemployment appeared to be the challenges that immigrant women who are, or have been in the labour force, had to deal with in the work place.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaldoon Al-Htaybat ◽  
Larissa von Alberti-Alhtaybat

Purpose The purpose of this study is to contribute an actor-network-theory (ANT) perspective of how algorithms are used and whether this reflects positively on organisational practices and related perceptions of organisation performance, by both customers and employees. Furthermore, the organisation’s view of adopting algorithms to manage their performance is explored. Design/methodology/approach The current study is a study set in this virtual space, as it seeks to use data available online from different stakeholders of the case organisation. Online “virtual space” studies have become more common over the past few years. Primary and secondary data are shared online, for instance on relevant rating websites for customers (such as TrustPilot) and employees (such as Indeed), which serve as a reflection of the organisational performance and the communication of their values. This type of study has become more prevalent, either as a study undertaken online fully (Hine, 2007) or partially (for instance Baxter et al., 2019), which provides a different perspective to traditionally carried out face-to-face interactions. Findings The current study has contributed insights from a global case organisation in the logistics sector originating in the Middle East (ME). The case organisation clearly indicates that its algorithm, in line with particular presentations and discussions on online platforms, is focussed on analysing limited factors, which are prediction of accurate delivery timeslot, preferred and precise location for delivery and speed of delivery overall. This reflects an inherent bias of the delivery industry, which the case organisation operates in, and may focus attention on delivering on those objectives, with a detrimental effect on the organisation’s broader organisational mindset. This refers to long-term values and sustainability-related objectives. Originality/value Findings will reflect on whether algorithms can be used to align a multi-national organisation to achieve its desired performance and related desirable results. This will be one of the main contributions of the current study, which engages with a multi-national organisation in the logistics sector that is based in the ME region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepika Yeramosu ◽  
Florence Kwok ◽  
Jeremy M. Kahn ◽  
Kristin N. Ray

Abstract Background Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication technology to remotely provide healthcare services. Evaluation of telemedicine use often relies on administrative data, but the validity of identifying telemedicine encounters in administrative data is not known. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of billing codes for identifying telemedicine use. Methods In this retrospective study of encounters within a large integrated health system from January 2016 to December 2017, we examined the accuracy of billing codes for identifying live-interactive and store-and-forward telemedicine encounters compared to manual chart review. To further examine external validity, we applied these codes and assessed patient and visit characteristics for identified live-interactive telemedicine encounters and store-and-forward telemedicine encounters in a second data set. Results In manual review of 390 encounters, 75 encounters were live-interactive telemedicine and 158 were store-and-forward telemedicine. In weighted analysis, the presence of the GT modifier in the absence of the GQ modifier or CPT code 99444 yielded 100% sensitivity and 99.99% specificity for identification of live-interactive telemedicine encounters. The presence of either the GQ modifier or the CPT code 99444 had 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for identification of store-and-forward telemedicine encounters. Applying these algorithms to a second data set (n = 5,917,555) identified telemedicine encounters with expected patient and visit characteristics. Conclusions These findings provide support for use of CPT codes to perform telemedicine research in administrative data, aiding ongoing work to understand the role of non-face-to-face care in optimizing health care delivery.


2011 ◽  
pp. 168-197
Author(s):  
Karen K. Fullam ◽  
K. Suzanne Barber

Information e-services are useful for exchanging information among many users, whether human or automated agent; however, e-service users are susceptible to risk of inaccurate information, since users have no traditional face-to-face interaction or past relational history with information providers. To encourage use of information e-services, individuals must have technology to assess information accuracy and information source trustworthiness. This research permits automated e-service users—here called agents—acting on behalf of humans, to employ policies, or heuristics, for predicting information accuracy when numerous pieces of information are received from multiple sources. These intuitive policies draw from human strategies for evaluating the trustworthiness of information to not only identify accurate information, but also distinguish untrustworthy information providers. These policies allow the agent to build a user’s confidence in the trust assessment technology by creating justifications for trust assessment decisions and identifying particular policies integral to a given assessment decision.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kole Legodi ◽  
Matshidiso Kanjere

Informal trade has grown at an alarming rate in South Africa because of lack of employment opportunities in both the private and public sectors. This has resulted in many unemployed members of the population joining the informal business sector. The majority of people in this sector do not have skills that are needed in the formal employment sector, others are semi-literate and a small percentage has some level of qualification. Nevertheless, this sector is plagued by a number of challenges which this article presents.  The article reports on the study that was conducted at Greater Letaba Municipality in Limpopo Province. The aim of the study was to investigate the challenges that were faced by informal traders in Greater Letaba Municipality in Limpopo Province in South Africa. The area was chosen because of its accessibility to the researchers and its potential to provide relevant and accurate information for the research project. Thus, a qualitative research method was used to collect data through face to face interviews. The research discovered that some of the challenges experienced by the informal traders in the area ranged from lack of support from the local municipality to structural challenges like lack of ablution facilities and limited access to electricity. Furthermore, other challenges concerned safety and health issues that were also gender based. Most of the traders in the area were women; an element which attest to the fact that it is difficult to find employment in the country when one is less educated and is also a woman.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemi Sinkovics ◽  
Samia Ferdous Hoque ◽  
Rudolf R. Sinkovics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the intended and unintended consequences of compliance and auditing pressures in the Bangladeshi garment industry. To explore this issue the authors draw on three medium-sized suppliers. The institutional changes that followed the Rana Plaza accident in April 2013 make Bangladesh in general and the garment industry in particular an interesting and suitable research setting for standards compliance. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a multiple case study approach. Face-to-face interviews have been conducted with the owners of three Bangladeshi garment manufacturing firms and several workers. Additionally, organisational documents and local newspaper articles had been collected wherever possible. Findings – The results indicate that the pressure for compliance has led the case companies to prioritise the implementation of measurable standards over the socially grounded needs and priorities of workers. As a consequence certain initiatives instead of adding new social value in fact destroyed previously existing social value. Furthermore, the pressure for compliance created the necessity to find ways to cover the sizable cost of compliance. This prompted firms to pursue process upgrading through technological advancements and increased work pressures on the labour force. These initiatives led to an increased power imbalance and the exclusion of unskilled workers from the job market. Research limitations/implications – The paper contributes to the understanding of the human rights implications of compliance and auditing pressures and initiatives. Furthermore, in order to further enrich existing knowledge in the critical accounting literature, the study draws on insights from the global value chains (GVC) and international business (IB) literatures. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the understanding of the human rights implications of compliance and auditing pressures and initiatives. Furthermore, in order to further enrich existing knowledge in the critical accounting literature, the study draws on insights from the GVC and IB literatures.


Author(s):  
Robert Hallis

Information management is an indispensable skill in the twenty-first century because finding credible information is now more complicated than ever before. Students continue to experience difficulty locating accurate information, especially for their academic assignments. Studies reveal that a number of factors undermine students' success in locating relevant information and that personal intervention may prove to be the most efficient means of teaching this proficiency. Librarians, however, seldom have more than a class period in which to intervene. Even an hour is enough to mentor students in appropriate techniques in order to allow them to complete their assignment, if virtual support is effective. This chapter illustrates how learning objectives can effectively serve to separate classroom activities in a face-to-face environment from virtually accessed digital instruction. An assignment from a second semester composition class serves as an example of how a teacher can leverage instruction in a face-to-face environment through providing supplemental online content.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
RANJIT VASANT POWAR ◽  
S. B. Patil ◽  
T. R. POWAR ◽  
P. S. Bandgar

Abstract Purpose In Maharashtra's Kolhapur district, open field burning of sugarcane trash (ST) is a major concern. This pollutes the environment, loses energy, and has a detrimental effect on biodiversity. As a result, a study was conducted to learn more about the underlying cause of sugarcane trash burning. MethodsThe face-to-face interview of 186 sugarcane growers were carried in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra (India). The impact of age and education on behavior of farmers towards the usage of sugarcane trash were analyzed with help of M.S Excel, and Past-3 software and Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) model. ResultsThe age and education has non-significant effect on burning of sugarcane trash even though at 10% level of significance. The 61.12 % farmers burn the sugarcane trash in the field, whereas 38.70 % used for other purposes. The farmers (95.69 %) are very well know that burning of sugarcane trash has a detrimental effect on the environment. The 80 % farmers reported fear of rats, snakes and scorpion to use sugarcane trash as mulch in field as well as 42 % farmers reported burning of sugarcane trash in field has benefits. Conclusions The study revealed that farmers have knowledge and understanding on how to use sugarcane trash for benefits but due to utilization barriers they burned the sugarcane trash in the field. There is need a robust policy as well as extension activity to address this issue.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brady T. West ◽  
Dan Li

In face-to-face surveys, interviewer observations are a cost-effective source of paradata for nonresponse adjustment of survey estimates and responsive survey designs. Unfortunately, recent studies have suggested that the accuracy of these observations can vary substantially among interviewers, even after controlling for household-, area-, and interviewer-level characteristics, limiting their utility. No study has identified sources of this unexplained variance in observation accuracy. Motivated by theoretical expectations from the observer bias literature, this study analyzed more than 45,000 open-ended justifications provided by interviewers in the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) for their observations on two key features of all sampled NSFG households: presence of children and expected probability of household response. The study finds that variability among interviewers in the cues used to record these observations (evident from the open-ended justifications) explains much of the previously unexplained variance in observation accuracy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Johnston

Although abstinence-only programs in the United States have historically failed to provide medically accurate information on sexual health, young people in the twenty-first century have turned to YouTube to answer their sex questions. The accessible and engaging format of the YouTube video has helped some sex educators achieve Internet fame among a mass audience of users devoted to watching their web series and interacting with them on social media. Using two sex education channels (Laci Green’s Sex Plus and Lindsey Doe’s Sexplanations) as case studies, this article investigates the ways in which YouTube stardom shapes the production of and engagement with online sex education videos. In doing so, the article uncovers how Internet fame helps to create a brand of sex education salient to audiences across media platforms that rely on the illusion of face-to-face interaction, the development of an authoritative yet approachable identity, and the cultivation of a virtual community.


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