Response Rates in Business and Management Research: An Overview of Current Practice and Suggestions for Future Direction

Abstract

This paper examines response rates (RR) in published research in business and management journals. Its aim is to evaluate the efficacy of RR‐enhancing strategies, explore differences in RR between sub‐disciplines and geographical regions, provide a critical appraisal of RR in business and management research, and offer guidelines for assessing and improving RR in business and management research. Data are analysed from 1093 survey‐based papers published between 2009 and 2013 in a representative sample of business and management journals. The results of the study are discussed, and their implications for RR in business and management research are provided.