Transcript Chapter 5
Chapter 5 Exploratory Research: Qualitative Research Focus • Qualitative vs quantitative research • rationale for using qualitative research • types of qualitative procedures – direct • focus groups • depth interviews – indirect • projective techniques Qualitative Research • • • • unstructured exploratory research methodology based on small samples provides insights and understanding of the problem setting • focus on reasons and motivations Quantitative Research • • • • structured descriptive/causal research methodology based on large samples quantifies the data and generalizes sample results to the population Rationale for Qualitative Research • people may be unwilling to answer certain questions • people may be unable to provide accurate answers to questions that tap their unconscious • researcher may not know enough about the problem setting to design structured survey instruments Focus Group Interviews • is an unstructured interview of a group of respondents by a trained moderator • value - comes from unexpected findings obtained from a free-flowing group discussion • extremely popular • many companies make major decisions using the interview findings Characteristics • group size: 8-12 • group composition: homogeneous; prescreened • physical setting: relaxed • time duration: 1-3 hours • video transmission • moderator: establish rapport, keep the discussion moving forward, and probe when needed Advantages • • • • • synergism - wider range snowballing - chain reaction stimulation - in a group setting spontaneity - more accurate responses flexibility Disadvantages • • • • misuse - not conclusive misjudge - biased evaluation moderator quality misrepresentation Applications of focus groups • understanding consumers’ attitudes/preferences in a product category • testing new product ideas • developing creative ideas for advertising • obtaining consumer reactions to marketing program ideas Depth Interviews • direct, personal interview • single respondent is probed by a skilled interviewer • unstructured • to uncover underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings • time duration - 30 to 60 minutes Techniques • laddering – line of questioning: product characteristics => use characteristics • hidden issue questioning – focus on personal issues (sore spots, concerns) • symbolic analysis – analyze symbolic meaning of objects by comparing them with their opposites Advantages • can uncover greater depth of insights • no group pressure - hence more free flow of responses • easier to administer • can meet for longer time Disadvantages • need skilled interviewers • quality and completeness a function of the interviewer • data are difficult to code and analyze • ‘n’ will be small - time + cost • infrequently used in marketing research Applications • • • • • • detailed probing of the respondent discussion of sensitive issues situations in which social norms are strong complex behaviors interviewing professional people if product consumption experience is sensory in nature Projective Techniques • encourage respondents to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes or feelings regarding the issue of concern • by interpreting the behavior of others rather than one’s own behavior • is related to the level of ambiguity of the scenario that is interpreted Association Techniques • a stimulus is presented and the respondent has to answer with the first thing that comes to mind • e.g. word association - list of words • test words are interspersed throughout the list • response latency data is also collected • logic: association allows respondents to reveal their inner feeling about the topic of continued • analyses – frequency with which any word is given as a response – amount of time before a response is given – number of respondents who do not respond to a word at all – # of positive, negative, neutral associations Completion Techniques • respondent is asked to complete an incomplete stimulus situation • sentence completion and story completion • allows capturing of subjects’ feelings better than word association tests • is not as well disguised however • story completion more difficult to interpret Construction Techniques • respondent constructs a response in the form of a story, dialogue, or description • researcher provides less initial structure than in a completion technique • picture response – response to a picture reflects the respondent’s personality – can measure people’s attitude toward a brand • cartoon test Expressive Techniques • respondents are presented with a verbal or visual situation and asked to relate the feelings and attitudes of other people to the situation • role playing • third-person Advantages • can elicit responses that subjects may be unwilling or unable to give if they knew the purpose of the study • personal, sensitive, or subject to social norms • when underlying motivations and attitudes are operating at the sub-conscious level Disadvantages • • • • • require personal interviews with highly-skilled interviewers also need highly-skilled interpreters serious risk of interpretation bias analyses are difficult and subjective