Business Research Methods

Qualitative Techniques

Qualitative versus Quantitative Research

Purpose
Exploratory versus descriptive and conclusive

Small versus large samples Broad range of questioning versus structured questions Subjective interpretation versus statistical analysis

Qualitative Research Methods

Direct ( Nondisguised) ---Focus Groups ---Depth Interviews Indirect ( Disguised ) ---Projective Techniques

Focus Groups
It is a group of individuals selected and assembled by researchers to discuss & comment on ( from personal experience) the topic that is the subject of research. It helps in getting several perspectives about the same topic It helps in understanding what makes people tick & what is going on in their mind that cannot be obtained through survey data

Focus Group Interviews

Unstructured Free flowing Group interview Relaxed informal atmosphere Start with broad topic and focus in on specific issues

Group Composition
6 to 10 people Relatively homogeneous Similar lifestyles and experiences

Outline for a Focus Group

Establish a rapport Begin with broad topic Focus in on specific topic Generate discussion and interaction Discussions for about 2 hours Responses are recorded through ---manual notes ---audio recording --video recording

The Moderator
Develops rapport helps people relax Interacts Listens to what people have to say Everyone gets a chance to speak

The Focus Group Moderator

Maintains loose control and focuses discussion Stimulates spontaneous responses

Advantages of Focus Groups

Synergism: Wider range of information, insights & ideas because of group Snowballing: One persons comments triggers chain reaction Stimulation: General level of excitement over the topic increases in the group Security: Feeling of security in homogeneous group increases willingness to express ideas Spontaneity: Since specific questions are not to be answered responses are spontaneous & unconventional Serendipity: Ideas arise out of the blue in a group Specialization: Use of a specialized moderator is justified for a group Scientific Scrutiny : Data collection process can be witnessed & recorded Structure: Provides for flexibility in topics covered & depth of treatment Speed: Interviewing a large number of people at the same time makes data collection & analysis faster

Disadvantages of Focus Groups Misuse: FGD results used as replacement for survey data: FGDs probe attitudes & motivations & not their frequency in population Misinterpretation: Difficult to decide on responses to be generalized resulting in interviewer's bias Poor management of group dynamics: Difficult to find moderator with skills ,insights &experience Messy: unstructured answers pose difficulties in coding analyzing & interpreting responses

Advantages of Online Focus Groups

Fast Inexpensive Bring together many participants from wide-spread geographical areas Respondent anonymity Transcript automatically recorded

Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups

Less group interaction Absence of tactile stimulation Absence of facial expression and body language Moderators job is different

Depth Interviews A direct personal interview in which a single respondent is probed by a highly skilled interviewer It helps in uncovering underlying motivations, attitudes & beliefs on a topic It serves as a prelude to a more analytical questionnaire design for quantitative research

Depth Interviews Three Types depending on guidance extended by the interviewer Unstructured ( Natural conversation) Semi structured (Check list prepared) Standardised open ended( Uses a proper Questionnaire)

Laddering
Investigating attitude towards airlines among male middle managers Attribute such as wide body aircraft was probed Why ? I can get more work done---I accomplish more---I feel good about myself Laddering indicated-advanced seat reservation, wide body aircraft& first class cabin seating( Product characteristics) Work done on flight, sense of accomplishment, higher self esteem User characteristics) Ad campaign like You are the Boss" which bolsters self esteem for managers

Depth Interview Techniques: Laddering

In laddering, the line of questioning proceeds from product characteristics to user characteristics. This technique allows the researcher to tap into the consumer's network of meanings.
Wide body aircrafts I can get more work done (product characteristic)

I accomplish more
I feel good about myself (user characteristic)

Advertising theme: You will feel good about yourself when flying our airline. You're The Boss.

Hidden Issue Questioning

It tries to probe into hidden issues and items like daydreams, anxieties, fascinations & hopes in peoples lives What would you do if you get Rs 10 crores? How do you see yourself as a celebrity? Are typical questions It probes into respondents attitude towards work, leisure, home etc

Depth Interview Techniques: Hidden Issue Questioning

In hidden issue questioning, the focus is not on socially shared values but rather on personal sore spots; not on general lifestyles but on deeply felt personal concerns. fantasies, work lives, and social lives
historic, elite, masculine-camaraderie, competitive activities Advertising theme: communicate aggressiveness, high status, and competitive heritage of the airline.

Hidden Issue Questioning

Male middle managers were questioned about fantasies, work lives, social lives to identify hidden life issues Answers indicated glamorous, historic, elite. masculine events, like grand Prix car racing. Lufthansa Airlines featuring World War I type Red Baron spokesperson communicating aggressiveness, high status &competitive heritage

Advantages&Disadvantages of Depth Interviews Advantages Attributes responses directly to respondents not in FGD) There is no social pressure to conform to group response resulting in explorations of attitudes Informal atmosphere facilitate discussion oof sensitive questions Disadvantage Difficult & expensive to get skilled interviewer Quality of results depends on skills of interviewer Cost limits interviews to be conducted

A man is least himself when he talks in his own person; when given a mask he will tell the truth. --Oscar Wilde

Projective Techniques
It is an unstructured & indirect form of questioning that encourages the respondents to project their motivations ,beliefs ,attitudes or feelings regarding the issues of concern Respondents are asked to interpret behaviour of others which indirectly projects their own feelings Scenarios for response are deliberately kept ambiguous for better projection of feelings

Projective Techniques

Association techniques Completion techniques Construction techniques Expressive techniques Sociometry

Association techniques
Association techniques :Respondents are presented with a stimulus and are asked to reveal the first thing that comes to their mind Word Association : Most popular association technique Respondents are presented with a list of brands ,one at a time .After each brand they are asked to give the first word that comes to their mind Analysis is done by calculating -Frequency of words found in response -time elapsed before response -number of non respondents Used in consumer research for discovering brand image

Completion Techniques
A projective technique that requires a respondent to complete an incomplete stimulus situation : Sentence Or Story Sentence Completion : respondents are presented with a number of incomplete sentences & asked to complete them. They are asked to use the first phrase that comes to their mind which helps in tracing their attitudes ,thought process & feelings

Completion Techniques

In Sentence completion, respondents are given incomplete sentences and asked to complete them. Generally, they are asked to use the first word or phrase that comes to mind. A person who shops at Lifestyle is ______________________

McDonalds is most liked by _________________________ When I think of shopping in a department store, I ________

A variation of sentence completion is paragraph completion, in which the respondent completes a paragraph beginning with the stimulus phrase.

Construction Techniques
A projective technique in which respondent is asked to construct his response in the form of a story ,dialogue or description: Picture or Cartoon Picture response technique: Respondent is shown a picture & asked to tell a story describing it. Its roots lie in Thematic Apperception Test which consists of a series of pictures which are to be interpreted in the form of stories Cartoon response :Cartoon characters are shown in specific situation related to the problem. The respondents are asked to indicate dialogue that one cartoon character might make in response to the given comments of another character

Thematic Apperception Test T.A.T.

A Cartoon Test
Sears

Lets see if we can pick up some house wares at Sears

Expressive Techniques A projective technique in which respondent is asked to play the role or assume behaviour of someone else. Respondent is given a verbal or visual situation & asked to play the role of specific character like sales executive, manager or political leader or even brands The way in which respondent copes with the situation reveal a lot about his personality

Sociometry
A method devised by Jacob Moreno for assessing group structure It is a mathematical study of psychological properties of population It is based on the fact that people make choices in interpersonal relationships Whenever people are in a group they choose where to sit or whom to speak to Sociometry studies pattern of affection & loyalty that bind some group members more closely than others It can be applied to situations involving study of group behaviour in business research

Advantages&Disadvantages of Projective Techniques

Advantages Since respondent is aloof of the purpose of the study it elicits responses which are not possible by direct methods Data collected is rich & accurate Useful for exploratory research to gain initial insights Disadvanages Requires trained & skillfull interviewers who are difficult to find It is expensive & difficult to administer Getting subjects for role playing is difficult Reliability measure difficult to work