Research Assistance 4

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Chapter 4

Exploratory and Observational Research

Designs and Data Collection Approaches

Learning Objectives

• Identify the major differences between qualitative and quantitative research

• Understand in-depth interviewing and focus groups as questioning techniques

• Define focus groups and explain how to conduct them

• Discuss purposed communities and market research online communities (MROCs)

Learning Objectives (continued)

• Explain other qualitative data collection methods such as ethnography, case studies, netnography, projective techniques, and the ZMET

• Discuss observation methods and explain how they are used to collect primary data

• Discuss the growing field of social media monitoring

Value of Qualitative Research

• Used in exploratory research designs

• May be sufficient:

– For decision making in certain situations

– When feedback from focus groups or in-depth interviews is consistent

• Some topics are best understood using qualitative research

• Occasionally used as a follow-up to quantitative research

Overview of Research Designs

• Major types of research designs

– Exploratory - Provides insights to better understand problems

– Descriptive - Provides information that answers research questions

– Causal - Tests cause-and-effect relationships between specific marketing variables

• Marketing researchers select the type of research design based on the research objective

Overview of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

• Quantitative research

– Emphasizes the use of formal standard questions and predetermined response options in questionnaires or surveys administered to large numbers of respondents

• Qualitative research: Collection of data in the form of text or images

– Uses open-ended questions, observation, or found data

Exhibit 4.1 - Major Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

Factor Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods

Goals/Objectives

Discovery/identification of new ideas, thoughts, feelings, preliminary understanding of relationships, and understanding of hidden psychological and social processes

Validation of facts, estimates, and relationships

Type of Research Exploratory Descriptive and causal

Type of Questions Open-ended, unstructured, and probing Mostly structured

Time of Execution Relatively short time frame Typically significantly longer time frame

Representativeness Small samples, only the sampled individuals Large samples, with proper sampling can represent population

Type of Analysis Debriefing, subjective, content analysis, and interpretative

Statistical, descriptive, and causal predictions

Researcher Skills Interpersonal communications, observation, and interpretation of text or visual data

Statistical analysis, and interpretation of numbers

Generalizability Limited Generally very good, can infer facts and relationships

Exhibit 4.2 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Research

Advantages of Qualitative Research Disadvantages of Qualitative Research

Except for ethnography, data can be collected relatively quickly or may already exist as naturally occurring conversations on the Internet

Lack of generalizability

Richness of the data Difficulty in estimating the magnitude of phenomena being investigated

Accuracy of recording marketplace behaviors (validity) Low reliability

Preliminary insights into building models and scale measurements

Difficulty finding well-trained investigators, interviewers, and observers

Insights from qualitative researchers with training in social and behavioral sciences

Reliance on subjective interpretive skills of qualitative researcher

In-Depth Interviews

• A well-trained interviewer asks a participant a set of semistructured questions in a face-to- face setting to collect data

• Interviewers require interpersonal communications and listening skills

• Steps involved

– Understand initial questions or problems

– Create a set of research questions

– Determine the best environment for the interview

In-Depth Interviews (continued)

– Select and screen respondents

– Greet the respondents

• Provide them with the interviewing guidelines

• Ensure that they are at ease

– Conduct in-depth interview

– Analyze the respondents' narrative responses

– Write a summary report of the results

Focus Group Interviews

• Responses to open-ended questions are collected from small groups of participants

– Bulletin board: Online research format in which participants agree to post regularly over a period of four to five days

• Three-phase process

– Planning the focus group study

– Conducting the focus group discussions

– Analyzing and reporting the results

Planning the Focus Group Study

• Factors to consider

– Focus group participants

– Selection and recruitment of participants

• Purposive sampling

• Stratified purposive sampling

• Theoretical sampling

– Size of the focus group

– Focus group locations

Conducting Focus Group Discussion

• Focus group moderator uses the moderator's guide to ensure that the discussion is productive

• Discussion begins with presession activities

– Help create a comfortable environment

• Moderator directs the discussion in the main session

• Moderator provides an overview of the discussion before closing the session

Analyzing and Reporting the Results

• Debriefing analysis: Researcher and moderator discuss the subjects’ responses to the topics that outlined the focus group session

• Content analysis: Involves grouping individual responses into larger theme categories or patterns

Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups

Advantages

• Stimulate new ideas, thoughts, and feelings about a topic

• Foster understanding of consumer behavior

• Allow client participation

• Elicit wide range of responses

• Bring together hard-to- reach informants

Disadvantages

• Findings lack generalizability to the target population

• Reliability of the data is limited

• Trustworthiness of the interpretation is based on researchers' insights

• Groupthink: Undue influence of one or two group members over others

Purposed Communities

• Purposed communities: Online brand communities that can be used for research

– MyStarbucksIdea.com is a brand community focused on producing new ideas but is used for research

• Private communities: Purposed communities whose primary purpose is research

Other Qualitative Data Collection Methods

• Ethnography

– Records behavior in natural settings to understand how social and cultural influences affect individuals' behaviors and experiences

– Participant observation: Extended observation of behavior in natural settings in order to fully experience cultural or subcultural contexts

• Case study: Intensively investigates one or several existing situations

– Similar to the current problem or opportunity

Projective Techniques

• Enable a subject to project beliefs and feelings toward:

– Third party

– Task situation

– Inanimate object

• Types of projective techniques

– Word association test: Subject is presented with a list of words or short phrases, one at a time, and asked to respond with the first word that comes to mind

Projective Techniques (continued)

– Sentence completion test: Subjects are given a set of incomplete sentences and asked to complete them in their own words

– Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET): Visual research technique that encourages research participants to share emotional and subconscious reactions to a particular topic

Observation Methods

• Observation research: Systematic observation and recording of behavioral patterns of objects, people, events, and other phenomena

• Unique characteristics of observation

– Directness

– Awareness

– Structure

– Type of observing mechanism

Types of Observation Methods

• Technology-mediated observation: Data collection method that uses mechanical devices

– To capture human behavior, events, or marketing phenomena

• Scanner-based panel: Group of participating households with a unique bar-coded card as an identification characteristic

– For inclusion in a research study

Selecting the Observation Method

• Researchers answer the following questions

– What types of behavior are relevant to the research problem?

– How much detail of the behavior needs to be recorded?

– What is the most appropriate setting (natural or artificial) to observe the behavior?

Selecting the Observation Method (continued 1)

• Various methods of observing behaviors are evaluated

– Issues that are considered

• Is a setting available to observe the behaviors or events?

• To what extent are the behaviors or events repetitious and frequently exhibited?

• What degree of directness and structure is needed to observe the behaviors or events?

Selecting the Observation Method (continued 2)

• How aware should the subjects be that their behaviors are being observed?

• Which observation method is most appropriate: in- person or technology-mediated?

• Costs involved are determined and evaluated

• Potential ethical issues related to the chosen method are evaluated

Exhibit 4.7 - Benefits and Limitations of Observation

Benefits of Observation Limitations of Observation

Accuracy of recording actual behavior Difficult to generalize findings

Reduces many types of data collection Cannot explain behaviors or events unless combined with another method

Provides detailed behavioral data Problems in setting up and recording behavior(s) or events

Social Media Monitoring and the Listening Platform

• Social media monitoring: Research based on conversations in social media

• Listening platform or post: Monitors and analyzes social media sources

– To provide insights that support marketing decision making

• Sentiment analysis (opinion mining)

– Applies technology to identify, extract, and quantify subject information in textual data

Social Media Monitoring and the Listening Platform (continued)

• Netnography: Requires deep engagement with online communities

– Characteristics

• Extensive contact and analysis of online communities

• Use of participant observation

Marketing Research in Action Reaching Hispanics through Qualitative Research

• Should marketing researchers working with Latinos concentrate solely on qualitative research?

– Explain your answer

• Could qualitative research be used to improve quantitative methods such as surveys?

– Explain your answer

Marketing Research in Action Reaching Hispanics through Qualitative Research (continued)

• What challenges do researchers face in conducting research with the Latino marketplace online?

– How can researchers minimize the effects of these difficulties?

• Think of one or two cultures or subcultures

– Would qualitative research be especially useful for these cultures?

• Why or why not?