PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau
Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-1 Chapter Five Exploratory Research Designs: In-depth Interviews and Focus Groups Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-2 Learning Objectives Identify the fundamental differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods and explain their appropriateness in creating useful managerial information Describe and explain two popular qualitative techniques used in gathering primary data Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-3 Learning Objectives Explain the basic pros and cons of using qualitative methods of developing data structures Explain what focus groups are, the importance of a moderator and how the resulting data are transformed into information Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-4 Introduction If secondary data sources are not sufficient, the researcher must then decide on the appropriate research design to generate primary data The researcher must consider the research objectives and specific data requirements Decide which research design best fits those objectives and requirements Chose either an exploratory, descriptive or causal research design Marketing Research Select the research design PHASE II: Design the research Step 3: Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-5 Introduction Marketing Research Select the research design PHASE II: Design the research Exploratory research design Undertaken when objectives focus on gaining background information, defining terms and establishing research priorities Descriptive research design Undertaken when objectives focus on describing and measuring marketing phenomena at a particular point in time Causal research design Undertaken when objectives focus on determining causality in relationships between marketing factors and the phenomena of interest and testing if-then statements about the constructs under investigation Step 3: Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-6 Phase II: Select the Research DesignExploratory Research The need for exploratory research Often required in research designs, both before and after other research designs are applied Exploratory research designs may include: Focus group interviews, experience surveys and pilot studies, to classify problems or opportunities A multiple design approach, where both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to collect data See Exhibit 5.1, page 114 Marketing Research Select the research design PHASE II: Design the research Step 3: Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-7 Phase II: Select the Research DesignExploratory Research Marketing Research Select the research design PHASE II: Design the research Quantitative research methods: Place heavy emphasis on formalised, standardised questions and predetermined response options in questionnaires Qualitative research methods: Place heavy emphasis on open-ended, semi-structured and even unstructured questions in questionnaires or face-to-face interviews Step 3: Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-8 Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Designs Research goals/objectives Discovery and identification of new ideas, thoughts, feelings; preliminary insights on and understanding of, ideas and objects Validation of facts, estimates, relationships, predictions
Type of Research Normally exploratory designs
Descriptive and causal designs
Type of Questions Open-ended, semistructured, unstructured, deep probing Mostly structured
Time of Execution Relatively short time frames
Usually significantly longer time frames Factors/Characteristics Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-9 Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Designs (continued) Representativeness Small samples, limited to the sampled respondents Large samples, normally good representation of target populations Type of analysis Debriefing, subjective content, interpretive, semiotic analyses Statistical, descriptive, causal predictions and relationships Researcher skills Interpersonal communications, observations, interpretive skills
Scientific, statistical procedure, and translation skills; and some subjective interpretive skills Generalisability of results Very limited; only preliminary insights and understanding
Usually very good; inferences about facts, estimates of relationships Factors/Characteristics Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-10 When to Use Qualitative Research Methods in Exploratory Designs In the process of correctly identifying a business problem or opportunity situation or establishing information requirements Interested in obtaining some preliminary insights into the motivational, emotional, attitudinal and personality factors that influence marketplace behaviours In the process of building theories and models to explain marketplace behaviours or relationships between two or more marketing constructs
Attempting to develop reliable and valid scale measurements for investigating specific market factors, consumer qualities (e.g. attitudes, emotional feelings, preferences, beliefs, perceptions) and behavioural outcomes Trying to determine the preliminary effectiveness of their marketing strategies on actual marketplace behaviours Interested in new-product or service development or repositioning current product images Qualitative research methods are appropriate when decision makers or researchers are: Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-11 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Methods Economical and timely data collection Richness of the data Accuracy of recording marketplace behaviours Preliminary insights into building models and scale measurements Lack of generalisability Inability to distinguish small differences Lack of reliability and validity Difficulty finding well- trained investigators, interviewers and observers Advantages of Qualitative Methods Disadvantages of Qualitative Methods Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-12 Questioning Techniques in Qualitative Research Experience surveys Surveys that refer to informal gatherings of individuals thought to be knowledgeable on the issues To quickly gather information that can be used to develop future research topics
Protocol interviews Process where subject is placed in a decision-making situation and is asked to express the process and activities undertaken to make a decision To provide the researcher with insights and understanding of those motivational and/or procedural activities within the overall decision process Projective techniques Indirect methods of questioning that enable a subject to project beliefs and feelings onto a third party To learn more about the subjects true thoughts and feelings
Word association test
To test the impact of pictures for use on product packaging, print ads and brochures Type Description Purpose Interviewers read pre-selected words, and ask subject to respond with immediate thoughts Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-13 Questioning Techniques in Qualitative Research (continued) Cartoon or balloon test Cartoon characters appear in a vague manner with blank balloon spaces, and the respondent writes in thoughts or feelings about the characters To identify the respondents latent feelings about the situation that the cartoon portrayed
Role-playing interviews A subject acts out someone elses behaviour in a specified setting To learn more about the subjects likely actions In-depth interviews A formalised process in which an interviewer asks a subject a set of semi-structured probing questions in a face-to-face setting To uncover insights; obtain unrestricted and detailed comments; to gather details of knowledge and behaviours towards a given topic or object Focus group interviews A formalised process of fostering an small-group, interactive spontaneous discussion on a particular topic or concept To provide the researcher with as much information as possible about how the group regards the topic or concept Type Description Purpose Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-14 In-depth Interviews Main Research Objectives To discover preliminary insights of what the subject thinks or believes about the topic of concern or why the subject exhibits certain behaviours To obtain unrestricted and detailed comments that include feelings, beliefs, or opinions that can help better understand the different elements of the subjects thoughts and the reasons why they exist To have the respondent communicate as much detail as possible about his or her knowledge and behaviour towards a given topic or object Skills required Interpersonal communication skills Listening skills Interpretative skills Personality suitability Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-15 Research Objectives of In- depth Interviews In-depth Interviews To discover preliminary insights of what the subject thinks or believes about the topic of concern or why the subject exhibits certain behaviours To obtain unrestricted and detailed comments that include feelings, beliefs, or opinions that can help better understand the different elements of the subjects thoughts and the reasons why they exist To have the respondent communicate as much detail as possible about his or her knowledge and behaviour towards a given topic or object Skills required Interpersonal communication skills Listening skills Interpretative skills Personality suitability Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-16 Advantages and Disadvantages of In-depth Interviews Flexibility to collect data on activities and behaviour patterns, and attitudes, motivations and feelings Large amount of detailed data possible The possibility to probe the respondent further Lack of generalisability Inability to distinguish small differences Lack of reliability and validity Potential for biases to emerge Potential interviewer errors Costs and time Advantages of In-depth Interviews Disadvantages of In-depth Interviews Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-17 Objectives of Focus Group Research Focus Groups To generate new ideas about products, services, or delivery methods To discover new constructs and measurement methods To help explain changing consumer preferences To identify specific hidden information requirements To provide data for better understanding the results from other quantitative survey studies. To reveal consumers hidden needs, wants, attitudes, feelings, behaviours, perceptions and motives regarding services, products, or practices To provide data for defining and redefining marketing problems Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-18 Conducting Focus Group Interviews This is the most critical phase. Researchers must have an understanding of the purpose of the study, a precise definition of the problem and specific data requirements Key decisions focus on who the appropriate participants would be: How to select and recruit respondents What size the focus group should be Where to have the sessions Phase 1: Planning the Focus Group Study Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-19 Focus Group Participants Central factors in the selection process Potential group dynamics Willingness of members to engage in dialogue Group should be homogeneous enough to encourage comfort and discourage socially acceptable responses, while allowing enough variation to allow for contrasting opinions Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-20 Focus Group Participants Participant selection 1 Specify exact selection criteria 2 Maintain control of the selection process 3 Beware of potential selection bias 4 Incorporate randomisation 5 Check respondents knowledge and experience 6 Keep in mind that no process is perfect
Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-21 Focus Group Participants Participant sampling 1 Randomisation is not a primary factor in selection 2 Participant credibility is a key factor
Participant recruitment 1 Crucial to secure the prospective participants commitment 2 Highlight to participant that views are important 3 Be specific regarding attendance details
See Exhibit 5.9, page 131
Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-22 Focus Group Size, Incentives, Number and Location Number of participants Optimal number is between 6 and 12 Incentives Participation requires time and effort Incentives increase the likelihood of participation Number of focus groups Many situations require a series of sessions Typically a minimum of two sessions, and until no new ideas are forthcoming Location of focus groups The ideal is a professional focus group location that is comfortable, and allows for observation and recording Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-23 Conducting Focus Group Interviews One of the key players in this phase is the focus group moderator. To ensure a successful interactive session, the moderators role and pertinent characteristics must be clearly understood by everyone involved A necessary activity in this phase is the development of a moderators guide that outlines the topics, questions and sub- questions that will be used in the session The actual focus group session should be structured with beginning, main and closing sections Phase 2: Conducting the Focus Group Discussions Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-24 The Focus Group Moderator The important traits to consider in the selection of a moderator for the focus group session: The person must be well-trained in interpersonal communications and have excellent listening, observation and interpretive skills The moderator must display professional mannerisms and personality, have a good memory for names, create positive group dynamics and a comfort zone for spontaneous and interactive dialogue The moderator must be comfortable and familiar with group dynamics and processes, and must be able to exercise mild, unobtrusive control over participants
Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-25 The Focus Group Moderator The moderator must have good understanding and background knowledge of the specified topics and questions, and the ability to guide the participants from one topic to the next The person must be well-trained in asking follow- up probing questions, and must demonstrate respect and sensitivity for the participants and their expressed opinions and feelings The moderator must be able to communicate clearly and precisely both in writing and verbally, and must be objective, self-disciplined and focused The person should exhibit a friendly, courteous, enthusiastic and adaptive personality, along with a sense of humour
Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-26 The Focus Group Moderator
The person should be experienced in focus group research The moderator must have a quick mind capable of noting new ideas that come from the group The moderator must know how and when to bring closure to one topic and move the discussion to the next The moderator should prepare and follow a detailed moderators guide Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-27 The Focus Group Session Stages include: The session beginning Make participants feel comfortable, complete consent forms, outline ground rules, participant introductions The main session Introduce the topics, apply probing techniques as necessary, ensure that critical questions are addressed The session closing Present ending questions, summarise main points, debrief, appreciation and arrangements for incentives See A closer look, page 135 Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-28 Phase 3: Analysing and Reporting the Results Conducting Focus Group Interviews After the actual session is completed and if the sponsoring clients representatives are present, the researcher should conduct a debriefing analysis with all the key players involved to compare notes The researcher should conduct a content analysis on the data obtained from the participants during the interviewing session and write a formal report that communicates the findings. Key to the researcher for this phase is to remember: Who will be the reading audience The purpose of the report The nature of reporting the results as well as an appropriate report style format Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-29 How To Analyse a Focus Group Consider the words Thought must be given to both the words used by the participants and the meanings of those words. Because there will be a variety of words and phrases used by the group members, the researcher will have to determine the degree of similarity and classify them accordingly. It should be remembered that editing messy quotations is a difficult but necessary task. Consider the context The researcher will have to gain an understanding of the context in which participants expressed key words and phrases. The context includes the actual words as well as their tone and intensity (voice inflection). It must be remembered that non-verbal communication (body language) can also provide meaningful bits of data worth analysing Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-30 How To Analyse a Focus Group Consider the frequency of comments In most situations, some of the topics presented in the session will be discussed by more participants (extensiveness) and some comments made more often (frequency) than others. The researcher should not assume that extensiveness and frequency of comments are directly related to their importance. Consider the intensity of comments Sometimes group members will talk about specific aspects of a topic with passion or deep feelings. While left undetected in transcripts alone, audio- or video- tapes can uncover the intensity factor by showing changes in tone, talking speed and emphasis placed on certain words or phrases. Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-31 How To Analyse a Focus Group Consider the specificity of responses Those responses that are associated with some emotional first-hand experience probably are more intense than responses that are vague and impersonal. For example, I feel that the new McDonalds McArch burger is a ripoff because I ate one and it tasted just terrible, especially at the price they are charging, should be given more weight than The new McArch burger does not taste very good, considering what it costs. Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-32 How To Analyse a Focus Group Consider the big picture Because data from focus groups come in many different forms (words, body language, intensity, etc.), the researcher needs to construct an aggregate theme or message of what is being portrayed. Painting a bigger picture of what group members are actually saying can provide preliminary insights into how consumers view the specified product, service, or program. Caution should be used when trying to quantify the data. Use of numbers can inappropriately convey the impression that the results can be projected to a target population, which is not within the capabilities of qualitative data. Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-33 Typically should be in narrative style Format of the Report Results and findings Summary of themes Limitations and alternative explanations Executive summary Table of contents Statement of the problem, critical questions and methods Cover page Appendix Recommendations Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-34 Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups Stimulate new ideas, thoughts and feelings about a topic Foster understanding of why people act or behave in certain market situations Allow for client participation Elicit wide-ranging customer responses Bring together hard-to- reach groups Low generalisability of results Questionable reliability of results Subjectivity of interpretation High cost per participant Advantages of focus groups Disadvantages of focus groups Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau Slides prepared by Tony Peloso 5-35 Advancing Technology and Focus Groups Online focus groups allow for: Quicker turn-around times for data acquisition Quicker turn-around times for transcript production Less bias on the part of moderators and participants More moderator control Easy access for participants, moderators and the client