Introduction to Quantitative and Qualitative Research - Lecture 2 Flashcards
Quantitative:
Typically surveys: telephone, online, mail, intercepts.
Compare results over time, extrapolate to larger pop, quantify results, confirm info about a population.
Best used when you want to know something about a population. Population can be large or small.
Qualitative:
Interviews, dyads, focus groups, message boards, ethnography.
Understand motivators, explores feelings, presents complicated information, tests ideas or messaging
Can’t substitute one for the other, but we don’t just have to choose one.
Surveys
The need to know Who? Identifying segments.
What people do? (behaviours and attitudes)
How? (are decisions made)
Sometimes Why? but better answered through qualitative.
Surveys often don’t get to the heart of the issue; we don’t get depth.
Advantages of Surveys
Standardization: reduces error Ease of admin Large samples allow extrapolation Suitable for statistical analysis Sensitive to subgroup differences
Face-to-Face Advantages & Disadvantages
A: Feedback and rapport Quality control Adaptability D: Rarely used Very expensive Takes too long Not pandemic cool Interviewer bias and effects: you can lead people on as an interviewer and people tend to be more positive in person.
Telephone Surveys
A: Fast turnaround relative to face to face.
Good quality control
Feedback and rapport
D: Takes a long time compared to online.
Hard to reach some populations
Growing cell phone only households
Computer Assisted Telephone Surveys
Eliminates human interviewer error, allows interviewers to enter info directly into survey. Simultaneous data input to computer file, good quality control and can used complicated skip patterns.
Online Surveys
A: Ease of creating and posting
Fast turnaround
Use of pics, vids, graphics
Real-time data capture
Interview bias is removed
Respondents control survey pace
Fuller verbatims: longer answers to an open-ended question in own words.
D: must have Internet access. 80-85% have Internet access.
Tech skills required.
No clarification with interviewers; may give false answer or quit survey
Mail Surveys
A: Complete at leisure Can reach hard to reach population Good for reaching clients or customers Some controls over response rate Detailed responses D: Not appropriate for large-scale national survey Can be v. expensive Take a long time Can't use complicated skip patterns No control over responses
Self-Admin Surveys
Disadvantages: Ppl don’t send it in on time or at all, lack of monitoring, questionnaire must be perfect
Panels
Participants in online research on an on-going basis.
Paid and registered and have to pre-qualify to participate.
Two types of panels - Supplier panel - a panel run by an external supplier
Corporate panel - a panel run by an internal supplier
Panel Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages: Completely extremely quickly
Cost savings
Increased flexibility
Convenience for respondents
D: Constantly need to add/replenish sample
Not randomly selected (may not be representative)
May not keep info updated
Incentives may cause false answers
Career panelists are a thing; no representativeness
Mixed Mode (Hybrid Surveys)
Individual has two or more choices on how to do the same survey.
A: Multiple ways to achieve data collection goal
D: Mode affects response… are they comparable?
More complexity to manage
Only random method of survey
Telephone
Panels may overrepresent those who are higher income, more educated, etc.
Frame Error
Sample is not complete (using only 204)
Population Specification Error
Incorrect definition of the population from which to sample. TV, not specified that it must be cable
Selection Error
Improper sample selection; not using randomness to select
Measurement Error
Error that results from variation between information research wants and what is actually obtained.
Interviewer error
Interviewers influencing respondents, consciously or unconsciously.
Measurement Instrument Bias
Problems with questions being leading or biased
Processing error
Errors made by humans in analysis or data entry.
Qualitative Research is popular because:
A: Often less costly
Better at understanding motivators
Improves quantitative research
25% of marketing research is done qualitative
D: Small samples means inability to detect differences between groups
Not representative of pop.
Researchers often lack formal training. They don’t have whole departments
Focus Groups
Traditional (beyond one way mirror), Telephone (similar to conference call), Online.
When to use Focus Groups
To generate new ideas, new products, services, messaging, to understand reasons for behaviours and attitudes, for exploratory research, when interaction and discussion between people may be important.
Focus Group Limitations
Cannot extrapolate results to population.
Interpretation sometimes difficult
High cost per participant
Interviews
Commonly used when conducting B2B research. Used when may be difficult to gather people together at one time. May not be appropriate to gather representatives from competing companies in one room. Stop doing interviews when you stop hearing new things.
Ethnography
Primarily about recording information about people in their natural environment. Relies heavily on researchers’ power of observation. Can be direct, undisguised, structured, or human. Think cereal bar example or people sitting in people’s kitchens and observing them. Has now moved to mobile research
Ethnography As and Ds
Advantages: Reduces accuracy of participant’s having to recall behaviours. You can see behaviours never reported, done in natural environment, better accuracy of behaviours
D: Can be very expensive
More expensive, may not exhibit all behaviours during recording, may exhibit unnatural behaviours over short time, may not be able to get at reasons for behaviours
Mystery Shopping
Used to measure quality of service, identify areas for customer service improvement, identify areas for product improvement, enhance employee training, reward employees. Very common in restaurants. Advantages: records actual behaviours, occurs in natural environment
Disadvantages: can be very expensive, experience of shopper may dictate behaviours, requires interpretation of reasons for behaviours
Defining Objectives
Make them specific as possible. Ensure they’re objectives for the research and not for the corporation. Frame as questions. think about approach being used,.
