1 / 20

Research in Management

Research in Management. Class 3 – Exploratory and Observational Research Dr. Michele Parent Based on slides by Dr. John Nadeau Week of January 24, 2011. Agenda. Group memo/project plan Exploratory and Observational Research. Chapter 4 Objectives.

linaeve
Download Presentation

Research in Management

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Research in Management Class 3 – Exploratory and Observational Research Dr. Michele Parent Based on slides by Dr. John Nadeau Week of January 24, 2011

  2. Agenda • Group memo/project plan • Exploratory and Observational Research

  3. Chapter 4 Objectives 1. Identify differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods 2. Be able to describe and explain two popular qualitative techniques 3. Be able to explain the basic pros and cons of using qualitative methods 4. Understand focus groups, the importance of a moderator, and how the findings are used to improve decision making.

  4. Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

  5. Pros and Cons of Qualitative Research Pros • Economical and Timely • Data richness • Accuracy • Preliminary insight for scale measurement • Insight for results Cons • Lack generalizability • Miss small diffs. • Lack reliability • Difficulty finding skilled researchers • Reliance on interpretative skills

  6. Discussion Question • What type of exploratory research design (observation, projective interview, in-depth interview, focus group) would you suggest for each of the following situations and why? • A jewelry retailer wants to better understand why men buy jewelry for women and how they select what they buy; •  An owner of a McDonald’s store is planning to build a playland and wants to know which play equipment is most interesting to children. • Victoria’s Secret wants to better understand women’s body images. • The senior design engineer for Ford Motor Company wishes to identify meaningful design changes to be integrated into the 2012 Ford Taurus. • Apple wants to better understand how teenagers discover and choose popular music to download.

  7. Two Popular Techniques • In-depth Interviews • Formal process • Probing questions • Focus Groups

  8. Interviewing Skills • Skills Required for Conducting In-Depth Interviews • Interpersonal Communication Skills • Listening Skills • Probing Questions

  9. Benefits and Limitations of In-Depth Interviews Benefits • Flexibility • Question and answer process • Comfort zone Limitations • Lack generalizability • Miss small diffs. • Lack reliability • Interview-respondent artifacts • Respondent bias • Interview errors • Cost

  10. Focus Groups • Formalized process of bringing a small group of people together for an interactive and spontaneous discussion of one particular topic • Consist of eight to twelve participants • Moderator • Overall goal • Success • Idea behind focus groups • Examples?

  11. Developing a Focus Group Interview

  12. Discussion Question Thinking about how most participants are recruited for focus groups, identify and discuss ethical issues that the researcher and decision maker must consider when using a focus group research design to collect primary data and information.

  13. The Focus Group Moderator • Draws out the best and most innovative ideas about the assigned topic or question • To stimulate spontaneous interactive and detailed discussions

  14. Moderator’s Characteristics and Role • Must be comfortable and familiar with group dynamics and processes • Control and guide the members • Curiosity (on the part of the moderator) • Demonstrate respect and sensitivity • Must have adequate topic knowledge

  15. Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Group Research Advantages • New Ideas • Underling Reasons of Behavior • Client Participation • Breadth of Topics Covered • Special Market Segments Disadvantages • Low Generalizability • Data Reliability • Subjectivity of Interpretations • High Cost per Participant

  16. Break-Out Exercise • Split into 4 groups (i.e. no more than 10 people) • Half the groups will be focus group participants while the other groups will be moderator and observers • The moderator/observer groups will be provided with a moderator’s guide. They must select a moderator! • It is the moderator’s job to guide the participants through the focus group. The observers watch and take notes. • Present your findings/experience to the class

  17. Break-Out Exercise Develop a moderator’s guide that could be used in a focus group interview to investigate a research question of your own Or you can use the following: “What does cool’ mean to teens and how do teens decide what products are “cool”?

  18. Next Class • Descriptive and Causal Research Designs • Read Chapter 5

More Related