ch05

Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd
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
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
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
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:
5-5
Introduction
Marketing Research
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
on describing and measuring
marketing phenomena at a
particular point in time
Causal research design
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:
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
PHASE II:
Design the research
Step 3:
5-7
Phase II: Select the Research
DesignExploratory Research
Marketing Research
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:
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
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
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:
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
5-20
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

5-21
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

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
5-23
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
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

5-25
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

5-26

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
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
5-28
Phase 3:
Analysing and
Reporting the
Results
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
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
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.
5-31
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.
5-32
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.
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
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
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

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Copyright 2004 McGraw-Hill Pty Ltd

PPTs t/a Marketing Research by Lukas, Hair, Bush and Ortinau

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