Business Research Methods Exploratory Research Design

Why Conduct Exploratory Research? Diagnose a situation Screening of alternatives Discover new ideas

Techniques for Exploratory Research Experience surveys Observation Pilot studies

Experience Surveys Ask knowledgeable individuals about a particular research problem most are quite willing

“If you wish to know the road up the mountain, you must ask the man who goes back and forth on it.” - Zenrinkusi

Observation …may happen during field visits. …may also take visual form.

Field Observation Meaning is extracted from field notes. Field notes are the researchers’ descriptions of what actually happens in the field. These notes then become the text from which meaning is extracted.

Visual Observation Researchers may observe employees in their workplace, consumers in their home, or try to gain knowledge from photographic records of one type or another.

Observational research is keenly advantageous for gaining insight into things that respondents cannot or will not verbalize.

Pilot Study A collective term Any small scale exploratory study that uses sampling But does not apply rigorous standards

Pilot Studies Focus Group Interviews Projective Techniques In-Depth Interviews

Projective Techniques Word association tests Sentence completion method Third-person technique Role playing T.A.T. Picture frustration version of T.A.T.

“A man is least himself when he talks in his own person; when given a mask he will tell the truth.” --Oscar Wilde

Word Association Subject is presented with a list of words Asked to respond with first word that comes to mind

Word Association Examples GREEN

Word Association Examples CAR

Sentence Completion People who drink beer are ______________________ A man who drinks light beer is ___________________ Imported beer is most liked by ___________________ A woman will drink beer when____________________

Thematic Apperception Test T.A.T. A test that presents subjects with an ambiguous picture(s) in which consumers and products are the center of attention; the investigator asks the subject to tell what is happening in the picture(s) now and what might happen next.

Thematic Apperception Test T.A.T.

Focus Group Interviews Unstructured Free flowing Group interview Start with broad topic and focus in on specific issues

The Evolution of Focus Groups: 1st Period (1920 to 1950) – Social Science Origins Origin in the social sciences Group interviews used for developing survey instruments Extensively used in the world war to generate propaganda material, create training manual for troops. 2nd Period (1950 to 1980) – Marketing Social scientists moved to experimenting with other techniques. Development in marketing research. Referred to as ‘group-depth’ interviews. Mainly used to develop commercial products, judge product responses. 3rd Period (1980 onwards) – Widespread Application Widespread application in applied social research especially in health Use in understanding promotion of contraceptive use Used extensively to evaluate health education programs, evaluation research, intervention research not only in health but also in education research The AIDS epidemic in researching sensitive issues in sexual behaviour.

Focus Groups can precede quantitative research as when : They are done to understand the vocabulary or local terminology To identify the problem and generate the research hypothesis To understand the socio-cultural context of the research topic Or used parallel with quantitative research when : Triangulate the information obtained using different methods To have a deeper understanding of the topic Can follow quantitative research to gain : Insights into the issues emerging from a survey To help in interpreting the result of a quantitative survey Can be used also as ‘stand-alone’ techniques : To explore new research issues To understand the diversity and variations in people’s behaviour, beliefs, values

The Focus Group Team : A team effort with perfect understanding and co-ordination between the various members – The Researcher The Moderator The Recruiter The Note-taker (Observer) Selection of the Participants : Probability based sampling is not required as not meant to be used to describe how an entire population would respond to a question. Sample size is also irrelevant as is not to study the distribution but the range and variation of responses. Preferred way of selecting participants is by ‘Purposive or Convenience (Opportunistic) Sampling’.

How many participants ? Essence is the discussion and interaction, optimal size of the group should be between 6 to 10 participants What should be their characteristics ? Key to a successful focus group is the composition of participants – similar background – then talk more openly no hierarchy with the participants, no obvious power relations group is homogenous enough to allow for a free and lively discussion How many focus groups to conduct ? Not necessary to pre-decide Conduct as many as required to reach point of information saturation Preparatory stage of focus group (selection and composition) is the most important and unfortunately the most neglected by researchers

Advantages of Focus Groups : The main advantage of focus groups is their ability to generate a lot of information far more quickly and at less cost then individual interviews Uses group discussion – which is a natural form of communication in communities Limitations of Focus Groups Results of focus groups cannot usually be used to make statements about the wider community – they indicate a range of views and opinions but not their distribution The findings from a focus group are for the group as a whole and cannot be individualized to the participants of the group. Thus the unit of analysis the group and not the individual Participants often tend to agree with fellow responses (even if that is not how they really feel) – hence findings of focus groups should always be interpreted with caution Focus groups have limited value in exploring complex beliefs of individuals or in getting information on personal experiences – where in-depth interviews may be better Focus groups results indicate what is socially acceptable in a community (norms) as opposed to what people actually do (behaviour)

Outline for a Focus Group Establish a rapport Begin with broad topic Focusing on specific topic Generate discussion and interaction

The Moderator Develops rapport - helps people relax Interacts Listens to what people have to say Everyone gets a chance to speak

The Focus Group Moderator Maintains loose control and focuses discussion Stimulates spontaneous responses

Advantages of Online Focus Groups Fast Inexpensive Bring together many participants from wide-spread geographical areas Respondent anonymity Transcript automatically recorded

Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups Less group interaction Absence of tactile stimulation Absence of facial expression and body language Moderator’s job is different

In-Depth Interview A one-on-one interview between a professional researcher and a research respondent conducted about some relevant business or social topic. the interviewer’s role is critical in a depth interview. He or she must be a highly skilled individual who can encourage the respondent to talk freely without influencing the direction of the conversation. Probing questions are critical.

It is time-consuming. The text need to be analyzed and interpreted by the researcher. Analysis and interpretation of such data are highly subjective.

Advantages Depth interviews provide more insight into a particular individual than do focus groups. Since the setting isn’t really social, respondents are more likely to discuss sensitive topics than are those in a focus group. Depth interviews are particularly advantageous when some unique or unusual behavior is being studied.