1. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.1 Chapter 6 Exploratory Research Design : Qualitative Research Qualitative research helps the marketer to understand the richness, depth and complexity of consumers.

2. Chapter outline 1)Primary data: qualitative versus quantitative research 2)Rationale for using qualitative research 3)Philosophy and qualitative research 4)Ethnographic research 5)Grounded theory 6)Action research 7)International marketing research 8)Ethics in marketing research 9)Digital applications in marketing research

3. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.3 An unstructured, primarily exploratory design based on small samples, that provide insights and understanding of the problem.

4. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.4 An unstructured, primarily exploratory design based on small sample, intended to provide depth, insight and understanding. Quantitative marketing research Research techniques that seek to quantify data and typically, apply some form of measurement and statistical analysis.

5. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.5 ‘There is much qualitative research that still hangs on the positivist model or is little more than investigative journalism. Competition also comes from the media with increasing phone-ins and debates described as “research”. We need to be careful about the abuse of what goes under the title “qualitative”’.

6. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.6 Figure 6.1 A classification of marketing research data

7. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.7 Reasons for using qualitative techniques 1.Preferences and/or experience of the researcher 2.Preferences and/or experience of the research user 3.Sensitive information 4.Subconscious feelings 5.Complex phenomena 6.The holistic dimension 7.Developing new theory

8. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.8 Table 6.1a The two schools of thought about ‘focus group discussions’

9. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.9 Table 6.1b The two schools of thought about ‘focus group discussions’

10. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.10 RevolutionistTraditionalist PhenomenologicalExperimentalist HumanisticScientific SubjectivistObjectivist QualitativeQuantitative InterpretivistPositivist

11. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.11 InductiveDeductive Case studiesExperimental design Theoretical samplingRepresentative surveys Perceptive decision-makingReliability and validity Understanding and insightPrediction and control Field/ethnographyLaboratory Context boundContext free Evolving designStatic research design Multiple influencesCause and effect Freedom of willSimple deterministTheory and research design Informal and personalFormal and impersonalResearcher language Value laden = biasedValue free = unbiasedValues Interacting with each otherIndependent of each otherResearcher-participant Subjective and multipleObjective and singularReality InterpretivistPositivistIssue

12. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.12 Ethnography A research approach based upon theobservation of the customs, habits and differences between people in everyday situations As a general term includes observation and interviewing and is sometimes referred to as participant observation. May require a researcher to spend a large amount of time observing a particular group of people, by sharing their way of life – which could include online behaviour. Ethnography is the art and science of describing a group or culture.

13. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.13 The aims of ethnographic research Seeing through the eyes of others Description Contextualism Process Flexible research design Avoiding early use of theories and concepts

14. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.14 1.High intensity situations 2.Behavioural processes 3.Memory inadequate 4.Shame or reluctance

15. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.15 Involves the evaluation of naturally occuring conversations, behaviours and signals. The information that is elicited may or may not be guided, but it brings the voice of consumers’ lives to brands

16. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.16 Grounded theory  A qualitative approach to generating theory through the systematic and simultaneous process of data collection and analysis.  The tradition of grounded theory was developed by Glaser and Strauss in the late 1950s.  They accepted that the study of people should be scientific, in the way understood by quantitative researchers. This meant that it should seek to produce theoretical propositions that were testable and verifiable, produced by a clear set of replicable procedures.

17. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.17 Grounded theory  Qualitative research has been viewed as a ‘soft science’ or journalism.  Could be viewed as a means to develop questions which could then be verified using quantitative techniques.  It was generally believed that the objective of sociology should be to produce scientific theory, and to test this meant using quantitative methods.  Grounded Theory founded to counter these views and aimed to build theory derived from data, systematically gathered and analysed.

18. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.18 Action research Action research is a team research process, facilitated by one or more professional researchers, linking with decision-makers and other stakeholders who together wish to improve particular situations. Together, the researcher and decision-makers or stakeholders define the problems to be examined, generate relevant knowledge about the problems, learn and execute research techniques, take actions, and interpret the results of actions based on what they have learned. There are many iterations of problem definition, generating knowledge, taking action and learning from those actions. The whole process of iteration evolves in a direction that is agreed by the team.

19. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.19 Figure 6.2 The action research approach

20. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.20 Ethical challenges of conducting online ethnography 1. Preventing harm or wrongdoing to participants, and preserving their dignity 2. Preserving the confidentiality, anonymity and privacy of participants 3.Avoiding deception and remaining honest 4.Ensuring informed consent 5.Maintaining transparency, avoiding misrepresentation and ensuring reciprocity through the reporting of results 6. Diversity, i.e. coping with the nature and inherent differences in electronic communities

21. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.21 Using the internet in qualitative research – advantages Extending access to participants Researching sensitive subjects Contacting interest groups Cost and time savings Handling transcripts

22. Naresh Malhotra, David Birks and Peter Wills, Marketing Research, 4th Edition, © Pearson Education Limited 2012 Slide 6.22 Using the internet in qualitative research – challenges Computer literacy for the researcher Making contact and recruitment Interactive skills online Losing access