Key points from last week

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Key points from last week

• Secondary Data

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Secondary versus Primary data

• Secondary data is data collected for some purpose
  other than the present research purpose
• all previously gathered material
• Primary data is data collected to address a
  specific research purpose, ie, data required that
  has not previously been gathered

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Advantages of secondary data

• Access quick easy to obtain
• Affordable mostly free or at minimal cost
• Availability many sources electronic
  availability
• Retrospective allows researchers to go back in
  time enables prediction or forecasting of future
  events
• Only available access tourism data on
  International visitor arrivals
• Quality data sources produced by Govts meet
  high research standards journals articles
  reviewed
• Ability to enhance primary data base to study

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Disadvantages of secondary data

• Relevance accuracy as data has been collected
  for purposes other than the specific research
  problem, usefulness may be limited.
• Measurement units in secondary data may not match
  the researchers needs different income level
  groupings or measured in different ways
  household or per capita income
• Recency of the data too old to
• be of value
• Not easy to locate
• May be an incomplete data set
• Lack of information needed to
• assess the credibility of the data
• (refer to section on evaluating secondary data)

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Evaluation of the datas validity

• Methodology used to collect data critically
  examine sample design, response rate,
  questionnaire design admin, field work
  procedures, data analysis techniques reporting
• Error accuracy of data errors in each stage
  of the research process
• Currency when the data was collected
• Objectivity purpose for which the data was
  collected
• Nature the content of the data how key
  variables are defined units of measurement
  categories used etc how consistent are they
  with researchers needs
• Dependability of the data examine the
  expertise, credibility, reputation and
  trustworthiness of the source.
• Note read further about these areas from the
  handout - Malhotra

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Great site to visit

• Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia
• Also click on other links
• http//www.hotkey.net.au/ceasa/ceasa.html

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Exploratory Research Techniques

• Week 5

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Study Materials for Module 5

• Study Book Module 5
• Cavana chapters 6 (ch 7 not required)
• or
• Jennings chapter 6 pp.162-178
• Readings 5.1
• Coakes and Steed chapter 4 AND Cavana Appendix 1
  pp 405-13 (Tourism students have as a handout)

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Lecture overview

• Exploratory research design
• Understand the difference between qualitative and
  quantitative
• Qualitative Techniques
• - Focus groups - Depth Interviews
• - Projective Techniques - Observations
• - Others panel, delphi, case studies
• Ethics and Report Writing
• Summary
• Tutorial

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Exploratory research design

• What is it?
• Type of research design that has as its primary
  objective the provision of insights into and
  comprehension of the problem situation
  confronting the researcher.
• flexible
• usually unstructured
• usually qualitative
• primary data

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Purpose

• Diagnosing problems
• little prior knowledge
• insights needed into nature of the problem
• lack of previous research/information
• Screening alternatives
• Define terms and concepts/constructs
• Isolate key variables and relationships
• Discovering new ideas
• Establishing priorities for further research
• To develop hypotheses

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Qualitative vs Quantitative Research
(Source Malhotra 1993, p.159)
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Strengths of qualitative research

• generate insights
• clarifies problems
• can be quick
• comparatively inexpensive
• more depth/richness
• small number of respondents

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Limitations of qualitative research

• tends to be qualitative
• not a replacement for conclusive research ie
  descriptive or causal
• interpretation typically subjective
• results susceptible to misuse

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Common Exploratory Techniques

• Focus Groups
• Individual (Depth) Interviews
• Projective Techniques
• Observation
• Panel
• Delphi
• Case Studies

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Focus Groups

• is an type of interview conducted by a trained
  moderator (facilitator), in an unstructured/ semi
  structured free flowing manner, with a small
  group of participants
• information is collected through group
  interaction on a specific topic
• IQCA best practice guidelines participants
  restricted to once in any 6 month period

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Characteristics of Focus Group

• Group size 8 (6-10)
• group composition homogeneous (but with
  sufficient variation)
• consider
  objective of focus group
• site selection consider group
• physical setting relaxed, informal
• time/ length 1-2 hours
• number of groups at least 2
• recording audiocassette/video
• sampling similar to population
• require a moderator(role) assistant
  moderator(role)
• payment varies by location

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Focus Groups

• Common Uses
• background knowledge
• generate new product/service ideas impressions
• consumer vocabulary
• reveal consumers needs, motives, perceptions,
  preferences attitudes and behaviours concerning a
  product/service
• advertising and communication research to
  generate creative concepts copy material
• price impressions
• reactions to a preliminary marketing program
• to understand findings from quantitative studies

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Focus Groups

• Advantage
• synergism group produce a wider range of
  information, insights ideas than only one
  person
• stimulating group discussion generates ideas
  excitement that develops in the discussion
  snowball of ideas
• spontaneity as participants dont answer
  specific questions, the discussion generates a
  more accurate idea of their views
• security when participants feelings are
  similar they are more comfortable to express
  their ideas feeling on topic
• observation allows clients to observe the group
  
• works well with participants that dont respond
  to structured questions children or hard to
  interview - professionals

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Focus Groups

• Disadvantages
• moderation focus groups are difficult to
  moderate quality of results depends heavily on
  the skills of the moderator
• domination by individuals with strong
  personalities
• messy data unstructured difficult to
  interpret
• misjudge susceptible to moderator client
  bias interpretation is subjective
• misrepresentation not representative of the
  population thus not be used as the sole basis
  for decision making
• getting appropriate participants
• cost-per-participant is high recruitment,
  incentives, moderator, facilities, time of
  research team

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Planning a Focus Groups

• clearly state the research problem
• clearly concisely specify objectives
• develop interview questions from objectives -
  open ended (have sub-questions to probe further)
• focus group participants - identify target
  population write screening questionnaire to
  screen potential participants product
  knowledge demographics usage behaviour etc
• decision on number of focus groups size of
  focus groups
• recruit participants phone follow up letter
  to confirm
• arrange facilities refreshments
• incentives
• moderators guide include ground rules for
  session questions open with a more general
  question, body , ending questions

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Planning a Focus Groups cont

• Arrive at session greet participants make
  them comfortable name cards person table on
  arrival refreshments time to socialise, create
  friendly, warm environment. Moderator should
  observe group members interact identify
  dominant members etc.
• Begin session ground rules thank participants
  for coming purpose of session only one person
  speak at a time use of audio/video equipment,
  one way mirror explain use etc
• Opening part of session is to engage participants
  ie get them to introduce themselves few short
  remarks
• First main question more general question that
  will focus all participants on the research area.
• Body - 5-8 questions with probing sub-questions
• Conclusion sum up ask for further comments
  thank participants and let them know how they
  have contributed

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Planning a Focus Groups cont

• Debriefing after session with researcher client
  if available chance to compare, gain further
  insights and feed into next focus group
• Review tapes, analysis and interpret data focus
  on words frequency of comments intensity of
  comments context build the big picture from
  the data points.
• Formal report presentation to client

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Variations in focus groups

• TeleSession session by phone using the
  conference call technique
• FocusVison teleconferencing
• On-line focus groups chat room environment
• Greenfield Online Home Page
• www.greenfieldonline.com

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Activity

• Video Walker Information
• Trip to focus room

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Depth Interviews

• an unstructured or structured, direct, personal
  interview in which a single respondent
  (interviewee) is probed by a highly skilled
  interviewer to uncover underlying motivations,
  beliefs, attitudes and feelings on a topic.
• duration 30 minutes to gt 1 hour
• When to use?

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When to use

• Detailed probing of respondent on a topic
• Discussion of confidential, sensitive or
  embarrassing topics
• Strong social norms exist and thus respondent
  would be swayed by group response
• Detailed understanding of complicated behaviour
• Interviews with professional people
• Interviews with competitors unlikely to reveal
  information in a group
• Situation where product consumption experience is
  sensory in nature affecting moods emotions
  perfumes, bath soap

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Depth Interviews cont

• purpose of the interview will direct the
  development of the interview protocol a detail
  guide to the interview
• unstructured interview -rough outline of the
  questions - need to be flexible
• structured interview - more structured interview
  protocol
• Advantage provides rich data extensive
  probing
• Disadvantage same as focus group

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Interviewers role

• Avoid appearing superior put the interviewee at
  ease
• Be detached objective, yet personable
• Ask questions in an informative manner
• Not to accept brief yes or no answers
• Use probes prompts to elicit further
  information
• Listening is very important

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Types of interviews

• Face-to-face
• Telephone
• Computer assisted interviewing
• CATI computer assisted telephone interviewing
• CAPI computer assisted personal interviewing

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Indepth Interview Guidelines Etiquette
(similar for focus group)

• Arrange appointment to suit interviewee
• Check you have all interview material working
  organised
• Always arrive on time
• Be flexible
• Consider your overall appearance consider the
  context dress to suit
• Be aware of cultural protocol codes of conduct
• Remember the ethical rights of the interviewee
  and check they understand their rights
• Introduce yourself on arrival
• Describe the purpose of the meeting say why
  they were selected
• Ask permission to take notes, audiotape, or
  videotape session

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Indepth Interview Guidelines Etiquette

• Use the funnel technique
• Dont evaluate
• Dont interrupt
• Dont bias by introducing your own ideas
• Dont worry about pauses
• Check your understanding
• Follow up on areas of interest
• Take notes
• Dont get distracted
• Read their body language comfort level etc
• Advise interviewee of midpoint and when reaching
  the end
• Thank the interviewee
• Arrange a time to have the interviewee check
  information / comment on transcript

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Projective Techniques

• Is an unstructured, indirect form of questioning
  that encourages respondents to project their
  underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes or
  feelings regarding the issue of concern.
• Respondents are asked to interpret the behaviour
  of others rather than describe their own
  behaviour.
• used when respondents unlikely to give a direct
  answer

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Projective Techniques

• techniques
• word association
• sentence completion
• picture interpretation
• role play -third person
• often used in conjunction with other exploratory
  techniques

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Projective Techniques

• Advantages
• sensitive issues canvassed
• uncover information not otherwise available at
  unconscious level motives, beliefs, attitudes
• Disadvantages
• expensive (need skilled interpreters)
• sample bias those who agree to participate may
  be considered unusual in some way to role play
• requires highly trained interviewers
• analysis interpretation difficult subjective

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Observation

• Is the recording of behavioural patterns of
  people, objects and events in a systematic manner
  to obtain information about the phenomenon of
  interest.
• observer does not question
• or communicate with the people
• being observed

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Structure of observation methods

• direct versus indirect (observe behaviour as it
  occurs observe the effect or result of the
  behaviour)
• disguised versus undisguised (subject is unaware
  of being observed subject aware such as in a
  lab)
• structured versus unstructured (researcher
  identifies beforehand which behaviours are to be
  observed recorded no restriction on what will
  be noted)
• human versus mechanical (observer is a person
  observing device traffic counter, optical
  scanning devise, UPC coding with optical scanner
  peoplemeter, on-site cameras

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Observation

• Strengths
• subjects unaware capture natural behaviour
• examine interactions behaviour in real world
  setting
• no recall error observe while engaging in act
• cheap (sometimes)
• may be the only way to obtain accurate info ie
  children playing mystery shoppers
  competition (refer to the MRSA site - ESOMAR
  guidelines for mystery shopping
• www.mrsa.com.au about mrsa, mrsa code of
  professional behaviour
• used to supplement complement other techniques
• sometimes only possible approach

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Observation

• Weaknesses
• behaviour only
• cannot determine attitudes, motivations etc
• can be costly and time consuming
• bias small number of subjects under special
  circumstances
• subjective interpretation
• slow and expensive
• observer fatigue
• extensive training for observes time cost

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Other techniques

• panels longitudinal qualitative data
  quanitative data
• delphi interviews repeated interviews with
  experts until consensus
• case study

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Ethics in data collection

• Confidentiality
• Researcher must not misrepresent the nature of
  the study to participants purpose explained
• Personal information should not be solicited if
  needed, collect in highly sensitive manner
• Never violate the self-esteem and self-respect of
  participants
• Informed consent do not force subject to
  participate
• Nonparticipant observers should be unintrusive

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Ethics in data collection cont

• Participants should not be exposed to physical or
  mental harm
• Absolutely no misrepresentation or distortion in
  reporting of data collected during study
• Participant once agreeing should cooperate fully
• Participant has an obligation to be truthful
  honest in the responses

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Reporting exploratory research

• Techniques used should be described justified
• Any deviations how techniques will assist
  providing information to meet research problem
• Selection of participants described profile of
  participants ( reader can assess
  representativeness)
• Report - based on objectives focus on common
  themes use direct quotes from participants to
  justify judgements made

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Next week

• Descriptive research techniques
• Surveys

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Summary

• Exploratory research design the techniques
  appropriate for collecting data
• Focus groups assessed the strengths
  weaknesses when to use how to plan a focus
  group important role of moderator
• Indepth interviews, when to use, role of
  interviewer guidelines etiquette
• Other techniques - observation projective
  panel delphi case study
• Ethics in data collection
• Reporting exploratory research

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Tutorial

• Presentation
• Projective techniques exercise by Hoda
• Focus group role play
• To develop prior to the tutorial a moderators
  guide for a focus group based on the principles
  outlined in the lecture
• To determine how many focus groups (why?) and
  selection criteria for participants for each
  focus group
• In class to role play a focus group moderator
  participants observers
• SPSS complete work from last week pie chart
  describe graph for a report
• Introduction to univariate, bivariate
  multivariate analysis
• Univariate analysis descriptive statistics Ch
  4 Coakes Steed read Cavana pp. 405-13

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Focus group exercise

• Management problem
• How effective are the changes made to the USQ
  Refectory service?
• Research problem
• What are the current customer perceptions and
  satisfaction level of the new USQ Refectory
  service?
• Research objective for Focus group
• Qbj 1 To determine the most important factors
  (attributes) when selecting a food service
  provider at USQ for lunch time meal
• Obj 2 To determine current users perceptions on
  the Refectory in terms of food quality food
  price food variety speed of service service
  layout service providers (add other from Obj 1
  to list)
• Obj 3 To determine the level of satisfaction by
  main attributes
• Note Other objectives would be set but for the
  purpose of this short exercise you are required
  to deal with the above 3 objectives.