Observational Studies, Experiment, and Surveys in Qualitative Research

Observational  studies are use in qualitative research when the need for studying records, mechanical processes, lower animals, small children and complex interactive processes. Observational studies is only one of the few options available for such research.The observational studies are good because it help the researcher gather data as the event occurs, to do so the researcher has to be present or have some recording device on the scene. Another good use for observational studies is that can secure information about people or activities that can not be possible from experiments or surveys.

Experiments in qualitative research are use when a researcher intervene beyond that required for measurement. The usual intervention is when  the subject being study is manipulated by the observer  and how the subject is affected by it. Experiments are good for the ability they have to uncover casual relationships, provision for controlling extraneous and environmental variables, convenience of low cost  test situations rather than searching for their appearance in business situations, the ability to replicate findings, and the ability to exploit natural events.

Surveys in qualitative research are use when the need is to derive comparable data across subsets of the chosen sample so that similarities and differences can be found. Surveys findings and conclusions can be more reachable to a larger and diverse population. Also surveys as a primary data collection is really versatile and can save the researches money  expanding geographically more efficient than with observation.

This data collection can translate to quantitative research by inputting the data collected by observational studies, experiment or surveys into a computerize method like a spreadsheet. By using a spreadsheet the data concentrates more on the quantity of responses of the same or opposite question, giving the researcher a total number of the data found or percentage of the event or question being answer. In survey for example we can try to find out how many subjects like using the  new can opener by asking them how easy was to use or do you like the style or how this product make you feel after using it.

After this data is collected it can be transform into numbers of a percentage on how many of this people would buy  or not the new product. Any data collected in observation study, experiment or surveys can be transform into quantitative data if we eliminate the how, and when and concentrate in the how many.

 Business Research Methods (Eleventh Edition) D.Cooper/P.Schindler

Qualitative Data VS Quantitative Data

Qualitative Data VS Quantitative Data


The difference between qualitative data and quantitative data is that, qualitative answers the why? and the how? more in depth than quantitative data using people's hidden interpretation. Qualitative data helps understand the different meanings people place in their experience, which is something quantitative data can't answer completely. Also, qualitative data  can be collected in many different ways.

Some of the ways qualitative data can be collected is by using focus groups, individual depth interviews, and case studies. Using this types of data help the researcher extract feelings, emotions, motivations, perceptions and consumer language or self-described behavior. In the other hand quantitative data lack techniques of providing the insights needed to make those business decisions.

Quantitative data measures consumer behavior, which answer the questions related to how much, how often, how many, when and who. Quantitative data is collected more often thru survey and is more use for theory testing. One of the biggest difference between qualitative data and quantitative data is the interpretation. Qualitative data is reduce to numeral codes and maintain a clear distinction between facts and judgements, while qualitative data is more verbal.

Why do senior executives feel more comfortable relying on quantitative data than qualitative data?

Senior executives feel more comfortable relying on quantitative data, because qualitative data is too subject too human errors and bias in data collection and interpretation. They believe such data provides an unstable foundation for expensive and critical business decisions.

How qualitative research company can lessen the senior executives skepticism?

The best way to lessen the senior executives skepticism is by doing some of the following:

• Carefully using literature searches to build probing questions.
• Thoroughly justifying the methodology or combination of methodologies chosen.
• Executing the chosen methodology in its natural setting rather than a highly controlled setting.
• Choosing sample participants for relevance to the breadth of the issue rather than how well they represent the target population.
• Developing and including questions that reveal the exceptions to a rule or theory.
• Carefully structuring the data analysis.
• Comparing data across multiple sources and different context.
• Conducing peer-researcher debriefing on results for added clarity, additional insights, and reduced bias.

In conclusion, there are many reasons to believe that qualitative data takes less time to get results and is being use more and more in many companies, and you can't avoid human error by analyzing the data collected following the steps above.

Business Research Methods (Eleventh Edition) Donald R. Cooper/Pamela S. Schindler

Sinceramente Hallmark

"Sinceramente Hallmark"

In order to help my designers to create the new line of Hispanic cards I need to do some research to present to them so the can execute cards that the Hispanic community will buy. Some of the steps that must be follow are below:

1.  Research the four themes that we are trying to target.
2. Obtain general information about the Hispanic community.
3. Make a questionnaire with 20 questions about the Hispanic culture and send them to the top selling states where Hispanic cards are more sold.
4. Do an Internet research of the top holidays and celebrations in the Hispanic community.
5. Create a focus group  between the Hispanic community to ask things they will like to see in this cards.
6. Compile pictures that reflects the Hispanic culture and the four themes to present to the designers of the "Sinceramente Hallmark" line of greeting cards.

Once I collect this information and put all the ideas together in a presentation type of project, I can now present to the designers. Having  all the data collected for the new line of greeting cards and the must up to date research in the targeted community will help created the cards easily and will assure the selling of this cards. It is really important to know the target communities for the cards so the company can have a successful lunch of the "Sinceramente Hallmark" greeting cards.

Without this research is impossible to reach the Hispanic community and sell them the most inspiring greeting cards in their own language. The first steps in this research will make the designers jobs easy to execute and create an amazing product that the Hispanic community will run to buy.

"Theory is impractical and thus no good" vs "Good theory is the most practical approach to problems"

When reading this two different statements,  I agree more with "Good theory is the most practical approach to problems". The reason I take this position is because we need theory to resolve many problems in life. Theory makes everything more easy to understand and it helps predict what the outcome of any situation can possibly be. 

Theory helps to answer the "why" in many situations. Theory  evaluates the problem in different stages and find different solutions to give you more options to approach the problem.  Without theories so many businesses and big companies will not be successful today. 

Good theories makes us analyze the situation and make rational decisions. It helps us kind of predict what could happen and when. Not all theories are good but even the bad theories can point you to a better direction to approach the problem.

In conclusion "Theory" is the most practical approach to our every day dilemmas and help us find a better  solution to any problem in  life, jobs, family issues, and personal decisions.

 

Qualitative Research vs Quantitative Research


In order to differentiate  qualitative and quantitative we must define each one separately.

Qualitative:  Interpretive techniques that seek to describe, decode, translate, and otherwise come to terms with the meaning, not the frequency, of certain phenomena; a fundamental approach of exploration, including individual depth interviews, group interviews, participant observation, videotaping of participants, projective techniques and psychological testing, case studies, street ethnography, elite interviewing, document analysis, and proxemics and kinesics.

Quantitative: the precise count of some behavior, knowledge, opinion, or attitude.

Now that we define the qualitative and quantitative research we can begin to differentiate them. One of the main difference is that qualitative describes a research and quantitative is more a count and quantity of a research involving numerical data. Another difference is that researcher in qualitative are searching without knowing what they are looking for when in contrast the quantitative researcher already know in advance what there looking for.

 Also, another noticeable difference is that qualitative researcher  seek a more deeper level of understanding and they participate in data collection which allows them to make changes as they go. Quantitative research in the other hand are limited with the ability to re-interview the participants to adjust any information as they go on with the research and  information collected.

In conclusion, qualitative research and quantitative research are different for so many reasons and one is more reliable than the other one it comes to accuracy. So many studies prefer the use of quantitative research over quantitative research due to the possibility of too many human errors in the use of data collection using the qualitative research method.

    Business Research Method, D. Cooper and P. Schindler, 11th Edition

   Wilderdom.com, J. Neill, (2007)