ANALYZE DATA

Qualitative Approach

From our previous quantitative example where we only asked for preference for canteen
coffee or tea (a limited choice), a qualitative approach may have provided a range of
preferences well beyond coffee or tea or what was offered in the canteen that we would
not have otherwise known. In order to see a complete “picture” of beverage purchasing
preferences within the unit, qualitative data is required.

Back to our previous example, what types of open-ended questions could we ask our
colleagues?

Well, some simple questions may be:

 “What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?”

 “What would you suggest to improve the unit canteen?”
 “Do you enjoy the coffee option offered by the unit canteen? If not, what
would you suggest?”
 “Do you enjoy the tea option offered by the unit canteen? If not, what
would you suggest?”

Now, let’s take the first question and apply it to our survey questionnaire.

What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

beer .
3
.

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. chai tea .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea? mocha

. .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. milk .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. pop .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. hot chocolate .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. wine .
 3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?
. green tea .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. hot chocolate .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. earl grey tea .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. pop .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea? cappuccino.

.

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

.
English breakfast tea

.
3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?
. green tea .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. hot chocolate .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. chips .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. pop .

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. white mocha.

3 What do you prefer to drink besides coffee or tea?

. chai tea.

So what do we do with this data?

The first thing we have to do is group and organize the responses. A suggested
preliminary grouping could look like this:

 Specialty Teas
  Specialty Coffees
 Cold Beverages
 Other Hot Beverages

Using these criteria (groupings), we first want to get a tally of the responses. Our
results would look as follows:

Specialty Specialty Cold Other Hot

Other
Teas Coffees Beverages Beverages
IIII I III IIII I III I

What do you notice about the groupings in this table that are different from what we
started with? Well, one of the respondents did not read the question properly and as a
result provided data that was different from our previous categories. Therefore, we
added an extra column to account for this response. Looking at our actual numbers now
we can get a clearer picture of the beverage preferences of the unit.

Specialty Specialty Cold Other Hot

Other
Teas Coffees Beverages Beverages
6 3 6 3 1
IIII I III IIII I III I

We know that the “other” response is irrelevant since it does not pertain to a beverage
selection. With the remaining numbers, we can now start to look at percentages of
respective preferences. In order to calculate this, we need to take the number of
responses for each category and divide by the total number of valid responses received,
then multiply by 100.

(Category responses / total responses received) X 100 = % preference

Given this formula, what number should be used for total responses received? In this
scenario, we should use 19; however, since one of the responses was outside the
scope of the question, we should discard it. Therefore, the total responses received
would be 18.

Let’s calculate the preference percentage for each category.

Specialty Specialty Cold Other Hot

Other
Teas Coffees Beverages Beverages
(6/18) x 100 (3/18) x 100 (6/18) x 100 (3/18) x 100 -
33 % 17% 33% 17% -
What can we determine from this? Well, 33% of the respondents wish to have more
varieties of tea in the canteen. Another 33% would like to have some cold beverage
options in the canteen. Two smaller groups of respondents (17% each) would like to
have some choices of specialty coffees and other hot beverages in the canteen.

Okay, so now that we have our data, should you run out and purchase these items?
Well, probably not. Let’s re-examine our data and see if our categories can be further
refined. The reason why we may want to do this is because when we initially viewed
the data, we could see that there were a number of repeated responses. In addition,
there were a couple of responses that were impossible to entertain (beer, wine) due to
liquor regulations.

Let’s look at our data set:

Beer
Chai tea, chai tea
Mocha
Milk
Pop, pop, pop
Hot chocolate, hot chocolate, hot chocolate
Wine
Green tea
Earl grey tea
English breakfast tea
Cappuccino
White mocha

Let’s create a frequency table based on our original categories and the sub-categories
within each:

Beverage Frequency
Specialty Teas
Chai 2
Earl grey 1
English breakfast 1
Green tea 2
Specialty Coffees
Mocha 1
Cappuccino 1
White mocha 1
Cold Beverages
Beer 1
Wine 1
 Pop 3
Milk 1
Other Hot Beverages
Hot chocolate 3

So, looking at the above frequency table, what does this tell us about beverage
preferences that can help the canteen? What can we determine from our earlier results
where 33% had a preference for specialty teas and 33% had a preference for cold
beverages, by looking at the individual responses? Let’s consider the following
questions:

 Would providing a variety of teas in addition to what we are currently offering be

justifiable?

(Answer: Probably given the interest level, 4 specific varieties from 6 different
people, however you many need to consider other factors (i.e. cost) before
proceeding)

 Would offering pop be justifiable?

Answer: Probably given the interest level, where it was the most popular cold
beverage, however you many need to consider other factors (i.e. cost, variety,
will others even though they didn’t identify it also want it, etc.) before proceeding.

 Would offering hot chocolate be justifiable?

Answer: Probably given the interest level, however you many need to consider
other factors (i.e. cost, will others even though they didn’t identify it also want it)
before proceeding.

 Could any of the other beverages (only identified by a single response) that are
listed above be justified for inclusion in the canteen?

Answer: Unlikely, as the results indicate that they would not be enjoyed by a
large enough number of people. However no one else might have thought of
these and you could always do another survey to clarify if they would in fact be
appreciated by a greater number of people.

In the case of the unit canteen beverage dilemma, what are some conclusions we can
make?

1. We need to provide more varieties of tea.

2. We need to consider the inclusion of pop.
 3. We need to consider the inclusion of hot chocolate.

Once you can plainly state your conclusions the associated recommendations will have
to take into account organisational limitations and provide realistic solutions that can be
implemented.

What are some recommendations we can make?

1. Purchase boxes of assorted teas to include; green, chai, earl grey and
English breakfast and then monitor usage for popularity.

2. At the next canteen meeting put the inclusion of hot chocolate to a vote.

3. At the next canteen meeting put the inclusion of pop to a vote, and also
poll the membership for which variety they would prefer.