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Ethnography

Nature of Observation

ACTIVE
A researcher takes part in the
process of respondent performing
their behavior
More like a scene where respondent
demonstrates how they usually do it
for you.
Periodic questioning or clarification
is done at the spot.
PASSIVE
A researcher acts as an
outsider when the respondent is
performing their behavior
Everything proceeds naturally
and uninterrupted
Questioning and clarification is
done before or after the process

Shadowing Accompanied shopping Cooking observations

In-home visit A day in the life Mystery shopping

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Ethnography: Importance
• One of the best ways to gain deeper customer insight.
• …to get to know customers and their culture, & role
certain products play in their lives.
• …shows consumer reality rather than consumer
reconstruction.
• …helps identify contradictions between what people say
they do & what they actually do.
• … enables us to identify their hidden needs- and this is
where real breakthroughs can occur.

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Netnography
• Ethnography: Study of a community

• Netnography: Study of an online community

• Data Sources:
– Archival Netnographic Data
– Social Network Analysis
– Elicited Netnographic Data

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Netnography: Good & Bad

Advantage Disadvantage

• Large sample possible quickly • Identity validation

• Immediate analysis
• Considerably cheaper
• Sensitive topics accessible
• Historic archives often available
• Loss of non-verbal
• Loss of intangibles
• Reliability & integrity of
information
• Information overload

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Reference
• Qualitative Research- Discussion Guide: Textbook (page
167- 171)
• FGD discussion Guide: Textbook (page 140-142)

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Issue
• In recent times, education loan from bank has grown & SBI is the one of
major player in this market.
• In 2010, education loan market of X premier business school students in
India was studied for SBI. It was found that among the students of X
Business school, market share of education loan for SBI was 87%.
• However, in 2013 the market share dipped to 82%.
• Again a study was conducted in 2016, it was found that market share of
SBI in education loan among students of that business school has further
slipped to 76%.
• It was also observed that market share of CBI, another PSU bank, is
constantly increasing. In 2010, the market share of education loan for
CBI was 7% and it has increased to 18% in 2016.
• SBI is now worried about losing market share among students &
hired you to conduct research.
(Above Information is just an illustration)

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Issue
• Design preference & perception for mobile phones

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Business Research Method

Prof. Ravi Shekhar Kumar

XLRI- Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur

ravishekhar@xlri.ac.in

Session-5

A Look at Research Data

Research Data

Secondary Data Primary Data

Qualitative Data Quantitative Data

Descriptive Causal

Survey Observational & Experimental

Data Other Data Data

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Measurement and Scale

• If things exist to some extent, they ought to be

measured.

• Measurement is the assignment of numbers to

objects, events, or people according to some rules.

• To assign numbers, we need a scale.

Scale

• A scale is a system of classifying objects & persons

– in a series of steps or degrees
– according to a standard (i.e., relative size, rank, amount,
etc.).

• Measurements can be along four different scales:

– Nominal
– Ordinal
– Interval
– Ratio

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Nominal Scale

• One uses names or labels according to certain

characteristics.
– Variables assessed on nominal scale are called
categories.

• Charles Darwin used such categorical scales for

species.
– e.g., Telephone numbers; Girls vs. Boys in this session.

• Basic operation: = or ≠

Ordinal Scale

• Ordinal measurements tell ranks or difference

between items
– e.g., Class ranks; Hardiness of minerals

• Scale may also use names with an order such as:

– “Below average", “Average", and “Above average"; or
– "very unsatisfied", “Neutral", and "very unsatisfied."

• Basic operation: < vs. >

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Interval Scale

• In interval scales, the steps are considered to be

equal.
• Equality of successive steps
– Difference between 2 & 1 is the same as the difference
between 7 & 6.
• We can use numbers, steps, phrases, or distance to
represent the successive intervals.
– e.g., Ratings; Fahrenheit/Celsius temperature

• Basic operation: + vs. -

Ratio Scale

• Most measurement in physical sciences &

engineering is done on ratio scales.
• Distinguishing feature of a ratio scale is possession
of a natural zero value.
– e.g., Mass, length, time, plane angle, electric charge, &
GDP

• Basic operation: Meaning of ratios

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Scales of Measurement: Illustration

Numbers
Nominal 4 81 9
Assigned to
Runners

Rank Order of
Ordinal
Winners

Third Second First

Place Place Place
Interval Performance
Rating on a 0 to 8.2 9.1 9.6
10 Scale
Time to Finish in 15.2 14.1 13.4
Ratio
Seconds

Comparison of Scales: Characteristics

Characteristics Label Order Distance Origin

Scale
Nominal Yes No No No

Ordinal Yes Yes No No

Interval Yes Yes Yes No

Ratio Yes Yes Yes Yes

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Interval Scale: Variants

• Likert Scale requires respondents to indicate a degree of
agreement or disagreement with each statement about
stimulus object.
Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly
disagree agree nor agree
disagree

Pantaloon sells high-quality merchandise. 1 2 3 4X 5

• Semantic Differential Scale is rating scale with end points

associated with bipolar labels that have semantic meaning.
Pantaloon is:
Modern :--:--X:--:--:--:--:--: Old-fashioned

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A few exercise on Scale

• Gender: 1. Male 2. Female
Nominal Scale

• I consider myself to be loyal to Nike Brand.

(Please rate the statement)
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
1 2 3 4 5
Interval Scale

• How many hours do you use Internet ?...........Hrs

Ratio Scale

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