Solution Manual for Marketing Research, 13th

Edition, V. Kumar, Robert P. Leone, David A. Aaker,

George S. Day

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Solution Manual for Marketing Research, 13th Edition, V. Kumar, Robert P. Leone, David A. Aa

PART II SECTION A

TEACHING NOTES FOR CHAPTERS

CHAPTER EIGHT

INFORMATION COLLECTION:
QUALITATIVE AND OBSERVATIONAL METHODS

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the need for qualitative research.

• Describe the different types of qualitative research methods.
• Discuss in‐depth interviews, focus group, and projective techniques in detail.
• Discuss various observational methods.
• Describe recent applications of qualitative and observational methods.

Teaching Suggestions

Although qualitative and observational methods are treated together they frequently represent the two poles
of a continuum of data collection methods:

QUALITATIVE METHODS OBSERVATION METHODS

-more flexible -more systematic

-unstructured -structured
-diagnostic -descriptive
-hypothesis generating -hypotheses are pre-specified
-prone to measurement and bias -potentially a high degree of
and misinterpretation accuracy

The contrasting of these methods is a useful way to begin the discussion of primary data collection,
which is the concern of the rest of this section of the book. Of course, both are useful exploratory methods
and observations should be considered very early in the research design process as either a substitute or a
complement to survey methods.

Two important points to develop with this chapter are: first the absolute necessity to precede the
development of any survey instrument with suitable exploratory work to gain familiarity with the problem,
and second, the value of having, multiple measures of the same phenomena using maximally different
methods, The errors inherent in observations are very different from those in surveys, so the two methods
are usually very complementary, Also, the survey provides the diagnostic insights necessary to understand
the observed behavior which otherwise might be quite inexplicable.

This chapter lends itself to various interesting field projects which can enhance students’
understanding. For example, students can be sent to observe purchase behavior in a specific section of a
grocery store (and pool their experiences in the classroom), or use a contrived observation method to study
the quality of services in a local bank or the effects of price bargaining strategies on the quoted price for a
major appliance.

Instructors could discuss the importance and the value of in-depth telephonic interviews and the
situations that warrant a telephonic interview. The instructor should stress the essential requirements of
telephonic interviews such as employing an experienced interviewer, providing the interviewer with all
relevant information about the organization being interviewed, ensuring that the interviewer creates a

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conducive environment during the interview for free information flow and ensuring that the interviewer
does not spell out his personal opinions or judgments on the subject of the interview.

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Questions and Problems

1. Non-direct and semi-structured individual interviews are quite different in practice, although they have
several overlapping features. A nondirective interview is basically an exploratory research tool. The
samples are small, as the usual rule is that interviews will proceed until the interviewer/analyst gets no
new insights from the additional interviews. There is no attempt to get a representative sample, instead
the objective is to get as wide a set of viewpoints as is possible. A semi-structured interview seeks a
representative and substantial sample of the population, which is usually both specialized and difficult
to reach. The objectives and information needs are specified quite fully in advance as a result of
previous exploratory work. However, the open end question format with potential for probes of
interesting responses is more flexible than the average structured survey. This flexibility is dictated
both by the complexity of the topic area, and the necessity to communicate with busy people who tend
to be impatient with rigidly defined response categories. Ultimately, the objective of a semi-structured
interview is to obtain a representative range of answers to specific questions, and not just to explore the
topic.

2. The issue posed by this question is one of the most serious problems that affects the Relationship of
researchers and managers; namely, the tendency of managers to dispense with subsequent
quantification if the exploratory work confirms their initial expectations. Focus group studies are
especially prone to this abuse. In this situation, the researcher has a variety of possible responses:

(a) The principal argument should be that the objectives of the two focus group studies were to learn
how the features would fit into the lifestyles and needs of prospective buyers; specifically how
would the features be perceived, what benefits would be foreseen and what problems are
anticipated in the pursuit of these perceptions? The discussion leader is bound to elicit lots of
enthusiastic comments. This gives the manager plenty of data if he selectively hears only what he
wants to hear and downplays the negatives.

(b) The environment of a focus group is subject to many distortions. There are group dynamics, which
may result in one person who is very enthusiastic dominating and overcoming the reservations of
the rest of the group. These factors interact with the usual problems of concept tests, including
susceptibility to courtesy bias and inability to incorporate price considerations.

(c) Finally, the sample is very non-representative. The people who come to focus groups are quite
likely to have more than average interest in new products, services and experiences.

3. The appropriate approach here is the contrived observation method. One possible design is to recruit
teams of men and women interviewers to pose as husband and wife during a shopping trip for a
specific major appliance. The teams should be matched as closely as possible on all dimensions except
ethnicity (that is, be similar in terms of age, dress, education, income, occupation and so forth). Each
team should visit as many retailers as possible and negotiate the final price to be paid for the item
(such as a refrigerator of certain size and quality with average features and energy consumption). To
keep things simple, it would be desirable not to introduce the issue of a trade-in, since these are
difficult to appraise. However, credit terms should be sought. Naturally, each pair of shoppers will
obtain a range of prices that will depend on differences in the retailers (their margins, the brands they
offer, etc.), but if all shopper teams visit all retailers then any difference in mean price will be a
meaningful test of the existence of discriminatory treatment (as long as the difference is statistically
significant). Data should also be obtained on the interaction between shopper team and salesperson.
How long did they have to wait for service? How many models were shown? Was there any attempt to
offer a discount or seek the basis for a discount?

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4. The problem the consumer organization faces is to draw a valid and defensible sample of products,
stores and times of work to conduct their survey. The problems with any arbitrary shopping basket of
products is that it pertains to no one in particular, for all shoppers have different requirements.
Decisions will thus have to be made regarding the specific products of organic vs non-organic foods to
compare, package sizes, the treatment of specials, discounts and coupons, and the potential for
shoppers to switch brands or types of products. Most vexing of all is the difficulty of obtaining
comparable quality levels of products between stores. This is especially difficult for perishable
products such as meats and produce which are used by some stores as loss-leaders, and which can vary
enormously in consistency of quality and freshness. A related problem is the lack of comparability of
private label and generic (no-name) brands with national brands in this context of organic vs non-
organic foods.

5. The first step is to generate hypotheses as to why self-reports of consumption should overstate the
frequency of brushing teeth. The most obvious reason is that there is a socially desirable response bias
operating—people know they should brush their teeth after every meal, and may feel compelled to
report this as their routine behavior. Another problem is disparity in usage rates among family
members. It could be that the response rate is poorer among younger members of the family who use
less tooth paste. Also, some people don’t use commercial toothpaste, but may brush with baking soda.
One way to cope with these problems is to conduct a large scale study and ask randomly selected
individuals in the household about many routine behaviors during the previous day—including tooth
brushing. This would deflect attention from the real purpose of the study.

6a. Before attempting to recommend a suitable technique for the marketing research group, students
should be exposed to explanation of focus groups and in-depth personal interview, in detail. Focus
group is the process of obtaining possible ideas or solutions to a marketing problem from a group of
respondents through discussions. The research purpose and the research objective are well laid out.
Then, the research purpose is broken down into a set of research questions. From these questions, the
moderator prepares the specific issues to be addressed in the focus group discussions. The moderator
tends to move from a general discussion to specific issues. The emphasis is on the results of the
interaction when focused on a series of topics introduced by a discussion leader. A typical focus group
has five to nine participants and each participant is encouraged to express his or her views on the topic
and to elaborate on views expressed by others. Of late, electronic focus groups have started gaining
popularity. In an electronic focus group, the participants type out their responses on a computer
terminal and the responses are monitored by the moderator.

Focus groups are of three types:

* Exploratory focus groups are commonly used at the exploratory phase of the market research
process to aid in the precise definition of the problem.
* Clinical focus groups are wherein the moderator probes under the level of consciousness of the
consumer to obtain a person’s true motivation and feelings.
* Experiencing focus groups allow a researcher to experience the emotional framework in which the
product is being used.

Three or four sessions can help a researcher in uncovering relevant material required for the research
problem being studied.

Individual in-depth interviews are conducted when the subject matter of the interview is explored in a
detailed manner. The in-depth interviews could be nondirective or semi-structured. In a nondirective
interview, the interviewer attempts to uncover a list of areas by allowing the respondents maximum
freedom to respond. It offers the scope to probe in order to clarify and elaborate interesting responses
and when the respondent digresses from the topic the moderator brings the discussion back to the area
or topic being pursued. In a semi-structured interview, the topic areas to be pursued are structured but
there is enough room for the interviewer to pursue unexpected facts or attitudes that might come out
during the interview.

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 In our case, the choice narrows down to a nondirective interview with a selected set of students and
faculty and exploratory focus groups to uncover the motivation of students to carry weapons to
schools. The research study is on a sensitive topic that seeks to uncover the reasons for a problem that
could assume huge proportions. In this case, the student should be urged to come out with their
solution that could fit in with the researcher’s needs. The discussion can be centered along the
following lines:

* Whether group interaction may stimulate new thoughts from the respondents?
* Is it better to express sensitive thoughts in a noncompetitive environment?
* Is it or is it not important to have time to probe deeper into interesting sidelights?
* will the subjects talk freely on such an issue in front of other members?
* Is it easy to assemble a diverse focus group that would provide insights into the problem being
researched?

These are some of the questions that have to be analyzed before arriving at the appropriate technique
for Church and Associates.

b. The moderator should develop from the research purpose a set of relevant questions which ensures that
the researcher and the client agree on the specific objectives before the commencement of the study.
From these research questions, the moderator prepares a discussion guide which serves as a checklist
for the specific issues being covered.

The topic in question is sensitive and it requires an effective moderator to discuss their feelings,
anxieties and frustrations as well as the depth of their conviction on relevant issues. The moderator
should establish a rapport quickly with the participants and address the group in simple language. The
moderator should be flexible so as to uncover certain interesting points but should also revert the
discussion back on track, in case of digression. The moderator should guide the discussion in such a
way that new topics are introduced to make way for exhausted topics. All the group members should
be provided with a chance to express themselves on the subject.

c. The students should be asked to develop their research purpose and research objectives for this
problem. From the research objectives, a set of research questions can be developed from which the
interview questions can be developed. It is important to decide on the structure of the interview.
Assuming a structured interview, the following questions can be asked.

* Have you known anyone who has carried/been carrying arms in the past 3 months?
* What is your assessment of the number of students who carry firearms to the class?
* What are the reasons for carrying the firearms to school? (List the possible reasons like Peer
pressure, Fear of life, Hike in Self esteem etc.,)
* Have the teachers noticed this phenomenon and if yes, have they taken any action in this matter?
How have the school authorities reacted in case of complaints?
* Do the students brandish the weapon(s) only when provoked or even in unprovoked situations?
* What is your advice to the head of the institution in handling the situation?

7. The basis of any interview is the use of words. It should not be assumed that words in one language
will mean the same in some other language. The choice of an interpreter should be done with care.
After translation into a particular language, it is always better to back translate to check for
discrepancies in translation. When words and ideas cannot be communicated in another language
properly, it creates a special problem in translation. Apart from this, the cultural factors have to be
taken into account while interviewing. It may be unethical to question a subordinate on his boss,
political views, personal details, etc., these are some of the difficulties, a researcher might face while
interviewing internationally.

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Solution Manual for Marketing Research, 13th Edition, V. Kumar, Robert P. Leone, David A. Aa

8. When information is required on the current behavior, observational methods are used. However, the
researchers have long neglected the observation of ongoing behavior as they did not appreciate the
considerable benefits offered by observational methods. Casual observation is observation on the
extrinsic indicators that are readily available whereas a systematic observation involves looking deeper
and noting things that are missed by the casual eye. However, observation becomes the only research
alternative in some cases.

To obtain insights into search behavior and related issues, direct observational methods are used. In
this method, an observer disguised as a shopper watches the shoppers making their purchases. This
type of observation can be highly structured. However, it is imperative that the respondents are not
aware of the observer. Also, care should be exercised that there is no invasion of privacy.

To obtain insights into the various aspects of the underlying beliefs, attitudes and motives of
consumers, contrived observation techniques are used. To analyze written material into meaningful
units, content analysis is used. Similarly, behavior recording devices have been developed that provide
a good alternative to rectifying the deficiencies of human observers. The people meter of A.C. Nielsen
to measure the audience’s TV watching behavior, Eye movement recorders, traffic counters are all
examples of behavior recording devices. Observation methods have a major limitation in that they
cannot observe motives, attitudes or behavior and hence their diagnostic usefulness is reduced.

9. The purpose of the pretest is to match the expectations of the researcher in terms of the information
that will be obtained from the questionnaire. The objective of a pretest is to identify the deficiencies in
a questionnaire and correct them. The pretests have to be looked at from a macro and a micro level. At
the micro level, each question has to be looked at carefully, if they justified their place in the
questionnaire. At the macro level, the entire questionnaire should be examined to see for the flow of
questions and to check if the questionnaire captured the research objectives. A pretest can identify
problems in the questionnaire, which if left uncorrected could lead to erroneous conclusions. Hence, it
is always better to pretest as it adds to the enhancement of the quality of the research study.

10a. Qualitative research. Individual interviews conducted at the point of purchase will be a good way of
reaching a large number of customers in a short time. All the people purchasing essential oils could be
interviewed about when and for what purpose they utilize the product.

10b. Qualitative research. Have a focus group discussion with panel members from both the supporting and
opposing populations. The topic of discussion should be what the general public expects from a
political party and what changes in the existing agenda would bring in more support.

10c. Observational methods will be very useful in this circumstance. It will help the designers if they know
what rides attracts visitors the most. They would also be able to gather by observation the age profile
of visitors who are attracted to different rides. This will give them an indication of the enthusiasm with
which the new rides will be received by the visitors. To evaluate the amount that people are willing to
pay, they can be asked at the point of purchase, how much would they believe the cost of the ride
should be. An analysis of the visitors’ responses will help the management understand the price that
visitors are willing to pay for each of the rides.

10d. Systematic observation of customers who buy this product should be made at the point of purchase.
This will give the company an idea as to which packaging attracts customers the most when the
product is placed on the shelves at retail outlets.

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