Data Collection Methods :

Interviews
Source of Data
• Primary :
data refer to information obtained firsthand by the researcher on the
variables of interest for the specific purpose of the study…
• Secondary data:
refer to information gathered from sources already existing..
Examples
primary data are individuals,
• focus groups,
• panels of respondents specifically set up by the researcher and from whom
opinions may be sought on specific issues from time to time.
• The Internet could also serve as a primary data source when questionnaires
are administered over it.
secondary sources, as for example,
Company records or archives,
Government publications.
Industry analyses offered by the media, web sites, the Internet, and so on..
Today we would discuss..

• Individual Interviews
• focus groups
• Panels
• and unobtrusive methods
Focus Group
• Focus groups consist typically of 8 to 10 members with a moderator leading
the discussions for about 2 hours on a particular topic, concept, or product.
• Members are generally chosen on the basis of their expertise in the topic
on which information is sought.

• Examples :
1. Computer Experts
2. Students
3. Working Mothers
The focus sessions are aimed at obtaining respondents
1. impressions
2. Interpretations
3. and opinions

The moderator plays a vital role in steering the discussions in a manner

that would draw out the information sought, and keeping the members
on track.
Advantages of Focus Groups ..
• Unstructured, Free flow of Information provide genuine insight into
the topic.
• Relatively Inexpensive
• Provides information in a short span of time
Role of the Moderator
1. Introduces the topic, observes, and takes notes and/or tapes the
discussions.
2. Never becomes the part of the conversation.
3. Steers to persuasively get the relevant information
4. Ensures few members does not dominate the discussion
5. Also observe Non-Verbal cues or body language of the members.
Nature of Data Collected by Focus Groups
1. Qualitative rather than Quantitative
2. Better for conducting exploratory studies
3. Better for making generalizations based on the information
generated by them.
Some uses of Focus Groups..
• enlightening investigators as to why certain products are not doing
well
• Why certain advertising strategies are effective.
• Why specific management techniques do not work.
Videoconferencing
• Technology enables us to conduct focus groups by incorporating it
into the research
• Body language can also be monitored
• Wide geographically disperse data can be collected
Panels
• Panels, like focus groups, are another source of primary information
for research purposes.
• Whereas focus groups meet for a one-time group session, panels (of
members) meet more than once. In cases where the effects of certain
interventions or changes are to be studied over a period of time,
panel studies are very useful.
Example …
The effects of a proposed advertisement for a certain brand of coffee
are to be assessed.
The panel members can be exposed to the advertisement and their
intentions of purchasing that brand assessed.
A few months later, the product manager might think of introducing a
change in the flavor of the same product and explore its effects on this
panel.
• Static and Dynamic Panels
• Panels can be either static (i.e., the same members serve on the panel
over extended periods of time)
• dynamic (i.e., the panel members change from time to time as various
phases of the study are in progress).
Static Panel Vs Dynamic
1. The main advantage of the static panel is that it offers a good and sensitive
measurement of the changes that take place between two points in time
The disadvantage.
2. the panel members could become so sensitized to the changes as a result of the
endless continuous interviews that their opinions might no longer be representative
of what the others in the population might hold.
3. Members could also drop out of the panel from time to time for various reasons,
thus raising issues of bias due to mortality.
• The advantages and disadvantages of the dynamic panel are the reverse of the ones
discussed for the static panel.
• Panels could be static or dynamic, and are typically used when several aspects of a
product are to be studied from time to time.
Unobtrusive Measures
• Trace measures, or unobtrusive measures as they are also called,
originate from a primary source that does not involve people.

• wear and tear of journals in a university library.

• brand of soft drink cans found in trash bags
Interviews
• Unstructured
• Structured
Unstructured Interviews
• Unstructured interviews are so labeled because the interviewer does
not enter the interview setting with a planned sequence of questions
to be asked of the respondent.

• The objective of the unstructured interview is to bring some

preliminary issues to the surface so that the researcher can determine
what variables need further in-depth investigation.
Structured Interviews
• Structured interviews are those conducted when it is known at the
outset what information is needed.
• The interviewer has a list of predetermined questions to be asked of
the respondents either personally, through the telephone, or through
the medium of a PC.
• Factors that had surfaced during the unstructured interviews.
• Deeper Understanding
• Visual Aids (Painting, Drawings, pictures) are used as well
• Work best for marketing research.
Training Interviewers
• Interviewers have to be thoroughly briefed about the research and
trained in how to start an interview.
• how to proceed with the questions.
• how to motivate respondents to answer, what to look for in the
answers, and how to close an interview.
• They also need to be instructed about taking notes and coding the
interview responses.
Tips to Follow..
Interviewer Bias
Interview provide a rich information but Interviewer can Bias the
information if proper rapport is not established….
• Listening attentively to the interviewee.
• Showing keen interest in what the respondent has to say.
• Exercising tact in questioning, repeating and/or clarifying the
questions posed, and paraphrasing some of the answers to ensure
their thorough understanding
Interviewee Bias..
• Interviewees can bias the data when they do not come out with their
true opinions but provide information that they think is what the
interviewer expects of them or would like to hear.
• If they do not understand the questions, they may feel diffident or
hesitant to seek clarification.
• Interviewees may be turned off because of personal likes and dislikes,
deliberately offering incorrect responses.
• Some respondents may also answer questions in a socially acceptable
manner rather than indicate their true sentiments.
• Situational Biases:
(1) nonparticipants
(2) trust levels and rapport established.
(3) the physical setting of the interview.
• Non- participation: Either because of unwillingness or the inability of
the interviewee to participate in the study, can bias data .
• Bias also occurs when different interviewers establish different levels
of trust and rapport with their interviewees, thus eliciting answers of
varying degrees of openness.
• The actual setting itself in which the interview is conducted might
sometimes introduce biases. Some individuals, for instance, may not
feel quite at ease when interviewed at the workplace and therefore
not respond frankly and honestly.
The Questioning Technique
• Funneling
• ask open-ended questions to get a broad idea and form some
impressions about the situation

What are some of your feelings about working for this organization?
• Unbiased Questions
Tell me how you experience your job?‖
Vs
Boy, the work you do must be really boring; let me hear how you
experience it.‖

The latter question is loaded‖ in terms of the interviewer‘s own

perception.
• Clarifying Issues
advisable to restate or rephrase important information given by the
respondent.

“There is an unfair promotion policy in this organization; seniority does

not count at all. It is the juniors who always get promoted”
follow-up by asking
“So you are saying that juniors always get promoted over the heads of
even capable seniors.”‖
“The facilities here are really poor; we often have to continue working
even when we are dying of thirst”

Follow up by
“is there no water fountain or drinking water available in the building” ‖
• Helping the Respondent to Think Through Issues
• Taking Notes
1. Should not be relied on memory alone
2. Multiple interviews complex data hard to memorize
3. Recording on a tape is a good option
4. But it have a chance on of creating bias
Face-to-Face and Telephone Interviews
• Preliminary Unstructured Interviews are conducted face to face
• Structured Interviews can be conducted on telephone or be computer
assisted ..
Face-to-Face Interviews
• Advantages:
• The main advantage of face-to-face or direct interviews is that the researcher can adapt the questions
as necessary, clarify doubts, and ensure that the responses are properly understood, by repeating or
rephrasing the questions.
• The researcher can also pick up nonverbal cues from the respondent. Any discomfort, stress, or
problems that the respondent experiences can be detected through frowns, nervous tapping, and other
body language unconsciously
• Disadvantages.
• The main disadvantages of face-to-face interviews are the geographical limitations they may impose on
the surveys and the vast resources needed if such surveys need to be done nationally or internationally.
• The costs of training interviewers to minimize interviewer biases (e.g., differences in ques- tioning
methods, interpretation of responses) are also high.
• Another drawback is that respondents might feel uneasy about the anonymity of their responses when
they interact face to face with the interviewer.
• Telephone Interviews
• Advantages. The main advantage of telephone interviewing, from the researcher‘s point of view, is
that a number of different people can be reached (if need be, across the country or even
internationally) in a relatively short period of time.
• From the respondents‘ standpoint it would eliminate any discomfort that some of them might feel in
facing the interviewer.
• It is also possible that most of them would feel less uncomfortable disclosing personal information
over the phone than face to face.
• Disadvantages. A main disadvantage of telephone interviewing is that the respondent could
unilaterally terminate the interview without warning or explanation, by hanging up the phone.
• Caller ID might further aggravate the situation. This is understandable, given the numerous
telemarketing calls people are bombarded with on a daily basis.
• mentioned earlier, another disadvantage of the telephone interview is that the researcher will not be
able to see the respondent to read the nonverbal communication.