Chapter 7:

Exploratory Research and

Qualitative Analysis
 Learning Outcomes…
• List and understand the differences between qualitative
research and quantitative research
• Understand the role of qualitative research in exploratory
research designs
• Describe the basic qualitative research orientations
• Prepare a focus group interview outline
• Recognize technological advances in the application of
qualitative research approaches
• Recognize common qualitative research tools and know the
advantages and limitations of their use
• Know the risks associated with acting on only exploratory
results

© Md. Shehub Bin Hasan 2

 Qualitative Research
• Addresses business objectives through different
techniques without depending on numerical
measurement
– Do not apply specific numbers to measure variables
– Do not use statistical procedures to specify a relationship’s
strength
• Less structured as does not rely on self response
questionnaires containing structured response
formats
• Researcher-dependent in that the researcher must
extract meaning from unstructured responses
– Such as text from a recorded interview or a collage
representing the meaning of some experience, such as
skateboarding
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 Use of Qualitative Research
• The less specific the research objective, the more
likely that qualitative research tools will be
appropriate
• Consider the following situations:
– Difficulty in developing actionable problem
statements i.e. downturn in stock market
– To understand some phenomena in great detail
– To learn how to express some concept in colloquial
terms
• How does the accounting department process invoices?
– To comprehend behavior that is context dependent
– A fresh approach to studying some problem is needed

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 Exploratory Research… a match!

• Each of the scenario discussed may require an

exploratory orientation
– Since exploratory research is appropriate in
ambiguous situations
• Exploratory research approaches are sometimes
needed just to reach the appropriate problem
statement and research objectives
• The application of qualitative tools can help clear
up ambiguity and provide innovative ideas

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 Qualitative versus Quantitative Research
• Qualitative research separates symptoms
from problems and then quantitative
research test relationships among relevant
variables
– “Herbal Essences” by P&G

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Qualitative versus Quantitative Research

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 Orientations to Qualitative Research

• Orientations to qualitative research are very

much influenced by the different fields of study
involved in research
• The major categories of qualitative research
include
– Phenomenology—originating in philosophy and
psychology
– Ethnography—originating in anthropology
– Grounded theory—originating in sociology
– Case studies—originating in psychology and in
business research
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 Phenomenology
• A philosophical approach to study human experiences
– Human experience itself is inherently subjective and
determined by the context in which people live
• Focuses on how a person’s behavior is shaped by the
relationship with the physical environment, objects,
people, and situations
• Rely largely on conversational interview tools
• avoids asking direct questions Instead, the respondent
is asked to share some experience
– One way to accomplish this is to become a member of the
group
• Avoids using real name use “Hermeneutics”
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 Ethnography
• Ways of studying cultures through methods that
involve becoming highly active within that culture
– Participant-observation: Researcher becomes
immersed within the culture and draws data from
observations
• A culture can be either a broad culture, like
‘Bengali’ culture, or a narrow culture, like
‘Dhakaiya’
• Observation plays a key role
– Discovering insights among children
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 Grounded Theory
• An inductive investigation
• Researcher poses questions about information
provided by respondents
• Applicable in highly dynamic situations involving
rapid and significant change
• Two key questions asked
– “What is happening here?”
– “How is it different?”
• Does not begin with a theory instead extracts one
from whatever emerges from an area of inquiry
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 Case Studies
• Documented history of a particular person,
group, organization, or event
• Clinical interviews of managers, employees, or
customers can represent a case study
• The case studies are analyzed for important
themes
– Themes are identified by the frequency with
which the same term (or a synonym) arises in the
narrative description
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 Qualitative Research Techniques:
Focus Group Interview
• An unstructured, free-flowing interview with a
small group of around six to ten people
• Led by a trained moderator who follows a flexible
format encouraging dialogue among respondents
• Common focus group topics include
– Employee programs
– Employee satisfaction
– Brand meanings
– problems with products
– Advertising themes or
– New-product concepts
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 Focus Group Interview

Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages

Approach
Ethnography Can be done quickly Results dependent on
Moderator
Case studies Gain multiple
perspectives Results do not generalize
to larger population
Flexibility
Difficult to use for
sensitive topics

Expensive
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 Focus Group Interview
• Group Composition:
– 6 to 10 people
– Relatively homogeneous
– Similar lifestyles and experiences
• Outline for a Focus Group
– Establish a rapport
– Begin with broad topic
– Focus in on specific topic
– Generate discussion and interaction
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 The Moderator

• Develops rapport -
helps people relax
• Interacts
• Listens to what people
have to say
• Everyone gets a chance
to speak
• Maintains loose control
and focuses discussion
• Stimulates spontaneous
responses
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 Guide for a Focus Group Interview
1. Welcome and introductions
2. Begin the interview without revealing too many specifics
about the interview. Sometimes, useful to provide some
stimulus like a photograph, film, product, or advertisement
3. Questions become increasingly more specific as the interview
proceeds
4. If there is a very specific objective to be accomplished, such as
explaining why a respondent would either buy or not buy a
product, that question should probably be saved for last
5. A debriefing statement should provide respondents with the
actual focus group objectives and answering any questions
they may have

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 Advantages of Online Focus Groups

• Fast
• Inexpensive
• Bring together many participants from wide-
spread geographical areas
• Respondent anonymity
• Transcript automatically recorded

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 Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups

• Less group interaction

• Absence of concrete stimulation
• Absence of facial expression and body
language
• Moderator’s job is different

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 Depth Interviews
• One-on-one interview between a professional
researcher and a research respondent conducted
about some relevant business or social topic
• Same as a psychological, clinical interview, but
with a different purpose
• Probing questions are critical
• Laddering a particular approach to probing,
asking respondents to compare differences
between brands at different levels.
– attribute-level
– benefit-level
– value or motivation level
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 Depth Interviews

Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages

Approach
Ethnography Gain considerable Result dependent on
, insight from each researcher’s
grounded individual interpretation
theory,
case studies Good for understanding Results not meant to
unusual behaviors generalize

Very expensive

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 Conversations

• An informal qualitative data gathering approach

in which the researcher engages a respondent in
a discussion of the relevant subject matter
• Technology is also influencing conversational
research
• Online communications such as the reviews
posted about book purchases can be treated as a
conversation

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 Conversations
Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages
Approach
Phenomen Gain unique insights Easy to get off course
ology from enthusiasts
Interpretations are
Grounded Can cover sensitive very researcher-
theory topics dependent

Less expensive than

depth interviews or
focus Groups
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 Semi-Structured Interviews

• Usually come in written form and ask

respondents for short essay responses to
specific open-ended questions
• Respondents are free to write as much or as
little as they want

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 Semi-Structured
Interviews
Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages
Approach
Grounded Can address more Lack the flexibility that is
theory specific issues likely to produce truly
creative or novel
Ethnography Results can be easily explanations
interpreted

Cost advantages over

focus groups and
depth interviews

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 Free Association/ Sentence Completion
• Record respondents’ first (top of mind) cognitive reactions to
some stimulus
• Respondents view an ambiguous figure and are asked to say
the first thing that comes to their mind
• Allow researchers to map a respondent’s thoughts or memory
• The sentence completion method is based on free-association
principles
– People who ride bike are _________________________.
– A man who rides a bike is_____________________.
– Imported bike is most liked by ______________________.
– The woman riding a bike in the commercial___________.

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 Free Association/Sentence Completion

Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages

Approach

Grounded Economical Lack the flexibility

theory that is likely to
Can be done quickly produce truly creative
Case or novel explanations
studies

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 Observation
• Take place in both visual form and field notes
• Observe employees in their workplace,
consumers in their home, or try to gain
knowledge from photographic records of one
type or another

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 Observation
Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages
Approach
Ethnography Can be unobtrusive Can be very
expensive with
Grounded Can yield actual participant-
theory behavior patterns observer series

Case studies

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 Collages

• Respondents prepare a collage to represent

their experiences
– Harley-Davidson
– Maggie
• Often used within some other approach, such
as a focus group or a depth interview

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 Collages

Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages

Approach

Phenomen Flexible enough to Highly dependent

ology allow novel insights on the researcher’s
interpretation of the
Grounded collage
theory

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 Thematic Apperception/Cartoon Tests

• Presents subjects with an ambiguous

picture(s) in which consumers and products
are the center of attention
• The investigator asks the subject to tell what
is happening in the picture(s) now and what
might happen next
• Called the picture interpretation technique

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Thematic Apperception/Cartoon Tests

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 Thematic Apperception/Cartoon Tests

Type of Key Advantages Key Disadvantages

Approach
Phenomen Projective, allows to Highly dependent
ology get at sensitive on the researcher’s
issues interpretation
Grounded
theory Flexible

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End