RESEARCH METHODS

FOR BUSINESS
A Skill-Building Approach

Prepared by Riña
7 Interviews
 CONTENTS
Primary data collection
Hi! methods
1

Interviews 2

Advantages and 3
disadvantages of
interviews
1 PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION METHODS
A thorough knowledge of the most important methods will help you to evaluate alternative approaches
to primary data collection.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

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. A possible objective of an unstructured interview is to bring some
preliminary issues to the surface so that the researcher can determine what factors
need further in-depth investigation.

(EXAMPLE)
I would like to know something about your job. Please describe to me in detail the things you do
in your job on a typical day, from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon.

If you could have a problem solved in your team, or a bottleneck eliminated, or something
attended to that blocks your effectiveness, what would that be?
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

Structured interviews – are those conducted when it is known at the outset what
information is needed. The content of a structured interview can be prepared in
advance, and usually consists of:

• An introduction: the interviewer introduces him/herself, the purpose of the

interview, assures confidentiality, asks permission to record the interview;
• A set of topics (usually questions) in a logical order: first “warm-up questions
and then the main questions covering the purpose of the interview;
• Suggestions for probing questions: follow-up questions that are used when the
first answer is unclear or incomplete, the interviewer does not fully understand
the answer, or in any other case where the interviewer requires more specific or
in-depth information
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

Some tips to follow when interviewing:

• The information obtained during the interviews should be as free as possible of bias. Bias
refers to errors or inaccuracies in the data collected. Bias could be introduced by the
interviewer, the interviewee, or the situation.

• Listening attentively to the interviewee, evincing 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 go a long way
in keeping alive the interest of the respondent throughout the interview.

• 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 to hear.

• Some interviewees may be turned off because of personal likes and dislikes, or the dress
of the interviewer, or the manner in which the questions are put.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

Establishing credibility and rapport, and motivating individuals to respond

• The projection of professionalism, enthusiasm, and confidence is important for the

interviewer. Researchers must establish rapport with, and gain the confidence and
approval of, the hiring client before they can even start their work in the organization.

• The researcher should be able to make the respondent sufficiently at ease to give
information and truthful answers without fear of adverse consequences. The researcher
should state the purpose of the interview and assure complete confidentiality about the
source of responses.

• The researcher can establish rapport by being pleasant, sincere, sensitive, and
nonevaluative. Evincing a genuine interest in the responses and allaying any anxieties,
fears, suspicions, and tensions sensed in the situation will help respondents to feel more
comfortable with the researchers.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

The questioning technique

 Funneling technique – the questioning technique that consists of initially asking general and
broad questions, and gradually narrowing the focus thereafter to more specific themes.
 Unbiased questions – questions posed in accordance with the principles of wording and
measurement, and the right questioning technique, so as to elicit the least biased
responses.
 Clarifying issues – to make sure that the researcher understands issues as the respondent
intends to represent them, it is advisable to restate or rephrase important information given
by the respondent.
 Helping the respondent to think through issues – if the respondent is not able to verbalize
her perceptions, or replies, “I don’t know,” the researcher should ask the question in a
simpler way or rephrase it.
 Taking notes – it is important that the researcher makes written notes as the interviews are
taking place, or as soon as the interview is terminated. The researcher should not rely on
memory.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

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 pick up nonverbal cues from the respondent.
 Any discomfort, stress, or problem that the respondent experiences can be detected
through frowns, nervous tapping, and other body language.
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 cost of training interviewers to minimize interviewer bias 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.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

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 in a relatively short period of time.
 From the respondents’ standpoint it eliminates any discomfort that some of them might feel
in facing the interviewer.
 It is also possible that most of them might feel less uncomfortable disclosing personal
information over the phone than face-to-face.
Disadvantages
 The main disadvantages of telephone interviewing is that the respondent could unilaterally
terminate the interview without warning or explanation, by hanging up the phone.
 Another disadvantage of the telephone interview is that the researcher will not be able to
see the respondent to read the nonverbal communication.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

Computer-assisted Interviewing (CAI)

 CAI questions are flashed onto the computer screen and interviewers can enter the answers
of the respondents directly into the computer. The accuracy of data collection is
considerably enhanced since the software can be programmed to flag the “offbase” or “out-
of-range” responses.
 CAI software also prevents interviewers from asking the wrong questions or in the wrong
sequence since the questions are automatically flashed to the respondent in an ordered
sequence. This, to some extent, eliminates interviewer-induced bias.
2 INTERVIEWS
Interview is a guided, purposeful conversation between two or more people.

Group interviews

 Focus groups – consist typically of eight to ten members with a moderator leading the
discussion on a particular topic, concept, or product. Members are generally chosen on the
basis of their familiarity with the topic on which information is sought. The focus sessions
are aimed at obtaining respondents’ impressions, interpretations, and opinions, as the
members talk about the event, concept, product, or service.
 Expert panels – is a group of people specifically convened by the researcher to elicit expert
knowledge and opinion about a certain issue. The criteria for qualification as an expert are
many and varied, but the expert panel usually comprises independent specialists,
recognized in at least one of the fields addressed during the panel sessions. Expert panels
may thus bring together a wide variety of experts, including scientists, policy makers, and
community stakeholders.
3 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTERVIEWS
Interviews are one method of obtaining data; they can be either unstructured or structured, and can be conducted face to face,
over the telephone, or via the computer.
RESEARCH METHODS
FOR BUSINESS
A Skill-Building Approach

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