Compare and contrast qualitative research and quantitative research and discuss situations in

which qualitative research is useful.

ANS:
Qualitative business research is research that addresses business objectives through techniques that
allow the researcher to provide elaborate interpretations of business phenomena without depending on
numerical measurement. Its focus is on discovering true inner meanings and new insights. It is less
structured than most quantitative approaches and does not rely on self-response questionnaires containing
structured response formats. Instead, it is more 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. The researcher interprets the data to extract its meaning and converts it to
information. Qualitative research is useful when:
(1) it is difficult to develop specific and actionable decision statements or research objectives;
(2) the research objective is to develop an understanding of some phenomena in greater detail and in
much depth;
(3) the research objective is to learn how phenomena occur natural settings or to learn how to express
some concept in colloquial terms; or
(4) some behavior the researcher is studying is particularly context dependent.

Quantitative business research can be defined as research that addresses research objectives through
empirical assessments that involve numerical measurement and analysis approaches. It is more apt to
stand on its own in the sense that it requires less interpretation.

Describe a focus group interview and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this technique.

ANS:
A focus group interview is an unstructured, free-flowing interview with a small group of people (i.e., 6-
10). Focus groups are led by a trained moderator who follows a flexible format encouraging dialogue
among respondents. A moderator begins by providing some opening statement to broadly steer discussion
in the intended direction. Ideally, discussion topics emerge at the group’s initiative, not the moderator’s.

Focus groups offer several advantages: (1) relatively fast, (2) easy to execute, (3) allow respondents to
piggyback off each other’s ideas, (4) provides multiple perspectives, (5) flexibility to allow more detailed
descriptions, and (6) high degree of scrutiny.

Disadvantages include: (1) requires objective, sensitive, and effective moderators, (2) group may not be
representative of the entire target population, (3) may not be useful for discussing sensitive topics, and (4)
expensive.

Do exploratory research approaches using qualitative research tools have a role in scientific
inquiry? Explain why a decision may be based solely on these results.

ANS:
Objectivity and replicability are two characteristics of scientific inquiry, and many would question
whether exploratory research using qualitative research tools can satisfy these. A focus group or a depth
interview or a TAT alone does not best represent a complete scientific inquiry. However, if the thoughts
discovered through these techniques survive preliminary evaluations and are developed into research
hypotheses, they can be further tested. Thus, exploratory research approaches using qualitative research
tools are very much a part of scientific inquiry. In practice, many business decisions are based solely on
the results of exploratory research as a scientific decision process is not always justified. However, as the
risk increases, the confidence that comes along with a rigorous research and decision process becomes
well worth the investment. The primary barriers to scientific decisions are (1) time, (2) money, and (3)
emotion.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of secondary data.

ANS:
Secondary data are gathered and recorded by someone else prior to (and for purposes other than) the
current project. The primary advantage is their availability. It’s almost always faster and less expensive
than acquiring primary data. Secondary data are essential in instances when data cannot be obtained
using primary data collection procedures, such as obtaining information not accessible to a private firm
(e.g., taxes paid). An inherent disadvantage is that they were not designed specifically to meet the
researchers’ need. The most common reasons for this are that the data are outdated, vary in definition of
terms, use different units of measurement, and lack the information to verify the data’s accuracy. Another
disadvantage is that the user has no control over their reliability and validity. Research conducted by
others may be biased to support the vested interest of the source.

Identify various internal and proprietary sources of secondary data.

ANS:
Internal and proprietary data is defined as data that originated in the organization, or data created,
recorded, or generated by the organization. Most organizations routinely gather, record, and store internal
data to help them solve future problems. Routine documents such as sales invoices allow external
financial reporting, which in turn can be a source of data for further analysis. Sales information, customer
complaints, service records, and warranty card returns are other examples of this type of secondary data.

Give examples of various external sources of secondary data and discuss how information, as a
product, is distributed.

ANS:
External data are generated or recorded by an entity other than the researcher’s organization.
Traditionally, this information has been in published form, but today computerized data archives and
electronic data interchange make external data as accessible as internal data. Because secondary data
have value, they can be bought and sold like other products, and channels of distribution include (1)
libraries, (2) the Internet, (3) vendors, and (4) producers. Classifying external secondary data by the
nature of the producer of information yields five basic sources: publishers of books and periodical,
government sources, media sources, trade associations, and commercial sources.