Hi! Thanks for the question.
I will try to provide you with links that answers some of your
questions and also gives a background of this field. I have provided
direct quotations from the sources I cited so as to save you time but
I highly recommend that you read the whole article to get a better
coverage of the ideas. Some documents are in PDF file so you will need
the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read them. In case you haven’t installed
it yet here is a link so you could download The Adobe Acrobat Reader
(http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).
In order for us to start on a right foot, I think that it is best to
define a few critical terms first.
“There are two basic approaches to marketing research: quantitative
and qualitative. Quantitative research involves large numbers of
respondents, typically 100 or more, and yields results that are
representative of the total population. Qualitative research is
generally done in the form of focus groups, that is, groups of six to
ten respondents at a time carry on a group discussion which is led by
a trained moderator. Another common form of qualitative research is
in-depth one-on-one or two-on-one interviews.”
Now the article where I gathered this not only defined the nature and
coverage of both types of market research but also provided both the
benefits and disadvantages to both. In terms of qualitative research,
the author has this to say:
“Qualitative research has two primary advantages:
1. It allows the moderator (or interviewer) to interact with
respondents, i.e., the moderator can ask questions based on previous
responses. This allows for in-depth probing of issues and yields great
detail in response.
2. It allows for interaction between group members. This interaction
often stimulates discussion and uncovers issues unanticipated by the
marketing team.”
“The primary disadvantage of qualitative research methods is that they
are unreliable predictors of the population. That is, they can expand
our list of possibilities, but they cannot (or should not) be used to
identify the best of the possibilities.”
So we can surmise from this article alone that even though qualitative
research is important, at the end of the day the value of qualitative
research provides you with the necessary clues that you could decide
upon as decision factors or as leads to further knowledge waiting to
be explored.
“Quantitative vs. Qualitative Marketing Research Position Paper”
by: Dick McCullough
http://www.macroinc.com/html/art/s_qua.html
The next document from the online pages of the University of
Connecticut Library meanwhile provides a comparison of the qualities
of both types of market research methodologies. It also has a brief
summary of the qualitative research procedures.
“Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research”
http://www.lib.uconn.edu/~punj/m3506.pdf
We now turn to an example to concretely answer your question. The
following academic journal from the Nova Southeastern University is
about the value of qualitative research on sports marketing. It
provides a good overview in answering your questions in a more
profound manner. Let us take your second question first.
Question: “Under what condition should qualitative research be used in
conducting marketing?”
“Qualitative market research has traditionally been unpopular for
exploring sport markets. This is principally the result of confusion
concerning the appropriate application of qualitative techniques, and
uncertainty about the quality of data they generate. Quantitative
procedures provide admirable data when used on broad samples and most
managers feel comfortable with an array of numbers and percentages.
Moreover, the validity of this quantitative generated data is assessed
on the basis of statistical generalisability. While this is obviously
important, little attention is given to the validity of the questions
asked in the first place. Quantitative methodologies that employ
questionnaires and scaled responses rarely generate the "hidden,"
"deep" or elusive information that is often necessary to solve the
research problem. It is for this reason that qualitative data, if
collected first, can provide the detail necessary to frame subsequent
quantitative inquiries. Therefore, when the aims of sports market
research are essentially exploratory, a qualitative approach can be
used effectively. In other words, if the focus of the research is on
gaining a broad understanding of marketplace issues, then a
qualitative methodology is an ideal starting point.”
In going back to your first question:
Question: “What is the limit and benefit of qualitative research?”
“Firstly, it is clear the great strength of qualitative strategies is
their usefulness in uncovering deep responses. The corollary of this
strength, however, is that qualitative research is severely limited in
its ability to ensure a broad coverage of responses. In other words,
only small segments of the population can be used in the sample.
Subsequently, qualitative data does not lend itself to statistical
manipulation. As a result, data obtained from qualitative sources are
subject to lengthy analysis and discussion, but are rarely
statistically representative in any way. The data is statistically
reliable, and cannot be summarised in numerical form alone.”
“Another consequence of this style of market research is the relative
importance of sample selection. As there are comparatively few
respondents, they must be chosen carefully. Theoretical sampling will
usually provide a good cross section of the population or market being
studied. It will therefore extract an appropriately broad range of
information from the research question. The risk of working with
unrepresentative and seriously biased samples will be minimised by
good theoretical sampling design.”
Other minor but important limitations of qualitative marketing
research are discussed in this paper so it is imperative that you read
in its entirety.
“'Beyond Number Crunching:’ Applying Qualitative Techniques in Sport
Marketing Research’ by Aaron Smith and Bob Stewart
http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR6-2/smith.html
Search terms used:
“marketing research” qualitative importance benefits
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
Thanks for visiting us.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga |
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