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Chapter Three Secondary Data, Literature Reviews, And Hypotheses Answers to Hands-On Exercise 1. Based on your understanding of the material presented in Chapter 3 and the above key research questions, should the owners of the Santa Fe Grill Mexican restaurant go back and restate their questions? If “no,” why not? If “yes,” why? Suggest how the research questions could be restated. Back in Chapter 1, we learned that the Santa Fe Grill owners had the following questions: • Are our customers satisfied with the restaurant? • Are there problems with food, atmosphere, or some other attribute? • Is the target market correctly defined? • What are the common characteristics of the satisfied customer? Now that the owners understand the meaning of satisfaction, image, and loyalty, these research questions can certainly be restated. Students’ response will vary, but some possibilities include: • When customers choose the Santa Fe Grill as their restaurant of choice, what are there expectations regarding food quality, price, atmosphere, and image? • How do they rate the Santa Fe Grill on those factors compared to other competing restaurants? • How important are these factors in restaurant choice? • How can loyalty rate and nature of recommendations be increased? 2. Regarding the owners’ desire to understand the interrelationships between customer satisfaction, restaurant store image, and customer loyalty, develop a set of hypotheses that might be used to investigate these interrelationships. Students’ responses will vary but possible hypotheses include the following: • The more positively store image is perceived by customers, the higher their satisfaction with the experience. • The higher customer satisfaction, the higher the number of visits by new patrons due to referrals. • High expectations will be related to lower customer satisfaction. ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What characteristic separates secondary data from primary data? What are three sources of secondary data? The primary characteristic which distinguishes secondary data from primary data is that secondary data “already exists” (or has already been collected by someone). Primary data is information that hasn’t been collected yet. Another way of viewing the distinction is that secondary data is “arms-length” in nature—it may have been collected by another company or group of individuals may be out of date, or “out of sync” with the needs of the decision makers (i.e. data was collected on beer consumption in liters and this has to be transcribed into ounces). Primary data is more “up close and personal”. It requires a direct connection with respondents. Secondary data collection is more cost-effective and efficient when compared to gathering primary data. There are three primary sources of secondary data: • Internal data, which exists within the company such as sales reports, profit and loss statements, employee reviews, and databases • External data, which is collected by outside agencies such as the government, trade associations, or periodicals • Customer knowledge data, namely data which applies to marketing and strategic planning but comes to the company via an indirect route (e.g. a customer getting a new set of brakes speaks to the service personnel about the brand image of the automobile company). 2. Explain why a company should use all potential sources of secondary data before initiating primary data collection procedures. A company should use all potential sources of secondary data for a number of reasons. First, the role of secondary data in marketing research has changed during the past two decades. Instead of being perceived as non-original, historical “filler” relegated to the appendix of a research report the status of secondary data has improved, primarily because of the increasing importance of competitive intelligence and the availability of data via online databases. Second, and perhaps more important to management, secondary data can be gathered with lightning speed and is far more cost-effective when compared to collecting primary data. 3. List the six fundamental principles used to assess the validity of secondary data. Six fundamental principles that are used to assess the validity of secondary data are: • Purpose: The data must be related to the research objective. • Accuracy: The party which collected the data, the time period, and sources need to be evaluated. • Consistency: This can be done by “cross-checking” a number of sources. • Credibility: The source and parties collecting the data need to be well regarded and truthful. • Methodology: The quality of secondary data is directly related to the method used to collect it. • Bias: The reported data needs to be “cleansed” of hidden agendas and motivations. 4. What are the various reasons to conduct a literature review? There are many reasons to conduct a literature review. These include: • Literature reviews can help clarify and define the problem or questions. • It can uncover existing studies on the topic. • It can suggest research hypotheses to investigate. • It can identify scales to measure variables and research methodologies that have been used successfully to study similar topics. • It can suggest possible designs. • It can suggest explanations for findings regarding primary data. 5. What should you look for in assessing whether or not an Internet resource is credible? To assess a source, one can check the “about us” portion of a website to see who is publishing the information and whether the source is reputable. One should also consider whether some motive for publishing the information existed. Compare the information to that found elsewhere. Accurate information can be confirmed using multiple sources. 6. A researcher develops hypotheses which suggest that consumers like ads better when they (1) are truthful, (2) creative, and (3) present relevant information. Picture the conceptual model that would show these relationships. Which variables are the independent and dependent variables? The dependent variable is the perceived liking of the ad. The independent variables are the degree of truthfulness perceived, the degree of creativity, and the degree of relevant information. The relationships proposed are positive, meaning that as the independent variables increase or decrease, the dependent variable follows suit. 7. What are relationships? What is a positive relationship? What is a negative relationship? Give an example of a positive and a negative relationship. Relationships are the nature of the association between variables. A positive relationship means that the variables move in tandem. A negative relationship means that as one relationship increases or decreases, the other variable moves in the opposite direction. An example of a positive relationship: As consumer confidence increases, stock market activity increases. An example of a negative relationship: As consumer confidence decreases, credit card balances increase. 8. What is the difference between a parameter and a sample statistic? A parameter is the true value of a variable, while a sample statistic is the value of a variable that is estimated from a sample. ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. It is possible to design a study, collect and analyze data, and write a report without conducting a literature review. What are the dangers and drawbacks of conducting your research without doing a literature review? In your judgment, do the drawbacks outweigh the advantages? Why or why not? The primary danger is that one may not even need to collect primary data! The answer could already be available but the researcher will not know because no literature review was done. Aside from this, the researcher cannot benefit from other findings, methods, and scales already developed. It does not make sense at all to pursue primary data collection without conducting a literature review first. 2. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Visit several of the marketing blogs listed in Exhibit 3.4. Do these blogs have any information that might be relevant to practitioners who are conducting research in the topic areas that the blogs address? Why or why not? These blogs typically are written from the perspective of an opinion piece commenting on some news story or recent finding or experience. From that perspective, yes, the comments are relevant because they may offer a different perspective from the researcher. In addition, many blogs are written by experts in their respective fields so the information can be very enlightening. 3. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Using Google Scholar, identify 10 or so references that are relevant to the topic of service quality. Identify four or five that you think would be helpful to designing a survey to measure the service quality received at a restaurant. List the title of each study, and explain why you think they are relevant to the study you are designing. Nearly 3 million results appear when one searches “service quality” using Google Scholar. Not surprisingly, many of these reference the work of Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry. The following are samples students might select: • Servqual: A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Customer Perceptions of Service Quality A. Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml, Leonard L. Berry, Marketing … - 1986 - Marketing Science Institute • Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension J. Joseph Cronin, Jr; Steven A. Taylor - Journal of Marketing, 1992 – JSTOR • A Measure of Service Quality for Retail Stores: Scale Development and Validation Pratibha A. Dabholkar, Dayle I. Thorpe, Joseph O. Rentz - Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 1995 www.jam.sagepub.com The titles for each article suggest that measures are presented for assessing service quality as well as other design considerations. 4. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Go online and find the home page for your particular state. For example, www.mississippi.com would get you to the home page for the State of Mississippi. Once there, seek out the category that gives you information on county and local statistics. Select the county where you reside and obtain the vital demographic and socioeconomic data available. Provide a demographic profile of the residents in your community. This response will vary by student, but students should be encouraged to provide a complete profile and to discuss the marketing implications of the profile. 5. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Go to the home page of the U.S. census, www.census.gov. Select the category “Economic Indicators” and browse the data provided. What did you learn from browsing this data? This link provides thirteen indicators, ranging from manufacturer’s shipments, inventories and orders to housing vacancies and homeownership with comparative data profiled, a summary which explains the “trending” associated with the particular indicator, and a graphical representation which helps clarify the information. 6. You are thinking about opening a new quick service restaurant on your campus after you graduate. What information about your potential consumers would you try to find from secondary research to help you understand your target market? To effectively understand the target market for the new quick service restaurant on campus, conducting secondary research to gather relevant information about potential consumers is crucial. Here are some key aspects I would focus on: 1. Demographics: Understanding the demographic profile of the student body or faculty on campus is essential. This includes age, gender, income level, educational background, and possibly ethnicity. 2. Psychographics: Exploring the lifestyle, interests, values, and attitudes of the target audience can provide insights into their preferences regarding food choices, dining habits, and overall behavior. 3. Eating Habits: Analyzing data on eating habits such as frequency of dining out, preferred meal times, preferred types of cuisine, dietary restrictions, and budget constraints can help tailor the restaurant's menu and pricing strategy. 4. Technological Preferences: Investigating the extent to which potential consumers utilize technology for food ordering and delivery, such as mobile apps or online platforms, can inform decisions regarding the implementation of digital ordering systems. 5. Competitive Analysis: Studying existing quick service restaurants on campus or in the vicinity can provide valuable insights into consumer preferences, popular menu items, pricing strategies, and areas of potential differentiation. 6. Trends and Preferences: Keeping abreast of current food trends, emerging dietary preferences (e.g., plant-based diets), and sustainability concerns can help anticipate evolving consumer demands and tailor the restaurant's offerings accordingly. 7. Seasonal Variations: Understanding how consumer preferences and behavior change throughout the academic calendar (e.g., during exam periods, holidays, or summer breaks) can inform operational decisions and marketing strategies. 8. Feedback and Reviews: Examining online reviews, feedback channels, and social media discussions related to existing dining options on campus can provide insights into areas where improvement is needed and potential gaps in the market. 9. Cultural Considerations: Taking into account any cultural diversity within the campus community and ensuring that the restaurant's offerings are inclusive and respectful of diverse dietary preferences and cultural norms. By synthesizing information from secondary research across these dimensions, I would be better equipped to develop a comprehensive understanding of my target market and tailor the restaurant's concept, menu, pricing, and marketing strategies to meet their needs and preferences effectively. 7. You are planning to open a coffee shop in one of two areas in your community. Conduct a secondary data search on key variables that would allow you to make a logical decision on which area is best suited for your proposed coffee shop. Some of the variables students might include in a search for this information are residential density, number of similar establishments, types of businesses in the neighborhoods, parking availability, and demographics of the residents and employees working in the area. 8. Based on your experiences in college, draw and label a conceptual model that shows the factors that led to your satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with a course. Student responses will vary based on their individual experiences, but some of the factors might include the following: • Relevance of course to major and intended career • Cost of book • Attitude toward the teacher • Grade earned • Size of class Chapter Four Exploratory and Observational Research Designs and Data Collection Approaches Answers to Hands-On Exercise 1. Should marketing researchers working with Latinos concentrate solely on qualitative research? Explain your answer. Qualitative research is considered to be especially appropriate for the Hispanic marketplace and emphasizes that the population has to be approached differently in order for research to be useful. Latinos prefer qualitative approaches that involve tangents, storytelling, and an expressive process often characterized as lively. This style of interaction is especially noticeable among less-acculturated Latino populations but is evident among acculturated Hispanics as well. Participants in qualitative research projects should be treated like a guest in your home as it is important to form a strong emotional connection to facilitate interaction. Face-to-face focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnography are all appropriate for the Latino marketplace. When a relevant population can be recruited that has access to the Internet, in-depth interviews using webcams, bulletin board focus groups, and MROCs can also produce high-quality insights into Hispanic populations for clients. Therefore, researchers working with Latinos should concentrate solely on qualitative research as it helps to tap deeper contextual, psychological, and cultural issues. 2. Could qualitative research be used to improve quantitative methods such as surveys? Explain your answer. Yes, qualitative research could be used to improve quantitative methods such as surveys. Qualitative research is usually conducted as a follow-up to quantitative research. This happens when quantitative findings are contradictory or ambiguous and do not fully answer research questions. Qualitative research probes more deeply into areas that quantitative research may be too superficial to access. 3. What challenges do researchers face in conducting research with the Latino marketplace online? How can researchers minimize the effects of these difficulties? One of the main challenges that researchers face in conducting research with the Latino marketplace online is in identifying culturally relevant ways to interact with them. There is a need for researchers to approach the population differently in order to make the research useful. Making use of qualitative research can help minimize these difficulties. Qualitative research will look more into discovery/identification of new ideas, validation of facts, understanding of hidden psychological and social processes, and contextual and cultural issues. 4. Think of one or two cultures or subcultures with which you are at least somewhat familiar. Would qualitative research be especially useful for these cultures? Why or why not? One culture with which I'm somewhat familiar is the Amish community. Qualitative research could be particularly useful for understanding the nuances of Amish culture because it often relies on in-depth interviews, participant observation, and immersion into the community. Given the closed nature of Amish society and their resistance to modern technology, quantitative methods might not be as effective in capturing the intricacies of their beliefs, traditions, and way of life. Qualitative research could provide rich insights into their values, social structures, and decision-making processes. Another subculture could be the graffiti artist community. In this case, qualitative research would also be highly beneficial. Graffiti artists operate within a niche subculture with its own set of norms, values, and practices. Through qualitative methods such as interviews, ethnographic studies, and visual analysis of graffiti artworks, researchers can gain a deeper understanding of the motivations behind graffiti creation, the subculture's dynamics, and its relationship with broader societal contexts. Quantitative approaches alone might not capture the subjective experiences and perspectives of graffiti artists, making qualitative research essential for a comprehensive understanding of this subculture. ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What are the major differences between quantitative and qualitative methods? What skills must a researcher have to develop and implement each type of design? There are several characteristics which can be used to compare and contrast these two research methods. As an example, the “type” of research done by a researcher in the qualitative arena normally consists of exploratory designs, whereas quantitative methods focus on descriptive and causal frameworks. The types of questions used in quantitative methodologies are mostly structured, where qualitative research methods used open-ended, unstructured, semi-structured queries with deep probing techniques. In order to develop and implement qualitative methodologies a researcher needs to respect and be trained in interpersonal communication and be willing to open themselves (and their management team) to interpretation. Finally, the information collected from in-depth interviews, ZMET sessions, and focus groups tends to be metaphorical and subjective. Therefore, the analysis associated with any qualitative project is more protracted and complex than quantitative data analysis. Quantitative methods require a researcher to “be on the same page” as management when developing and implementing the design since the problems and opportunities are well defined. Communication and interpretation take center stage with qualitative research; survey design and administration are more critical for the researcher with quantitative research. Quantitative researchers need to be skilled in statistical data analysis skills, sampling, construct development and scale measurement. Finally, qualitative researchers need to provide managers with something of “value” and therefore need to be able to translate complex data structures into a meaningful narrative a decision-maker can use to address a strategic problem or opportunity. 2. Compare and contrast the unique characteristics, main research objectives, and advantages/disadvantages of the in-depth and focus group interviewing techniques. Focus group and in-depth have some characteristics in common, and part company on a number of important levels. First, it’s important to note that both focus groups and in-depth interviewing techniques make use of probing questions as a mechanism to get more information from the subject(s). As well, in-depth interviews and focus groups are similar in that researchers can collect attitudinal and behavioral data that spans the past, present, and future. Interpersonal communication skills and the ability to be able to “listen well” are characteristics shared by interviewers whether the questions are raised in an in-depth interview or focus group. The setting for the focus group, however, is often different than an in-depth interview. An in-depth interview may take place in a manager’s office, or over the phone. Focus groups, on the other hand, may occur in seminar rooms in a hotel, online or in a facility equipped with pivot cameras and microphones. Finally, focus groups can include 8-12 people (4-6, if conducted online) where an in-depth interview is always “one-on-one.” The main objective of in-depth interviews is to have a respondent communicate as much detail as possible about his/her knowledge and behavior toward a given object or topic. The pros of in-depth interview techniques are their flexibility and the large amount of data which can be collected in this format. A focus group enjoys an added advantage in that participant interaction may act as a catalyst bringing unique and fresh ideas to the surface—an outcome which might not happen in an interchange between a researcher and subject. The downside is largely similar with both focus groups and in-depth interview techniques: an inability to generalize results, the reliability of the data, a protracted process when it comes to recruiting participants and a complex and detailed approach to analyzing the results. 3. Explain the pros and cons of using qualitative research in each of the following situations: a. Adding carbonation to Gatorade and selling it as a true soft drink. b. Finding new consumption usages for Arm & Hammer baking soda. c. Inducing customers who have stopped shopping at Sears to return to Sears. d. Advising a travel agency that wants to enter the cruise ship vacation market. a. It would be useful to investigate this marketing opportunity in a focus group, since the attribute (and resulting benefits) of adding carbonation to Gatorade should be “sampled” and the reactions observed by the client. In this sense, developing and implementing a questionnaire to explore this opportunity would fall short on the experience front. b. A focus group might be argued to be a costly and less efficient use of management time and resources since a number of “other” uses are already known in the marketplace (e.g. removing stains, drawing stingers to the surface of the skin after a hornet or wasp attack). Still, the dynamics of group members in a focus group environment may bring other “out of the box” considerations to the surface; especially if participants are encouraged to demonstrate uses with the actual product in a focus group session. c. The recruitment of participants aligned with the marketing problem/opportunity “customers who have stopped shopping at Sears” is critical. While it could be argued that a survey with fixed response questions could help management determine what reasons count (and what incentives might work) a focus group would be useful if only it allows a moderator (and hence the research team and client) to probe each problem and opportunity in more depth. Are the problems which have led management to consider innovating with an eye to inducements really problems, or can just symptoms of problems inducements only address in an indirect fashion? d. It’s not clear if a focus group, in-depth interview, or questionnaire is necessary. The concern here surrounds the use of the word “advising”. The objectives of in-depth and focus group interviewing lean more in the direction of discovery, and clarifying problems and opportunities for future research endeavors. Management of the travel agency may have already made up their minds on this one (due to industry trends, local competitive forces, a repositioning strategy to bolster their image) and therefore the cost-to-value ratio might be the first thing to conduct before proceeding with any research method. 4. What are the characteristics of a good focus group moderator? What is the purpose of a moderator’s guide? A moderator needs to be personable, an individual who relishes the opportunity to act as a linkage in a group setting and create opportunities for participants to have their say. A good focus group moderator should have excellent interpersonal, communication, listening, and interpretive skills. A moderator’s guide is a crucial instrument for a focus group, and can be argued to equally important in an in-depth interview. The moderator’s guide (sometimes referred to as a ‘discussion guide’ in the industry) is a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and probes that serves as the script once the focus group session begins. 5. Why is it important to have 8 to 12 participants in a focus group? What difficulties might exist in meeting that objective? Having this group size is beneficial for group dynamics. If there are too few people the moderator may find himself/herself providing too much direction to participants. Or, people who love to hear the sound of their own voice may begin to dominate the session. A session with too many participants can get bogged down causing the moderator to rush through critical questions and probes to the extent that the outcome of the session is superficial. The primary difficulty in meeting the objective stems from the recruitment of participants for focus group sessions. The recruitment of participants for a focus group can be argued to be the most difficult aspect of the set-up process. This stems not only from the screening criteria but a disinterest in taking part in focus groups on the part of the buying population. Variables such as the location of the group, the size of the incentive, and the number of groups play an important role in encouraging participation. The recruitment of participants is a key success factor for a beneficial session—so much so that some marketing research firms have begun to “contract out” these recruitment duties to firms who specialize in fulfilling this aspect of focus group research. 6. Why are the screening activities so important in the selection of focus group participants? Develop a screening form that would allow you to select participants for a focus group on the benefits and costs of leasing new automobiles. Screening activities, as noted above, are a key success factor in orchestrating and completing a focus group. For instance, if the people recruited to a group are too diverse (e.g. according to income, use of a particular product in question, age or stage in the family life cycle) it will be increasingly difficult to achieve objectives such as generating new ideas about products, services, and delivery methods and capturing data for defining and redefining marketing problems and opportunities specific to the client. A request to develop a screening form to recruit participants for a group on the benefits and costs of leasing new automobiles should proceed after a detailed discussion of the desired characteristics of participants. The screener might ask for income level, intent to lease a new car in the next 2 years, and past leasing or purchasing behavior. 7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online focus group interviews compared to face-to-face group interviews? Advantages associated with online focus groups are that it shortens the time required for data collection, analysis, and reporting of results. Participants can be physically located anywhere in the world so long as they have a computer and Internet access. The primary disadvantage is the lack of face-to-face contact which limits observation of non-verbal cues and body language. The two methods are somewhat the same in their planning, identification of participants’ characteristics, sample selection and recruitment, and administrative procedures. 8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of ethnography as compared to other qualitative techniques? An advantage of ethnography is that it enables researchers to actually see consumers in their natural setting, while other techniques do not. However, behavior changes when observed and this must be considered. In addition, ethnographic research is heavily influenced by the researcher’s interpretation. This is true of all qualitative techniques but especially so with ethnographic research. It offers among the richest data possible but can also be difficult to develop into practical and actionable insights. 9. Develop a word association test that will provide some insight to the following information research question: What are college students’ perceptions of their university’s student union? In word association tests, participants are exposed to a preselected list of words and asked to respond with the first thought [word] that comes to mind regarding that word. The researcher looks for obvious and hidden meanings associated with important concepts represented by the original word list. The objective is to gain insight into how to communicate more effectively with the target audience. In the case of the student union, words might include: comfortable, attractive, convenient, fun, desirable, friends, food, study, meet, affordable, and date. ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What type of exploratory research design (observation, projective technique, in-depth interview, focus group, case study, ethnography, netnography, ZMET) would you suggest for each of the following situations and why? a. A jewelry retailer wants to better understand why men buy jewelry for women and how they select what they buy. A focus group would be a good approach for this situation. A group of men who have recently shopped for women’s jewelry could explore the motivations for choosing jewelry and the choices they made. b. An owner of a McDonald’s restaurant is planning to build a playland and wants to know which play equipment is most interesting to children. A “usability lab” of sorts would be a good approach for choosing play equipment. An assortment of equipment could be assembled with children in the target age range invited to play for an afternoon. Observational measurements could be taken of the children’s interactions with each piece of equipment. c. Victoria’s Secret wants to better understand women’s body images. Body image is a sensitive topic so in-depth interviews would be most appropriate. IDIs would also enable the use of projective techniques within the context of the interview. d. The senior design engineer for Ford Motor Company wishes to identify meaningful design changes to be integrated into the 2014 Ford Taurus. Ethnographic research might be a good approach here. Researchers could join owners of the current Taurus design as they use the car. This would enable researchers to discern how Taurus owners use the car, their favorite features, and areas for improvement. e. Apple wants to better understand how teenagers discover and choose popular music to download. A focus group is appropriate for this project. Teenagers could be asked to keep a log of music they download for a period of time prior to the discussion along with how they learned about each song. f. Nike wants to better understand the concepts of customization and personalization to support the online product customization services provided by NikeID. A focus group would be appropriate for this project. 2. Develop a moderator’s guide that could be used in a focus group interview to investigate the following question: What does “cool” mean to teens and how do teens decide what products are “cool”? Responses will vary, to some extent, depending upon the students’ own perceptions of “cool”. All guides developed should include an opening/rapport development section, a main session, and a closing session. The guide should include questions that move from general to specific and provide opportunities for probing. 3. Apple hires you to study Apple’s brand image with college students on your campus. Draft a list of 10 questions you would ask in a focus group. Make sure you think of alternative ways to ask questions instead of simply asking direct questions. 1. "How would you describe Apple's brand image?" Alternative: "If you had to summarize Apple's reputation in a single sentence, what would you say?" 2. "What comes to mind when you think of Apple products?" Alternative: "If you were to paint a picture representing Apple products, what would be the dominant colors and shapes?" 3. "How do you perceive the quality of Apple products compared to other brands?" Alternative: "If Apple products were superheroes, where would they rank in terms of strength and resilience compared to other brands?" 4. "In your opinion, what values does Apple represent?" Alternative: "If Apple were a character in a book, what core values would define their personality?" 5. "Can you recall any specific Apple advertisement or marketing campaign? What was memorable about it?" Alternative: "If Apple were to perform a magic trick to capture your attention, what would be the trick and why?" 6. "How influential do you think Apple is in shaping technology trends?" Alternative: "If Apple were a teacher in a classroom, what lessons would it be imparting to other technology companies?" 7. "Do you think Apple effectively communicates with its consumers? Why or why not?" Alternative: "If Apple were a storyteller, what kind of tales would it be spinning to engage its audience?" 8. "How do you feel when you use Apple products compared to other brands?" Alternative: "If using Apple products were a sensory experience, which senses would be heightened, and how would it differ from using other brands?" 9. "What do you think sets Apple apart from its competitors?" Alternative: "If Apple were a puzzle, what unique piece would it bring to the table that no other company could match?" 10. "How do you think Apple could improve its relationship with college students?" Alternative: "If Apple were to host a party specifically tailored for college students, what elements would make it an unforgettable experience?" 4. Thinking about how most participants are recruited for focus groups, identify and discuss three ethical issues the researcher and decision maker must consider when using a focus group research design to collect primary data and information. The first ethical issue which surfaces in recruiting for a focus group is what’s referred to as the problem of retreads. Retreads are individuals who make “a living” bouncing from focus group to focus group in order to earn an income. Care must be taken when the task of recruitment is “farmed out” to an outside source. Some of these recruiting agencies have a number of individuals (friends, relatives, business associates) who get placed into the group regardless of their familiarity with the topic area. Another critical issue is to insure that the individuals which are recruited for the group conform the needs and specifications of the client-research team. All too often, the people entrusted with the recruiting task choose to “load-up” the sessions when the groups are held. If the focus group is held online no more than 4-6 participants are required, since the protocol associated with probing and the presentation of people’s comments (on a screen which flows “up”, not “down”) can be difficult, if not impossible to manage when 10-12 participants are struggling to have their “say”. Even in a traditional situation there is nothing more disconcerting to participants than being bumped-out of a group because there aren’t enough chairs at the table. Finally, when recruiting for a focus group care should be taken not to mix participants who are too diverse. People who attend focus groups need to feel as if they’re part of a gathering where it’s okay to express their feelings honestly, and with conviction. Sometimes recruiters, researchers, and clients adopt a “mix-it-up and let’s see what happens” mentality toward focus groups. The results are often awkward and sometimes downright threatening for the all parties concerned. As an example, be cautious about mixing customers and prospects, representatives from large corporations and small independent businesses, and members from different levels in the “pecking order” when designing and implementing a business-to-business focus group. In the same vein, groups comprised of ultimate consumers should steer clear of mixing participants with wide age and income ranges. 5. Conduct an in-depth interview and write a brief summary report that would allow you to address the following decision question: What do students want from their educations? Responses will vary as students experience the process of conducting an in-depth interview. Students should begin with selecting an appropriate subject, setting up the meeting, developing appropriate questions to discern what is it that the subject wants from his or her education. The summary report should be organized by themes from the transcript. 6. Outback Steak, Inc., is concerned about the shifting attitudes and feelings of the public toward the consumption of red meat. Chris Sullivan, CEO and cofounder of Outback Steak, Inc., thinks that the “red meat” issues are not that important because his restaurant also serves fish and chicken entrées. Select any two “projective interviewing” techniques that you think would be appropriate in collecting data for the above situation. First, defend your choice of each of your selected projective interviewing techniques. Second, describe in detail how each of your two chosen techniques would be applied to Sullivan’s research problem at hand. The list of possible choices for this problem includes word association tests, sentence completion tests, picture tests, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), cartoon/balloon tests, and role playing activities. Two techniques that seem to offer the greatest promise in this case are the cartoon and role playing exercises. Both of these techniques lead subjects to project their attitudes and opinions without a social desirability bias. The issue in this case is to determine customers’ attitudes toward offering “red meat” on a menu that also offers the choice of other types of meat. In a cartoon test, the subject would be asked to furnish a customer’s comments when he/she sees a menu item that contains “red meat.” Then, what is the wait-person’s response? In the role playing exercise, one subject might take the place of a customer and another subject might play the wait-person. They could discuss the menu choices that include “red meat.” If you are careful to select subjects for these exercises that are truly Outback customers, you will probably get different results than would come from the general population. Almost everyone knows that Outback’s specialty is “red meat.” If that causes a huge problem, don’t go there. 7. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Visit QualVu.com and locate information about their video diary technique (a video is located and other information can be found on the site). Is this technique superior to text-based online focus groups? Why or why not? How does the online diary compare to face-to-face focus groups? The video diary technique very well may be superior to text-based online focus groups. The video diary format used by QualVu enables one to experience the participants’ nonverbal cues as well as their direct answers. It eliminates or minimizes one of the primary barriers for text-based online focus groups, which is the need to type as fast as one could speak. It also enhances privacy perceptions and reduces the effects of groupthink. 8. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Visit Context Research Group at www.contextresearch.com. Review one of the studies they have online. Could the research topic be addressed with surveys or focus groups? What insights, if any, do you think the researchers gained because they used ethnography rather than surveys or focus groups? This site has several studies posted. These include studies about identity, shopping and the holidays, consumerism, attitudes toward the news, and more. The studies investigate consumer psychology and in that regard are appropriate for ethnographic research. However, it would be possible to study these topics using other methods. The key is for the researchers to determine their needs. The ethnographic studies provide deep insight into these complex issues. 9. EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET. Visit Nielsen online (www.nielsen-online.com) and look for their material on Buzzmetrics. Some analysts have referred to the practice of mining social media as being similar to conducting a focus group. Is mining media similar to conducting a focus group? Why or why not? Students may have differing opinions on this question. Mining social media is not really similar to conducting a focus group, but it can be somewhat similar to analyzing the data resulting from a focus group. Mining media means content analyzing text, images, and sounds in a specific context. It can actually result in more realistic and deep data compared to that from a focus group. It can also result in a vast amount of data so a research would need to be prepared to manage the complex and large files. 10. Visit Communispace at Communispace.com. Read their information about what they do and some of the news or case histories at their site. After reviewing the website, evaluate whether and to what extent MROCs might replace focus groups. Students may have differing response to this question. Students should be able to compare the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups and Marketing Research Online Communities (MROCs). They can then give their opinion on to the extent they think MROCs might replace focus groups and give reasons for the same. Solution Manual for Essentials of Marketing Research Joseph F. Hair, Mary Celsi, Robert P. Bush, David J. Ortinau 9780078028816, 9780078112119
