RESEARCH METHODOLOGY; OBSERVATION METHODS
The concept of observation method;
Commonly used in behavioural sciences
It is the gathering of primary data by investigator’s own direct observation of relevant
people, actions and situations without asking from the respondent.
e.g.
• A hotel chain sends observers posing as guests into its coffee shop to check on
cleanliness and customer service.• A food service operator sends researchers into competing restaurants to learn
menu items prices, check portion sizes and consistency and observe point-of-
purchase merchandising.
• A restaurant evaluates possible new locations by checking out locations of
competing restaurants, traffic patterns and neighborhood conditions.
Observation can yield information which people are normally unwilling or unable to
provide.
e.g. Observing numerous plates containing uneaten portions the same menu items
indicates that food is not satisfactory.
Types of Observation:
1. Structured – for descriptive research
2. Unstructured—for exploratory research
3. Participant Observation
4. Non- participant observation
5. Disguised observation
Limitations:
– feelings, beliefs and attitudes that motivate buying behaviour and
infrequent behaviour cannot be observed.
– expensive method
Because of these limitations, researchers often supplement observation with survey
research.
SURVEY METHOD
Approach most suited for gathering descriptive information.
Structured Surveys: use formal lists of questions asked of all respondents in the same
way.
Unstructured Surveys: let the interviewer probe respondents and guide the interview
according to their answers.
Survey research may be Direct or Indirect.
Direct Approach: The researcher asks direct questions about behaviours and thoughts.
e.g. Why don’t you eat at MacDonalds?Indirect Approach: The researcher might ask: “What kind of people eat at
MacDonald’s?”
From the response, the researcher may be able to discover why the consumer avoids
MacDonald’s. It may suggest factors of which the consumer is not consciously aware.
ADVANTAGES:
-can be used to collect many different kinds of information
-Quick and low cost as compared to observation and experimental method.
LIMITATIONS:
-Respondent’s reluctance to answer questions asked by unknown interviewers about
things they consider private.
-Busy people may not want to take the time
-may try to help by giving pleasant answers
-unable to answer because they cannot remember or never gave a thought to what they
do and why
-may answer in order to look smart or well informed.
CONTACT METHODS:
Information may be collected by
Telephone
Personal interview
Mail Questionnaires:
Advantages:
-can be used to collect large amounts of information at a low cost per respondent.
-respondents may give more honest answers to personal questions on a mail
questionnaire
-no interviewer is involved to bias the respondent’s answers.
-convenient for respondent’s who can answer when they have time
– good way to reach people who often travel
Limitations:
-not flexible
-take longer to complete than telephone or personal interview
-response rate is often very low
– researcher has no control over who answers.Telephone Interviewing:
– quick method
– more flexible as interviewer can explain questions not understood by the
respondent
– depending on respondent’s answer they can skip some Qs and probe more on
others
– allows greater sample control
– response rate tends to be higher than mail
Drawbacks:
-Cost per respondent higher
-Some people may not want to discuss personal Qs with interviewer
-Interviewer’s manner of speaking may affect the respondent’s answers
-Different interviewers may interpret and record response in a variety of ways
-under time pressure ,data may be entered without actually interviewing
Personal Interviewing:
It is very flexible and can be used to collect large amounts of information.
Trained interviewers are can hold the respondent’s attention and are available to
clarify difficult questions.
They can guide interviews, explore issues, and probe as the situation requires.
Personal interview can be used in any type of questionnaire and can be conducted
fairly quickly.
Interviewers can also show actual products, advertisements, packages and observe and
record their reactions and behaviour.
This takes two forms-
Individual- Intercept interviewing
Group – Focus Group Interviewing
Intercept interviewing:
Widely used in tourism research.
-allows researcher to reach known people in a short period of time.
– only method of reaching people whose names and addresses are unknown
-involves talking to people at homes, offices, on the street, or in shopping malls.-interviewer must gain the interviewee’s cooperation
-time involved may range from a few minutes to several hours( for longer surveys
compensation may be offered)
–involves the use of judgmental sampling i.e. interviewer has guidelines as to whom
to “intercept”, such as 25% under age 20 and 75% over age 60
Drawbacks:
-Room for error and bias on the part of the interviewer who may not be able to
correctly judge age, race etc.
-Interviewer may be uncomfortable talking to certain ethnic or age groups.
Focus Group Interviewing:
It is rapidly becoming one of the major research tool to understand people’s thoughts
and feelings.
It is usually conducted by inviting six to ten people to gather for a few hours with a
trained moderator to talk about a product, service or organization.The meeting is held
in a pleasant place, and refreshments are served to create a relaxed environment.
The moderator needs objectivity, knowledge of the subject and industry, and some
understanding of group and consumer behaviour.
The moderator starts with a broad question before moving to more specific issues,
encouraging open and easy discussion to bring out true feelings and thoughts.
At the same time, the interviewer focuses the discussion, hence the name focus group
interviewing.
-often held to help determine the subject areas on which questions should be asked in
a later, large-scale, structured-direct interview
Comments are recorded through note taking or videotaped and studied later to
understand consumer’ buying process.
This method is especially suited for managers of hotels and restaurants, who have easy
access to their customers.
e.g. Some hotel managers often invite a group of hotel guests from a particular market
segment to have a free breakfast with them. Managers get the chance to meet the
guests and discuss what they like about the hotel and what the hotel could do to make
their stay more enjoyable and comfortable.
The guests appreciate this recognition and the manager gets valuable information.
Restaurant managers use the same approach by holding discussion meetings over
lunch or dinner.
Drawbacks:
-Cost: may cost more than telephone survey-Sampling: group interview studies keep small sample size to keep time and cost
down, therefore it may be difficult to generalize from the results.
– Interviewer bias.