ASSIGNMENT

A L I G A R H M U S L I M U N I V E R S I T Y ( 2 0 1 2 )

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

MALAPPURAM CENTRE, KERALA

ACKNOLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks and gratitude to my teachers Mr Hamza sir who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful assignment on the topic Interview as data collection tool.

I am making this assignment not only for marks but to also increase my knowledge.

VIVEK GAUR

11-MBAK-35

CONTENT

Focus group interviews Online focus group interviews Depth interviews Home interviews Mall intercept personal interviews Computer-assisted personal interviews Mail method interviews Electronic method interviews Telephone methods References

Focus group interviews

Focus groups are useful in obtaining a particular kind of information that would be difficult to obtain using other methodologies. A focus group typically can be defined as a group of people who possess certain characteristics and provide information of a qualitative nature in a focused discussion. Focus groups generally are composed of six to twelve people. Size is conditioned by two factors: the group must be small enough for everyone to participate, yet large enough to provide diversity. This group is special in terms of purpose, size, composition, and procedures. Participants are selected because they have certain characteristics in common that relate to the topic at hand, such as parents of gang members, and, generally, the participants are unfamiliar with each other. Typically, more than one focus group should be convened, since a group of seven to twelve people could be too atypical to offer any general insights on the gang problem.

The main purpose of focus group is to gain insight by listening to a group of people from the appropriate target market talk about issues of interest to the researcher.The values of the technique lies in the unexpected findings often obtained from a free-flowing group discussion

Characteristics:

Group size 8 to 12Group composition homogeneousPhysical setting relaxed, informal atmosphereTime duration 1 to 3 hoursRecording use of audiocassettes and videotapesModerator observational, interpersonal, and communication skills of the moderator

Focus groups offer several advantages:

Flexibility allows the moderator to probe for more in-depth analysis and ask participants to elaborate on their responses.

Outcomes are quickly known

Limitations include:

A skilled moderator is essential

Differences between groups can be troublesome to analyse because of the qualitative nature of the data.

Groups are difficult to assemble. People must take the time to come to a designated place at a particular time.

Participants may be less candid in their responses in front of peers.

Guidelines for Conducting a Focus Group Focus group discussions are a popular method of obtaining information and opinions. They can provide insight into issues that cannot be covered through surveys or interviews. Focus groups are a good method to get people involved in this assessment process by having them provide input on a topic. The following discussion provides a general overview of the focus group process. It is recommended that a person with experience with focus groups (preparing the discussion guide, moderating, and preparing the report) be contacted to assist in the process. When preparing for the focus group discussions, there are several considerations: What questions will be asked? Who will participate? Where will the discussions be held? Who will conduct the sessions? The first order of business is to develop a discussion guide.

Develop the Discussion Guide

The discussion guide contains the questions that will be posed to participants during the focus group sessions. A limited number of questions should be used for each discussion. Avoid spending too much time on background information and concentrate on the important issues. There are two elements that should be considered when drafting the guide: (1) the information you wish to obtain and (2) from whom it will be obtained. When developing the questions, keep in mind that all groups should follow the same discussion format. Using a general format for each question allows an analyst to make comparisons among the responses of various groups. Reserve a Time and Place Reserving a time and place to conduct the discussion is something that should be done well in advance of the actual date of the discussion sessions. Finding a location quickly will allow time to contact potential participants with the necessary logistical information. Try to find the most convenient and accessible location for the participants.

Provide an Incentive for Participation

Individuals taking part in a focus group session should be compensated for their participation. When contacting potential participants, use an incentive to encourage or persuade them to take part in the discussion session. Various forms of compensation can be used, most commonly a cash payment, lunch, or dinner. Snacks and beverages also may be provided. This often eases the tension created by the focus group setting and makes participants more open to discussing the topic.

Selection of Focus Group Participants It is necessary to identify each group that will participate in the discussion sessions; for example, parents, community residents, school personnel. This will provide an indication of the number of discussion groups that will be conducted. Time, money, and the number of potential participants available will determine the number of groups that are feasible for each community. A good size for a focus group is between six and twelve participants per session (American Statistical Association, 1997). Size is conditioned by two factors: the group must be small enough for everyone to participate and large enough to provide diversity of perceptions. Group participants should be selected because of common characteristics that relate to the focus group topic.

Online focus group interviews

Online focus group participation is by invitation only the respondent are prerecruited , generally from an online list people who have expressed an interest participating a screening questionnaire is administered online to qualify respondents. Those who qualify are invited to participate in focus group; the receive time, a URL, room name, and password via email id. Generally, four to six people participate in the online group.Before the focus group begins, participants receive information about that covers things as how to express emotions when typing. Electronic emotion indicator is produced using keyboard characters and is standard in their use on the internet.

Advantage

People all over the country can participate. Geographical constraints are removed. Internet enables the researcher to reach segment that are usually hard to survey: doctors,

lawyers professionals ,working mothers, and who lead busy lives and are not interested in focus group.

Cost is much lower.

Disadvantage

Only people that have knowledge how to use a computer can be surveyed online. Moderator have no idea what else the respondents may be doing while participating in

group. Only audio and visual stimuli can be tested. Body language and facial expression, and tone of voice can not be obtained.

Depth interviews

In depth interviews are one of many market research tactics. This tool can be used to obtain deep insight about a consumer’s attitudes and opinions. It involves a one on one conversation between an interviewer and a respondent. The in-depth interview is most often used for exploratory research. It can help in the formulation of a problem definition. In depth interviews are often conducted with industry experts or members of the target market. Good qualitative information can be obtained from these people about potential for new products/services or new opportunities for communication of marketing messages.

An in-depth interview is a form of qualitative research that is most often used before surveys and other quantitative research. It is a loosely structured interview, or conversation, that lasts from 10 to 30 minutes, but may go longer. These interviews can be conducted over the phone or face to face. In the interview the interviewer will start with general questions to establish a relationship before continuing with questions searching for deeper insight or information. These interviews have applications in both business to business and general consumer market research. In the business to business market respondents would include executives, owners, managers, opinion leaders and specialists. These would be considered expert interviews, as these respondents have a deep understanding of the fields they work in..

Advantage

Uncover the greater depth of insights than focus group Exchange of the information Respond directly to the respondents

Disadvantage

Expensive as skilled interviewers are called. Quality and competency of the result depends on the interviews’ skill.

Home interviews

In personal home interviews, respondents are interviewed face to face in their homes. Interviewer’s task is to contact the respondents, ask the questions, and record the response. In recent years, the use of home interviews has declined due to its high cost.

Mall-intercept personal interviews

A mall-intercept personal interview is a survey whereby respondents are intercepted in shopping in malls. The process involves stopping the shoppers, screening them for appropriateness, and either administering the survey on the spot or inviting them to a research facility located in the mall to complete the interview. While not representative of the population in general, shopping mall customers do constitute a major share of the market for many products.

Advantage

More efficient for the respondent to come to the interviewers than for the interviewer to go the respondents.

Product oriented approach interview.

Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI)

Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) is an interviewing technique similar to computer-assisted telephone interviewing, except that the interview takes place in person instead of over the telephone. Either the respondent or the interviewer sits at a computer terminal and enters the answers. If no interviewer is present, the term Computer-assisted self interviewing (CASI) may be used.

Either the respondent or an interviewer sits at a computer terminal and answers a questionnaire using the keyboard or mouse.

Colorful screens and on and off-screen stimuli can add to the respondent's interest and involvement in the task.

This method has been classified as a personal interview technique since an interviewer is usually present to serve as a host and to guide the respondent.

This approach is used in shopping malls, preceded by the intercept and screening process. It is also used to conduct business-to-business research at trade shows or conventions.

Advantages

This form of interview is substantially cheaper when a large number of respondents is required, because

There is no need to recruit or pay interviewers. The program can be placed on a web site, potentially attracting a world-wide audience

Disadvantage

He survey is likely to attract only respondents who are "computer savvy", thus introducing potential bias to the survey.

The survey can miss feedback, provide clarification/quality control that a personal interviewer could provide (ex. lots of respondents think the question asks one thing, when it actually asks another)

Mail method interviews

In mail interviews questionnaire are mailed to preselected potential respondent. A typical mail interview package consists of the outgoing envelope, cover letter, questionnaire, return envelope, and possibly an incentive. The respondent complete and return the questionnaires. There is no verbal interaction between researcher and respondent. However, before data collection can begins, the respondents needs to be identified. Therefore, an initial task is to be obtaining a valid mailing list. Mailing list can be compiled from telephone directories, customer association and any other publication list of any company.

Electronic method interviews

E-mail interviews

To conduct email an e-mail interview, a list of e-mail address is obtained. The survey is written with in the body of the e-mail message. The e-mails are sent over the internet. E-mail surveys use pure text to represent questionnaire and can be received and respondent to by anyone with an e-mail address, Whether or not they have access to the web.

Telephone methods

Traditional telephone interviews

Traditional telephonic interviews involve phoning a sample of respondents and asking them a series of questions. The interviewer uses a paper questionnaire and records the responses with pencil. Advances in the telecommunication and technology have made national wide telephone interviewing from the central location practical. Consequently, the use of telephone interviewing has decreased in recent years.

Computer – Assisted Telephone interviewing

Computer-Assisted Telephone interviewing from a central location is now more popular than the traditional telephonic method. CATI uses a computerized questionnaire administered to the respondents over the telephone. A computerized questionnaire may be generated by using mainframe computer, a microcomputer, or personal computer. The interviewer sits in front of computer terminal and wear a mini –headset the computer replace a paper and pencil questionnaire and mini-head set substitute the telephone. Upon command, the computer dials the telephone number to be called. When contact is made, the interviewer reads the question posed on the computer screen and records the respondents answer directly in to the memory of computer.

The computer systematically guides the interviewer. Only one question at a time appears on the screen.

The computer checks the response for appropriateness and consistency.

Advantage

Smoothly function Data quality enhance Time is reduced

References

Market research by Naresh Malhotra

Research methodology by C.R Kothari

Majudar R., marketing research

Churchil,G.A marketing research

Oxford dictionary

Marketing91.com

Mba tutorial.com