Quantitative research. (2003). In Capstone Press, Capstone encyclopedia of business. Wiley. Credo Reference: https://saintleo.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/capstonebus/quantitative_research/0?institutionId=796
Qualitative research is research that relies on opinions and beliefs rather than statistical data. It usually involves interviews with small sample groups from target markets. These are often conducted by a sociologist or psychologist, who endeavours to ascertain the motivation for decisions made by individuals within the group. Why, for example, does one person buy one brand of coffee instead of another? Although expensive to conduct, qualitative research enables companies to keep in touch with their customers’ needs.
The origins of qualitative research date back to Austrian psychoanalyst Ernest Dichter, who moved to the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. Dichter applied his psychology skills to marketing and used groups and in-depth interviews as qualitative methods to investigate the motivation of consumers. He set up the Institute of Motivational Studies, which opened a London office in 1959. By the 1970s, the psychoanalytical approach had made way for group discussion without the interpretation of the psychoanalyst.
The parameters of qualitative research have grown considerably since the 1970s. Qualitative research is now far removed from the original psychoanalytical approach, though it continues to draw on many aspects of psychology. It is now much broader in scope, encompassing anything that falls within the umbrella of consumer culture.
Qualitative research. (2003). In Capstone Press, Capstone encyclopedia of business. Wiley. Credo Reference: https://saintleo.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/capstonebus/qualitative_research/0?institutionId=796