Comparison of Quantitative & Qualitative Research - Essay Example

Sales & Marketing Assignment Grade It is important for organisations to find out the needs and wants of its s in order to make sound decisions. A research on customer behaviour can help the organisation find out their needs and wants. Although there are different types of research methods, Quantitative Research would help organisations to identify the human behaviour, and Qualitative Research would help organisations understand it. Quantitative and Qualitative Research What is Quantitative and Qualitative Research? A quantitative research produces statistical data or information that can be adapted into amounts and quantities (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). Only quantifiable data are being grouped together and evaluated in this type of research. Qualitative research instead spawns non-numerical data. It emphasises on the collection of mainly verbal facts rather than quantities. Gathered material is then studied and produced in an explanatory and subjective manner (Patna, 2010). This gives us a slight idea of the area of concentration of both the research studies. Now let us do a comparison and evaluation of both the research methods. Comparison of Quantitative & Qualitative Research Goal of the Research First of all we have to determine the goal of each research method. The key aim of a Quantitative Research emphasises more in counting and categorising features, and building geometric/statistical models, figures or simulations to explain the observations (Creswell, 2003). Qualitative Research in contrast delivers a complete descriptive explanation of the research topic. Like the name suggests, its results are not quantifiable but rather a detailed description of the analysis and observations made. Usage of the Research Next we have to determine the usage of both the researches. Qualitative Research is best used for earlier stages of research projects, whereas Quantitative Research is recommended for the concluding part of the research (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). Quantitative Research offers the researcher a clearer depiction of what to anticipate in his research as opposed to Qualitative Research. Tools of Data Gathering Here we compare the tools of gathering data in both the researches. Quantitative Research uses questionnaires, forms, surveys and other tools to collect statistical or quantifiable data (Dawson, 2002). In Qualitative Research, the researcher aids as the key data gathering tool (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). The researcher can use various data-gathering approaches, depending upon the manner of the research. Examples of data-collecting strategies used in Qualitative Research can be focus groups, individual comprehensive interviews, descriptions, structured and non-structured interviews, content or documentary study, and participant observation (Kothari, 1985). Form of Data The type of data presented in discussions of a Quantitative Research will be tables containing data in the form numbers and figures. The data presented in a Qualitative Research however, is in the form of words, like interviews, images, videos, or objects and artefacts (Zikmund, 2001). In conducting a Qualitative Research, figures in the shape of graphs will most likely be presented in the discussion. Research Approach Last but not the least in the comparison of both the researches, is their individual approach. The approach of a Quantitative Research is objective. In this research, the researcher is inclined to remain objectively parted from the subject matter. The reason is that to answer the query, the researcher pursues exact measurement, quantities and analysis of the target concepts. In Qualitative Research, the researcher is principally subjective in the approach method, so as to comprehend human behaviour, and the reasons that govern such behaviour (Flick, 2002). In this type of research method, the researcher has the propensity to become subjectively engrossed in the subject matter. Example of Both Research applied within Hospitality Example 1 Let’s take an example to demonstrate the diverse approaches of both the research methods. Suppose you want to find out about different types of restaurants, and their popularity in any given city (Institute of Hotel Management, 2007). To find out about the different types of restaurant, you will have to take up a Qualitative Research, as you would need the description of the nature of the restaurant, its menu and types of food offered. To find out about the popularity of restaurants, you would require taking up a Quantitative Research, so as to find out the number of people visiting these restaurants, as a high number of visitors would indicate a higher popularity. In the above example, different research methods are used to determine aspects of two different areas of a subject. One was focusing on the type of restaurant, and the other was focusing on the popularity of the restaurant. These were two separate areas being focused and were undertaken by separate methods of research. What if we consider different types of research methods, and focus it on a same subject area? Example 2 Let’s take another example. Suppose we already know about the popularity of a restaurant, but need to determine the reason behind its popularity (Institute of Hotel Management, 2007). We can use both research methods in this situation; however, by using Quantitative Research, we would be limiting our results, and might miss out on the actual reason just because the researcher did not consider all the possibilities. The researcher would consider a number of variables and provide statistics on the specific popularity reasons and in doing so might miss out on one or more actual reasons of popularity. In Qualitative Research, however, chances of leaving out the actual reasons of popularity are minimal. The Qualitative Research would be descriptive, and instead of the researcher implying the popularity reasons, and asking the customers to rate them, the researcher would rather determine the reasons through interviews, observation, or any of the Qualitative Research tools mentioned earlier. Which Research Method to use? It is sometimes hard to select among Quantitative and Qualitative research methods. The researcher may pick a method just because they are more accustomed with a particular method, or an associate recommends a specific method (Lowhorn, 2007). However, the research will be more fruitful, if the decision made is based on well-considered and suitable method, rather than simply picking a method that is more acquainted or easy for the researcher. Having discussed the objectives of both the research methods, it is now our prerogative, which research method to use out of the two. Supposing that the goal of our research is to discover the solution through statistical proof, then Quantitative Research is the answer. However, if we need to explain the reasons that why a particular incident arose, or why a specific phenomenon occurred, then we should go for Qualitative Research (Kumar, 2005). The cost involved in both the research can usually be controlled or kept within the allotted budget, by using cost effective tools, for example, survey methods. However, sometimes to get accurate results, costly tools have to be used, for example, observation methods. Conclusion Any of the Quantitative or Qualitative Research method can be selected depending upon the research, and the type of outcome desired. Both the research methods are effective in order to assess a particular situation or case, as both pursue different scenarios from their respective viewpoints. To enhance the reliability and legitimacy of the study, the researcher should keep in mind to examine the situation, research question and the important aspects of each method. However, some studies take advantage of both Quantitative and Qualitative Research, allowing both to complement each other. For example, if the goal of our study is to find out the dominant human behaviour towards a particular occasion or event, and also to inspect why this is the case, then it is ideal to use both the methods. References Creswell, J.W., 2003. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Patna, Hemanth CR., 2010. A Study analysis of customer’s perception. [Online] Available: http://www.slideshare.net/hemanthcrpatna/a-study-and-analysis-of-customers-perception-on-nandini-milk-and-its-products-at-hassan-city. [Accessed 7 March 2012]. Dawson, C., 2002. Practical Research Methods. New Delhi: UBS Publishers’ Distributors. Experiment-Resources.com, 2009. Comparing Quantitative and Qualitative Research. [Online] Available: http://www.experiment-resources.com/quantitative-and-qualitative-research.html. [Accessed 7 March 2012]. Flick, U., 2002. An Intro to Qualitative Research. 2nd ED. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Institute of Hotel Management, 2007. Research Methodology. [Online] Available: www.ihmctan.edu/PDF/notes/Research_Methodology.pdf. [Accessed 7 March 2012]. Kothari, C.R., 1985. Research Methodology, Methods & Techniques. New Delhi: Wiley Eastern Ltd. Kumar, R., 2005. Research Methodology; A Step by Step Guide for Beginners. 2nd.edition. Singapore: Pearson Education.Similar Lowhorn, G., 2007. Qualitative and Quantitative Research. [Online] Available: www.abwic.org/Proceedings/2007/ABW07-238.doc. [Accessed 7 March 2012]. Zikmund, W.G., 2001. Exploring Marketing Research. 7th edition. Fort Worth: The Dryden Press. Read More