Supplier/buyer relationship in an automotive industry - Essay Example

Qualitative research: “Qualitative research is concerned with developing explanations of social phenomena. That is to say, it aims to help us to understand the world in which we live and why things are the way they are.” (Hancock 1998, p.6). It is adopted mainly in the case of social researches where the behaviour analysis is needed as a part of the research. The opinions, experience and feelings of individuals are extracted through qualitative research models such as interviews, focus groups etc.

The data extracted through qualitative methods are subjective in nature. It better describes the social phenomena. Thus manipulation on the data is not functional in this method. It is best suited to identify a situation through a holistic approach. Qualitative is an inductive approach to develop concepts and theories. The data collection in this approach is done directly by interviews, focus groups or observations. The data collection process is time consuming and the research results may be subject to bias.

Only limited samples can be used under the qualitative model. Quantitative research: “The gathering and analysis of data that can be expressed in numerical form. Quantitative research involves data that is measurable and can include statistical results, financial data, or demographic data.” (Business definition for: quantitative research n.d.). It is used to determine how people experience, think or act in a specific approach. These surveys lead to large samples and are formed through a number of interviews.

Interviews are conducted through structured questionnaires. Primary data is essential for assuring the reliability of the research results. Thus, for this research study, primary data relating to the research topics are collected by way of interview method. Primary data are the actual information collected from field research. Primary data collected by means of