Question

Your company wants to conduct an exploratory study to gain new insights into some product changes you are considering. Which type of research method would be most appropriate for this exploratory study?

Answer 1

For an exploratory study regarding product changes, ethnographic field research, informal interviews, and content analysis are ideal research methods. They provide in-depth understanding, are flexible, and can uncover unexpected insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and product perceptions.

Step-by-step explanation:

If your company is considering product changes and wants to conduct an exploratory study to gain new insights, choosing the appropriate research method is crucial. For an exploratory study, ethnographic field research, informal interviews, and content analysis can be particularly beneficial. These methods allow for in-depth understanding and are highly adaptive, providing the flexibility to explore unforeseen aspects that may arise during the process.

Ethnographic field research immerses the researcher in the environment of the subjects, leading to comprehensive insights into consumer behavior and product interaction in natural settings. Informal interviews can yield nuanced information about user experiences and expectations. Content analysis of social media, forums, and customer feedback can uncover trends and sentiments about the products in question. These methods are suited for exploratory research because they do not require firm hypotheses and are capable of revealing unexpected aspects of the research subject that structured methods such as surveys might miss.

While these research methods can offer rich, qualitative data, it is important to consider their limitations, such as potential biases, non-representative samples, and the interpretation of results, which can be subjective. Nevertheless, for gaining initial insights and a deeper understanding of user perspectives regarding product changes, they are very appropriate choices for an exploratory research design.

Answer 2

Answer: Primary Research (Focus Group).

Step-by-step explanation:

Exploratory Research is an inquiry that seeks to understand the basic causal factors of a problem. This effort can serve as the basis of more intensive research later on.

There are basically two methodologies used, which are the; Primary and Secondary methods. While the Primary method's source of information is the concerned group, the Secondary Methods obtain their information from already existing information (Primary sources), such as Interviews, Journals, etc.

In the case of the company in the question, seeking to gain insight into the changes in a product, it would be best for them to consider what some selected costumers (focus group), think about the existing products and their views on subsequent changes. This method of getting information directly from the focus group employs the primary method.