Mkt 522 Final Exam

What are the advantages of qualitative measurements when doing marketing research? What are the disadvantages? Do qualitative measurements negate the need for quantitative measurements? Please justify your answer. Be sure to answer all questions.. (Points : 25)Advantages: When we doing market research qualitative measurements offer several to researchers. One general advantage of qualitative measurements is that they are both economical and timely. Due in part to the use of small samples, researchers can complete their investigations more quickly and at a significantly lower total cost than they can with other methods. Another advantage is the richness of the data. The unstructured nature of qualitative techniques allows the researcher to collect in-depth data about the subjects’ attitudes, beliefs, emotions and perceptions, all of which may strongly influence their observable market behaviours. Disadvantages: Research qualitative measurements have two main potential disadvantages: sample size limitations and the need for well-trained interviewers, observers and investigators. First, qualitative data normally lack generalisability. Due to the use of small, non-statistically drawn samples, the information generated by qualitative research techniques cannot be generalised to larger groups of individuals. This lack of representativeness of the target population severely limits the use of qualitative information in helping decision makers