Task One

Task One

Research techniques

Research techniques are different methods to find out information.

Primary research

Primary research involves getting original data directly about a product, a market or a subject. Primary research data is data that did not exist before. It is designed to answer specific questions of interest to the topic. Primary research is when you carry out your own research and investigations for your own personal use. Examples of primary research are carrying out questionnaires, focus groups, interviews and observations. An advantage for this type of research is that the answers you receive are in great detail and are relevant to your topic. A major disadvantage for this type of research is that it takes too long to collect and also it can invade some people’s privacy, those who may not want to take part in your research. The best type of primary research is gathering information from a focus group because you get first-hand information from a range of people and get a range of views. You are also able to pick out the information you find relevant and put it towards your research report.

Interviews

A structured interview is an interview that is organised. The interviewer reads out the questions and records the all the information gathered by writing it down, using an audio tape or using a portable device for example a laptop. Structured interviews are straightforward and are used to collect information for example about the respondent’s age, gender, educational qualifications and occupation.

This type of interview guarantees responses. This is because the interviewee is on the spot and has to answer the questions that are asked. The interviewers are able to explain questions to the interviewees in order to clarify it. The interviewer can also explain to the interviewee the purpose of the interview. Also, people who cannot read or write can be included within the research. You are able to produce comparable data, this because all the respondents answer the same questions. You are also able to identify similarities and differences in the responses gained. Structured interviews can sometimes be quantifiable as some questions may require yes or no answers or to choose between the variables read out. Structured interviews tend to be formal and there is less chance that the interview would present bias statements and views.

Interviews are expensive and usually the interviewees are paid to take part. The cost of the interviews would rise if the sample increased also. Also, there is a large chance that the interviewer could be bias and could enforce his/her opinion or belief over the interviewee.

Observations

Participant observation is a way of finding out about a person’s life. A way to find out is by joining the person or group with their daily activities. You would observe what they say and what they do. Conduction research involves looking and listening, asking questions, the key informant, hanging around, recording observations and in the field. In participant observation it involves looking and listening, however, it is important to not influence people behaviour. You should observe what is in front of you. The main aim for observation is that it is important to observe someone in their natural setting, somewhere they feel comfortable. It is important to blend into to background and try not to be noticed. This way you would get the best research. There are occasions when the researcher has to become involved by asking questions in order to gain information. The key informant is the person who the researcher has the best relationship with. This person provides the best information and is happy to do so. Participant observation is largely informal and unplanned. Things go with the flow and consist of a lot of hanging around. There times when you have to record the findings from the participant observation, if the research is covert this would be a big problem. Researchers usually have to write up their findings. Participant observation can take a very long time to conduct, you have to be dedicated and have courage. Many researchers spend time away from family, in order to be away from distractions. It is very important for researchers to be focused and committed.

Research gained from participant observation is a lot more valid than information gained from questionnaires and interviews. You are able to see what people are really like and what people really do. This type of research makes it difficult for the group of people involved to act fake or hide certain things as they are being observed constantly. Many researchers gain information they value for themselves, for example listening to someone talk about and follow their beliefs, has an effect on the researcher as it could relate to them also. Researchers get the chance to gain insight into topics they aren’t too familiar with. With participant observation, you do not need to have prior knowledge on what you researching. By going to the process you are learning as you are going along. Many people who support participant observation believe that by going through this process you are able to discover how other people see the world and the way in which they live. By having the chance to watch and listen, the researcher has the chance to discover the priorities and concerns people have in their everyday life. There are many groups who do not accept outsiders and this is usually a barrier into finding out more about them and finding out information. By gaining access and being given the chance to join the group, you are able to gain first-hand information that many others wouldn’t even be given the chance to get.

Participant observation includes a lot of cost; many times it is your own money that you have to spend. Also, if you are involved with gangs and criminals, you are at a high chance of danger coming your way. It also takes up a lot of time, sometimes months or years. There are many occasions when the researcher has got so close to a group that their viewpoint and research has turned subjective instead of objective. There have been times when researchers have faced such difficult situations that they have had to drop out of the research. When being observed many people change their behaviour, even if they may not think they have, naturally you would feel that you have to change. Participant observation is often unsystematic, there are types when things happen and the observer has to tag along and go with the flow. Sample size for participant observation is small, this is because the researcher can only be at one place at one time and it is difficult to observe large groups of people. It is very hard to quantify a small amount of data. It is difficult to generalise. There are times when ethical questions are included for example questions that require if something is right or wrong as an answer. When research is covert, ethical issues will be more focused upon.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are a list of questions. They used to gather information about a certain topic. They are used for social surveys. Questionnaires are sometimes handed out in first person to the respondent; however, they can also be posted out to reach its target audience. A self-completion questionnaire is when the respondent is asked to fill the questionnaire in by themselves. Questionnaires produce research that can be compared, this is because you are able to gather different views but the questions will still be the same. There are many occasions when the respondent is unsure of what the question means this can sometimes affect the data that is received. Self-completed questionnaires can be either left with the respondent or the respondent can post it back to the researcher at a later date. Postal questionnaires are questionnaires that are mailed through the post. They are then meant to be sent back to the researcher.

The advantages of questionnaires are that they are cheap. You do not have to pay for interviewers and the research gained from the questionnaires are cheap to classify. Questionnaires are also easy to gain research of a large sample, they are fast and easy to complete as there are many closed questions. The answers from the questions can be easily entered onto computers where the data can then be presented is an appropriate way. By posting questionnaires out to people, it enables researchers to gain a geographical sample which is easy and cheap. There is no way that the data can be bias; this is because there is no interviewer present to influence the respondent’s answers.

The disadvantages of questionnaires are that there could be a low response rate. There is below 50% response rate for questionnaires that have been sent through the post. Respondents may have difficulties in understanding certain questions and instructions; this can deter the research gained. Some may not complete questions to an acceptable rate; some answers may be incomplete or incomprehensible. Many questionnaires include closed questions, this can limit the amount the respondent’s answers and minimum information will be received.

Secondary research

Secondary data is data that already exists and has been collected by someone else for another purpose. Secondary research involves the investigation of secondary sources of data. It involves processing data that has already been collected by another party. This type of research means finding information from third-party sources such as marketing research reports, company websites, magazine articles, books, journals, newspapers, film archives and other sources. Archive materials are a good way of finding out statistics about historical data. Newspapers are good way of keeping up to date with the latest news on your research. Secondary information could be found by looking in libraries, the internet and also by doing interviews. Secondary data is very easy to access and will not take a lot of time. 

Secondary research is any information that was previously gathered, whether from sources external to internal sources, such as accessing material from previous research carried out by a person’s organisation for example old sales reports, accounting records and many others documents which fall under secondary research. An advantage for secondary research is that you get a wide range of opinions and it is very quick and efficient to gather. Secondary research is also very cheap as for most internet based research there is no cost at all. A disadvantage is that you will not always get accurate information. The best type and most reliable type of secondary research is research from books as the information would have been double checked for accuracy and the information is strictly topic related. The library is available to find a variety of books.

Qualitative research

Qualitative researchers aim to gather in-depth information, for example from focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. This type of research is used mainly for market research. It is used to find out personal information. It is a type of research that involves seeking in depth information about a subject, often looking at attitudes, perceptions and usage behavior, normally conducted with small groups of people. An advantage is you can gather more information and opinions. This type of research is suitable to the audience you are catering for. A disadvantage is you get mixed opinions and this is not very reliable because you don’t get the most useful information from them.

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is research that involves numbers; the type of documents that are relevant to this type of research is censuses, questionnaires, graphs and charts. Quantitative research can also be applied to database and the quantitative analysis of other marketing data sets. An advantage is that it is a lot faster and a lot more reliable. You can also gather more information and can be displayed well by diagrams. A disadvantage of this research is that the quality of information is not perfect as there is no depth to the information gained.

Information trail 

An information trail is when you keep log of everything you do for example a library log. 

Collating and storing information

After gathering research you should organise your research by types of research, age group or gender. Sift and select your information by selecting what you want to use.

Storage

Securely store your data by taking into consideration about copyright laws and data protection. You should always store your research in a safe place and also back it up. It should be easily accessible by saving your files in right folders.

Ofcom

Ofcom is an organization that regulates everything that is broadcasted to the general public such as media from TV and radio. Ofcom is for the benefit of the public and is not for commercial purposes. Ofcom protects the general public from scams and harm. All adverts have to adhere to the Ofcom rules and regulations.

Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB)

BARB stands for 'Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board'. BARB is an organisation that collates the viewing figures of television in the UK. The data shows the regional and national levels. The information presents how well channels, advertisers and campaigners have performed. People who have participated with the research have a box on top of their TV that tracks what they are watching. Data is collected during the night and is presented to television stations and the advertising industry around 9:30am the next day.

RAJAR

RAJAR stands for Radio Joint Audience Research.  RAJAR is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. It is jointly owned by the BBC and the Radio Centre and was set up in 1992. There are approximately 310 individual stations on the survey and results are published every quarter. RAJAR is an organisation that does not make any profit.

Audience research

Audience research is when you are finding out information that is strictly about audience. This research can include demographic and psychographic information about the audience. An example of when audience research is needed is when you are producing an advert. You need to know if your advert is suitable for your chosen audience and if the advert would appeal to them. There are many ways to gain audience information.

Audience measurement panels

Audience measurement is when you measure how many people are in an audience. When looking at certain types of media for example radio and television, you focus on who is listening to the radio and who is watching television. Audience measurement helps broadcasters find out who are watching/listening by looking at the demographic and psychographic information.

Ratings

In media, ratings give broadcasters the information on what is popular, whether it is television or radio. The information is gathered by a poll, the results are then presented. The results can be based on the how good the programme is or how many viewers the programme has. Ratings define the amount of viewers a programme may have. You are also able to see what the mass audience are interested in.

Face-to-face interviews

Face-to-face interviews are interviews when the interviewer and the person being interviewed are present. Face-to-face interviews are used to gain information; this is also known as primary research as you are gaining the information yourself. You are able to gain a lot of information of good quality, as you are able to filter what you need and what you don't need. When having a face-to-face interview, the conversation can be partly spontaneous; you are able to ask extra questions that may come into mind during the interview. You are able to find out exactly what your audiences opinions and interests are.

Focus groups

Focus groups consist of a group of people usually between 4 and 14. The people in the group are brought together to discuss a certain topic, a moderator is present. Focus groups include discussions instead of responses to formal questions. You are able to gain a wide range of views and opinions as each answer is different. Through focus groups you are able to generate ideas from the responses you have gained. You can collate the data you have collected into graphs and tables.

Questionnaires

Questionnaires are usually paper based. They are a set of formal questions used for the purpose of gaining statistical research. Questionnaires are used to provide specific information about a certain topic. When trying to provide something for a certain audience, you are able to find what information is needed by designing questions that answer specifically answer the information needed. 

Market research

Market research is research about markets or customers. It is when you look for what people want, need or believe. When producing a product you need to look at other brands that may have similar products. You have to look at how you can make your product stand out from the rest; this can be due to pricing, labelling or reward power. Examples of market research are audience research and product research.

Production research

Production research is when you research on the production of the product itself. You look at the pre-production and post-production. When creating a product, it can cost a lot of money, so careful planning and research can help minimize costs. You would need to research what equipment you need and how much would It cost. You may also need a suitable location; you would need to see what locations are available.