Page 90 - DMGT209_QUANTITATIVE_TECHNIQUES_II

Unit 6: Research Design

3. Focus Group: Another widely used technique in exploratory research is the focus group. Notes
In a focus group, a small number of individuals are brought together to study and talk
about some topic of interest. The discussion is co-ordinated by a moderator. The group
usually is of 8-12 persons. While selecting these persons, care has to be taken to see that
they should have a common background and have similar experiences in buying. This is
required because there should not be a conflict among the group members on the common
issues that are being discussed. During the discussion, future buying attitudes, present
buying opinion etc., are gathered.
Most of the companies conducting the focus groups first screen the candidates to determine
who will compose the particular group. Firms also take care to avoid groups, in which
some of the participants have their friends and relatives, because this leads to a biased
discussion. Normallyl, a number of such groups are constituted and the final conclusions
of various groups are taken for formulating the hypothesis. Therefore a key factor in focus
group is to have similar groups. Normally there are 4-5 groups. Some of them may even
have 6-8 groups. The guiding criterion is to see whether the latter groups are generating
additional ideas or repeating the same with respect to the subject under study. When this
shows a diminishing return from the group, the discussions stopped. The typical focus
group lasts for 1-30 hours to 2 hours. The moderator under the focus group has a key role.
His job is to guide the group to proceed in the right direction.
The following should be the characteristics of a moderator/facilitator:

 Listening: He must have a good listening ability. The moderator must not miss the
participant’s comment, due to lack of attention.

 Permissive: The moderator must be permissive, yet alert to the signs that the group
is disintegrating.
 Memory: He must have a good memory. The moderator must be able to remember
the comments of the participants. Example: A discussion is centered around a new
advertisement by a telecom company. The participant may make a statement early
and make another statement later, which is opposite to what was said earlier.
For example: The participant may say that s(he) never subscribed to the views
expressed in the advertisement by the competitor, but subsequently may say that
the “current advertisement of competitor is excellent”.
 Encouragement: The moderator must encourage unresponsive members to participate.

 Learning: He should be a quick learner.
 Sensitivity: The moderator must be sensitive enough to guide the group discussion.
 Intelligence: He must be a person whose intelligence is above the average.
 Kind/firm: He must combine detachment with empathy.

Notes Variation of focus group

 Respondent moderator group: Under this method, the moderator will select one of
the participants to act as a temporary moderator.

 Dualing moderator group: In this method, there are two moderators. They purposely
take opposing positions on a given topic. This will help the researcher to obtain the
views of both groups.
Contd...

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