As students, the one thing we aren't exposed to during our curriculum is the
inner workings of companies. Yes, we do have 'industry interactions' and
'industry visits' but they don't explain the structure or the business model of
companies. For a course that will shape a substantial part of our working life,
this information is critical. And if you consider the no. of students who get
into MBA courses without any prior work-ex (like I did), the absence of this
information is nothing less than tragic!
Hence, this series.
In
this post, we look at the workings of Research Agency:
Specialisations: Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research is about studies involving large samples sizes,
data coding, and statistical analysis. Thus, as a 'quant' specialist, a person
is expected to know how to design research studies, sampling, and questionnaires
that can be codified into numbers, analysed using statitical tests and reported
as charts and tables.
In stark contrast, Qualitative Research is about
studies involving small sample sizes, tactical questioning, projective
techniques, and analysis using psychological and cultural contexts. While most
Market Research textbooks and courses dedicate only a couple of chapters /
sessions to Qualitative Research, it is a large field of work in real life. The
'qual' expert is usually someone with an expert understanding of human
behaviour, needs and motivations. Educational training in psychology and culture
also helps.
The organisation structure
Big Department 1: The 'Field' team
Consider your usual class or summer internship project that requires
a 'survey' to be carried out. It is you and your team members who meet the
respondents, ask the questions, and fill out the questionnaire. In real life,
this is done by a separate department called the 'Field'.
Since the
real-life quantitative research projects involve multiple cities, and going by
truly random sampling, it is the 'Field' team that roams about in cities, goes
door-to-door, meets people, and fills out the questionnaire. The actual people
doing this are called 'Interviewers'. Most of the time, they aren't even
employees of the research agency. They are freelancers, who get paid for each
completed questionnaire. Most of them have completed education till higher
secondary or graduation.
In case of qualitative research, the Field team
is responsible for going door-to-door, 'recruiting' respondents who fit the
definition of the target group for the study, and scheduling face-to-face
interviews, or focus group discussions with the 'Research' team. More about the
research team a little later.
Big Department 2: The 'Data Processing'
team
Again, let's go back to our research project. After we
complete our survey, we typically add all the data into an Excel sheet. The more
enterprising ones among us will learn about a software called SPSS, and use
that. In real life, this stage of work is done by the 'Data Processing' team,
also called DP. So, once the questionnaires are filled, the DP team converts all
questions and their responses into codes that are filled into a datasheet. Based
on the structure of the expected responses, it is decided in advance on the kind
of tabulation, cross-tabulation and analysis to be performed on this data. All
this is done by the DP team using software that convert the raw data into tables
and analytical outputs. These results are then shared with the 'Research' team.
People who work in the DP team are usually graduates or postgraduates in
statistics, and are also well-trained in operating the data analysis software.
(One of the most common software used for advanced analytics is
SAS)
Big Department 3: The
'Research' team
If you notice, the previous two departments don't
do anything related to understanding why the research is being done, or what
decisions will be taken using the findings of the study being undertaken. This
work is done by the 'Research' team. People in this team are usually MBAs. It is
the job of the Research team to meet clients, understand their business
problems, convert them into research projects, design the entire study, decide
on the sample size, and prepare the questionnaire. Additionally, this team takes
care of briefing the 'Field' team, explaining to them the nitty-gritties of the
questionnaire, and also of preparing the Data Analysis Plan that is shared with
the DP team.
The 'Researcher' is the central coordinator between the
clients, the field team, and the DP team, and hence, is supposed to possess a
fair understanding of the work environment of both the departments as well as
the workings of the clients. The 'Researcher' is also the 'owner' of the project
i.e. he / she is accountable for the quality of work, timeliness of execution,
and profitability of the project.
In case of qualitative research, the
'Research' team designs the interview / discussion guide and the various
stimulus to which respondents give responses, and most of the times, conducts
the interviews and group discussions itself. It also prepares the final
presentation, making connections between individual responses, group behaviour,
and cultural insights. Thus, qualitative research is a lot less segregated work
compared to quantitative research.
Does this paint a clear picture of
the industry to a student? Do let me know.
If you have any queries, add them
in the comments.
(Also posted on www.insideiim.com)
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