In: Operations Management
What type of interview would you use in each of the following situations, and why? A market research project? A research project seeking to understand whether trade union attitudes have changed? Following the analysis of a questionnaire?
This depends entirely on the objective(s) of each of the stated exercises.
Ans 1
A market research project is supposed determine target markets, new opportunities, customer needs and expectations etc. Hence, qualitative research interviews that lead you to detailed information about prospective opportunities/clients etc. is most effective. Open-ended, flexible and discussion-oriented interviews that tend to probe issues... may serve you well.
Ans 2
Trade union attitudes serve as good predictors of staff behaviour. Policies pertaining to compensation, benefits, industrial relations and other themes in HRM etc. are devised accordingly. Again, considering attitudes are complex to gauge, it may be wise to conduct in-depth/semi-structured qualitative research interviews that are conversational in nature. This will enable you to assess the core psychologies prevailing in the union.
Ans 3
A questionnaire is supposed to be a well organised and patterned assessment tool. Since a pre-planned test has already been conducted (via the questionnaire) and analysed, you may want to probe deeper and explore the inner inclinations of an interviewee. Yet again, the unstructured, in-depth, qualitative research interview may be availed to this end.