Perceptual Mapping

Perceptual mapping is a graphics technique used by asset marketers that attempts to visually display the perceptions of customers or potential customers. Typically the position of a product, product line, brand, or company is displayed relative to their competition.

Perceptual maps can have any number of dimensions but the most common is two dimensions. Any more is a challenge to draw and confusing to interpret. The first perceptual map below shows consumer perceptions of various automobiles on the two dimensions of sportiness/conservative and classy/affordable. This sample of consumers felt Porsche was the sportiest and classiest of the cars in the study (top right corner). They felt Plymouth was most practical and conservative (bottom left corner).




Perceptual Map of Competing Products
Cars that are positioned close to each other are seen as similar on the relevant dimensions by the consumer. For example consumers see Buick, Chrysler, and Oldsmobile as similar. They are close competitors and form a competitive grouping. A company considering the introduction of a new model will look for an area on the map free from competitors. Some perceptual maps use different size circles to indicate the sales volume or market share of the various competing products.

Displaying consumers’ perceptions of related products is only half the story. Many perceptual maps also display consumers’ ideal points. These points reflect ideal combinations of the two dimensions as seen by a consumer.

The next diagram shows a study of consumers’ ideal points in the alcohol/spirits product space. Each dot represents one respondent's ideal combination of the two dimensions. Areas where there is a cluster of ideal points (such as A) indicates a market segment. Areas without ideal points are sometimes referred to as demand voids.




Perceptual Map of Ideal Points and Clusters
A company considering introducing a new product will look for areas with a high density of ideal points. They will also look for areas without competitive rivals. This is best done by placing both the ideal points and the competing products on the same map.
Some maps plot ideal vectors instead of ideal points. The map below, displays various aspirin products as seen on the dimensions of effectiveness and gentleness. It also shows two ideal vectors. The slope of the ideal vector indicates the preferred ratio of the two dimensions by those consumers within that segment. This study indicates there is one segment that is more concerned with effectiveness than harshness, and another segment that is more interested in gentleness than strength.





Perceptual Map of Competing Products with Ideal Vectors
Perceptual maps need not come from a detailed study. It is questionable how valuable this type of map is. Often they just give the appearance of credibility to management’s preconceptions.

When detailed marketing research studies are done methodological problems can arise, but at least the information is coming directly from the consumer. There is an assortment of statistical procedures that can be used to convert the raw data collected in a survey into a perceptual map.

Some techniques are constructed from perceived differences between products/services, others are constructed from perceived similarities.
I think that this will be a useful way to record, analyse and collect data and will be using perceptual mapping for my project.

http://www.answers.com/topic/perceptual-mapping

Focus groups

I have just recently researched “Focus Groups” another way to collect data from people. It is pure qualitative data, Peter explained to me that it would be another useful way for me to collect my data as I want to find out people’s perceptions. I found this website that explains some advantages and disadvantages and explains a little more about them http://focusgroups.pbworks.com/Issues-including-advantages-and-disadvantages

The advantages of focus groups

The Authority Role of the Moderator
The face-to-face involvement of a qualified moderator can ensure that the conversation is always on track, and encourage participants’ engagement without one individual dominating the meeting.

The Ability of Group Participants to Interact With Each Other
When participate are stimulated to discuss, the group dynamics can generate new thinking about a topic which will result in a much more in-depth discussion.

The Dynamic Nature of the Methodology
Due to the dynamic environment the moderator can modify the topics, which are prepared before the session to make the topic more suitable for the purpose.

The Ability to Involve the Client Personnel in the Research Process
In traditional focus groups it is possible for the client personnel to watch the whole discussion behind a one-way mirror. The client personnel can provide their thinking to the moderator, which may help the moderator better handle the direction of discussion, and improve the quality of output.

The Capability to Utilise Non-Verbal Behaviour As A Research Input
The expression, attitude of individual, the intensity of the conversation etc. can be perceived by the researcher, which can modify the moderator’s decision and also can be counted in the research result.

The Level of Participant Involvement in the Research
Because every participant is under observation by the moderator and everybody knows the process has been videotaped, it is easy to make participants fully engage even during non-discussion time.

The Greater Security Associated With Traditional Focus Group Research
The possibility to screen each participant lets the researcher know who have been involved. This ensures that for example your competition is not involved.
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The disadvantages of focus groups

Focus groups are not the optimal technique for all research situations, the criticisms below have been mentioned by people who promote some other qualitative research methods.

“Focus Groups tend to become influenced by one or two dominant people in the session thus making the output very biased”
The moderator plays an essential role in handling the situation, but if the moderator is not experienced enough, it is very easy for the whole discussion to be dominated by a few people.

“Focus Groups are not as effective as individual detailed interview’s when dealing with sensitive topics”
It is difficult to have the participants share their real feelings towards some sensitive topics publicly. This can in turn influence the output data.

“Focus Group output is not projectable”
If a great deal of consistency in the results from a series of focus groups have been identified, then it is very likely that the results from these sessions probably can represent a larger number of people. We can’t expect focus groups to be projectable in the same way as quantitative study findings can be.
Furthermore, traditional focus groups can only be held in a few cities, unlike some internet and telephone focus groups which could be organized in various situations without limitation of time and location. This also makes data from focus groups less representative of the total universe.

“Focus Groups are a very artificial environment which can influence the responses that are generated”
This is frequently the argument that ethnographers will use when recommending their methodology versus focus groups. Researchers using the ethnographic technique will situate themselves in the real environment, this is unreachable for focus groups. In focus groups people are collected in a meeting room, thus they might behave differently from how they behave when they are not watched and it will affect the quality of research results.
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The special features of Focus Groups

In qualitative research, focus groups have some differences from other survey methodologies.

• Insight not Rules
Focus group can provide trustworthy naturalistic data that also lead to important insights about human behaviours by allowing all participants to say anything they would like in front of the whole group. Meanwhile, researchers listen not only for the content of discussions but observe something beyond talking, such as tone and emotions which help them to learn or confirm not just the facts but the meaning behind the facts.

• Social not Individual
In a focus group session, conversation among participants results in discussion data. In this way, focus groups elicit information that paints a portrait of combined local perspectives because the research may seek ways to fit all together. It is possible to gauge a groups’ overall reaction to educational materials, but not on an individual basis.

• Homogenous not Diverse
Focus group researchers select and invite 20-25 people with similar characteristics to a single session. The goal is to fill the room with a minimum of 10-12 participants that are similar (Krueger and Casey, 2000) which is supposed to increase the quality of the data.

• Flexible not standardised
During the course of a two-hour session, we can see a natural conversation will be produced because individuals are allowed to laugh, tell personal stories, revisit earlier questions, disagree with other research, the moderator only needs to lead the conversation on track by applying his prepared interview guide. Actually, a well-designed guide encourages group members to relax, open up, think deeply, and consider alternatives.

• Warm not Hot
Focus groups do not produce reliable data on topics that produce extremely strong feelings (Krueger and Casey, 2000). Because conversation in some cultures are of a sensitive nature will not be discussed thoroughly.

• Words not Numbers
Focus groups rely upon words spoken by participants. A report based on focus groups will feature patterns formed by words, called themes or perspectives. Researchers must use specific methods to analyse patterns in spoken language (Creswell, 1998).
A focus group method isn’t meant to create generalisations of this type and its procedures offer none of the protections that would permit them to do so (Fern, 2001). Numerical analysis is not a preferred technique. In fact, it is inappropriate to report a result of focus groups by percentage.
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Sources

Creswell, J. W. 1998. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Traditions. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.

Group plus. June 2003. retrieved April 5, 2006 from: http://www.groupsplus.com/pages/Respect3.htm

Fern, E.F. 2001. Advanced Focus Group Research. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.

Krueger, R. A., and M. A. Casey 2000. Focus groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (3rd edition.) Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.

Survey on Pole Dancing

Hello, I have created my first survey on Pole Dancing, if you havnt already taken part in my survey please could you. You will find the post in March's archive, it only takes a few minutes to answer the questions

Thankyou :-)

This is for Lantern Creators of beyond measures

There are people following your blog, and i have tried to leave you many comments over the past few weeks as i feel you need a little guidance hence your recent posts "cry for help".

Your blog does not actually let you leave a comment as when i write the comment and send it, it does not save. I have tried to leave comments, tried all the butons below the comment box and yet nothing happens, i have resorted to leaving you a message on my own blog.

Try and find out why you cant leave comments as communicating with the rest of us will make you feel better about whats going on. When you have sorted it i will be more than happy to help you.

Glad to hear you have come up with your project title :-)

Please Comment!

Hello Girls and Boys, please take a little time to complete my survey if you havnt already, and if you wouldn't mind checking my post called "Power to the Male and Female Race", i would be very interesting to hear what you all think,

Thanks Abbi x

Ethics explained

Since I was unable to attend the last campus session on Ethics I have decided to do some research to complete my research methods. After further reading I understand that there are many ethical issues, below are two of them with an example taken from the slideshow on Rosemary’s blog,

“You must always drive on the left hand side of the road in England”

This is legislation- a rule which is cohered to in order to prevent accidents.
This is called PRAGMATIC ETHICS

"A pragmatic ethic employs criteria without being criterial. It is objective without being absolutist. It acknowledges that ethical judgments are relative, without being relativistic. And it tolerates – indeed, welcomes – some moral differences, without being irresolute." (Hugh LaFollette, date unknown: “Pragmatic Ethics")

“Adults must not have sexual relations with minors”

This is called MORAL ETHICS

"Moral ethics can be defined as those principles on which our moral decisions are based. Ethics are the sense of right and wrong, good and evil, values and responsibility.
Moral ethics are formed from the obligations and duties of a person in the society. Nobody can force a person to adhere to moral ethics. For e.g. if a person sees an accident victim lying on the road it is his moral ethic to help out the victim but if he chooses to not do so then no social institution can punish him for this unwillingness. Thus these ethics are relative and subjective." (Priya, 2007-2010: What is Moral Ethics?)

I found it hard to find anything but these quotes after searching http://www.google.com/ and http://www.ask.com/

Ethical considerations:

* Be ethical in the questions you set. Don’t show bias.
* Be aware of deliberate fraud to produce desired results. DO NOT LIE.
* You must state how you define confidentiality and anonymity to avoid misconceptions.
* Carefully consider what you are promising to participants-particularly when considering the previous point.
* Consider any risks to humans when conducting an experiment-if in doubt would you be prepared to do it yourself? This may have to be an option.
* Be aware of potentially sensitive subject matter- e.g. eating disorders and private experiences.

Important factors

It is important to obtain consent from participants in your research. This is usually a signed consent form that provides sufficient background information of your proposal. Minors (under the age of 16 years old) need careful consideration and attention.
As your participants are voluntarily partaking in your research, it is important to advise that they have the right to withdraw any comments at any time even after data has been gathered.

As a researcher, you must also very carefully consider confidentiality and respect of participants’ privacy.

* How will I avoid identifying individuals, for example, in a small organisation-be aware of using easily identifiable titles such as the teacher/organiser/dancer.
* How will I store any data I gather? In a locked drawer? On a computer with a password?
* What will I do with the data after I have finished with it? Do what you promised the participants you would do with it. E.g. shred it/delete it/wipe it off the Dictaphone (and delete any transcripts).
I have used many people’s blogs and the internet to help me with this post which I am truly thankful for. I now understand what these two terms mean, however I now need to consider what I must do in order for my project.

Sources

http://rosemarymcguinness.blogspot.com/
http://www.hughlafollette.com/papers/pragmati.htm
http://www.blurtit.com/q582323.html
http://sophiejgilbert.blogspot.com/2010/03/learning-diary-entry-5.html

Research methods learning diary 6

Again I couldn’t make the campus session as I have started my intensive training at my new job. It has been a stressful week as I have so much to take in at my new job and in the back of my mind I am constantly thinking of uni work and wanting to be up to date. I feel a little behind as I feel I have not researched all areas yet, and haven’t decided what methods to use.

I wanted to attend this campus session as the topic today was about Ethical dimensions and Ethical permission. As I was unable to attend I have looked into Sophie Gilberts diary as she always produces information about the campus session from a student point of view and I have read posts delivered from Rosemary and Peters.

The lecture commenced with Peter Bryant informing us about a website called Survey Monkey which I and Sophie have previously encountered and designed a questionnaire. It is an extremely helpful website and it is free. I feel it has developed my skills for designing a survey/questionnaire because it allows all types/formats to be used e.g. multiple choice questions, one word answer only, scaling etc and then allows you to read the answers given by participants so you can analyse them. After reading them I have come up with many new questions that I will deliver in a post very soon.

I do remember being told briefly about conducting a pilot (practise) questionnaire/interview etc to eliminate any problems, bias or ethical issues before our ‘real’ methodology is actually put into practise. For me it has enlightened me on another area of research that I will later discuss. Survey Monkey is also going to help me complete Activity 7 which is going to be the survey I have created and critique it.

I have learnt that during the session Rosemary went through a series of slides educating the students about Ethical Issues in Research.
Rosemary firstly highlighted the importance (when analysing a questionnaire) of taking the whole sentence to avoid taking it out of context (see Rosemary’s blog for a good example). You must ensure you are attributing fairly. http://rosemarymcguinness.blogspot.com

I still feel that this is an area I don’t feel fully confident about, and I will have to do further research on Ethics in order to understand it fully, this will then allow me to complete an Ethics Statement.

Over the next few hours I aim to do some research on ethics using other student’s blogs, Bells book and the internet.

Wish me luck!!!

Case Study

The case study approach is ideally suited to the resources and environment of a work-based researcher. “The great strength of the case-study method is that it allows the researcher to concentrate on a specific instance or situation and to identify, or attempt to identify, the various interactive processes at work. These processes may remain hidden in a large-scale survey but may be crucial to the success of failure of systems or organizations” (Bell)

However, case-studies do come with its disadvantages, It is often difficult to cross-check information and so there is always the danger of distortion. Bassey considers that if case-studies “are carried out systematically and critically, if they are aimed at the improvement of education, if they are relatable, and if by publication of the findings they extend the boundaries of existing knowledge, then they are valid forms of educational research.” (Bassey 1981:85)
These issues make attention to the selection of the case study, the ability to relate the case study to a wider context and the possibility of undertaking a comparative case study.

Sources
Bell, J, 1999, Doing your research project (3rd ed), Berkshire: Open University Press.

Power to the Male & Female Race!

Ok, so I analysed some of the data that I have gathered from my survey at www.surveymonkey.com and I have noticed some people do think of Pole dancing as degrading and some feel that it should be considered as a Olympic sport. I respect people's thoughts as this project isn’t about what I think, it’s about how the public percieve Pole dancing.

After analysing the data I have however taken an interest in male’s taking part and performing Pole dancing too. I have a video of a Male and a Female Pole dancing and I have got a video that is 100% fitness and one that is fitness and performance.
I would really like to know what you all think in as much detail as possible what you think of both, your personal perceptions and if you would consider Pole dancing as an Olympic sport. I know your name will appear and I understand you may feel uncomfortable however you are not going to be judged I will find you extremely helpful and honest.

Please take time to watch the videos and comment, it will be appreciated so much.

Male



Thanks Abbi :-)