Qualitative Research Methods in Business: A Comprehensive Analysis

This report examines three qualitative research methods: phenomenology, ethnography, and grounded theory, and their applications in business. Phenomenology focuses on individual experiences, often using surveys and interviews, to understand consumer behavior and preferences. Ethnography involves immersing oneself in a culture to understand consumer needs, commonly used in test marketing. Grounded theory aims to develop theoretical models from existing data, useful for customer satisfaction surveys. The report highlights the flexibility of qualitative research, allowing for data-driven modifications, in-depth data analysis, and the incorporation of human experiences, making it valuable for business studies. The report also includes references to support the analysis.

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Three different types of qualitative research
The three major types of qualitative research methods are phenomenology,
ethnography and Grounded theory model. In phenomenology, the experience of a specific
individual is taken into account where the goal of the study to examine the experience of a
particular human being in respect to a specific event (Lewis, 2015). This method can use
surveys, interviews and observations to collect relevant data where the feelings of the
participant during the event is observed and recorded. This method is generally used to assist
sales representatives in using different styles of pitching and marketing the product to the
client based on their personality (Brannen, 2017).
In case of ethnographic model, it submerges the participants in an unfamiliar culture.
The purpose of this method is to evaluate and describe the characteristics of a culture
(Hussein, 2015). This method is used for understanding the needs and wants of the
consumers. This has been widely used in test marketing where the products are tested in front
of selected participants to check the response of the participant regarding the new product.
Grounded theory aims to explain a phenomenon and theoretical models are developed based
on the existing data. This is used by business for customer satisfaction surveys (Lewis, 2015).
Reason for choosing qualitative research more often than in the past
The reasons for using qualitative research method in the present scenario are as
follows:
 There is fluidity in the research framework and framework can be modified based on
the data available (King, Horrocks & Brooks, 2018).
 In-depth data analysis can be conducted to gather detailed insights on phenomenon.
 It also incorporates human observations and experiences which is one of the key
aspect for business studies (Brannen, 2017).

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References
Brannen, J. (2017). Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research. Routledge.
Hussein, A. (2015). The use of triangulation in social sciences research: Can qualitative and
quantitative methods be combined?. Journal of comparative social work, 4(1).
King, N., Horrocks, C., & Brooks, J. (2018). Interviews in qualitative research. SAGE
Publications Limited.
Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), 473-475.