Data Gathering and Analysis
In response to a given scenario, develop a research question hierarchy, determine how you
would gather and assess qualitative data, and analyze ethical issues that may present
themselves. Compile your work into a 1–2 page analysis with a recommendation based on your
results.
Note: The assessments in this course build upon each other, so you are strongly encouraged to
complete them in sequence.
Preparation
Before beginning this assessment, use the Capella library guide and the resources for this course
to locate peer-reviewed articles that describe the value of qualitative research methods or the
ethics involved in conducting qualitative surveys. You will use this information to address the
scenario for this assessment.
Practical Application Scenario
Suppose you are a manager at a multimillion-dollar real estate company. You have been
entrusted to research the changing relationship between real estate agents and their clients and to
make a recommendation to your organization's leaders for addressing the growing demands on
real estate agents.
1. Develop a research question hierarchy for this endeavor.
2. Consider different types of qualitative data collection and analysis methods, and the ways
in which they can support business decision making and strategies. How would you
gather and assess qualitative data to support business decision making?
3. Analyze the ethical issues, if any, that should concern you in undertaking this initiative.
Compile your work into a 1–2 page Microsoft Word file, pasting in any tables or charts you may
have used to support your statements.
Data Gathering and Analysis Scoring Guide
Criteria
Analyze ethical considerations in
the collection and analysis of
qualitative data to support
business decision making.
Develop a research question
Proficient
Distinguished
Evaluates ethical
considerations in
Analyzes ethical considerations in
the collection and
the collection and analysis of
analysis of
qualitative data to support business
qualitative data to
decision making.
support business
decision making.
Develops a research question
Develops and
Criteria
Proficient
hierarchy to clarify the purpose of hierarchy to clarify the purpose of
qualitative research.
qualitative research.
Distinguished
interprets a
research question
hierarchy to
support business
decisions and
strategies based on
qualitative
research.
Assesses qualitative data for fit in
analysis.
Assesses
qualitative data for
fit in analysis;
presents
conclusions for
determining fit.
Evaluate qualitative data
collection and analysis methods.
Evaluates qualitative data
collection and analysis methods
Evaluates
qualitative data
collection and
analysis methods,
and relates
methods to
relevant real-world
situations.
Compile findings into a
management report with details
for recommended actions.
Compiles findings
into a management
report with details
Compiles findings into a
for recommended
management report with details for actions; presents
recommended actions.
information in a
format expected of
the business
profession.
Assess qualitative data for fit in
analysis.
Communicate in a manner that is
professional and consistent with
expectations for members of the
business professions.
Communicates in a manner that is
professional and consistent with
expectations for members of the
business professions.
Communicates in a
manner that is
professional,
scholarly, and
consistent with
expectations for
members of the
business
professions.
Adheres to APA
guidelines, and
Criteria
Proficient
Distinguished
work is appropriate
for publication.
Running head: DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
Data Gathering and Analysis
Koyel Dutta
Capella University
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
1
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
2
Case Study
Kalvino is a reputed brand for leather products in the United States. It sells its leather
products across multiple stores in the United States. The owner of the brand has entrusted
Damon, a market researcher, to address the cause of decline in the sales of its leather products
and make recommendations to the organization's leaders addressing the various reasons
causing the decline in sales (see Appendix, for the scenario).
The research method that can be used to analyze the decline in sales is qualitative
research. It is primarily an exploratory research method and used to gain an understanding of
underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations of the various respondents in a study. Damon
can use the qualitative research method to analyze the reasons causing the decline in the sales
of leather products. This research method will give him insight regarding the various
decisions and choices made by the customers that might have an impact on the sales of
Kalvino’s products (Leavy, Saldana, Beretvas, & Natasha, 2011).
Research Question Hierarchy for the Management Dilemma
A research question hierarchy is a six-step hierarchy of questions that helps
management to find a solution to a problem through a step-by-step order of questions
(Cooper & Schindler, 2006). The following steps describe the research question hierarchy
that can be used by Damon to help the management of Kalvino solve their management
dilemma.
Management dilemma: In a competitive and fluctuating market environment, decline of
sales is a major problem that many companies face in the leather industry, including
Kalvino. There is also a rise in the number of competitors in this industry, which would
affect Kalvino.
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
3
Management questions: In order to find out a solution to the decline in sales, it is essential
to understand the major factors behind this problem and try to capitalize on opportunities
to increase sales. Some of the questions that the management should address are—why is
there a decline in sales? How can there be an increase in the sales of the company’s
product? Is the cost of product affecting the sales? Is the quality of the product poor in
comparison to the competitors? Are the salespeople dissatisfied with their jobs? Should
the cost of leather products be reduced? What kinds of opportunities are available to
increase sales?
Research questions: Based on the questions mentioned above, the management needs to
decide what course of action should be taken to reach a solution. The questions that can
be helpful for deciding the course of action could be —should the quality of leather
products be improved? What measures can be undertaken to reduce cost without affecting
quality? Should there be an increase in the incentives of salespeople? Should there be a
change in the distribution system and methods? Should the market price of the products
be reduced to pull in more customers?
Investigative questions: A further analysis of the questions would help the management
find the most suitable solution to the problem. It requires considering certain questions—
can Kalvino’s customers afford the products or services? Will the incentives satisfy the
salespeople? Will a change in distribution incur more cost to the company? Will the
improvement in product quality lead to an increase in the cost of production?
Measurement questions: A proper answer to the above questions can be gained by
collecting relevant information, which requires collecting data from the concerned
people—do the products or services fulfil the demands of the customers? Are the
customers willing to pay more for better quality? Will salespeople be satisfied with a
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
4
changed incentive system? How did you find our pricing of the products in comparison to
other service providers?
Management decision: According to the research conducted by Damon, the authorities of
Kalvino should decide—whether they should improve the quality of the product?
Whether there should be a reduction in the cost of the product? Should they go ahead and
change the incentives structure for the salespeople? Based on the information from these
questions, the company should pick up the best method that would help it achieve a
substantial improvement in the sales of the leather products.
Methods for Qualitative Data Collection
A successful implementation of the research question hierarchy is possible by using
the most suitable method of data collection depending on the situation. Some of the most
common sources of data collection in qualitative research are interviews, focus groups, and
observations. The methods for data collection that can be used by Damon in this scenario are
interviews and focus groups.
Interviews: An interview is the most common source of data in qualitative studies. It is a
verbal interchange between an interviewer and an interviewee. Damon can conduct
interviews through face-to-face interactions or telephonic calls, and he can include closeended and open-ended questions in interviews, having fixed answers or varying answers
respectively. Some of the questions that Damon can ask the interviewees are—how happy
are you with your purchase? How did you find our pricing of the products in comparison
to other service providers? What other services should we offer? What kind of incentives
would you prefer?
Focus groups: The focus group is a type of qualitative research technique in which
interviews are held with a small group of people on specific topics. Damon can use this
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
Comment [JK1]: Very good with the
identification and detail development of the
elements of the research question hierarchy
Comment [JK2]: Very good describing
several data collection methods to include
focus groups, interviews and others.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
5
technique as he can gather information about several people in one session. This will
allow him to find the perceptions, needs, and underlying reasons behind various decisions
made by customers, which would help him, decide the cause behind the decline in the
sales of Kalvino’s products (Strickland, 2010).
Sampling frame: The sampling frame is a list of members of the total population of
interest from which a sample for study can be drawn. In this scenario, Damon can
consider the customers and salespeople of Kalvino as the population. He can select a few
customers and salespeople of Kalvino as the sample. There are two types of sampling
observations that Damon can use to conduct his research—time sampling and event
sampling. By using time sampling, he can observe the behavior of customers and
salespeople for several days, weeks, or months. By using event sampling, Damon can
record the reasons behind the decline in sales of Kalvino products real time. Some of the
questions that Damon can ask the sampled customers are as follows—how happy are you
with your purchase? What persuaded you to purchase from Kalvino? What is the one
feature that differentiates Kalvino from other service providers? The question that Damon
can ask the salespeople is as follows—what kind of incentives and benefits do they
prefer? The data collected through qualitative methods is a direct reflection of the skills
and competencies of the researcher. Damon should employ sophisticated interpersonal
skills to interpret and respond accurately to the behavior of the customers and salespeople
in various settings.
Methods of Data Analysis in Qualitative Research
A proper analysis of the data collected would help in finding the right solution to a
problem. Recorded words and sentences provide rich data about the personalities, thoughts,
and attitudes of respondents. Content analysis is a data analysis strategy used to access the
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
Comment [JK3]: Very good discussing
several sampling issues
Comment [JK4]: Good with the descriptio
of some qualitative data analyses methods.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
6
gathered information in a more systematic and objective manner to identify concepts and
themes in the collected data.
In content analysis, coding is the process of combining the data for themes, ideas, and
categories where similar passages of text are marked with a code label so that they can easily
be retrieved at a later stage for further comparison and analysis. Coding the data makes it
easier to search the data, to make comparisons, and to identify any patterns that require
further investigation. Damon can start the analysis by coding sections of text or by making
separate notes about the data collection. By coding, he can gradually convert raw data into
usable data by identifying themes, concepts, or ideas that are connected to each other. He can
give meaningful names to words, phrases, or pieces of text that exemplify what the
participants are saying, which is called as “theming.” Damon should carefully document the
various iterations of “coding trees,” which help in understanding how and why raw data are
converted into a theme and what rules he has to use to decide on the inclusion or exclusion of
specific data within or from a theme. At the end of the theming process, the customers’
narratives can be illustrated by quotations from the transcripts (Austin & Sutton, 2014).
During the collection and analysis of qualitative data, a researcher might face various ethical
issues, which need to be addressed.
Ethical Issues Involved in the Collection of Qualitative Data
In the qualitative research procedure, a researcher will face ethical challenges in all
the stages of the study, from designing to reporting which includes anonymity,
confidentiality, informed consent, and researchers’ potential impact on the participants.
Protection of customers through the informed consent process favors formalized interaction
between researcher and customer. Customers should understand the risks they face and the
benefits they gain as a result of participating in the research. The researcher must be
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
Comment [JK5]: Very good describing
several ethical issues in the context of the
problem.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
7
conscious that his own views and opinions should not affect the research process. Damon
should attempt to keep the data anonymous. However, this can be sometimes difficult as the
participants are recognizable at times because of their stories (Austin & Sutton, 2014).
Damon, like any other researcher, needs to consider these ethical challenges for obtaining
accurate results during his research.
Recommendations for the Management of Kalvino
The sale of leather products in Kalvino is declining. Damon should suggest ways to
the authorities to increase the sales. If one of the causes for decline in sales is high price, then
a way to overcome the high price is by using raw materials efficiently, which will minimize
wastage and maximize productivity of the products. If the cost of production is reduced, then
the sales of products will increase gradually. Another cause for decline in sales is quality of
the product. High-quality products like bags have edges that have been polished by hand. The
quality of these can be improved if the craftsmen put more attention into the products. The
dissatisfaction of the salespeople also affects the sales. If the salespeople are offered more
incentives and benefits, this problem can be resolved. This can help the business to increase
the sales of the products. Based on Damon’s research and recommendations, the management
of Kalvino should take appropriate measures to increase the sale of its products.
Conclusion
Qualitative research may not provide definitive answers, but it can yield a better
understanding for the focused work. Damon should use the qualitative research method to
find reasons for the decline in the sales of Kalvino’s products, which might be high price,
degrading quality, and dissatisfaction of the salespeople in Kalvino. Based on his research
and analysis, Damon can advise the management of Kalvino to take appropriate steps to
increase the sales of its products.
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
8
References
Austin, Z., & Sutton, J. (2014). Qualitative research: Getting started. The Canadian
Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 67(6), 436–440. https://ncbi-nlm-nihgov.library.capella.edu/pmc/articles/PMC4275140/.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P.S. (2006). Clarifying the research question through secondary
data and exploration. Marketing research (pp. 110 –118) Retrieved from
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Cf1D0DvWXI8C&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq
=cooper+research+hierarchy+question&source=bl&ots=ldRHPx1_yw&sig=dE14a2l
K313Ubjzq7XJJgfU58cc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihvPLcpdDQAhUKNI8KHb
7aCzcQ6AEIOzAF#v=onepage&q=cooper%20research%20hierarchy%20question&f
=false
Leavy, Saldana, P., Beretvas, J., & Natasha (2011). Fundamentals of Qualitative Research
Retrieved from
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/lib/capella/reader.action?docID=
665394
Strickland, O. L., Waltz C. F., & Lenz E. R. (2010). Measurement in Nursing and Health
Research. Retrieved from
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/lib/capella/reader.action?docID=
515306
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
DATA GATHERING AND ANALYSIS
9
Appendix
Kalvino is a reputed brand for leather products in the United States. It sells its leather
products across multiple stores in the United States. The owner of the brand has entrusted
Damon, a market researcher, to address the cause of decline in the sales of its leather products
and make recommendations to the organization's leaders addressing the various causes for the
decline in sales.
Copyright © 2016 Capella University. Copy and distribution of this document is prohibited.
WEEKEND JOURNAL; The Home Front: The
Gofer Broker
Fletcher, June. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]05 Oct 2007:
W.1.
1. Full text
2. Abstract/Details
Abstract
Translate Abstract
In Florida, a faltering market, the demands can be extraordinary. Eleven months ago, Natalie Warner, a
retired schoolteacher, asked agent Jeene Brown to help supervise repairs and repainting of her twobedroom vacation condo in Stuart. Ms. Brown says she spent almost 30 hours doing so, and even
worked right along the cleaning person, scrubbing floors and organizing cabinets and closets. Then she
held an open house and immediately found a buyer. But when Ms. Warner flew down from her home in
New Jersey to close the deal, she saw how nice the spiffed-up condo looked and decided not to sell
after all. "I felt bad in a way," says Ms. Warner, who offered to pay Ms. Brown for her time. Ms. Brown
declined, because she hoped that Ms. Warner would use her services in the future and recommend her
to her friends: "It's not always about an immediate profit," she says.
Some clients ask for favors even after the sale closes. In August, Liz Dameron, a homemaker, closed on
a three-bedroom Craftsman-style house in Roanoke, Va., after 18 months of hunting with agent Mary
Dykstra. During the search, she was going through a divorce, and appreciated the fact that Ms. Dykstra
did some personal favors for her, like bringing her a bottle of wine when she was feeling blue. So less
than a month after the closing, when she couldn't pick up her 14- year-old daughter from an evening
ballet class because of a scheduling problem, she called Ms. Dykstra, whom she has come to consider a
friend. "I know she's there for me," says Ms. Dameron. But this time, she wasn't: Ms. Dykstra, who was
driving around another client when the call came, gently declined the task.
In such a competitive environment, new agents are especially vulnerable to demanding clients. To
make her first sale, of an $849,000 home in Sebastopol, Calif., Cheryl Sanfilippo agreed to dig up
landscaping -- including hauling away huge plants -- and remove the goldfish from an indoor pond
before the house was tented to eradicate termites. "I didn't want to make waves," she says. Buyerr
David Ostroff, a retired college professor, says he didn't see anything wrong with asking her to perform
such tasks, and didn't offer to pay her. "It didn't seem necessary," he says.
More
Full Text
• Translate Full text
•
[In the soft market, clients are asking Realtors to perform menial, sometimes humiliating tasks. June
Fletcher on scooping, painting, vacuuming and drawing the line.]
Jonathan Marks makes his living as a real-estate agent. Lately, he's been babysitting rats.
With the housing market in a dive and homes lingering unsold for months, the relationship between
real-estate agents and their clients is beginning to change. Both buyers and sellers are demanding more
from their brokers, and getting it.
Jim Perry, an agent in St. Helena, Calif., spent most of an afternoon vacuuming up thousands of flies
from one client's guest house. Mary Hartley, in Albany, Ore., organized a garage sale for one seller,
spent 10 hours painting the side of the house for another and recently enlisted her grandchildren to help
clean out the debris in a crawl space for a third. And to help Sandra Le Buhn sell her $1.2 million, fourbedroom home in Mill Valley, Calif., Mr. Marks agreed to board her nine-year-old daughter's cherished
brown-and-white rats, Zack and Cody, who had been living in a cage in the bathtub.
But some agents are drawing the line. Kirsten Lindquist, a Sonoma, Calif., agent, says she made a
marketing pitch to a seller a few weeks ago. Two days later, he called her from the hospital and asked if
she would drive him home from his colonoscopy appointment. She declined, even though it cost her the
listing. "I'm licensed to practice real estate, not medicine," she says.
During the boom times just two years ago, real-estate agents didn't have to do much more than post a
house on the multiple listing service and watch the bids roll in. But the dynamic is changing. In August,
existing-home sales were down 12.8% from a year earlier, to 5.5 million, and the index of pending
home sales plummeted 22%, according to the National Association of Realtors. During the same
period, new- home sales dropped 21.2% to 795,000, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. It
would take 10 months to sell the number of existing homes on the market, according to NAR, the
highest supply since the trade group began tracking this number in 1999. New homes are at an 8.2month supply, about twice the level they reached during the boom years of 2001 to 2005.
As a result, client demands are escalating to the point that brokers say they're instructing their agents on
how to walk the fine line between being helpful and being stepped on.
Cora Bett Thomas, a Christie's Great Estates broker based in Savannah, Ga., encourages her 60 agents
to do personal favors that aren't too time-consuming. Three weeks ago, for example, one agent
retrieved a set of false teeth that had been left in a vacation home and sent them by overnight mail to
the out-of-state owner, a task that took less than an hour. But Ms. Thomas counsels agents to deflect
demands to scrub toilets or do other demeaning jobs by offering to recommend or set up an
appointment with a business that specializes in that service. "It's all about managing expectations," she
says.
J.P. Garlington, a Century 21 broker in Houston, tells his 36 agents not to do tasks that are unrelated to
their jobs because of liability concerns. "You get enough of those issues just selling houses," he says.
Mary Jo McNally, director of education for Corcoran Group, which has more than 1,500 agents in New
York and Florida, says that while new hires are expected to do minor favors, like dropping a client off
at work after a showing, they're also told they don't have do to anything that makes them feel
uncomfortable.
The training coaches at RE/MAX International, which has 120,000 agents, encourage agents to provide
extra services that they feel comfortable with. One agent who specializes in seniors, for example, calls
them to remind them of their doctors' appointments. Agents are also advised to keep a list handy of the
things they are willing to do, plus referrals to service providers, according to Shaun White, a
spokesman for the Denver-based company.
The need to please is part of a larger diminution of the agent's role in the age of Zillow, Trulia and other
online real-estate research sites. In the past, agents controlled what houses buyers saw and provided
data to sellers about local markets. Now, sellers can advertise their homes themselves online and buyers
can do their own research, without a middleman. Listings on Forsalebyowner.com, for example, were
up 12% at the end of September from a year ago, according to a company spokesman. Listings on
Owners.com, which also includes advertising from people who use discount brokerages or pay a
commission to buyers' agents, were up 45% in the same period.
As a result, many clients now question whether agents deserve the commissions they once commanded.
Indeed, average commission levels at big brokerages have dropped to 5.1% from 5.4% in 2001,
according to Real Trends, a real-estate research and publishing company.
In Florida, a faltering market, the demands can be extraordinary. Eleven months ago, Natalie Warner, a
retired schoolteacher, asked agent Jeene Brown to help supervise repairs and repainting of her twobedroom vacation condo in Stuart. Ms. Brown says she spent almost 30 hours doing so, and even
worked right along the cleaning person, scrubbing floors and organizing cabinets and closets. Then she
held an open house and immediately found a buyer. But when Ms. Warner flew down from her home in
New Jersey to close the deal, she saw how nice the spiffed-up condo looked and decided not to sell
after all. "I felt bad in a way," says Ms. Warner, who offered to pay Ms. Brown for her time. Ms. Brown
declined, because she hoped that Ms. Warner would use her services in the future and recommend her
to her friends: "It's not always about an immediate profit," she says.
Some clients ask for favors even after the sale closes. In August, Liz Dameron, a homemaker, closed on
a three-bedroom Craftsman-style house in Roanoke, Va., after 18 months of hunting with agent Mary
Dykstra. During the search, she was going through a divorce, and appreciated the fact that Ms. Dykstra
did some personal favors for her, like bringing her a bottle of wine when she was feeling blue. So less
than a month after the closing, when she couldn't pick up her 14- year-old daughter from an evening
ballet class because of a scheduling problem, she called Ms. Dykstra, whom she has come to consider a
friend. "I know she's there for me," says Ms. Dameron. But this time, she wasn't: Ms. Dykstra, who was
driving around another client when the call came, gently declined the task.
Still, surprisingly, agents continue to enter the field at an accelerating rate, according to the Association
of Real Estate License Law Officials, despite lower commission rates and slowing sales. From 2004 to
2005, 129,728 new agents received a real-estate license; from 2005 to 2006, 138,107 new agents
entered the field. Though such a trend may be counterintuitive, it can be explained by job losses in
other sectors and few barriers to entry into the real-estate profession, says Debbie Campagnola, chief
executive officer of the association. "Real estate in most jurisdictions is fairly easy to get into," she
says.
In such a competitive environment, new agents are especially vulnerable to demanding clients. To
make her first sale, of an $849,000 home in Sebastopol, Calif., Cheryl Sanfilippo agreed to dig up
landscaping -- including hauling away huge plants -- and remove the goldfish from an indoor pond
before the house was tented to eradicate termites. "I didn't want to make waves," she says. Buyerr
David Ostroff, a retired college professor, says he didn't see anything wrong with asking her to perform
such tasks, and didn't offer to pay her. "It didn't seem necessary," he says.
But veterans don't necessarily see the need to do whatever they're asked to do, either. Sellers asked
Suzanne Grace, an agent in Thousand Oaks, Calif., to straighten up before brokers visited and to be
sure to bring her own bleach, since they didn't have any. During an open house, another couple asked
her to clean up dog droppings that had been deposited on the bedroom floor. She politely demurred. "I
have my limits," she says.
Word count: 1394
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