Good day,
I'm currently working on defining the research design for my master's thesis and unfortunately I'm struggling a bit. In my master's thesis, I want to research a possible positioning of a start-up in the coffee market. I would like to interview potential customers to get an understanding of their wants, needs, etc. and then finally define the USP, the value proposition, or the positioning against the competition. I have already read some of the literature and the mixed method theory makes sense to me because I can bring more certainty to my research. However, I now have the question of which approach I should choose here? I thought it would make the most sense to first conduct an explorative interview, from which I can then derive concrete requirements and then formulate hypotheses, such as: With coffee, it is more important to me that it is sustainable than that it is cheap.
However, I have read in the literature that this approach is called a pre-study when, for example, a questionnaire is developed in psychology. I think the word pre-study irritates me because I don't want to do one. Do you think that the proposed research design could apply to my application?
I say thank you for your help in advance!
Kind regards,
Sam
In mixed methods research, what you have described is called an exploratory sequential design, and it is one of the best known designs in that field. I suggest you consult the textbook by Creswell and Plano-Clarke, as well as the workbook by Fetters.
Sam Bre Mixed techniques can also be qual-qual or quant-quant. Any quantitative component has the capacity to assert hypotheses; however, this is not necessarily the case. It can alternatively be a question or a statement, depending on how descriptive the quantitative data is.
The findings of your qualitative inquiry will be utilized to influence your next proposal for a quantitative study in a mixed-methods approach (like developing a new survey measure). You may discover that you need to conduct another qualitative study to understand the findings of your quantitative research.
If your research approach indicates that quantitative or qualitative data alone will not adequately address your research topic, mixed methods research may be the best option. In a mixed methods study, quantitative and qualitative data are collected and analyzed in the same study.
Sam Bre From the information you have shared you are possibly working on market research for product mix and strategic positioning. As recommended above, the book by Creswell and Plano-Clarke is a good one if you want to take conceptual clarity on Mixed methods as well as qualifying research scenarios suitable for a mixed methods study. Of course, it also depends on how much time you have in hand for your MSc project. Having done several product and marketing research projects for clients, I can safely say that it is fine to follow the approach you have in mind - what matters is your preparation on the drivers of customer experience so both your surveys and qualitative interviews are high quality. A few exploratory interviews and surveys for feasibility with a small well-represented sample could be rewarding in the outcomes of your project as well as learning. Hope this helps. Good luck.
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