research techniques-primary research

1.1
Primary research.

Primary research is a mixture of research that helps you find out the specific areas of your topic but there are also disadvantages in using primary research. I am here to talk about the different techniques in using primary research.

Primary research consists of:

• Interviews
• Observations
• Focus groups 
• Questionnaires

Interviews
Interviews help you to get the interviewee’s opinion, facts and statistics. The interviewer can control the interview by using simple techniques like: closed questions, semi structured and structured conversations. Closed questions are often used when the interviewer wants a straight yes or no answer.

An example of these techniques is an interviewer called Jeremy Paxman he is a politician interviewer for the BBC news night. Jeremy Paxman is one of the best interviewer’s for the BBC. Jeremy uses an aggressive approach towards his interviewee’s by using closed questions in using this technique he doesn’t quit until he gets his answer (straight to the point). Jeremy is also very formal when conducting his interviews, an example of Jeremy’s aggressive approach is when he interviewed the BNP (British national party) he hits straight to the point with closed questions he had done lots of research an example was when he said “claims manifest” and used semi structured and structured conversation.

Louis Theroux is another example. In his interviews straight away he hits the interviewee with facts and statistics this is how you can tell he has done his research. Louis uses semi structured and structured conversations he lets the interviewee have their say but he also provokes a response out of the interviewee (provides oxygen). Other examples of interviewers are Michael Moore and market research people.

Observations

Observations give you the ability to witness the event. A very good example would be Louis Theroux he went to stay with this most hated family in America for a week, which he observed the family. The disadvantages of observing are:

• It could lead in you forgetting. 
• Your vision is obscured.
• Or there is too much information for you to remember. 

The advantages of observing are:

• It adds credibility.
• You can evaluate it your self.

 Focus groups

Focus groups gives you the ability to find out what people think about a company’s product or strategies. Focus groups helps to give improvements or just a mark out of ten. The disadvantages of focus groups is that people don’t give their honest opinion because other people have opposed to what you have said also it doesn’t give you much to go by not many facts and statistics and marks out of ten doesn’t help much.

Questionnaires

Questionnaire’s helps you to get the percentage of what people like and don’t like based around your topic this way you can control the audience in what questions have been asked. The disadvantage to this if that it only gives you a percentage not the facts or statistics, no how’s or whys.

And this is my view on what primary research is about.