This essay will look at two different research methods used in the aviation industry The WritePass Journal

This essay will look at two different research methods used in the aviation industry Reference: This essay will look at two different research methods used in the aviation industry It is important for organisations to find out the needs and wants of its customers. Select two different research methods of which one must be quantitative and one qualitative and compare and contrast them. In addition, critically appraise their strengths and weaknesses and their application within your industry. This essay will look at two different research methods used in the aviation industry, these are qualitative research focus group method and quantitative research survey methods. Moreover, in comparing and contrasting these methods, also the author will critically appraise their strengths and weakness as they apply in the aviation industry. Marketing is an activity to improve the flow of goods, services and ideas from producers to consumer needs and wants. The four key aspect which an organisation has to take into version when meeting the needs of its customer is the four Ps, or else known as product, place, price and promotion. These four aspects are often referred to as the four Ps of the marketing mix (Koetler 2003). Through successful use of market and marketing research, organisation should be able to find out the needs and wants of the customer and try to delivers benefits that will enhance or add to the customers lifestyle, while at the same time certify that the fulfilment of these needs results in a healthy turnover for the business (Seaton,1996). And according to Swarbrooke and Horner (2007), passengers’ needs are very important in the aviation industry and customers’ behaviour can influence sales, when their needs and wants are not to given the required attention. The aviation industry is dedica ted to meeting customers’ increasing demands and enabling sustainability at the same time, maintaining environmental responsibility and social development, and economic progress in optimal balance. Besides, the aviation business needs to take into consideration the full potential of the industry which has yet to be realised by business people (Veal, 2006). Consistent withKent(2007) qualitative methods stand in contrast to quantitative methods. The core differentiation between the two groups of methods are that quantitative methods entail numbers, for instance, what is the number of passenger are travelling on a low- cost airlines whereas qualitative method do not. In the case of qualitative methods the information are not base on such analysis. By contrast, with quantitative method, the data collected are vulnerable to statistical analysis and the conclusions are base on such analysis. In consequence, there is a affinity for qualitative method to involve the gathering of large amounts of relatively detailed information about relatively few cases and for quantitative method to involve the gathering of relatively small amounts of data on relatively large numbers of cases (Middleton, 2005).   But generally, research companies cannot expect the ways in which customer think about different products and such methods are unsuitable for expl oring consumer attitudes, feelings, needs or perceptions. It always possible to make hypothetical response and ask customers to agree or disagree, but these may not get at what really matter to forthcoming buyers (Lambin, 2000). On the other hand, Chisnall (2005) indicate the fact that qualitative research provides context, insights and ideas for more research, but also with regard to preferred research methods and philosophical beliefs. Quantitative methods are often believed on objective reality that can be reasonably captured in quantifiable, theoretical frameworks, whereas qualitative methods often rely on a subjective and interpretative understanding of the world. Classically, quantitative research use numerical data, and it characteristically has structured and prearranged research question, theoretical frameworks and designs (Punch, 2005). Nevertheless, Kotler (2006) propose that researches might use quantitative method to test hypothesis, express the market or target population characteristics, and check relationships among variables. The results guide to formal conclusion and recommendation to inform decision-making. The idea is to get sufficient response that the research will feel confident that t he results are representative and reflect the market. According to Masterson and Pickton (2004) ,the essential characteristics of quantitative research are, defined objectives that include hypothesis, focused research design identifies who, how, what, why and when, large enough sample to allow for simplification, and heart of the research. The basic characteristics of qualitative research are, broad objectives; small samples, results tend not to be generalised or target population except for a chosen target group; and it is best used early in order to classify issues and again later in the process to validate (Koetler,2006). In agreement with Chisnall (2001) quantitative methods consists of a questionnaire surveys are useful for getting a great deal of specific information. These are best appropriate for descriptive researches and airlines and airports do use these when carrying out market research. Surveys can enclose open-ended questions for example â€Å"In which city did you board this flight?† Open ended questions have the advantage that the respondent is not limited to the options listed, and that the respondent is not being influenced by seeing a list of responses.   Conversely, open-ended questions are often overlooked out by respondents, and coding them can be quite a challenge. Surveys come in various different forms like mail surveys, in person, through the internet or by putting out questionnaires. One principally interesting point about questionnaires is that they can be adjusted to allow for national differences in insight of service standards, for example. This is an important for an airline like Cathay Pacific which has a multicultural, multinational market.   Many airlines aim their passengers with questionnaire surveys on board, to develop their service level. Hence, researches use different types of questions for questionnaire surveys like closed questions, likert scale, semantic differential and importance scale.   Ã‚  The strengths of some survey methods are relatively inexpensive and large number of people can be surveyed. At the same time surveys have weak point such as response rates are typically quite low and there is no communication and feelings and thoughts will not be expressed as freely as need be thus they can be viewed as unpredictable.(Baker,2007). The benefit for the use of qualitative research method, according to Masterson and Pickton (2004), is to get the member to talk their knowledge, give opinions about situation and to act in reaction to situation or prototypes. A focus group are valuable when the aviation industry wants to initiate a new product or change an existing one.   A focus group commonly involves having some 8-12 people come together in a room to discuss their consumption preferences and experiences.   The group is usually led by a moderator, who will start out talking largely about topics to the product. in most cases, focus groups are very good for getting depth for example, finding out what kinds of issues are important for consumers in a given product category.  The focus group will aim the gap in the aviation industry which has yet to receive potential utilisation by business people. Evaluation of the narrowing gap depicts customer expectations from the airline companies based on customer wants and needs and indicators of presentation impact. Focus groups also have some negative aspects, for example they can be time consuming, difficult to get members enthusiasm to open with their views depending on the question asked and, participants are viewed as a small group representing a whole population (Seaton1996). On the other hand, the strong point of focus group inspire greater intensity of ideas and participants in an interactive way where deep feelings and thought are considered in answering question posed (Middleton, 2001) Business research proposal are important across various professional fields and industries, as they assess the market viability of a business in the modern competitive environment. It is important for a business or organisation to conduct market research that is essential to understand the needs of customers in the competitive business environment. The aviation industry is among the many industries in the economic sector, which faces numerous risks and challenges. It has yet to be exploited to its full potential coupled with a gap in the industry which has not been utilised. While research cannot guarantee the success in decision- making it does at least reduce the risks of making a bad decision. So some research is better than none at all. Ultimately the choice will depend upon the nature of the research question and time and resource available. Reference: Anderson, D. R. (2005). Corporate survival: The critical importance of sustainability risk management. Business Insurance. Australian Airline Group (2008). Risk andOpportunityManagement. Byars, L. (1991): Strategic Management, Formulation and Implementation Concepts and Cases,New York: HarperCollins. Hilltop, J. (1994): European Human Resource Management in Transition;New YorkPrentice Hall Johnson, G. Scholes, K. (1993): Exploring Corporate Strategy. Text and Cases,Hemel Hempstead: Prentice-Hall. Kotter, J. Schlesinger, L. (1991): Choosing strategies for change. Harvard Business Review. 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