Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

When seeking primary information for business decision-making, a researcher typically has two options, qualitative or quantitative research. Both methodologies provide valuable information but the nature of the information is different and has different uses in business decision making. It is important to understand how these fit together.

Qualitative research provides a deeper understanding of an issue in a limited audience while quantitative research provides projectable descriptions of an issue that can be applied to the larger population. For the description to be useful, it must be based on the quality of the initial understanding. In some cases the qualitative understanding will be sufficient for the decision to be made. In other cases, the description will be used to make large investment decisions and should be very precise. This is a decision that the researcher and the manager must make.

G & S Research recommends and follows what is known as the pluralistic paradigm of market research. This begins with qualitative research to explore and define the parameters of a business issue. It is followed by quantitative research to understand the larger applicability of the initial research in the larger population. Once these results are known, they are confirmed through qualitative follow-up with representative members of the targeted population. In this way, a researcher can be certain that they truly understand the issues.