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Methodology
3.1 Introduction
Selecting the right methodology for research is an important task that can never be
underestimated since it has a large influence on the relevance of information extracted and,
subsequently, the whole research. The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate and critically
evaluate the research methodology chosen for collecting the primary data.
The chapter begins with the explanation of research questions, followed by the method of
conducting research and the reason why this method is chosen. This chapter discusses and selects
the research methodology to achieve the research aim following a systematic and recognized
research plan.
relating to social organization and processes (Cuba and Cocking 1997), as well as cultural
phenomenon (Myers 1997). Although qualitative researchers may report numerical findings to
support their arguments, this methodology mainly deals with illustrating the richness and
expressiveness of social interaction as it occurs within specific contexts (Cuba and Cocking
1997). Data gathered from qualitative research facilitates researchers to understand the world or
phenomenon from the perspectives of respondents (Kaplan and Maxwell 1994; Myers 1997).
Some of the most frequently used qualitative techniques are participant observations, interviews,
ethnography, group discussion, and document analysis.
Comparing to quantitative research, several advantages of qualitative approach can be pointed
out, including costing cheaper, gaining in-depth understanding of research subjects, the ability to
develop the efficiency of quantitative research, and flexibility (Aaker 1998; Kvale 1996;
McDaniel and Roger 2002). Nevertheless, qualitative research is not a method without
weaknesses. Several critical criteria of this type of research are its reliability, validity,
generalisability and subjectivity (Bryman 2004; Silverman 2000).
As opposed to qualitative research, quantitative research is useful to study statistically meaning
of involving variables by the approach of mathematics (McDaniel and Roger
2002). the results obtained from this method are frequently expressed in statistical form. On this
basis, quantitative researchers seek to make inferences about a larger population from which the
sample is drawn (Cuba and Cocking 1997). Quantitative techniques include survey methods,
formal methods (e.g. econometrics), and numerical methods (e.g. mathematical modelling)
(Myers 1997). With its strong statistical analysis capability, high reliability and generalisability,
quantitative research is extensively used by marketing researchers and is well-recommended in
conducting research.
The main differences between qualitative and quantitative research can be summarized into 15
aspects, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: The Differences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
Types of questions
Probing
Limited probing
Research strategy
Unstructured
Structured
Scope of findings
Ideographic
Nomothetic
Sample size
Small
Large
Vanes
Relationship between
researcher and subject
Close
Distant
Researcher's stance in
relation to subject
Insider
Outsider
Requirements for
administration
Relationship between
theory and research
Emergent
Confirmation
Nature of data
Rich, deep
Hard, reliable
Types of analysis
Subjective, interpretive
Statistical, summation
Hardware
Questionnaires, computer,
Degree of replicability
Low
High
Researcher training
Type of research
Exploratory
Descriptive or causal
printouts
Based on the above discussion, quantitative research was chosen as it best fits the nature and
purpose of this study that attempts to understand Thai consumers perceptions and attitudes
toward foreign versus domestic apparel products. Another reason is that since almost all the
researches in this area employed quantitative research, applying the same methodology therefore
allows comparison with prior results made in other studies within the same context. Consumer
Perception and Attitude towards Foreign versus Domestic Apparel in Thailand 38 to be more
precise, a survey method, one of quantitative techniques, was selected. It represents an inquiry
which gathers information from a selected sample through a questionnaire. This technique is
often undertaken to learn about peoples knowledge, beliefs and preferences, and to assess the
view of general population (Kotler 2000).
3.9 Limitations
The limitation is the evaluation of innovation is discussed on the basis of none other aspects but
customer involvement and perception. The study also intends to conduct on the basis of only a
limited number of sample customers of a certain place and hence similar studies are necessary to
carry out in some different setups to have more research validity and Generalizability.