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The words "Focus Group" usually conjure up a boardroom filled with suits and people behind oneway mirrors trying to push marketing campaigns. However, the term "Focus Group" can be used to describe informal meetings for any purpose that requires group consensus, negotiation or communal influence. In fact, any time your organization or... more »
Advertising, graphic design and research all fall under the broader career of marketing, or how a company determines the needs of its customers and promotes its products and services that meet those needs. Marketing goes back to the earliest human times, when sellers would come up with creative ways to encourage others to buy their... more »
Anyone can use extra money. Some people need it to buy a computer or large-screen television, while others may want to supplement their income. Whatever the case, there are many ways to make easy money. It is just a matter of doing some research and getting started. more »
Absenteeism costs companies and organizations billions of dollars every year, in addition to decreased productivity and increased low morale. The reasons for such high absenteeism include ergonomic issues that lead to physical problems, boredom and even depression over disinterest in the job, and emotional turmoil from trying to find... more »
When you have a business idea, it is important to be able to sell and promote it. To do this, however, you have to put your idea into a practical plan.
To see your idea become a reality, draw up a draft that describes each part of the development process. The more detailed your plan is, the more likely for you to succeed. more »
Focus groups are sessions created by market research companies representing corporations or the government wishing to receive feedback on a new or... more »
Focus groups are one of the most important tools that any marketing department can use. Regardless of how good an idea you think you have, the... more »
Marketing research is the gathering and interpreting of data for a specific problem a company is having. A focus group, or group interviewing, is... more »
Focus groups are a primary research technique in which eight to 10 individuals participate in a discussion led, typically, by a trained moderator.... more »
Dozens of marketing companies look for people to participate in research groups for evaluating a product and give feedback on a opinion or test... more »
A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members.
The first focus groups were created at the Bureau of Applied Social Research by associate director, sociologist Robert K. Merton. The term itself was coined by psychologist and marketing expert Ernest Dichter.
In marketing
In the world of marketing, focus groups are seen as an important tool for acquiring feedback regarding new products, as well as various topics. In particular, focus groups allow companies wishing to develop, package, name, or test market a new product, to discuss, view, and/or test the new product before it is made available to the public. This can provide invaluable information about the potential market acceptance of the product.
In social sciences
In the social sciences and urban planning, focus groups allow interviewers to study people in a more natural setting than a one-to-one interview. In combination with participant observation, they can be used for gaining access to various cultural and social groups, selecting sites to study, sampling of such sites, and raising unexpected issues for exploration. Focus groups have a high apparent validity - since the idea is easy to understand, the results are believable. Also, they are low in cost, one can get results relatively quickly, and they can increase the sample size of a report by talking with several people at once.Marshall, Catherine and Gretchen B. Rossman. 1999. Designing Qualitative Research. 3rd Ed. London: Sage Publications, p. 115
Types of focus groups
Variants of focus groups include:
* Two-way focus group - one focus group watches another focus group and discusses the observed interactions and conclusion
* Dual moderator focus group - one moderator ensur read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus+group
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