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Page 4 of 7 The output Given that participants have time to consider their responses, and that every respondent can answer every question, bulletin board focus groups tend to generate long transcripts. To give an example, one respondent posted a 413 word response to a question in a recent project; and in another recent study which lasted six-days, there was a total of 2,200 posts. For analysis purposes, this instant transcript can then be organised (using the software) by question or by responses from certain respondents if required. Handling the transcript can take some getting used to, because it does not have the flow of real time transcripts. Each comment needs to be considered against the question it is answering which is not necessarily the preceding post. We have found that, before they see the output of a board, clients can sometimes be slightly sceptical of the quality of the responses participants give. Again, the best way to overcome this barrier is to show them examples from previous projects. The following posts from two senior IT managers on a bulletin board are good illustrations of the quality of information to expect. 3.1. Moderator 13-Mar-2005 04:33 PM Thinking about your own company, what are the main business issues affecting your company today? Why are these an issue? 3.1.1. Jon 15-Mar-2005 01:03 AM Our main issues are: Debt Management (Increasing bills will increase the reluctance to pay) Improving Customer Services (We are trying to reduce customer contact through a 'One and Done' approach) Streamlining core business processes (Reducing operating costs) Water availability (concern over pollution, weather, drought, etc) Knowledge Retention 3.1.2. Steven 15-Mar-2005 09:49 AM We have to regain the confidence of the public, who have been taking their business
elsewhere; for the last 2-3 years sales have plummeted and the market is becoming increasingly competitive. We have to reverse the trend and encourage customers back. We have recently been through a re-branding process and unfortunately due to the recent takeover, are about to go through another one. This will make the job harder short-term but long-term should help identify the brand. The benefits and drawbacks of bulletin boards This section considers the main benefits and drawbacks of the bulletin board technique, and looks at how to determine whether or not the method is suitable for a particular piece of research. There are, of course, no hard and fast rules on when to use them in the business to business environment, but it is our general view that bulletin boards offer an alternative means of conducting research where face to face methods (usually the ideal) are not so practical. This is naturally subject to the specific research objectives, and whether they can be effectively met in the online environment. Benefits Perhaps the key benefit, therefore, of the bulletin board in business to business research is its ability to reach geographically dispersed respondents. The target audience of the research may be very spread out and / or too low in number to successfully convene face to face focus groups. A recent study conducted by NOP World Business provides a good example of this advantage. There was a low incidence of respondents – a particular type of academic - and they were scattered across the US. The client wished the audience to be able to exchange views in the research, and online bulletin boards proved to be an appropriate method of achieving this aim. In another example, part of the objective of the project commissioned for this paper was to obtain views from senior IT executives based across the UK, rather than in London, where much of the research (using group discussions) with this over-researched audience is conducted. Not surprisingly, we found that those in the more ‘remote’ locations claimed they were not being contacted as often as those in London / the South East usually claimed, and were pleased to take part. The following respondent was based in Stirling, Scotland. 6.2. Moderator 16-Mar-2005 10:45 PM How often are you contacted to take part in focus groups or face to face in-depth interviews? How do you feel about that? What motivates people to take part, do you think? 6.2.5. Ged 17-Mar-2005 01:15 PM Rarely asked to participate in groups, perhaps 1-2 times p.a. usually as a portion of a seminar on a specific subject. My organisation has worldwide focus groups on IT topics that are common across the various geographical sites. Motivation can be achieved through various routes! Financial incentives are handy, but seeing your input used effectively is also inspiring. A second key benefit of bulletin boards is that they provide the opportunity to access a time-poor target audience. In the business to business research environment, potential respondents are often very busy individuals who may not have the time to be able to travel to a facility in order to participate in a group discussion; or who are unable to attend at the last minute (a common problem). Indeed, in a bulletin board project we conducted recently, one UK respondent had to travel to the US on business at the last minute, yet was still able to take part. As expressed in the respondent comment below, busy individuals may be more likely to take part given that they can visit the bulletin board in their own time and post comments when it is most convenient to them. 6.4.1. Jeremy 16-Mar-2005 11:16 PM The advantage is that I can do it at home in my own time and space ... see the time!! To be honest, I have more important things to do at work. I would do something similar again. The extended length of time respondents have to think about a topic, using bulletin boards, can also make the method an appealing solution. Taking a ‘typical’ face to face focus group with eight respondents and lasting two hours, each individual has, on average, 15 minutes to speak (and that does not take into account the moderator talking and the mandatory verbose respondent). As the boards take place over a number of days, each participant has time to consider his or her response before posting it, which can result in more thoughtful comments, as described by one respondent, below. (Naturally, a considered response is not necessarily the best approach for certain types of research.) 6.1.5. Steven 17-Mar-2005 09:34 AM I've quite enjoyed the format of this market research, somehow writing your opinions down rather than voicing them causes you to think a bit more about it, esp. as you answer the questions in your own time. Not surprisingly, therefore, with these more developed responses, the amount of information a single bulletin board generates can be the equivalent of two or three face to face focus groups. This aspect of the bulletin board technique can appeal to clients who wish to explore issues in depth, but still want to preserve a discussion element within the research. When discussing sensitive issues, the sense of anonymity the online environment provides can encourage respondents to answer questions more openly and honestly than they might otherwise do in a face to face study. The fact that participants are often responding from a comfortable, familiar environment may also help. It has been our experience that business to business respondents appear to be very open with their comments related to their work and their companies (see case study overviews at the end of this paper). All respondents have time to post their views, so there is also more opportunity to contribute for those who might be reluctant to air their opinions in a face to face group (for example in the presence of more vociferous respondents). One of the popular beliefs regarding bulletin boards is that they are a time and cost effective means of conducting research. Certainly in terms of time, fieldwork can be conducted simultaneously and in several countries, thus considerably reducing the fieldwork period. This saving in time, however, should be balanced against the time needed to analyse the large amounts of data the boards can produce. Similarly, external project costs are reduced because there is no outlay on travel and accommodation expenses, and the boards usually work out cheaper than hiring (viewing) facilities. This is especially the case with international projects. Again, however, lower external costs should be balanced against the possibility of greater internal costs, as extra time may be required for analysis purposes, in order to deal with the volume of data generated. (Analysis software would certainly save time.) Also, moderating / monitoring the boards can be quite labour intensive. As described earlier in the paper, clients are able to view the bulletin board discussion as it develops, from wherever they are located. The added benefit here is that, if stimulus material is being tested, the client may wish to revise or develop it as the discussion progresses.
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