Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and Marketing

302 Pages·2005·1 MB·English

Qualitative Research Methods
in Public Relations and
Marketing Communications
Qualitative research holds great potential for the study of public relations and marketing
communications because of its ability to enable researchers to be closely involved with
research participants. This helps researchers to better understand social processes, the
motivations of human beings, and the contexts in which they are situated. Such concerns
resonate well with the current interest within public relations and marketing communica-
tions of understanding the subjective viewpoints of a range of key stakeholders, in order
to develop effective, collaborative dialogue.
This book is a practical and highly accessible guide to doing qualitative research in
public relations and marketing communications. Aimed at the novice researcher, it traces
the various stages of the research process, from choosing a research topic and writing the
proposal, to selecting methods of data collection and analysis, through to writing the
research report. Along the way, it reflects on ethical issues. The different, and often co-
existing, orientations towards research are also examined because of their implications
for how research is conceived and carried out. The book’s features include:
• practical guidelines for all stages of the research process;
• theoretical background as it relates to qualitative research and managed
communication;
• hints for using the Internet;
• a wide range of useful examples and international illustrations;
• insights into student experiences of doing research;
• a glossary and comprehensive references.
Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and Marketing Communications is a
core text for those undertaking undergraduate and masters research methods courses on
public relations and marketing communications degrees. It will also be invaluable
for those working on dissertations and theses, or research as part of a professional
assignment.
Dr Christine Daymon leads the MA Corporate Communication programme in the
Bournemouth Media School at Bournemouth University. She is involved with conducting
and supervising qualitative research projects. Previously she has worked in the UK and
abroad as a practitioner, manager and consultant in public relations and marketing
communications.
Dr Immy Holloway is a Sociologist and Reader at Bournemouth University, where
she teaches and supervises research in business, education and health studies. She also
writes about and does qualitative research. Her publications include Basic Concepts for
Qualitative Researchpublished by Blackwell Science.

Qualitative Research Methods
in Public Relations and
Marketing Communications
Christine Daymon and
Immy Holloway
London and New York
First published 2002
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
©2002 Christine Daymon and Immy Holloway
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Daymon, Christine, 1952–
Qualitative research methods in public relations and marketing
communications / Christine Daymon & Immy Holloway
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Corporations–Public relations–Research–Methodology
2.Publicrelations–Research–Methodology. 3.Marketing
research–Methodology. 4.Qualitative research. I.Holloway, Immy.
II.Title.
HD59 .D347 2002
659.2'07'2–dc21
2001048321
ISBN 0-203-99640-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-415-22273-7 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-22274-5 (pbk)
Contents
Preface vii
PART I
Getting started 1
1 The nature of qualitative research and its relevance to
publicrelations and marketing communications 3
2 Selecting a topic and relating to your supervisor 18
3 Reviewing the literature and writing the research
proposal 35
4 Tools and techniques for locating, retrieving and storing
electronictext 47
MATT HOLLAND
5 Access and ethical issues 69
6 The quality of research: reliability and validity 88
PART II
Selecting the research approach 103
7 Case studies 105
8 Grounded theory 117
9 Ethnography 129
10 Discourse analysis and phenomenology 140
vi Contents
PART III
Collecting the data 155
11 Sampling 157
12 Interviews 166
13 Focus groups 186
14 Observation 202
15 Additional qualitative methods 216
PART IV
Analysing, interpreting and writing about the data 229
16 Analysing and interpreting the data 231
WITH MATT HOLLAND
17 Writing the report 247
18 Final thoughts 266
Glossary 270
References 275
Index 285
Preface
We have written this book for those studying public relations and marketing
communications. Students of advertising, corporate communication, public
affairs, communication management, internal communications and marketing
are included within our focus. Our chapters are aimed primarily at undergradu-
ate and masters students who are taking courses in research methods or about to
embark on dissertation projects. Hopefully, PhD students will use the text as an
introduction to the available literature on distinctive qualitative methodologies.
Practitioners in the field may find some of the chapters interesting for their
alternative approach to the more commonly practised evaluative research with
its numbers and statistics.
When writing this text, we had three aims in mind. First, we wanted to help
students make an informed judgement about the relevance of qualitative
research to current issues in communication management. Second, we wished to
provide a tool that would enable them to engage effectively with the ‘realities’
of managed communication. Third, we hoped to make a contribution towards
raising the profile of qualitative methods within public relations and marketing
communications research more generally. We have sought to do this by offering
practical guidance, together with examples of empirical studies that are based on
a qualitative approach. In places, we have presented the views of student
researchers about their experiences of researching.
The book is organized into four parts. How to get started is the topic of Part I.
This covers the ground between coming to an awareness of the nature of
qualitative research and its relevance for contemporary public relations and mar-
keting communications, through to writing a research proposal based on
qualitative methods.
Part II is concerned with the design of a research project. It examines different
and often co-existing orientations towards research, including case studies,
grounded theory, ethnography, discourse analysis and phenomenology. It notes
that each of these approaches may encompass a number of specific techniques or
methods.
Part III, which discusses the data collection stage, presents a variety of
methods for sampling and gathering the data.
Part IV focuses on analysing and interpreting the data and writing them up.
viii Preface
Although the chapters suggest that data collection, analysis and writing are dis-
crete stages, in practice the three often occur simultaneously. The final chapter
offers some concluding thoughts about doing research and reflecting upon the
process.
The idea for writing this book grew out of our experience of empirical social
science as researchers and teachers. We came to the project with diverse inter-
ests which converged at the point of qualitative research theory and practice. At
one time, one of us worked in industry in public relations and marketing com-
munications, before moving into academe to research, write and teach about the
field. One of us is a sociologist, working in the area of health care. She con-
tributes not only an extensive knowledge about the qualitative orientation, but a
keen interest in how it can be used to provide insights into social processes, the
motivations of human beings and the contexts in which they are situated. These
areas concern the depth and diversity of human beings and are highly pertinent
to the study of communication management.
We would like to acknowledge the following people for their contributions to
this text. First, Matt Holland whose expertise in all things electronic is
demonstrated in Chapter 4 and in a section at the end of Chapter 16. The com-
ments of our colleagues Mike Molesworth, Kevin Moloney, Richard Scullion,
Les Todres and Stephanie Wheeler helped to clarify our thinking over some of
the ideas presented here. Research support from Ai Ling Lai enabled us to finish
the book on time. The honest opinions of former students motivated us to write
with a ‘mindfulness’ of the needs and interests of students of the future.
Thank you Saori Asakawa, Deliah Cavalli, Kristin Goa, Katrine Jaklin, Joana
Machado, Sarah Woodhouse and (especially) Richard Fogg, all now working
successfully as practitioners and consultants in public relations and marketing
communications.
Christine Daymon and Immy Holloway
Bournemouth, Dorset
Spring 2001
Part I
Getting started