More Experimental Research

            Experimental research, widely used among many companies, is very important in the public relations industry.  This past week, several of my classmates focused on the importance of experimental research on their chosen blog’s topics.  I enjoy reading my classmate’s blogs for the very reason that they are helpful when it comes to writing my own. 

            This past week, one of my classmates, Sacha, wrote about an interesting experiment done with Panera.  Performed by a non-profit, the study “tested whether people would take food for free if there were only suggested prices for food at Panera. The experiment showed however that people paid what they could and did not take food for free. This demonstrated that people were generally honest when it came to how much they could or could not actually spend. People who had more money were willing to pay more for a cup of coffee because it was going to a good cause. People who normally could not afford to go out to dinner were able to pay what they could and enjoy a nice meal out.”  In my opinion, the studies results were very surprising.  I imagined that most people would take the food and pay nothing.  However, I surprised to learn that this was the complete opposite.  In reference to experimental research, this study was very truth telling and enlightening.  Not everyone is looking for a free hand out.

            Another classmate, Kayla, focused on experimental research within the fashion industry.  “Certain stores are chosen to test clothing in and see how customers react to the clothing. Often times consumers attitudes are researched to see how they feel about a certain product, brand, or store. One experimental study researched the habits of consumers in the United Kingdom and Malaysia and their shopping habits online. This study wanted to find out how consumers viewed online shopping and what factors influenced their behaviors.”  Fashion experiments are very interesting, in my opinion.  They tell a lot more than one would assume.  The fashion industry is forever changing and therefore interesting to the say the least.

            Experimental research overall can be applied to more topics than I originally assumed.  Often a good tactic for discovering information, experiment research can help more than the company but rather a larger population.  

Experimental Research

Experimental research is by definition an attempt by the researcher to maintain control over all factors that may affect the result of an experiment. In doing this, the researcher attempts to determine or predict what may occur.  In reference to this definition, experimental research therefore can be applied to a number of situations.  If done correctly, research such as this can play a huge role in determining the outcome of any given situation.

            A good way to look at experimental research is by examining two random groups of people. This can be done when looking at the approval of the President.  By randomly selecting a group of people, they are all given a pretest.  This pretest is the same for everybody and can come in many forms.  A common pretest form is a survey.  These questions can range from anything; however, for this example the questions will question the participant’s overall approval and feelings toward the President.  As long as the results of these surveys seem to vary and are random for each group, the experiment can move on.  Without them knowing, one group will be titled the control group and the other the experimental group.  Each group will be exposed to all the same information and environment.  However, unknowing, the experimental group will be given one extra detail or changed variable.  For this example, both groups will be given an article on President Obama and his achievements thus far throughout his presidency.  The experimental group, however, will be given a list of all the negative backlash and bad media Obama has received thus far.  Both groups will then take a posttest that will contain the exact same questions as seen on the pretest. 

            The overall point of this experiment is to see whether people’s opinions will change depending on the information they receive.  Another development could also be on how effective the media is on participant’s opinion of the President.  Was their original opinion of him the same or different?  Were they aware of the negative attention he has received?  Experimental research does just this. 

            In the article, The Growth and Development of Experimental Research in Political Science, the author states, “We document how thinking about experimentation has evolved over the century, and demonstrate the growing influence of laboratory, survey, and field experiments.  A number of experiments have transformed how political scientists think about casual relationships in specific substantive areas.  There are limits to the kinds of questions that experiments can address, but experiments have made important contributions in an array of political science subfields.” With this in mind, we can see how the results of the above example can play a role in a real world situation.  Depending on the results, experimental research can hurt the approval of the President. 

            As a whole, experimental research can be very helpful and truth telling.  When done correctly, a lot can be learned that other research methods fail to do.  

Survey Research

            Surveying is very important when it comes politics.  A good example of a survey is actually polling.  If we look at the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, we can see constant surveying taking place daily.  The survey involves calling residents of different states and asking them questions pertaining to specific topics.  The results of these questions are then recorded and analyzed. 

            Often polled, the approval rating of President Obama, is frequently a common topic.  In a recent article, Obama’s approval rating was reexamined through research methods of surveying.  A recent poll “showed that support for the president has fallen considerably from this high water mark. Overall, 45 percent of midterm voters approve of the way Mr. Obama is handling his job as president. Only 40 percent of independent voters and 10 percent of Republican voters give the president positive approval ratings.” 

            With this in mind, we can see how telling a poll can be.  With numbers likes these; it is easy to see how damaging a survey can be to ones approval rating.  With only a 45% approval rating, Obama is surly in danger of not getting elected for a second term. Unless Obama can reverse these trends, he will become the fourth one-term president in the last four decades.  Seeing as how this article came a day after elections, it is obvious that the President is in trouble and must do something if he hopes to hold the office for another term.  

Qualitative Research

Once again, this week, we are to look at our classmate’s blogs.  I enjoy this type of assignment because it is interesting to read about my classmate’s interest and opinions.  While many of their interests differ from mine, I am able to learn about topics I normally would never consider to read.  By doing so, I am enlightened with new perspectives about the Public Relations field.
The first blog I looked at this week was Kayla’s.  I enjoy ready Kayla’s blog because fashion is a big interest of mine.  She brings up qualitative research and its importance in the fashion industry. Kayla says, “it is used to observe perceptions and attitudes of people in their natural environments. So next time your at the mall watch out, someone could be watching you to see what you buy! Ethnographic research in terms of Shop-a-longs are often times conducted so researchers can observe consumers shopping in their natural environments and see their different attitudes toward products.”  In reality this makes a lot of sense.  When I go shopping, I never seem to wonder how do they know what people are buying.  But I guess it’s happening when we don’t even know it.
Another blog I looked at this week was one I could really relate to. Kaitlyn, herself, performed a focus group where she interviewed 10 juniors about the current York Hill conditions.  One topic that struck my interest was about the lack of nurses available in the health center.  One participant, who was an RA, said, “many of his residents have been sent to the hospital because of the lack of nurses up here.”  This comment is frightening.  The fact that health services is free to students and are forcing students to take themselves to the hospital is far from convenient.  For the price we pay to attend school at Quinnipiac, if anything they should be able to supply us with the medical assistance we deserve.  As for the café at Rocky Top, I feel the same way as those interview.  I would go to the café more if I were sure there was going to be something to eat.  Numerous times I have gone to find little to nothing prepared.   At breakfast time, they don’t even have hash browns.  While they have all the resources, they tend to not use them.  I guess I don’t understand.
All in all, my classmates have made good points when it comes to qualitative research.  Believing that only a limited number of things can be researched through qualitative means, I can now say I was wrong.  Applying to more than just a few instances, qualitative research is actually quite helpful and easy to do.

Qualitative Research

            Qualitative research seeks the “why” through the analysis of unstructured information, such as interview transcripts, emails, notes, feedback, forms, photos, and videos.  Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research doesn’t rely on statistics or numbers.  Used to gain insight into people’s attitudes, behaviors, values, concerns, motivations, aspirations, culture or lifestyles, the results can help inform business decisions, policy formation, communication and research.  Quantitative research can be very informal as already stated; however, focus groups, in-depth interviews, ethnography, evaluation, and observation are more structured and formal methods. 

            With this in mind, after this week’s discussion on qualitative research, I was wondering how the government or the President himself could use qualitative research.  I then came across this article about the recent discussion in the news regarding Obama’s hope to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” military homosexual exclusion law.  The “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law is the common term for the policy restricting the United States military from efforts to discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members or applicants, while barring those who are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual from military service.

            The policy was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton who campaigned on the promise to allow all citizens to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation.  However, Obama now wants to allow homosexuals to freely be open and serve in the military.  With this being said, many are unsure if this is the right thing to do.  In order to get a better sense of the overall reaction and feeling, “On March 2, the secretary assembled a working group to draft a plan to implement repeal and mitigate the consequences. Although the working group engaged the force it failed to ask the only question that matters—‘Should the homosexual law be repealed?’  The working group used six instruments to engage the force” including focus groups. 

            Focus groups being a type of qualitative research, served as a way for others to speak out and discuss the positive and negatives of repealing the law. The session focused exclusively on “when the policy changes.” “Session participants said questions and opinions in opposition to repeal were ignored. Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, the session leader, said—according to a participant who wrote to the Washington Times—Christians who disagree with repeal “were bigots and racists and those who felt homosexuality was immoral should start looking for a new line of work.” Bostick allegedly said once the homosexual policy is repealed, chaplains who preach against homosexuality would be treated as criminals.”  With these results in mind, we have to wonder what kind of outcome is going to come out of this? 

            While homosexuals are entitled to receive more respect in today’s society, the military is a place I feel that sexuality shouldn’t be a topic of discussion.  The “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy has worked for years and should stay the same.  While we are naturally more open to homosexuals today, sexuality shouldn’t be a topic of discussion nor make anyone less of a fighter when it comes to military duties

More Unobtrusive Research

               As a beginner blogger, we are subject to make a few mistakes.  Therefore, in order to be a successful blogger, one must resort to others for guidance.  This is exactly what we were expected to do this week.  Our assignment was to read other classmates blogs and comment on them.  Although my blog has recently featured stories on the President and the bad PR he has been receiving, this week I will be looking at a few blogs that look at other aspects of Public Relations.

            Unobtrusive research as we have been discussing the past few weeks in class, is a way of measuring data without those participating even knowing they are being studied.  In Whitney’s blog, she focused on how unobtrusive research and advertising can be closely linked.  She looked at an article that featured a study dealing with how often television viewers actually watched ads on tv.  To do this, they used a censor to follow the eye of the viewer, without them knowing.  “They saw that the eye sensor measures an attention span, and due to its scarcity, is something very important to understand. They found it to be troubling, because now a days more and more people seem to ignore ads, but it seems that more and more companies are paying millions of dollars to get their ads on television.”  In my opinion, this is completely true.  I know I find myself not paying attention to television ads, therefore, are television ads really successful or a waste of money?

            On another note, I looked at Kayla’s blog  on fashion PR.  While I like fashion and enjoy buying new trends, I can’t say I am the most aware of the new haves this winter.  However according to Kayla, one can tell just by looking at the most recent fashion shows.  Through unobtrusive research, “top trends can be observed by sitting in the front row of New York Fashion Week. What color was worn the most? Did models walk out with jeans or skirts? What outfit was photographed and given the most attention.”  While these are things that I myself would probably over look, it seems pretty believable.  Especially after looking at the article she used from ELLE magazine. 

            In my opinion, unobtrusive research can occur at any time.  Sometimes the most common things are even taken for granted and therefore one can miss out on useful information. 

The Social Media Election

           Today our lives are less about physical relationships but rather more about the ones that we form over social media.  Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, just to name a few, are everyday hits on most American’s computers.  As a Public Relations major, we spend a lot of time learning about the importance of social media in today’s world.  To be competitive in the working world, knowledge of such applications is key. 

            To express the importance of social media, one should regard the Presidential Elections of 2008.  Known as the 1^st social networking campaign, it is important to take a look at how unobtrusively we were filled with ideas and thoughts about the candidates and the campaign.  Unknowingly, as we logged into our social networking sites, we were exposed whether we knew it or not. 

            According to Thomas Friedman, who published The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, digital technology was and currently transforming America, including the political arena.  At the time his book was published in 2005, “Friedman predicted that the political party that stakes out the emerging flat world political frontier will be the majority party in the twenty-first century.”  With this in mind, I would definitely without a doubt agree.  The social media network was what transformed the political area in 2008. 

            In an article I found this week, McCain admitted that “he doesn’t know how to work his computer, President Elect Obama’s team…leveraged the power of millions of online followers to not only finance his campaign, but to build a database of supporters who could be mobilized into foot soldiers in a massive ‘get out the vote drive’, according to an article I found.

            Obama, nonetheless, used social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.  On Twitter, Obama had over 120,000 followers.  Those who followed him received regular posts about his whereabouts.  According to the article, “It was fairly subtle and unobtrusive, but it kept Obama at the forefront of our thoughts. I’m sure this influenced many campaigning tweets. We definitely saw several heated discussions where we tried to convince undecided voters to vote for Obama.”  As for Facebook, “While the Twitter crowd was substantial, it’s nothing compared to the nearly 3 Million supporters on Barack Obama’s Facebook page who tuned in for daily messages.”  Nonetheless, YouTube, while there were “only 128,000 subscribers of the BarackObama You Tube Channel, there have been over 19 Million channel views. And this doesn’t take into account all the videos on other sites that may have influenced”. 

            Nonetheless, social media played a huge role in the 2008 elections.  As far an unobtrusive research goes, Obama could informally measure the number of people who would access the information he could so easily put out there.  As the public, we unknowingly were being observed and therefore were not bias.  Not forced to look at something, made many of us more willing to look and read further.