In adult social groups, there are few trend-setters and many followers. In some situations, it is essential to isolate the trend-setters' opinions and attitudes in order to predict the trends and behaviours of the masses. The trend-setters phenomenon is all the more true among children because groups play a key role in the development of their personalities, and children are very conformist and tend to model their behaviour and actions on those they recognise and accept as the group leader. In certain cases, it is necessary to speak to children who are capable of anticipating the interest of an operation and, once converted, then serve as the proponents of the âcauseâ among their peers. These children are the creative trend-setter. This paper proposes a method to help researchers understand the psychological underpinnings of these childrenâs personalities in order to more easily identify and recruit them.
For quite some time now, marketing researchers found themselves at a distance from the TRUE decision making level of marketing contexts. Now, as the marketing environment becomes increasingly complex, it is evident that the role of the marketing research agency must adapt in order to establish and maintain a strong presence. This paper treats the subject of the changing role of research agencies by providing an example of an extreme situation where marketing research agencies were not only isolated, but were actually excluded from the decision making level of the marketing context: The Fashion Market. By discussing this extreme case, we seek to demonstrate that marketing researchers should not hesitate to change an established structure or method if this will enable them to adapt to a market and aid the decision makers in developing marketing strategy. The focus of the paper is the discussion of the creation and implementation of an Annual Trend Survey in the fashion market, as well as the insight, into the attitudes of women in the area that this survey provided in the years 1993 to 1995.
This paper has been written by three practitioners who have not only co-ordinated studies all around the globe but have been co-ordinated as well, both by client companies as well as other research institutes. The approaches examined in this paper are thus the main ones we have encountered and our observations are based on this experience. In this paper, we seek to review these different approaches with a view to: 1. Understanding their implications and results, their relative strengths and weaknesses, applications, quality of output, utility to decision making, ability to meet strategic objectives, understanding local cultures, the costs and above all identifying the hidden dangers involved. It also examines the trade-offs that are made along the way and questions whether their implications are fully appreciated. 2. Questioning the role of the researcher. Is she or he merely a Doer; or is there a valuable contribution to be made, both at the local as well as co-ordinating level. Do clients know best where their products and markets are concerned? What are the dangers of linguists undertaking analysis or fieldwork in countries other than their own? Can one afford to ignore local input and local analysis ? 3. Examining different cultural attitudes to co-ordination. As the two main Buyers, Europe and the USA hold different views not just on co-ordination but on Qualitative Research as well. This paper will examine both viewpoints. 4. Case history material is used to support and illustrate our findings, based on over 15 years of experience of each of the authors. In this paper, we would like to review six of the most commonly used approaches to co-ordination.
This new material can be analysed in the same way as verbal material. We start with a content-analysis and a symbolic, metaphorical and psycho-analytical interpretation of the signs sent out, just as we would with words. The only difference is that these unlock the door to the imaginary world of respondents and to their unconscious - something that words are less able to do nowadays; and this new material also supplies information on marginal and differentiating factors relating to the phenomena under study.
Interactive videotext is a system enabling the user to obtain information by telephone, this being connected to an information-providing service by means of a small terminal with screen and keyboard. The procedure is interactive in that it implies user-participation, in the form of "dialogue with the computerâ. The keyboard contains letters and figures, as well as special keys for the purposes of dialogue. When a connection has been established with a server, the user states his request by means of the keyboard. The information requested then appears on the screen, along with instructions as to how to proceed further with the search. The dialogue keys serve to pursue this search.
Interactive videotext is a system enabling the user to obtain information by telephone, this being connected to an information-providing service by means of a small terminal with screen and keyboard. The procedure is interactive in that it implies user-participation, in the form of "dialogue with the computerâ. The keyboard contains letters and figures, as well as special keys for the purposes of dialogue. When a connection has been established with a server, the user states his request by means of the keyboard. The information requested then appears on the screen, along with instructions as to how to proceed further with the search. The dialogue keys serve to pursue this search.
I propose to devote my attention to the interest of qualitative methods and the way in which they complement quantitative techniques. The intention is not to present, as such, the results of any one particular study, but rather to reflect on the methodology of a number of experiences our group have had in the past. I shall refer in particular to a study with foreign tourists visiting France, and later to several other studies with French publics, on holiday and their travel problems.