Abstract:

This paper examines some implications of tracking studies and problems that arise in seeking to obtain measurable, meaningful shifts over time. Case history material is presented based on a three-wave study conducted in the UK on behalf of the Tea Council. It examines different research approaches that may be employed in tracking and sets down a checklist of considerations that should be taken into account at the outset. It discusses the background to the case study presented, the research methodology employed, some of the technical problems dealt with in the study design, and presents some selected findings.