Abstract:

The paper firstly examines the role of the interviewer - the traditional means of data collection - in market and social research. It suggests that there are areas in which our field forces have a constructive and active function in our work, particularly in difficult subject areas and with potentially problematic informants. However, it is felt that interview-based research is utilised in fields when other data-collection techniques may be more appropriate. The paper examines some of the problems of relying only on information from interviews, and concentrates on areas in which informants may, intentionally or unwittingly, mislead us. Finally, the paper examines one particular instance in which an interview study was felt to be not appropriate and techniques was utilised.