Compare and Contrast Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Compare and Contrast Research Methods - Essay Example However, the genesis of any research work is pegged on identification of research topic that will in turn lead to applicable research method (Lee and Xia, 2011). The most commonly used research methods often fall under qualitative and quantitative research methods. Panel survey is a qualitative research method that compares well with other research methods especially in understanding business dynamics. Some of the methods include cohort survey, longitudinal studies, formal and in-depth studies, focused grouped discussion, and observational research methods. Panel survey is a research method that allows a researcher to determine the changes and reasons that may have caused such changes within a population (Jackson, 2011). This survey focuses on the study of the trend of people since the sample of people is expected to change over a certain period. The sample that is used in this kind of survey is humans, and it is called panel. For example, a researcher who wants to know the change in quality of goods and services might use the customers who use the targeted goods or services (Rubin and Babbie, 2010). The selected customers are the researcher’s sample. After selecting the sample, the researcher will contact the same set of customers over the period he wants to study or survey the trend in the quality of services targeted by an organization (Bryman, 2012). It is essential to note that the panel survey uses the same question for all data it designates to collect. The main advantage of the panel survey is that its results are extrem ely useful and offer specific explanations. However, the survey may be difficult to conduct because it is expensive and takes a long time within which sample ratio may be affected with other factors such as socio-economic, ethical, or even death. Persons or samples may drop out of the studies, and they are often referred to as attrition (Lee and Xia, 2011). Additionally, survey panel usually allows