Compare and Contrast the Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

This theory was first created by Ajzen and Fishbein in 1980. This theory provides a framework to study the attitudes that support behaviours and suggests that the most important determinate of an individual’s behaviour is their behavioural intent. This is the individual’s intention to preform a certain behaviour, which is formed from a combination of their attitude towards the behaviour and the subject norm. (The subject norm is the individual’s perception of what others expect them to do).

Across both the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and its descendant the Theory of Planned Behavior, people are portrayed to behave in ways that they intended to (thus said to have planned doing as such), with their intentions dependent on how favorably they view the behavior based on what outcomes it would bring (attitudes), how people they consult with would act in the same situation (norms), and how much they believe in their ability to act (behavioral control). The causal path is then clear: People possess beliefs about their actions and act on their intentions if they find that acting out their beliefs would be worth it (both because it would bring desired outcomes, and because they intend to do so).

Qualitative research methods are complex meaningful analysis characterised by processes and meanings that are not experimentally examined or measured in terms of mathematical measurements (Lincoln, 2003; Sarantakos, 2005). Quantitative research however, relies and builds on mathematical procedures and methods, such as frequency, quality, amount and statistical procedure. This paper will compare and contrast both qualitative and quantitative research methods endeavouring to highlight differences and similarities between the two methods.

Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative methods on each of the elements listed. Please use scholarly, academic literature to support your response.

Hoyer, W. D., MacInnis, D. J., & Pieters, R. (2012). Consumer Behavior, 6e, 6th Edition.

Based on the TRA model, both attitudes and norms have direct influence towards behavioral intention in which is the potential predictor tool. All the external factors are just influence behaviour indirectly, through their influence on attitude and subjective norm (Tsai, Chen, & Chien, 2012).

The theory of planned behaviour develops a few assumptions that are argued as bias methodologies. For example the ‘Dob in a dealer’ campaign assumes individuals are motivated to achieve a given change in behaviour, this assumption is detrimental when researches investigate the consumer adoption behaviours. This assumption affects the result the campaign as the theory of planned behaviour will fail to incorporate a range of predictable consumer behaviours, therefore creating boundaries and providing an oversimplified result of behaviour change (Taylor and Todd, 1995). The central weakness of this campaign is that it fails to take into account the non-monetary cost of variables if a person was to stop using illegal drugs, it fails to take into account the unconscious influences on behaviour, and the utility of emotions that go beyond predictable hypothesis, hence affecting the long-term prosperity of behaviour change (Sniehotta, Presseau and Araújo-Soares,

This theory is considered to be a continuity of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1967). This theory assumes that our behaviours are deliberate because it has been planned before it happened. Also, these behavioural intentions is as result of a combination of our several beliefs such

The intention is viewed, to be a person's readiness to perform a given behavior, and it is considered to be the immediate antecedent of behavior (Macovei, 2015). The theory, therefore, implies that people attitudes and subjective norm are the variables that influence behavioral intention; the behavior is carried out based on intention (Southey, 2011).

The theory states that attitudes, as well as subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, will forecast whether or not someone will perform a certain behavior. An attitude refers to the degree to which an individual has a positive or negative evaluation regarding a behavior. As mentioned, one considers the outcomes of performing this specific behavior. Secondly, subjective norms center on the belief about whether people in one’s social network approve or disapprove of a behavior. One considers whether their peers think they should engage in this behavior or not. Finally, perceived behavioral control focuses on the perception of whether one can perform a certain behavior, based on its ease or difficulty. The above variables influence behavioral intention and, as a result, the actual enactment of the behavior (Azjen, 1991). As the observer experiences the desire to enact a model’s behavior, they will consider their attitude and subjective norms toward the modeled behavior, as well as their perceived ability to perform the behavior. If one’s attitude towards the behavior is favorable, peers evaluate the behavior as positive and the individual perceives the behavior as easy to enact, the individual will most likely adopt the behavior performed by the model.

Perceived behavioral control introduce to the amount of manage that an individual perceives more performing the behavior (Chen, 2007; Kang et al.,2006). Therefore, those who identify a higher intensity of personal control tend to have stronger behavioral intention to employ in a certain behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Specially, when people think they have further resources, for example money, time and skills. Perceptions of control are high and thus their behavioral intentions increase. Thus, it is presume that intention to buy organic hair/skin care products is higher when consumers perceive further control over buying these

The TPB assumes intention as the most significant factor stimulates people's behaviors. It is "an indicator of how hard people are willing to try and of how much effort they are planning to exert towards performance of a behavior." (Tessier&Sarrazine&Nicaise&Dupont, 2015). Intention relates to three key variables: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior.

Economist, business analyst, and statisticians all are using consumer decision-making as a strategy. They use the information to ponder, “how different amounts of prior knowledge

Understanding consumer buying behavior entails marketing, relationships, and consumer behavior. Consumer behavior comprises all the consumer decisions and activities connected with the choosing, buying, using and disposing of goods and services. Marketers must pay very close attention to consumer behavior that occurs before the purchase and after the particular product has been used. Studying consumer habits is one of the steps in marketing search and analysis. In addition to other basic principles of consumer buying habits, marketers also need to study the decision and actions of real people. Until recent history the study of consumer behavior was focused on generalized consumer decisions. With

Purchase intention was one kind of behavioral intention, and the so-called behavioral intention, indicates our subjective judgment on what we will do in the future. Therefore, purchase intention means one’s possible action intention, which can be used to predict consumer’s purchase behavior. Blackwell et al (2005) claimed that purchase intention is part of behavioral intentions, and behavioral intentions are cognitive plan to perform a definite action or possible behavior on an object. Each concept of behavioral intention represents individual projection or the particular expected behavior to be performed. According to Kotler (2010) purchase intention can define as consumer behavior occurs when consumer stimulated by external factors and