Were the subjects giving their answers or the answers that the interviewers were trying to elicit? The lack of uniformity in the interview process makes that an impossible question to answer.
The focus groups themselves also had some basic problems. Besides being relatively small, they were not anonymous. In fact, each participant's name was recorded on a note card at the onset of the discussion. According to the case study, only the community school leader knew their actual identities, but their identities were not anonymous. Given the nature of this study, that was not a sufficient amount of protection for their identities. With regard to drug use and interaction, it would seem that the participants would want anonymity from this individual above all others. With that it mind, it seems clear that not all responses recorded were as honest as they might have been with the guarantee of anonymity. This is another factor that makes one question the utility of the research design.
The sampling plan has inherent flaws as well. By eliminating all of the population of Boston except for the small groups from the community schools, the results cannot be construed as representative of the population as a whole. It was clear from the beginning that previous information indicated that younger and younger children were becoming involved with or affected by drugs. Yet, in their infinite wisdom, the research group did not target anyone under the age of ten. How then were they going to determine the age bracket that is most influenced by drugs and the de-marketing of drugs? As one can see, the sample...
In fact, because they failed to accurately address the most representative batch of "customers" in the Boston area, there is absolutely no way they could effectively devise any meaningful contribution to the de-marketing campaign of drugs in the Boston area. In fact, almost everything they learned was already known. Therefore, the case study provides a great example of what types of flaws researchers should avoid when engaging in market research.
Reseach Associate Jennifer F. Lawrence prepared this case under the supervision of Professor V. Kasturi Rangan as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.
Copyright © 1987 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call [HIDDEN] or write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means -- electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise -- without the permission of Harvard Business School.
