The ethnographic Research

The ethnographic research is an approach by which by sampling you observe, analyze and formulate questions. When investigating you must identify 3 essential things; what they use, what they do and what they say. When applying this research you must act as an insider and as an outsider of the situation that is been analyze. Being an insider of the situation gives you the right to be part of the group, gives you the approval to investigate and get deeper into the subject in matter. But at the same time you need to be able to analyze your findings in an objective way, and in order to do this you must isolate your feelings and emotions, because sometimes we tend to attach to different situations.

SUGGESTIONS FOR A PROPER ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

1. You first have to formulate a Research Question, this can be defined as the objective of your research, and the question must be clear and conscious in order to develop a good research. (In other words you must define your problem, your issue to discuss or to investigate).
2. Write specific objectives (use infinitives to do it, use: TO).
3. Select and Sample, this is the step where you have access to all the information possible.
4. You enter to the core of the research
5. Differentiate the different perspectives and the realities of the situation.
6. Your fieldwork must analyze completely and detailed.
7. Use different resources such as interviews and questionnaires.
8. At the end of your research you must write a report based on your findings.

A well elaborated research will lead you a good information (data collected) in order to be able to have successful results on your investigation.

How ethnographic research could be useful for International Business?

According to the Harvard business review, Ethnographic research in business can be considered as an strategic tool when market researching, this is because this research is more anthropological and at the end you may have results based on the people and how they live and react, and how they live (being an outsider), this is why a business can use this approach in order to do a market intelligence to internationalized its company and based on the results the company may decide which possible markets are more appropriate at the time of investing, because when you decide to invest you must analyze different factors not only the economical but also the cultural that may lead you to win or to lose. This tool may help you to plan better your moves in order to have a success on your future entry to an international market (in this example). The research may also help to define which products are more likely to be accepted by a specific segment of people, the can analyze what the consumers are buying and why they are buying it.

The research may help you to identify exactly the needs and the specific offer that you can make to your new consumers (potential consumers); it helps you to define trends and tendencies of the market on a specific group of people. It will lead you to build solid relationships and to fulfill the needs of a segment of the society that may not be covered.

Reference: http://hbr.org/2009/03/ethnographic-research-a-key-to-strategy/ar/1
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