Likert Scale
The preceding Likert scale reflects a total of 7 questions that would provide a significant and substantive understanding of how consumers feel about quinoa. According to both Gebreyes (2014) and Ancient Harvest (2016), quinoa is becoming extremely popular among consumers because it offers a heavy amount of protein content and is a perfect substitute for breakfast cereals and side dishes such as rice and pasta that would traditionally be a part of lunch and dinner (2014; 2016). The grocery stores would want to know the viability of quinoa products selling at its store and the 7 questions would provide them with information based on likeability, alternative reasoning of the product, health awareness, price and variety. Each of these descriptive factors are substantiated in the 7 questions presented on the Likert Scale. There is a strong likelihood that the responses on the 5-point scale will vary depending on who is asked to take it, but the overall results should provide a thorough overview of the potentiality for the products selling at the store.
Semantic Differential
1) Coarse _____ ______ _______ ________ ________ _______ Delicate
2) Nutty _____ _______ _______ ________ ________ _______ Sweet
3) Thrifty _____ ______ _______ ________ ________ ________ Indulgent
4) Complex _____ ______ _______ ________ _________ _______ Simple
5) Pleasant _____ _______ _______ ________ _________ _______ Unpleasant
6) Healthy _____ _______ _______ ________ _________ ________ Unhealthy
The preceding 6 question semantic differential scale is based on the descriptive factors aforementioned in the Likert Scale section. Heise (n.d.) writes that the semantic differential is a particular measurement tool that gauges individual reactions to particular stimulus words and/or concepts. It does so either through a rating construction or an evaluatory construction, which enforces a kind of drawing through lines based on the opinion of the individual (p.1). For example, in question 1, which draws a distinction between quinoa being coarse to delicate, the individual taking the survey would indicate on a six-line scale where they lie in terms of how they view the taste and feeling associated with quinoa. The same would follow for the other five questions associated with the survey. Heise (n.d.) comments that SD methodology is simple, in terms of assessing and examining a particular response or feeling across a given population. It provides a substantive understanding of widely disparate things (p.1). For this reason, the grocery store will need to limit the amount of questions that it asks, especially since quinoa is very distinctive and there are only so many adjectives that can emerge when thinking about the grain. Moreover, because of the descriptive factors – five in number, the research across the six questions should hopefully offer a measure of how well the products will perform at the grocery store.
Stapel Scale
+5 +5
+4 +4
+3 +3
+2 +2
+1 +1
Excellent source of protein Good alternative to cereal & pasta
-1 -1
-2 -2
-3 -3
-4 -4
-5 -5
Stapel scales tend to provide an easier understanding of attitudes about a particular item. provides an analysis of the attitudes and beliefs about and item using phrases. The scale is executed using a unipolar rating construction. The data that is collected is then analyzed in a similar fashion as with semantic differential data. The main difference between the two is that the stapel scale does not allow for an opposite meaning to be taken into account by the participant in the survey. The scale essentially seeks to determine the distance associated with a specific adjective or phrase stimulus that an individual is presented with. This particular measurement Hawkins, Albaum & Best (1974) state that "it is an economical way of obtaining data comparable to those obtained by the semantic differential technique" (p.318). For the descriptive factors, the use of a Stapel Scale will afford a measure of "direction and intensity simultaneously and indicate how accurately" (Hawkins, Albaum & Best, 1974) a group of people feel about the strengths and weaknesses associated in this case with quinoa. Since the ultimate goal is to release the quinoa products to the general public, the scale will allow for a definitive attitude assessment about quinoa as it relates to the taste, alternative aspect and the other descriptive factors mentioned in the Likert Scale section. For the purposes of this report, the Stapel Scale has been amended to how it would appear to the participants in the assessment. In terms of the presented phrases, they are constructed in a way that allows the participant to reasonably answer if they feel quinoa is a good alternative to pasta and cereal, as well as if it is an excellent source of protein. The use of good versus excellent in one question as opposed to the other should provide a rich analysis of how consumers feel about quinoa as they could potentially believe that it is an excellent source of protein, but not necessarily identify with the context that it is a good alternative to cereal and pasta, and vice versa.
Ethical Implications
Ferell et al. (2013) identify that there is a lot of ethical considerations with respect to research conducted. One of the key factors is bias, in terms of how questions are constructed and the capacity of the researcher/experimenter to tap into the role that the consumer will play in said research. This creates a kind of perception surrounding the values and beliefs of the individuals that are researched. Moreover, it often creates lack of objectivity because a one-dimensional view is presented or thought to be the case for an entire population. Other issues relate to invasion of privacy and deception in data, where the research results can be manipulated to suit the ends of the researcher and what they hope to attain at its conclusion (p.51-55). Regarding this particular research, the ultimate goal is for the grocery store to sell the quinoa products – and for them to actually sell. As such, the ethical implications surrounding this would be centered on a skewing of the data to reflect that the product(s) will perform well in the grocery store, with an emphasis placed on quinoa being enjoyed the neighborhood where the store is located as well as its disadvantages being ignored. To avoid issues related to confidentiality and privacy, the grocery store would need to get consent from the participants in the various surveys to prevent additional ethical issues.
References
Ferrell, O. C., Crittenden, V. L., Ferrell, L., & Crittenden, W. F. (2013). Theoretical development in ethical marketing decision making. AMS Rev, 3, 51-60. Retrieved from https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/theoretical-development-in-ethical-marketing.pdf
Gebreyes, R. (2014, July 17). Here’s The Real Reason Quinoa Is So Popular Right Now. The Huffington Post, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/quinoa-popular_n_5596018.html
Hawkins, D., Albaum, G., & Best, R. (1974, August). Stapel Scale or Semantic Differential in Marketing Research? Journal of Marketing Research, 11(3), 318-322. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3151152
Heise, D. R. (n.d.). The Semantic Differential and Attitude Research. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~socpsy/papers/AttMeasure/attitude..htm
Quin-what?! (2016). Retrieved from American Harvest website: http://ancientharvest.com/ancient-grains/organic-quinoa/
