Discuss the advantages of face-to-face interviews and focus groups.

Getting in-depth information straight from an expert or an individual concerned about an issue can be a great method for collecting primary information.Interviews can dig deeper than the "hands-off" approach of surveys,and skilled interviewers can also watch for nonverbal signals that provide additional insights.Face-to-face interviews give you the opportunity to gauge reactions to your questions and observe the nonverbal signals that accompany the answers,but interviews don't necessarily have to take place in person.For example,email interviews give subjects a chance to think through their responses thoroughly rather than rush to fit the time constraints of a face-to-face interview.Also,email interviews might be the only way you will be able to access some experts.In addition to individual interviews,business researchers can also use a form of group interview known as the focus group.In this format,a moderator guides a group through a series of discussion questions while the rest of the research team members observe through a one-way mirror.The key advantage of focus groups is the opportunity to learn from group dynamics as the various participants bounce ideas and questions off each other.Allowing a group to discuss topics and problems in this manner can uncover much richer information than can a series of individual interviews.