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Qualitative Research in Asia

Bogdana Baltasiu and Mihaela Alexandru (Romania)

Interviews taken by Piyul Mukherjee with Qualitative Researchers Worldwide

Bogdana Baltasiu

Mihaela Alexandru

 If you had a choice, would you rather be alone or with people?

Bogdana: With people, of course! Loneliness is a bit scary.

Mihaela: Where people are, something interesting is bound to happen.

With only objects around, things become boring very quickly. ? In your opinion, if you could identify a personal characteristic that has helped you to be a QRC, what would it be?

Bogdana: Having previous experience in HR management and, being at the right place at the right time - a professional in a country where this kind of research is in the pioneering period!

Mihaela: Patience I guess and the ability to listen to others and have fun at the same time helps me during difficult groups.

If you weren’t a QRC, what would you ideally have liked to be?

Bogdana: I would have liked to be a person with so much money that I wouldn’t have to work for a living at all -- but for creating programs of development and helping people to change/further educate themselves.

Mihaela: A Human Resources consultant.

Which was your favorite subject at school & why?

Bogdana: Mathematics –- because by solving problems, I discovered that even in such a strict environment you can always find different ways of getting the same result!

Mihaela: Algebra and philosophy (funny, isn’t it?) Both of them challenge your way of conventional thinking, and make you think about the way you (and others) think!

Which type of people are the hardest to interview?

Bogdana: The ones who are too inquisitive, doubting or rejecting almost everything, but in such cases I like most to “dig” for their motivations and to bring to the surface the reason for their behavior. They are thus the hardest-with-the-most-satisfactory-results persons to interview.

Mihaela: The ones who perceive the interview like a game they have to win.

Over the years of your career, how have the QR projects changed in Romania, if at all?

Bogdana: The clients have become more educated and demanding. They have also started to better understand the methodology and our insights or suggestions for their strategic actions.

Mihaela: More complex, as clients become more demanding in qualitative studies.

Which has been your best project to date?

Bogdana: Approaching the psychiatric field in order to understand and make a profile of medical specialists’ preferences regarding schizophrenia treatment. These psychiatry specialists didn’t feel I was an outsider and due to our fruitful rapport, the client could launch a new drug on a market they little knew about.

Mihaela: One regarding a pharmaceutical product that was better repositioned based on research findings.

Describe the dream / nightmare client for Romania.

Bogdana: The dream client: the one who clearly spells out the questions they need answers to, for their marketing strategy (but this way, where would our value be, as QRCs?)The nightmare client: the one that even tells you what’s best for them in terms of techniques to use for interviewing.

Mihaela: The dream client: the one that you communicate with from the very first moment, trusting each other’s competencies in specific areas. They are also the ones who know what they want and respect the consumers’ opinions, regardless of their orientation (for/against their product).The nightmare client: who insists on using quantitative methods in qualitative studies, who doesn’t understand the group dynamics and jumps to conclusions passing value judgments on consumers - when they criticize the client’s product.

When you travel, what do you always carry in your suitcase?

Bogdana: - So many materials!

Mihaela: Something to read. It doesn’t mean that I always find the time to do it.

How do you relax best after a group?

Bogdana: I have a cookie and a glass of juice. Then I take a long shower -- while my mind reviews the discussions for it is the first impressions that provide the most important insight(s).

Mihaela: Usually I cannot relax for the next 2 hours, as I am still reviewing the group etc. If I am not in Bucharest and I have a good guide, I walk through the city and chat with my companion.

What is your favorite dish?

Bogdana: Cookies Have you heard of “papanasi?” I know one QRCA member from the USA who has tried them!

Mihaela: Typically Romanian dish: made of quinces and caramel sauce (possibly with chicken).

What was your motivation for joining QRCA?

Bogdana: To gain international insights, to be up-to-date on recent trends and developments within the profession, to be open/exposed to international research projects.

Mihaela: Being a part of an international team and having access to other moderators’ experience and know-how.

How do you draw the line between personal and professional life?

Bogdana: Quite difficult to do … my life revolves around thinking, acting, and analyzing situations.

Mihaela: Difficult to do: I find myself asking questions in the same manner as in the focus group and looking at commercials to find their “strengths and weaknesses.” So I guess one cannot fully separate the two, but try to respect the moral line between them.

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