The Gum Chewing Behavior of the Participants with a Focus on Extra Gum - Assignment Example

By definition, a focus group is a research in which qualitative data is obtained from a small group of people usually between 4 and 15 (Litosseliti, 69). The people in the group are asked about their opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions toward a concept, a service, or a product. Since the purpose of this research is to evaluate the Extra Gum concerning why it is a popular gum and the people's beliefs about chewing the gum, a focus group, therefore, appears to be the best way to go about the inquiry (Stewart, 51).

ParticipantsThis research used primary data from five participants from the engineering departments. The participants were conveniently selected to participate. All of them signed a consent form before engaging in the research. They were all above the age of 18 years with the range of their ages being between 23 years and 36 years. The participants were selected because they were spotted chewing gum during the lunch break. This meant that they were likely to provide adequate information that would contribute to the topic.

Results Popularity of Chewing GumThe results obtained from the focus group indicate that all the participants liked chewing gum. Further, all of them liked Extra Gum due to its many flavors (60%) and long smell time (40%). Regarding the shape of the gum, its simple and attractive shape was the most likable characteristic of the gum being indicated by 4 of the five participants. Gum Chewing BehaviorMost of the participants (3 of the 5) chew gum for at least 5-10 minutes with all the participants indicating ‘after each meal’ as the best time to chew gum.

Competitiveness of Extra GumFrom the perspective of the focus group, all the participants indicate that Extra Gum faces competition majorly from Mentos. The major quality that keeps it competitive is the wide area of the breath smell when chewing the gum which was indicated by 4 of the 5 participants. Using wrapped gum appeared to be less popular than using can gum with a 2:5 popularity ratio between them. All the participant consumers did not mind the price of the gum, but the place of manufacture mattered to all the participants.

Improving Extra GumWith 4 of the 5 participants indicating that the gum needs change, their advice is varied. Three of the participants suggest that providing wraps that can be used when getting rid of the gum would be an improvement. Adding flavors for summer and winter was selected by 2 of the 5 participants as a possible change to the positive.ConclusionI believe the contribution of the participants contributed greatly to the results and the quality of the focus group. I have learned that the basic approach to research is the most important tool for securing a positive group and hence determines the quality of the results (Edmunds, 46). In the future, more participants may be used to provide wider results scope.