Nominal Group Technique: This research technique has been used for organizational decision-making, problem-solving, and idea-generating purposes for market research (de Ruyter, 1996). The researcher assembles a purposive sample of 10 to 12 people. A purposive sample is a “non probability sample in which the researcher selects respondents according to his or her judgment as to their perceived representativeness or usefulness to the research process” (Broom & Dozier, 1990, p. 400). Group members typically are somewhat knowledgeable about the topic. A nominal group technique (NGT) method usually consists of five stages. First, a moderator presents the topic and makes sure participants understand the issue. In stage two, each participant works individually to generate ideas. In stage three, a facilitator records everyone’s ideas in a round-robin fashion. Stage four consists of a group discussion of ideas. Similar ideas may be combined into a single category, but only if the entire group agrees to combine traits. In the fifth stage, participants vote for the ideas of greatest importance (de Ruyter, 1996; Langford, Schoenfeld, & Izzo, 2002; Claxton, Brent Richie, & Zaichkowski, 1980). In some cases, NGT voting includes ranking, where participants give their first choice five points, second choice three points and third choice one point. NGT lacks precision, but is an effective brainstorming technique and often the first step to additional research.
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