FOCUS GROUP IN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH: APPLICATIONS IN BRAZILIAN STUDIES

Abstract

The aim of this study is to verify how and for what purposes the researches in Management
published in Brazilian journals between 2011 and 2015 used the focus group as data collection
method. Thus, a systematic literature review was performed and 44 scientific papers that met
the pre-established criteria were selected. The analysis of the papers aimed to identify: the field
of research, the topic on which the study was developed, methodological issues, especially in
relation to the way the focus group method was used, among other issues. As results, it was
observed that the focus group method has been used as a single data collection method, or also
combined to other data collection methods, both qualitative and quantitative. In addition, it was
found that the focus group method has been used for research in different areas, most frequently
in Public Administration. It was also observed that most of the research that used the focus
group method used it to identify points of view on the studied subject or used it to understand
the studied phenomenon. One issue in the analyzed papers is that half of them present
insufficient methodological information about the method that was used. That way, scientific
check is not always possible, both in relation to the use of the method and in relation to the
results achieved.