What is Qualitative Analysis？
Key Takeaways
● Qualitative Analysis (QA) depends on an analyst’s subjective evaluation.
● QA is based on one’s social experience, so the analyst him/herself is at the center of the analysis.
● QA can help corporate managers or stock investors make wiser decisions.
Understanding QA
Qualitative analysis (QA) means to evaluate the nature, characters, and patterns of evolution of a research object by analyzing its past and present ongoing status as well as the latest data, using an analyst’s subjective intuition and his/her own experience.
QA is based on one’s social experience, so the analyst him/herself is at the center of the analysis.
Specific methods of QA
QA investigates the phenomenon and essence of a research object mainly through exposition and reasoning, including the 6 specific methods below.
1. Definition. It means to define the attributes, connotations, extensions, etc. of a research object by giving definitions of key concepts.
2. Analysis. It means to sort out and analyze the logic in relations between the specific elements of a research object.
3. Comparison. It means to classify and compare objects that have been studied and are going to be studied, so as to find out their similarities and differences and to understand the nature of a research object.
4. Induction & deduction. It means to summarize the patterns of evolution of a research object through 2 mindsets, respectively “from the concrete to the abstract” and “from the abstract to the concrete”.
5. Literature. It means to process and summarize the results of the previous research and analysis to obtain an insight of a research object.
6. Integrated analysis. It means conducting an integrated analysis of data collected through on-site interviews, group discussions, questionnaires forum events, etc.
Summary
In financial QA, analysts summarize and analyze different qualitative variables, such as staff loyalty, customer satisfaction, and market acceptance of products, to help corporate managers or stock investors be better able to make key decisions.