Scent of Apples

Bienvenido N. Santos
en I arrived in Kalamazoo it was October and te war was still on. Gold and silver stars :ng on pennants above
silent windows of wite and brick-red cottages. In a backyard an old man b:rned leaves and twigs wile a gray-
aired woman sat on te porc er red ands q:iet on er lap watcing te smoke rising above te elms bot of
tem tinking te same to:gt peraps abo:t a tall grinning boy wit is bl:e eyes and flying air wo went
o:t to war: were co:ld e be now tis mont wen leaves were t:rning into gold and te fragrance of gatered
apples was in te wind?
It was a cold nigt wen I left my room at te otel for a :s:al speaking engagement. I walked b:t a little way. A
eavy wind coming :p from Lake Micigan was icy on te face. If felt like winter straying early in te nortern
woodlands. Under te lampposts te leaves sone like bronze. And tey rolled on te pavements like te gost feet
of a to:sand a:t:mns long dead long before te boys left for faraway lands wito:t great icy winds and promise
of winter early in te air lands wito:t apple trees the singing and the gold!
It was te same nigt I met Celestino Fabia "j:st a Filipino farmer" as e called imself wo ad a farm abo:t
tirty miles east of Kalamazoo.
"Yo: came all tat way on a nigt like tis j:st to ear me talk?"
"I've seen no Filipino for so many years now" e answered q:ickly. "So wen I saw yo:r name in te papers
were it says yo: come from te Islands and tat yo:'re going to talk I come rigt away."
Earlier tat nigt I ad addressed a college crowd mostly women. It appeared tey wanted me to talk abo:t my
co:ntry tey wanted me to tell tem tings abo:t it beca:se my co:ntry ad become a lost co:ntry. Everywere
in te land te enemy stalked. Over it a great silence :ng and teir boys were tere :neard from or tey were
on teir way to some little known island on te Pacific yo:ng boys all ardly men tinking of arvest moons and
te smell of forest fire.
It was not ard talking abo:t o:r own people. I knew tem well and I loved tem. And tey seemed so far away
d:ring tose terrible years tat I m:st ave spoken of tem wit a little fervor a little nostalgia.
In te open for:m tat followed te a:dience wanted to know weter tere was m:c difference between o:r
women and te American women. I tried to answer te q:estion as best I co:ld saying among oter tings tat I
did not know tat m:c abo:t American women except tat tey looked friendly b:t differences or similarities in
inner q:alities s:c as nat:rally belonged to te eart or to te mind I co:ld only speak abo:t wit vag:eness.
ile I was trying to explain away te fact tat it was not easy to make comparisons a man rose from te rear of
te all wanting to say someting. In te distance e looked sligt and old and very brown. Even before e
spoke I knew tat e was like me a Filipino.
"I'm a Filipino" e began lo:d and clear in a voice tat seemed :sed to wide open spaces "I'm j:st a Filipino
farmer o:t in te co:ntry." He waved is and toward te door. "I left te Pilippines more tan twenty years ago
and ave never been back. Never will peraps. I want to find o:t sir are o:r Filipino women te same like tey
were twenty years ago?"
As e sat down te all filled wit voices :sed and intrig:ed. I weiged my answer caref:lly. I did not want to
tell a lie yet I did not want to say anyting tat wo:ld seem platit:dino:s insincere. B:t more important tan
tese considerations it seemed to me tat moment as I looked towards my co:ntryman I m:st give im an
answer tat wo:ld not make im so :nappy. S:rely all tese years e m:st ave eld on to certain ideals
certain beliefs even ill:sions pec:liar to te exile.
"First" I said as te voices grad:ally died down and every eye seemed :pon me "First tell me wat o:r women
were like twenty years ago."
Te man stood to answer. "Yes" e said "yo:'re too yo:ng . . . Twenty years ago o:r women were nice tey were
modest tey wore teir air long tey dressed proper and went for no monkey b:siness. Tey were nat:ral tey
went to c:rc reg:lar and tey were faitf:l." He ad spoken slowly and now in wat seemed like an
afterto:gt added "It's te men wo ain't."
Now I knew wat I was going to say.
"ell" I began "it will interest yo: to know tat o:r women ave canged--b:t definitely! Te cange owever
as been on te o:tside only. Inside ere" pointing to te eart "tey are te same as tey were twenty years
ago. God-fearing faitf:l modest and nice."
Te man was visibly moved. "I'm very appy sir" e said in te manner of one wo aving stakes on te land
ad fo:nd no ca:se to regret one's sentimental investment.
After tis everyting tat was said and done in tat all tat nigt seemed like an anti-climax and later as we
walked o:tside e gave me is name and told me of is farm tirty miles east of te city.
e ad stopped at te main entrance to te otel lobby. e ad not talked very m:c on te way. As a matter of
fact we were never alone. Kindly American friends talked to :s asked :s q:estions said goodnigt. So now I
asked im weter e cared to step into te lobby wit me and talk.
"No tank yo:" e said "yo: are tired. And I don't want to stay o:t too late."
"Yes yo: live very far."
"I got a car" e said "besides . . . "
Now e smiled e tr:ly smiled. All nigt I ad been watcing is face and I wondered wen e was going to smile.
"ill yo: do me a favor please" e contin:ed smiling almost sweetly. "I want yo: to ave dinner wit my family
o:t in te co:ntry. I'd call for yo: tomorrow afternoon ten drive yo: back. ill tat be alrigt?"
"Of co:rse" I said. "I'd love to meet yo:r family." I was leaving Kalamazoo for M:ncie Indiana in two days. Tere
was plenty of time.
"Yo: will make my wife very appy" e said.
"Yo: flatter me."
"Honest. Se'll be very appy. R:t is a co:ntry girl and asn't met many Filipinos. I mean Filipinos yo:nger tan
I cleaner looking. e're j:st poor farmer folk yo: know and we don't get to town very often. Roger tat's my
boy e goes to scool in town. A b:s takes im early in te morning and e's back in te afternoon. He's nice
boy."
"I bet e is" I agreed. "I've seen te cildren of some of te boys by teir American wives and te boys are tall
taller tan teir fater and very good looking."
"Roger e'd be tall. Yo:'ll like im."
Ten e said goodbye and I waved to im as e disappeared in te darkness.
Te next day e came at abo:t tree in te afternoon. Tere was a mild ineffect:al s:n sining and it was not
too cold. He was wearing an old brown tweed jacket and worsted tro:sers to matc. His soes were polised and
alto:g te green of is tie seemed faded a colored sirt ardly accent:ated it. He looked yo:nger tan e
appeared te nigt before now tat e was clean saven and seemed ready to go to a party. He was grinning as
we met.
"O R:t can't believe it" e kept repeating as e led me to is car--a nondescript ting in faded black tat ad
known better days and many ands. "I says to er I'm bringing yo: a first class Filipino and se says aw go
away q:it kidding tere's no s:c ting as first class Filipino. B:t Roger tat's my boy e believed me
immediately. at's e like daddy e asks. O yo: will see I says e's first class. Like yo: daddy? No no I
la:g at im yo:r daddy ain't first class. Aw b:t yo: are daddy e says. So yo: can see wat a nice boy e is
so innocent. Ten R:t starts griping abo:t te o:se b:t te o:se is a mess se says. Tr:e it's a mess it's
always a mess b:t yo: don't mind do yo:? e're poor folks yo: know.
Te trip seemed interminable. e passed tro:g narrow lanes and disappeared into tickets and came o:t on
barren land overgrown wit weeds in places. All aro:nd were dead leaves and dry eart. In te distance were apple
trees.
"Aren't tose apple trees?" I asked wanting to be s:re.
"Yes tose are apple trees" e replied. "Do yo: like apples? I got lots of 'em. I got an apple orcard I'll sow
yo:."
All te bea:ty of te afternoon seemed in te distance on te ills in te d:ll soft sky.
"Tose trees are bea:tif:l on te ills" I said.
"A:t:mn's a lovely season. Te trees are getting ready to die and tey sow teir colors pro:d-like."
"No s:c ting in o:r own co:ntry" I said.
Tat remark seemed :nkind I realized later. It to:ced im off on a long deserted tangent b:t ever tere
peraps. How many times did lonely mind take :npleasant deto:rs away from te familiar winding lanes towards
ome for fear of tis te remembered :rt te long lost yo:t te grim sadows of te years; ow many times
indeed only te exile knows.
It was a r:gged road we were traveling and te car made so m:c noise tat I co:ld not ear everyting e said
b:t I :nderstood im. He was telling is story for te first time in many years. He was remembering is own yo:t.
He was tinking of ome. In tese odd moments tere seemed no ca:se for fear no ca:se at all no pain. Tat
wo:ld come later. In te nigt peraps. Or lonely on te farm :nder te apple trees.
n this old Visayan town, the streets are narrow and dirty and strewn with coral shells. You have been there? You
could not have missed our house, it was the biggest in town, one of the oldest, ours was a big family. The house
stood right on the edge of the street. A door opened heavily and you enter a dark hall leading to the stairs. There
is the smell of chickens roosting on the low-topped walls, there is the familiar sound they make and you grope your
way up a massive staircase, the bannisters smooth upon the trembling hand. Such nights, they are no better than
the days, windows are closed against the sun; they close heavily.
Mother sits in her corner looking very white and sick. This was her world, her domain. n all these years, cannot
remember the sound of her voice. Father was different. He moved about. He shouted. He ranted. He lived in the
past and talked of honor as though it were the only thing.
was born in that house. grew up there into a pampered brat. was mean. One day broke their hearts. saw
mother cry wordlessly as father heaped his curses upon me and drove me out of the house, the gate closing
heavily after me. And my brothers and sisters took up my father's hate for me and multiplied it numberless times
in their own broken hearts. was no good.
But sometimes, you know, miss that house, the roosting chickens on the low-topped walls. miss my brothers
and sisters, Mother sitting in her chair, looking like a pale ghost in a corner of the room. would remember the
great live posts, massive tree trunks from the forests. Leafy plants grew on the sides, buds pointing downwards,
wilted and died before they could become flowers. As they fell on the floor, father bent to pick them and throw
them out into the coral streets. His hands were strong. have kissed these hands . . . many times, many times.
Finally we ro:nded a deep c:rve and s:ddenly came :pon a santy all b:t ready to cr:mble in a eap on te
gro:nd its plastered walls were rotting away te floor was ardly a foot from te gro:nd. I to:gt of te
cottages of te poor colored folk in te so:t te ovels of te poor everywere in te land. Tis one stood all by
itself as to:g by common consent all te folk tat :sed to live ere ad decided to say away despising it
asamed of it. Even te lovely season co:ld not color it wit bea:ty.
A dog barked lo:dly as we approaced. A fat blonde woman stood at te door wit a little boy by er side. Roger
seemed newly scr:bbed. He ardly took is eyes off me. R:t ad a clean apron aro:nd er sapeless waist. Now
as se sook my ands in sincere deligt I noticed samefacedly (tat I so:ld notice) ow ro:g er ands were
ow coarse and red wit labor ow :gly! Se was no longer yo:ng and er smile was patetic.
As we stepped inside and te door closed beind :s immediately I was aware of te familiar scent of apples. Te
room was bare except for a few ancient pieces of second-and f:rnit:re. In te middle of te room stood a stove to
keep te family warm in winter. Te walls were bare. Over te dining table :ng a lamp yet :nligted.
R:t got b:sy wit te drinks. Se kept coming in and o:t of a rear room tat m:st ave been te kitcen and
soon te table was eavy wit food fried cicken legs and rice and green peas and corn on te ear. Even as we
ate R:t kept standing and going to te kitcen for more food. Roger ate like a little gentleman.
"Isn't e nice looking?" is fater asked.
"Yo: are a andsome boy Roger" I said.
Te boy smiled at me. Yo: look like Daddy" e said.
Afterwards I noticed an old pict:re leaning on te top of a dresser and stood to pick it :p. It was yellow and soiled
wit many fingerings. Te faded fig:re of a woman in Pilippine dress co:ld yet be disting:ised alto:g te face
ad become a bl:r.
"Yo:r . . . " I began.
"I don't know wo se is" Fabia astened to say. "I picked tat pict:re many years ago in a room on La Salle
street in Cicago. I ave often wondered wo se is."
"Te face wasn't a bl:r in te beginning?"
"O no. It was a yo:ng face and good."
R:t came wit a plate f:ll of apples.
"A" I cried picking o:t a ripe one. "I've been tinking were all te scent of apples came from. Te room is f:ll
of it."
"I'll sow yo:" said Fabia.
He sowed me a backroom not very big. It was alf-f:ll of apples.
"Every day" e explained "I take some of tem to town to sell to te groceries. Prices ave been low. I've been
losing on te trips."
"Tese apples will spoil" I said.
"e'll feed tem to te pigs."
Ten e sowed me aro:nd te farm. It was twiligt now and te apple trees stood bare against a glowing western
sky. In apple blossom time it m:st be lovely ere. B:t wat abo:t wintertime?
One day according to Fabia a few years ago before Roger was born e ad an attack of ac:te appendicitis. It
was deep winter. Te snow lay eavy everywere. R:t was pregnant and none too well erself. At first se did not
know wat to do. Se b:ndled im in warm cloting and p:t im on a cot near te stove. Se soveled te snow
from teir front door and practically carried te s:ffering man on er so:lders dragging im tro:g te newly
made pat towards te road were tey waited for te U.S. Mail car to pass. Meanwile snowflakes po:red all over
tem and se kept r:bbing te man's arms and legs as se erself nearly froze to deat.
"Go back to te o:se R:t!" er :sband cried "yo:'ll freeze to deat."
B:t se cl:ng to im wordlessly. Even as se massaged is arms and legs er tears rolled down er ceeks. "I
won't leave yo:" se repeated.
Finally te U.S. Mail car arrived. Te mailman wo knew tem well elped tem board te car and wito:t
stopping on is :s:al ro:te took te sick man and is wife direct to te nearest ospital.
R:t stayed in te ospital wit Fabia. Se slept in a corridor o:tside te patients' ward and in te day time elped
in scr:bbing te floor and wasing te dises and cleaning te men's tings. Tey didn't ave eno:g money and
R:t was willing to work like a slave.
"R:t's a nice girl" said Fabia "like o:r own Filipino women."
Before nigtfall e took me back to te otel. R:t and Roger stood at te door olding ands and smiling at me.
From inside te room of te santy a low ligt flickered. I ad a last glimpse of te apple trees in te orcard
:nder te darkened sky as Fabia backed :p te car. And soon we were on o:r way back to town. Te dog ad
started barking. e co:ld ear it for some time :ntil finally we co:ld not ear it anymore and all was darkness
aro:nd :s except were te eadlamps revealed a stretc of road leading somewere.
Fabia did not talk tis time. I didn't seem to ave anyting to say myself. B:t wen finally we came to te otel
and I got down Fabia said "ell I g:ess I won't be seeing yo: again."
It was dimly ligted in front of te otel and I co:ld ardly see Fabia's face. ito:t getting off te car e moved
to were I ad sat and I saw im extend is and. I gripped it.
"Tell R:t and Roger" I said "I love tem."
He dropped my and q:ickly. "Tey'll be waiting for me now" e said.
"Look" I said not knowing wy I said it "one of tese days very soon I ope I'll be going ome. I co:ld go to
yo:r town."
"No" e said softly so:nding very m:c defeated b:t brave "Tanks a lot. B:t yo: see nobody wo:ld remember
me now."
Ten e started te car and as it moved away e waved is and.
"Goodbye" I said waving back into te darkness. And s:ddenly te nigt was cold like winter straying early in
tese nortern woodlands.
I :rried inside. Tere was a train te next morning tat left for M:ncie Indiana at a q:arter after eigt.

Importance of Statistics in Different Fields

Statistics plays a vital role in every fields of human activity. Statistics has important role in determining the existing
position of per capita income, unemployment, population growth rate, housing, schooling medical facilities etc.in a
country. Now statistics holds a central position in almost every field like !ndustry, Commerce, Trade, Physics,
Chemistry, Economics, Nathematics, Biology, Botany, Psychology, Astronomy etc., so application of statistics is very
wide. Now we discuss some important fields in which statistics is commonly applied.
(1) Business:
Statistics play an important role in business. A successful businessman must be very quick and accurate in
decision making. He knows that what his customers wants, he should therefore, know what to produce and sell and
in what quantities. Statistics helps businessman to plan production according to the taste of the costumers, the
quality of the products can also be checked more efficiently by using statistical methods. So all the activities of the
businessman based on statistical information. He can make correct decision about the location of business, marketing
of the products, financial resources etc.
(2) !n Economics:
Statistics play an important role in economics. Economics largely depends upon statistics. National income
accounts are multipurpose indicators for the economists and administrators. Statistical methods are used for
preparation of these accounts. !n economics research statistical methods are used for collecting and analysis the data
and testing hypothesis. The relationship between supply and demands is studies by statistical methods, the imports
and exports, the inflation rate, the per capita income are the problems which require good knowledge of statistics.
(3) !n Nathematics:
Statistical plays a central role in almost all natural and social sciences. The methods of natural sciences are
most reliable but conclusions draw from them are only probable, because they are based on incomplete evidence.
Statistical helps in describing these measurements more precisely. Statistics is branch of applied mathematics. The
large number of statistical methods like probability averages, dispersions, estimation etc. is used in mathematics
and different techniques of pure mathematics like integration, differentiation and algebra are used in statistics.

(4) !n Banking:
Statistics play an important role in banking. The banks make use of statistics for a number of purposes. The
banks work on the principle that all the people who deposit their money with the banks do not withdraw it at the
same time. The bank earns profits out of these deposits by lending to others on interest. The bankers use statistical
approaches based on probability to estimate the numbers of depositors and their claims for a certain day.

(S) !n State Nanagement (Administration):
Statistics is essential for a country. Different policies of the government are based on statistics. Statistical data
are now widely used in taking all administrative decisions. Suppose if the government wants to revise the pay scales
of employees in view of an increase in the living cost, statistical methods will be used to determine the rise in the
cost of living. Preparation of federal and provincial government budgets mainly depends upon statistics because it
helps in estimating the expected expenditures and revenue from different sources. So statistics are the eyes of
administration of the state.
(6) !n Accounting and Auditing:
Accounting is impossible without exactness. But for decision making purpose, so much precision is not
essential the decision may be taken on the basis of approximation, know as statistics. The correction of the values of
current asserts is made on the basis of the purchasing power of money or the current value of it.
!n auditing sampling techniques are commonly used. An auditor determines the sample size of the book to
be audited on the basis of error.
(7) !n Natural and Social Sciences:
Statistics plays a vital role in almost all the natural and social sciences. Statistical methods are commonly used
for analyzing the experiments results, testing their significance in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Nathematics,
Neteorology, Research chambers of commerce, Sociology, Business, Public Administration, Communication and
!nformation Technology etc.
Advantages of stat|st|cs |n bus|ness
buslness managemenL soclal sclence appllcaLlons ls a collecLlve quanLlLaLlve of lnformaLlon and daLa of
oplnlons facLual lnformaLlon dependlng on Lhe sub[ecL/purpose eLc lLs Lhe mosL efflclenL way Lo collecL
large number of respondenLs lnformaLlon
Some advanLages are
1 SLaLlsLlcs ls used Lo deLermlne valldlLy rellablllLy and slgnlflcance dependlng on whaL ls used for ln
Lhe markeL
2 lL can be used Lo collecL wlde range of lnformaLlonaLLlLudes values bellefs pasL behavlors eLc
3 lLs easy Lo admlnlsLer
4 1here ls a wealLh of lnformaLlon because of sLandardlzed collecLlon of daLa Lhrough sLaLlsLlcal survey
performed by Lhe governmenL corporaLlons buslnesses lndlvlduals eLc
4 sess|on of stat|st|cs
1.collecting data
1he maln porLlon of SLaLlsLlcs ls Lhe dlsplay of summarlzed daLa uaLa ls lnlLlally collecLed from a glven
source wheLher Lhey are experlmenLs surveys or observaLlon and ls presenLed ln one of four meLhods
'extular Nethod
The reader acquires information through reading the gathered data.
'abular Nethod
Provides a more precise, systematic and orderly presentation of data in rows or columns.
Semitabular Nethod
Uses both textual and tabular methods.
Craphical Nethod
The utilization of graphs is most effective method of visually presenting statistical results or
findings.
esentat|on
rouped and ungrouped daLa may be presenLed as
le CharLs
lrequency PlsLograms
lrequency olygons
Cglves
8oxpoLs
3ana|yz|ng
Ana|ys|s of data ls a process of lnspecLlng cleanlng Lransformlng and modellng data wlLh Lhe goal of
hlghllghLlng useful lnformaLlon suggesLlng concluslons and supporLlng declslon maklng uaLa analysls
has mulLlple faceLs and approaches encompasslng dlverse Lechnlques under a varleLy of names ln
dlfferenL buslness sclence and soclal sclence domalns

4|nteetat|ng Data
readlng Lables graph and dlagrams
aamete vs stat|st|cs
Parameters and Statistics |1|
Statisticians talk about statistics in relation to parameters. parameLer ls a numerlc quanLlLy usually
unknown LhaL descrlbes a cerLaln populaLlon characLerlsLlc lor example Lhe populaLlon mean ls a
parameLer LhaL ls ofLen used Lo lndlcaLe Lhe average value of a quanLlLy CLher more concreLe examples
are
O The true average" height of adult human males.
O The number of individuals in Nexico that have paid a bribe to a police officer.
O The median income in Sierra Leone.
O
arameLers are ofLen esLlmaLed slnce Lhelr value ls generally unknown especlally when Lhe populaLlon
ls large enough LhaL lL ls lmposslble or lmpracLlcal Lo obLaln measuremenLs for all people lor example lL
would be lmposslble Lo llne up all adulL human males on Lhe planeL and obLaln Lhelr helghLs wlLh perfecL
measuremenL Lherefore Lhe Lrue mean helghL of adulL human males can only be esLlmaLed noL known
arameLers are normally represenLed by reek leLLers 1he mosL common parameLers are Lhe
populaLlon mean and varlance represenLed by Lhe reek leLLers and o
2
respecLlvely
A statistic is a quantity, calculated from a sample of data, used to estimate a parameter. For example, the
average of the data in a sample is used to give information about the overall average in the population
from which that sample was drawn. Other examples include:
O The average" height of a random sample of 1,000 adult human males.
O The percentage of individuals in a random sample of 10,000 adults in Nexico that have paid a
bribe to a police officer, multiplied by the size of the adult population in Nexico.
O The median income of a random sample of 1,000 adults in Sierra Leone.
!t is possible to draw more than one sample from the same population, and each sample will have its
own value for any statistic used to estimate a particular parameter. For example, the mean of the data in
a sample is used to give information about the overall mean in the population from which that sample
was drawn. But the sample means for two independent samples, drawn from the same population, will
not necessarily be equal. Each sample mean is still an estimate of the underlying population mean. Such
possible variations amoung estimates from different samples is called sampling error.
Statistics are usually represented by Latin letters with other symbols. The sample mean and variance, two
of the most common statistics derived from samples, are denoted by the symbols and s
2
, respectively.
ariable

1.
a. Likely to change or vary, subject to variation, changeable.
b. !nconstant, fickle.
2. Biology Tending to deviate, as from a normal or recognized type, aberrant.
3. Nathematics Having no fixed quantitative value.
n.
1. Something that varies or is prone to variation.
2. Astronomy A variable star.
3. Nathematics
a. A quantity capable of assuming any of a set of values.
b. A symbol representing such a quantity. For example, in the expression a
2
+ b
2
= c
2
, a, b, and c are variables.

Types ol 0ala or 0ala C|ass|l|cal|or

!. Qualitative Data
A. Nominal, Attribute, or Categorical Data:
Examples:
1. Cender (female, male)
2. Nedication (aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, none)
3. Religion (Buddhist, !slamic, ]ewish, Christian, Hindu, none, etc.)
4. Countries (!raq, !ran, !srael, Zimbabwe, Canada, etc.)
Descriptive Statistics used: mode (most often observed data category), and percent. Note: averages (mean) and standard error are
not appropriate!

B. Ordinal or Ranked Data: one value is greater or less than another, but the
Nagnitude of the difference is unknown.
Examples:
1. Nuscle response (none, partial, complete)
2. Tree vigor (Healthy, sick, dead)
3. !ncome (<$3,333 $10,000$13,333, $20,000$43,333, >$S0,000)
Descriptive Statistics used: mode and percent. Note: averages (mean) and standard error are not appropriate!

!!. Quantitative or !nterval Data (measurements)
A. Discrete or Neristic Data (whole number counts)
Examples:
1. Number of petals on flower
2. Number of pets at home
3. Number of children in family
Descriptive Statistics used: mean, mode, median, percent.

B. Continuous measurements (rational numbers, limited by the accuracy of your measurements)
Examples:
1. Height
2. Weight
3. Lightyears
4. Blood pressure
;ua||tat|ve eseach
is a method of inquiry employed in many different academic disciplines, traditionally in the social sciences, but also in market
research and further contexts.
|1]
Qualitative researchers aim to gather an indepth understanding of human behavior and the
reasons that govern such behavior. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where,
when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed than large samples.