Question 2

Imagine you are Stephen Spielberg. You are in the planning stages of a movie in 2054, when ‘technology has advanced to the point where crimes can be detected before they are committed’.

Spielberg invited 23 of the best futuristic minds for a three-day retreat.  Each brought expertise in a particular area: entertainment, transportation, social issues, the environment, law enforcement, and even advertising. Between them, he conceived hundreds of mind pictures that Spielberg’s creative genius turned into special effects, hundreds of which he was convinced the audience would never even perceive as they watched Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise.

The movie debuted on June 21, 2002, with an opening box office weekend generating $35.6 million.  Within the first 73 days, it had grossed $130.6 million. By the end of December, the worldwide gross for Minority Report had reached $342 million.  The special effects are all the more real for their basis in the present-day facts shared by those futurists via qualitative research sessions with Spielberg.

a. In your opinion, why does this qualitative approach need 23 respondents only in a three-day retreat?- 1 page

b. Provide examples of other industries where insight development and in-depth understanding will benefit from the qualitative approach.- 1 page