Page 111 - SREENARAYANAGURU OPEN UNIVERSITY

objects. The respondents under this method directly compare
two or more objects and make choices among them.

Comparative scaling techniques can be classified as follows:

Figure 3.2.2 Comparative scaling techniques

i. Paired comparison method
A paired comparison method consists of two variables from
which the respondent needs to select one. Paired comparison
scaling is a comparative scaling technique in which the respondent ◆ Selecting one from
is given two objects at the same time and is asked to select one two
according to the defined criteria. Paired comparison method
is useful when choices are between two objects, and also it is
not possible to measure the distance between each item. Paired
comparison applies to the ordinal scale and not any numerical
scale. Under the paired comparison method, the data can be
converted to a rank order.
Example:
In a study of consumer preferences about two brands of health
drinks Horlicks and Boost, consumers were asked to fill any one
of the two brands given.
Which health drink would you prefer based on taste?
Horlicks ( ) Boost ( )

Which health drink would you prefer based on price?

SGOU - SLM - MCom Research Methodology 105