Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are just hypotheses. Quantitative methods aim at the systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena. In compliance, quantitative methods are usually adopted to periodically check the customer base. The results are hypotheses for certain risks that can be verified by qualitative methods for the particular cases.
The scale above illustrates that qualitative and quantitative methods are different approaches that complement each other. It should be taken into account that in jurisprudence - i.e. the background of many compliance officers - qualitative methods dominate.
Links:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_research
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research
