Delphi Method is characterized by

• A. Participants' inputs are collected together in a group discussion
• B. Input is collected separately so that people are not influenced by one another
• C. It requires formal experiments in markets
• D. It only uses quantitative data

Answer: (B)

Delphi Method centers on anonymous, iterative elicitation of expert judgment to reach consensus. The key feature is that input is collected separately from others, so participants aren’t influenced by peers during the rounds. After each round, a summary of the group responses is fed back to the participants, who then can revise their views in private in light of the anonymized feedback. This process minimizes the impact of dominant personalities and encourages independent thinking, leading to a more balanced forecast or decision input. Other statements don’t fit: a group discussion would introduce direct influence and reduce anonymity; formal market experiments aren’t required by Delphi; and the method isn’t limited to quantitative data, as it also incorporates qualitative judgments and structured scoring.