1
Exploratory, Descriptive, and
Causal Research Designs
Chapter 3, Student Edition
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
2
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
3
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 1
Exploratory Research


Discover ideas and insights
Descriptive Research



Describing a population with respect to important variables
Determining the frequency with which something occurs or
the relationship between variables
Causal Research


Used to establish cause-and-effect relationships between
variables
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
4
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
5
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 2
Exploratory studies are



Typically small scale
Very flexible
Exploratory research is useful for




Helping define the problem
Developing hypotheses
Gaining familiarity with a problem or opportunity
The output of exploratory research is ideas and insights,
not answers

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
6
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
7
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 3
Literature Search


Search of popular press, trade, and academic literature or
published statistics from research firms or governmental
agencies
Depth Interviews


Interviews with people knowledgeable about the general
subject being investigated
Focus Groups


Small group interviews relying on group discussion
Case Analyses


Intensive study of selected examples of phenomenon
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
8
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 3
Special Note on Focus Groups
 Focus Groups have two major pitfalls


It is easy for managers to see what they expect to see in focus
group results
Focus groups are one form of exploratory research – it (or
any other type of exploratory research) should not be
expected to deliver final results or answers to decision
problems – yet many managers seem to use them for that
purpose
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
9
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
10
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 4

Cross-section Study


Single point in time measures of a sample selected from a
population
Longitudinal Analysis

Repeated measures, over time, of a fixed sample (panels of
people)
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
11
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
12
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 5


Continuous panel – Fixed sample of respondents who are
measured repeatedly over time with respect to the same
variables
Discontinuous panel – Fixed sample of respondents who
are measured repeated over time with respect to
different variables
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
13
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
14
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 6

Laboratory Experiment

Includes a situation with
exact conditions



Field Experiment

Like a chemistry lab
Control of variables other
than X or Y is maximized




Labs are sterile
X variables are manipulated
Includes a situation with
fluid conditions
Control of variables other
than X or Y is challenging


Like a retail store
Store conditions vary
X variables are manipulated
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
15
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Describe the major emphasis of each of the three basic
types of research design
Describe the key characteristics and basic uses of
exploratory research
Discuss the various types of exploratory research and
describe each
Discuss the difference between cross-sectional and
longitudinal descriptive research designs
Explain the difference between a continuous panel and a
discontinuous panel
Clarify the difference between laboratory experiments and
field experiments
Distinguish among a standard test market, a controlled test
market, and a simulated test market
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
16
MR/Brown & Suter
Learning Objective 7
Standard Test
Market
Controlled Test
Market
Simulated Test
Market
Definition
A test market in which
the company sells the
product through its
normal distribution
channels
An entire test program
conducted by an
outside service in a
market in which it can
guarantee distribution
A study in which
consumer ratings and
other information are
fed into a computer
model that then makes
projections about the
likely level of sales for
the product in the
market
Example
Taco Bell test
marketed its Grilled
Stuft Burrito in Fresno,
CA
Behaviorscan from
SymphonyIRI Group is
a leading supplier of
controlled test market
services
BASES from Nielsen is
an industry leader in
simulated test markets
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
17
MR/Brown & Suter