THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE
• What is different?
– 1. Falsification!
• The ability to find out that you’re wrong
– 2. Theories and observation
• Movement between concepts/theory and observation
– 3. Regimented procedure.
• Slow. Lots of work.
The Marketing Research Process
I.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Discover and Define problem
•
Conduct exploratory research
• Literature review, Secondary data, Pilot studies,
Focus groups, Survey, Case study
•
Define research objectives
Research design
•
Secondary Data, Qualitative Inquiry, Survey,
Experiment, Observation
Select sample
Collect data
Analyze data
Draw conclusions and prepare report
Mini Case
• Women's clothing store
– four years decreasing profits
– niche: conservative wear, not trendy
– idea: target less conservative, younger buyer
• Apply case to each step of marketing
research process.
1. Define the problem
• Do we really need research?
– Expensive. Valuable?
• When we should NOT conduct research:
– No time or money
– Insufficient payback
– Information already available
• Must ask the right questions
– Asking the wrong ones is at best, useless;
– at worst, it will lead to the wrong decision
• Examples:
– audio CD players
– New Coke
“The formulation of the problem is
often more essential than its solution.”
Albert Einstein
The Iceberg Principle
• The most dangerous part of many
business problems is neither visible
to nor understood by managers.
The Process of Problem Definition
Ascertain the
decision maker’s
objectives
Determine unit of
analysis
Understand
background of
the problem
Determine
relevant variables
Isolate/identify
the problem, not
the symptoms
State research
questions and
objectives
Mini case
• What existing research could you use?
• Conduct exploratory research
– What kind? How?
• Establish research objectives
– What do we want to know?
• Specific
• Measurable
2. Determine Research Design
• Exploratory:
– Initial, unstructured, informal
– When you don’t know much
– Focus groups, lit review, case study, pilot study,
secondary data, experience survey
• Descriptive:
– Answers who, what, why and how
– Surveys, observation
• Causal:
– Relationships between variables
– Experiments
Information types & sources
• Two types of data:
– Secondary: already exists
– Primary: you collect it
• Data sources:
– Internal
– External
Mini Case
• What research design will you
choose?
• Why?
3. Select Sample
• Subjects
– Census = all
– Sample = portion
• Identify target population
– Cost vs. generalizability
• Identify unit of analysis
– Individual, household, community
• How will you select subjects
– Probability vs. nonprobability
Mini Case
• Who will you sample?
• How will you do this?
4. Collect Data
• Determine data gathering methods
– Secondary data:
• Internal records, reports for purchase, library, web
– Primary data:
• Telephone, web, in person, mail, observation (in
person, electronic)
• Properly prepare
– Pretest, pilot test, main study
Mini case
• How will you collect the data
(specifically)?
5. Analyze Data
• Edit data
• Code data
• Select appropriate analysis method
6. Prepare Report
• Goal: clear, unbiased conclusions
• Write for your audience
The End