Overview of Research
Designs
The Marketing Research Process
Step 1: Defining the Problem
Step 2: Developing an Approach to the Problem
Step 3: Formulating a Research Design
Step 4: Doing Field Work or Collecting Data
Step 5: Preparing and Analyzing Data
Step 6: Preparing and Presenting the Report
Research Design
• A master plan that
specifies the methods
and procedures for
collecting and analyzing
needed information.
Tasks Involved In a Research Design
Define the Information Needed
Design the Exploratory, Descriptive,
and/or Causal Phases of the Research
Specify the Measurement and Scaling
Procedures
Construct a Questionnaire
Specify the Sampling Process and the
Sample Size
Develop a Plan of Data Analysis
Today’s
Topic
A Classification of Market Research Designs
Research
Design
Exploratory
Research
Secondary
Data
Experience
Surveys
Conclusive
Research
Pilot
Studies
Case
Studies
See next slide
A Classification of Market Research Designs
Research
Design
Exploratory
Research
Conclusive
Research
See previous slide
Cross-sectional
Study
Longitudinal
Study
Descriptive
Design
Causal
Design
Experiment
Secondary
Data Study
Survey
Observation
Exploratory Research
• Usually conducted during the
initial stage of the research
process
• Purposes
– To narrow the scope of the research topic, and
– To transform ambiguous problems into well-defined
ones
Exploratory Research Techniques
• Secondary Data Analysis
– Secondary data are data previously collected & assembled for
some project other than the one at hand
• Pilot Studies
– A collective term for any small-scale exploratory research
technique that uses sampling but does not apply rigorous
standards
– Includes
• Focus Group Interviews
– Unstructured, free-flowing interview with a small group of people
• Projective Techniques
– Indirect means of questioning that enables a respondent to project beliefs
and feelings onto a third party or an inanimate object
– Word association tests, sentence completion tests, role playing
Exploratory Research Techniques
• Case Studies
– Intensively investigate one or a few situations similar
to the problem situation
• Experience Surveys
– Individuals who are knowledge about a particular
research problem are questioned
Conclusive Research
• Provide specific information that aids the
decision maker in evaluating alternative
courses of action
• Sound statistical methods & formal
research methodologies are used to
increase the reliability of the information
• Data sought tends to be specific & decisive
• Also more structured & formal than
exploratory data
Types of Conclusive Research
• Descriptive Research
– Describes attitudes, perceptions, characteristics, activities and
situations.
– Examines who, what, when, where, why, & how questions
• Causal Research
– Provides evidence that a cause-and-effect relationship exists
or does not exist.
– Premise is that something (and independent variable) directly
influences the behavior of something else (the dependent
variable).
Common Characteristics of
Descriptive Studies
• Build on previous information
• Show relationships between
variables
• Representative samples required
• Structured research plans
• Require substantial resources
• Conclusive findings
Major Types of Descriptive Studies
Descriptive
Studies
Sales Studies
• Market
Potential
• Market
Share
• Sales
Analysis
Consumer Perception
And Behavior Studies
Market Characteristic
Studies
• Image
•Distribution
• Product Usage
•Competitive
Analysis
• Advertising
• Pricing
Cross Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs
Cross
Sectional
Design
Longitudinal
Design
Time
Sample
Surveyed
at T1
Sample
Surveyed
at T1
T1
Same
Sample
also
Surveyed
at T2
T2
Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal
Designs
Cross-Sectional
Longitudinal
Detecting change
Worse
Better
Amount of data
collected
Accuracy
Worse
Better
Worse
Better
Representativeness
Better
Worse
Response bias
Better
Worse
Some Alternative Research Designs
(a)
Exploratory
Research
•Secondary Data
Analysis
• Focus Groups
(b)
Conclusive Research
•Descriptive/Causal
(c)
Conclusive Research
•Descriptive/Causal
Conclusive Research
•Descriptive/Causal
Exploratory
Research
•Secondary Data
Analysis
•Focus Groups
Common Characteristics of
Causal Studies
• Logical Time Sequence
– For causality to exist, the cause must either precede or occur
simultaneously with the effect
• Concomitant Variation
– Extent to which the cause and effect vary together as
hypothesized
• Control for Other Possible Causal
Factors
How Descriptive & Causal
Designs Differ
• Relationship between the
variables
– Descriptive designs determine degree of association
– Causal designs infer whether one or more variables influence
another variable
• Degree of environmental control
– Descriptive designs enjoy lesser degrees of control
• Order of the variables
– In descriptive designs, variables are not logically ordered
Comparison of Research Designs
Exploratory
Descriptive
Causal
Purpose
ID problems, gain
insights
Describe things
Determine causeand-effect
relationships
Assumed
background
knowledge
Minimal
Considerable
Considerable
Degree of
structure
Very little
High
High
Flexibility
High
Some
Little
Sample
Nonrepresentative
Representative
Representative
Research
environment
Relaxed
Formal
Highly controlled
Cost
Low
Medium
High
Findings
Preliminary
Conclusive
Conclusive
Basic Research Methods
• Secondary Data Analysis
– Historical analysis
• Surveys
– Asking; self-reported
• Experiments
– Testing in controlled environments
• Observation
– Watching & recording
Which is the “Best” Research
Design & Method?
• “You cannot put the same shoe on
every foot.”
– Publilius Syrus
• It depends on the
–
–
–
–
problem of interest,
level of information needed,
resources,
researcher’s experience, etc.