4.05
UNDERSTAND MARKETINGRESEARCH DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS TO
EVALUATE THEIR APPROPRIATENESS
FOR THE RESEARCH PROBLEM/ISSUE
4.00 Understand promotion and
intermediate uses of marketinginformation.
5-146 5-147 Research Design
Define the following terms: research design,
descriptive design, exploratory design, causal
design.
 Research design - a formal plan of action for a
research project
 A design is used to structure the research, to show
how all of the major parts of the research project - the samples or groups, measures, treatments or
programs, and methods of assignment -- work
together to try to address the central research
questions http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/design.php
Research Design
 Descriptive design - to identify the cause of
something that is happening
find out what age group is buying a particular brand of cola,
whether a company’s market share differs between
geographical regions or to discover how many competitors
a company has in their marketplace
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=800&Itemid=
64
 Exploratory design - This genre of research simply
allows the marketer to gain a greater understanding
of something that s/he doesn’t know enough about
 Differing mainly in design from descriptive research,
exploratory research is used principally to gain a deeper
understanding of something. The design is far more flexible
and dynamic than that of descriptive research
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=798
Research Design
 Causal design - explores the effect of one
thing on another and more specifically, the
effect of one variable on another
 if a clothing company currently sells blue denim
jeans, causal research can measure the impact of
the company changing the product design to the
color white
 causal research is a way of seeing how actions
now will affect a business in the future
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=799
&Itemid=64
Research Design
 Describe general purposes of marketing
research (e.g., explain, predict, monitor,
discover, test hypotheses).
 Explain the relationship between the research
design and the purpose of the research.
 The design is based on what is being researched,
so the two must be matched in order to succeed
 Determining the research purpose sets the stage
for the rest of the research plan
Research Design
 Discuss the purposes of using descriptive
research.
 To find out why (the root cause)
 Explain the purposes of using exploratory
research.
 To learn more about an issue, competitor, current
customers, potential customers
 To understand
Research Design
 Distinguish between descriptive and
exploratory research.
 Descriptive helps me find out what is going on
 Exploratory helps me understand something
better
 Describe the purposes of using causal
research.
 what impact a specific change will have on
existing business (cause and effect)
5-148 5-149 Sources of Data
 Distinguish between primary and secondary
marketing research.
 Describe occasions for using primary sources
of marketing research data.
 Discuss primary sources of marketing
research data.
Sources of Data
 Describe advantages/disadvantages of
primary marketing research.
 Explain types of primary research (i.e.,
quantitative and qualitative).
 Explain occasions for using secondary sources
of marketing research data.
Sources of Data
 Describe secondary sources of marketing
research data (i.e., internal and external).
 Describe advantages/disadvantages with
using internal sources of secondary data.
 Explain reasons that businesses need to
analyze external data.
Sources of Data
 Explain advantages/disadvantages of
secondary marketing research.
 Discuss reasons for outsourcing marketing
research activities.
5-150 5-151 Sampling
Define the terms population, sample,
probability sampling, non-probability
sampling, and sampling plan.
 Population – group being studied (customers)
 Sample – Sub-division of the population,
often easier to study
Sampling
 Probability sampling – Selecting a sample based
on the probability the results will apply to the
whole population.
 With a probabilistic sample, we know the odds or
probability that we have represented the population
well
 Researchers must set up a process that assures that
the different members of a population have an equal
chance of selection
 Another reason for probability sampling is the need to
eliminate any possible researcher bias
http://jamiemcintosh.suite101.com/probability-sampling-techniques-a45963#ixzz1fwpt9Pyb
Sampling
 Non-probability sampling – does not involve
random selection
 nonprobability samples cannot depend upon the
rationale of probability theory
 Sampling plan – bases it decision on a sample
of the lot, not the entire lot
 Lot is a group or population
Sampling
Discuss the advantages of using a sample to represent the population.
 There are often difficulties measuring whole populations because:  The large size of many populations
 Inaccessibility of some of the population - Some populations are
so difficult to get access to that only a sample can be used. E.g.
prisoners, people with severe mental illness, disaster survivors etc.
The inaccessibility may be associated with cost or time or just
access.
 Destructiveness of the observation- Sometimes the very act of
observing the desired characteristic of the product destroys it for
the intended use. Good examples of this occur in quality control.
E.g. to determine the quality of a fuse and whether it is defective, it
must be destroyed. Therefore if you tested all the fuses, all would
be destroyed.
 • Accuracy and sampling - A sample may be more accurate than
the total study population. A badly identified population can
provide less reliable information than a carefully obtained sample.
http://www.thh.nhs.uk/documents/_Departments/Research/InfoSheets/16_sampling_research.pdf
Sampling
 Explain when it is appropriate to use a sample of
the population.
 We obtain a sample of the population for many
reasons as it is usually not practical and almost never
economical to test the whole population
 Distinguish between probability and non-
probability sample designs.
 The difference between nonprobability and
probability sampling is that nonprobability sampling
does not involve random selection and probability
sampling does
Sampling
 Explain types of non-probability sample
designs
 Accidental, Haphazard or Convenience
Sampling – “man on the street”
 Purposive Sampling - usually would have one or
more specific predefined groups we are seeking
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampnon.php
Sampling
 Describe types of probability sample designs.
 Simple Random Sampling - akin to pulling a number out of a
hat
 Stratified Random Sampling - dividing the population into
subgroups based on variables known about those subgroups,
and then taking a simple random sample of each subgroup
 Cluster Sampling -useful for those who know little about the
population they’re studying. First, the researcher would
divide the population into clusters (usually geographic
boundaries). Then, the researcher randomly samples the
clusters
 Multistage Sampling - the most complex sampling strategy.
The researcher combines simpler sampling methods to
address sampling needs in the most effective way possible
http://jamiemcintosh.suite101.com/probability-sampling-techniques-a45963#ixzz1fwwFQDbn
Sampling
Explain types of sampling bias/errors.
 Sampling error can make a sample unrepresentative
of its population. Sampling error comprises the
differences between the sample and the population
that are due solely to the particular participants that
have been selected.
 Sampling bias - Sampling bias is a tendency to favor
the selection of participants that have particular
characteristics
 Non-sampling error (measurement error) - A nonsampling error is an error that results solely from the
manner in which the observations are made.
Explain types of sampling
bias/errors. Cont.
 The interviewers effect - No two interviewers
are alike and the same person may provide
different answers to different interviewers
 The respondent effect – Participants may
deliberately give incorrect answers (for many
reasons). This type of error is the most difficult to
prevent because it results from out right deceit
 Knowing the study purpose - Knowing why a
study is being conducted may create incorrect
responses
http://www.thh.nhs.uk/documents/_Departments/Research/InfoSheets/16_sampling_research.pdf
Sampling
 Discuss the purpose of sampling plans.
 Allows the study to meet the objective by sampling the correct
population
 Explain the components of a sampling plan.
 Accurate representation of the total population being studied the sample should be representative so that the researcher can
make accurate estimates of the thoughts and behaviors of the
larger population
 Sampling unit—determining who is to be surveyed
 Sample size—determining the number of people to be surveyed
 Sampling procedure—determining how the respondents should
be chosen
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Mar-No/Marketing-Research.html#ixzz1fx13kgI5
 Objective selection
 Objective testing