The Proposal

The Final Product Introduction –Including your Management Question Literature Review Your Model –Research Questions –Hypotheses you plan to test Your Proposed Research Master Plan –Methodology –Sample –Questionnaire Limitations Decisions that may be supported by the results

What It is NOT You will not collect data. You will not draw conclusions You will not make recommendations

Problem discovery Problem definition (statement of research objectives) Secondary (historical) data Experience survey Pilot study Case study Selection of exploratory research technique Selection of basic research method ExperimentSurvey Observation Secondary Data Study LaboratoryFieldInterviewQuestionnaire Selection of exploratory research technique Sampling ProbabilityNonprobability Collection of data (fieldwork) Editing and coding data Data processing Interpretation of findings Report Data Gathering Data Processing and Analysis Conclusions and Report Research Design Problem Discovery and Definition

Symptoms vs. Problems Manufacturer of palm-size computers with Internet access Symptom –Distributors complain prices are too high PD based on the Symptom –Investigate business users to learn how much prices need to be reduced True Problem –Distributors do not have adequate product knowledge to communicate product’s value

Management Decision Problems vs. Marketing Research Problems Management Decision Problems –Ask what the decision maker needs to do –Action oriented –Focus on symptoms Marketing Research Problems –Ask what information is needed and how it should be obtained –Information oriented –Focus on the underlying causes

Translating Management Problems into Research Problems (Questions) Management Problem –Determine the best ways the firm can communicate with potential purchasers of laptop computers Research Questions –How familiar are consumers with the various brands of computers? –What attitudes do consumers have toward these brands? –How important are the various factors for evaluating the purchase of a laptop computer? –How effective are the communications efforts of the various competitive marketers in terms of message recognition?

Hypotheses An unproven proposition or possible solution to the problem. Assert probable answers to research questions. Hypotheses & research questions both state relationships –Research questions are interrogative (ask) –Hypotheses are declarative (state)

Planning the Research Design

Research Design A master plan that specifies the methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing needed information.

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 Tasks Involved In a Research Design Figure 3.8 Tasks Involved in a Resear ch Design

A Classification of Market Research Designs Research Design Exploratory Research Conclusive Research Secondary Data Experience Surveys Pilot Studies Case Studies See next slide

A Classification of Market Research Designs Research Design Exploratory Research Conclusive Research See previous slide Descriptive Design Causal Design Cross-sectional Study Longitudinal Study Secondary Data Study Observation Experiment Survey

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

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).

Sample Surveyed at T 1 Same Same Sample also Surveyed at T 2 T1T1 T2T2 Cross Sectional Design Longitudinal Design Time Cross Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs Figure 3.6 Cross Sectional vs. Longitudinal DesignsFigure 3.6 Cross Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs

Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs Cross-SectionalLongitudinal Detecting changeWorseBetter Amount of data collectedWorseBetter AccuracyWorseBetter RepresentativenessBetterWorse Response biasBetterWorse

Exploratory Research Secondary Data Analysis Focus Groups Conclusive Research Descriptive/Causal Conclusive Research Descriptive/Causal Exploratory Research Secondary Data Analysis Focus Groups Conclusive Research Descriptive/Causal Some Alternative Research Designs (a) (b) (c) Figure 3.7 Some Alternative Research Designs Figure 3.7 Some Alternative Research Designs

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.