Overview of Research Designs

Figure 1.4 The Marketing Research Process Step 1: Defining the Problem (research objectives) Step 2: Planning the Research Design Step 3: Planning a Sample Step 4: Doing Field Work 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.

Figure 3.8 Tasks Involved in a Research Design Define the Information Needed Design the Exploratory, Descriptive, and/or Causal Phases of the Research Today’s Topic Specify the Measurement and Scaling Procedures Construct a Questionnaire Specify the Sampling Process and the Sample Size Develop a Plan of Data Analysis

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

A Classification of Market Research Designs Exploratory Research Conclusive Research See previous slide Cross-sectional Study Descriptive Design Causal Design Longitudinal Study 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

Figure 3.5 Major Types of Descriptive Studies Market Potential Share Sales Analysis Sales Studies Consumer Perception And Behavior Studies Image Product Usage Advertising Pricing Market Characteristic Studies Distribution Competitive Analysis

Figure 3.6 Cross Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs Sample Surveyed at T1 Cross Sectional Design Same Sample also Surveyed at T2 Sample Surveyed at T1 Longitudinal Design T1 Time T2

Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs Detecting change Worse Better Amount of data collected Accuracy Representativeness Response bias

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

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, i.e. a non-spurious association 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 cause-and-effect relationships Assumed background knowledge Minimal Considerable Degree of structure Very little High Flexibility Some Little Sample Nonrepresentative Representative Research environment Relaxed Formal Highly controlled Cost Low Medium Findings Preliminary 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.