FEP Research Design Market Research LGE 508
Research Design
Agenda
1) Overview 2) Research Design: Definition 3) Research Design: Classification 4) Exploratory Research 5) Descriptive Research i. Cross-Sectional Design ii. Longitudinal Design iii. Advantages and Disadvantages of Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Designs 6) Causal Research 7) Relationships Among Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research 8) Potential Sources of Error i. Random Sampling Error ii. Non-sampling Error a. Non-response Error b. Response Error 9) Budgeting and Scheduling 10) Marketing Research Proposal 11) International Marketing Research 12) Ethics in Marketing Research
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Research Design: Definition
• A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure or solve marketing research problems.
Com ponents of 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 and pretest a questionnaire (interviewing form) or an appropriate form for data collection • Specify the sampling process and sample size • Develop a plan of data analysis
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A Classification of M arketing Research Designs
Research Design
Exploratory Conclusive Research Design Research Design
Descriptive Causal Research Research
Cross-Sectional Longitudinal Design Design
Single Cross- Multiple Cross- Sectional Design Sectional Design
Exploratory & Conclusive Research Differences
Exploratory Conclusive Objective: To provide insights and To test specific hypotheses and understanding. examine relationships.
Character- Information needed is defined Information needed is clearly istics: only loosely. Research process defined. Research process is is flexible and unstructured. formal and structured. Sample is Sample is small and non- large and representative. Data representative. Analysis of analysis is quantitative. primary data is qualitative.
Findings Tentative. Conclusive. /Results:
Outcome: Generally followed by further Findings used as input into exploratory or conclusive decision making. research.
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A Com parison of Basic Research Designs
Exploratory Descriptive Causal Objective: Discovery of ideas Describe market Determine cause and insights characteristics or and effect functions relationships
Characteristics: Flexible, versatile Marked by the prior Manipulation of formulation of one or more specific hypotheses independent variables Often the front Preplanned and end of total structured design Control of other research design mediating variables Expert surveys Secondary data Methods: Pilot surveys Surveys Experiments Secondary data Panels Qualitative Observation and research other data
Uses of Exploratory Research
• Formulate a problem or define a problem more precisely • Identify alternative courses of action • Develop hypotheses • Isolate key variables and relationships for further examination • Gain insights for developing an approach to the problem • Establish priorities for further research
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M ethods of Exploratory Research
• Survey of experts • Pilot surveys • Secondary data analyzed in a qualitative way • Qualitative research
Use of Descriptive Research
• To describe the characteristics of relevant groups, such as consumers, salespeople, organizations, or market areas. • To estimate the percentage of units in a specified population exhibiting a certain behavior. • To determine the perceptions of product characteristics. • To determine the degree to which marketing variables are associated. • To make specific predictions
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M ethods of Descriptive Research
• Secondary data analyzed in a quantitative as opposed to a qualitative manner • Surveys • Panels • Observational and other data
Cross-sectional Designs
• Involve the collection of information from any given sample of population elements only once. • In single cross-sectional designs, there is only one sample of respondents and information is obtained from this sample only once. • In multiple cross-sectional designs, there are two or more samples of respondents, and information from each sample is obtained only once. Often, information from different samples is obtained at different times. • Cohort analysis consists of a series of surveys conducted at appropriate time intervals, where the cohort serves as the basic unit of analysis. A cohort is a group of respondents who experience the same event within the same time interval.
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Consum ption of Various Soft Drinks by Various Age Cohorts Percentage consuming on a typical day Age 1950 1960 1969 1979
8-19 52.9 62.6 73.2 81.0 20-29 45.2 60.7 76.0 75.8 C8 30-39 33.9 46.6 67.7 71.4 C7 40-49 23.2 40.8 58.6 67.8 C6 50+ 18.1 28.8 50.0 51.9 C5 C1 C2 C3 C4
C1: cohort born prior to 1900 C5: cohort born 1931-40 C2: cohort born 1901-10 C6: cohort born 1940-49 C3: cohort born 1911-20 C7: cohort born 1950-59 C4: cohort born 1921-30 C8: cohort born 1960-69
Longitudinal Designs
• A fixed sample (or samples) of population elements is measured repeatedly on the same variables • A longitudinal design differs from a cross- sectional design in that the sample or samples remain the same over time
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Relative Advantages and Disadvantages of Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Designs
Evaluation Cross-Sectional Longitudinal Criteria Design Design
Detecting Change - + Large amount of data collection - + Accuracy - + Representative Sampling + - Response bias + -
Note: A —+“ indicates a relative advantage over the other design, whereas a —-“ indicates a relative disadvantage.
Cross-Sectional Data M ay Not Show Change
Brand Purchased Time Period Period 1 Period 2 Survey Survey Brand A 200 200 Brand B 300 300 Brand C 500 500 Total 1000 1000
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Longitudinal Data M ay Show Substantial Change
Brand Brand Purchased in Period 2 Purchased in Period 1 Brand A Brand B Brand C Total Brand A 100 50 50 200 Brand B 25 100 175 300 Brand C 75 150 275 500 Total 200 300 500 1000
Uses of Casual Research
• To understand which variables are the cause (independent variables) and which variables are the effect (dependent variables) of a phenomenon • To determine the nature of the relationship between the causal variables and the effect to be predicted • METHOD: Experiments
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Potential Sources of Error in Research Designs
Total Error
Random Non-sampling Sampling Error Error
Response Non-response Error Error
Researcher Interviewer Respondent Error Error Error
Surrogate Information Error Respondent Selection Error Inability Error Measurement Error Questioning Error Unwillingness Error Population Definition Error Recording Error Sampling Frame Error Cheating Error Data Analysis Error
Errors in M arketing Research
• The total error is the variation between the true mean value in the population of the variable of interest and the observed mean value obtained in the marketing research project. • Random sampling error is the variation between the true mean value for the population and the true mean value for the original sample. • Non-sampling errors can be attributed to sources other than sampling, and they may be random or nonrandom: including errors in problem definition, approach, scales, questionnaire design, interviewing methods, and data preparation and analysis. Non- sampling errors consist of non-response errors and response errors.
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Errors in M arketing Research
• Non-response error arises when some of the respondents included in the sample do not respond. • Response error arises when respondents give inaccurate answers or their answers are misrecorded or misanalyzed.
Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
Marketing Research atCiticorpis typical in that it is used to measure consumer awareness of products, monitor their satisfaction and attitudes associated with the product, track product usage and diagnose problems as they occur. To accomplish these tasks Citicorp makes extensive use of exploratory, descriptive, and causal research. Often it is advantageous to offer special financial packages to specific groups of customers. In this case, a financial package is being designed for senior citizens.
The followingseven-step processwas taken by marketing research to help in the design.
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Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
1) A taskforce was created to better define the market parameters to include all the needs of the many Citicorp branches. A final decision was made to include Americans 55 years of age or older, retired, and in the upper half of the financial strata of that market.
Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
2) Exploratory research in the form of secondary data analysis of the mature or older market was then performed and a study of competitive products was conducted. Exploratory qualitative research involving focus groups was also carried out in order to determine the needs and desires of the market and the level of satisfaction with the current products.
In the case of senior citizens, a great deal of diversity was found in the market. This was determined to be due to such factors as affluence, relative age, and the absence or presence of a spouse.
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Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
3) The next stage of research was brainstorming. This involved the formation of many different financial packages aimed at the target market. In this case, a total of 10 ideas were generated.
Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
4) The feasibility of the 10 ideas generated in step 3 was then tested. The ideas were tested on the basis of whether they were possible in relation to the business. The following list of questions was used as a series of hurdles that the ideas had to pass to continue on to the next step.
• Can the idea be explained in a manner that the target market will easily understand? • Does the idea fit into the overall strategy of Citicorp?
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Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
° Is there an available description of a specific target market for the proposed product?
° Does the research conducted so far indicate a potential match for target market needs, and is the idea perceived to have appeal to this market?
° Is there a feasible outline of the tactics and strategies for implementing the program?
° Have the financial impact and cost of the program been thoroughly evaluated and determined to be in line with company practices?
In this study, only one idea generated from the brainstorming session made it past all the listed hurdles and on to step 5.
Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
5) A creative work-plan was then generated. This plan was to emphasize the competitive advantage of the proposed product as well as better delineate the specific features of the product.
6) The previous exploratory research was now followed up with descriptive research in the form of mall intercept surveys of people in the target market range. The survey showed that the list of special features was too long and it was decided to drop the features more commonly offered by competitors.
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Citicorp Banks on Exploratory, Descriptive, and Causal Research
7) Finally, the product was test marketed in six of the Citicorp branches within the target market. Test marketing is a form of causal research. Given successful test marketing results, the product is introduced nationally.
M arketing Research Proposal
• Executive Summary • Background • Problem Definition/Objectives of the Research • Approach to the Problem • Research Design • Fieldwork/Data Collection • Data Analysis • Reporting • Cost and Time • Appendices
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The Greenfield of Online Research
Greenfield Online Research Center, Inc. (http://www.greenfieldonline.com), based in Westport, Connecticut, is a subsidiary of the Greenfield Consulting Group. The Online Research Center conducts focus groups, surveys, and polls over the Internet. The company has built up a —panel“ of close to 200,000 Internet users, from which it draws survey samples. The samples may be used for descriptive research designs like single or multiple cross-sectional designs, as well as longitudinal designs. Causal designs can also be implemented. Respondents may also be chosen from the registered Internet users.
The Greenfield of Online Research
Internet users wishing to take part in surveys and other projects begin by registering online at the company‘s Web site. The registration consists of a —sign-up survey“ that asks for e- mail address, type of computer used, personal interests and information about the respondent‘s household. Once an Internet user is registered, Greenfield Online matches the user with research studies that are well-suited to his or her interests.
Incentives to take part in focus groups or special surveys are offered by the companies whose products or services are being researched. This incentive is cash or valuable prizes. Incentives are also offered to Internet users to encourage them to register with Greenfield‘s Internet panel. New registrants automatically qualify for prizes that are awarded in monthly drawings.
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