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Essentials of Marketing Research Paurav Shukla Marketing Research Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 2 Marketing Research © 2008 Paurav Shukla & Ventus Publishing ApS ISBN 978-87-7681-411-3 Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 3 Marketing Research Contents Contents Preface 10 1. Introduction to marketing research: Scientifi c research approach and 12 Problem defi nition 1.1 Introduction 12 1.2 Marketing Research 14 1.2.1 The need for marketing research 14 1.2.2 Marketing research defi ned 16 1.3 Scientifi c marketing research process 18 1.3.1 Phase wise marketing research process 20 1.4 Defi ning a problem 22 1.4.1 The importance of defi ning a right problem 22 1.4.2 Converting management dilemma into research question 23 1.5 What marketing research cannot do? 26 1.6 Conclusion 27 2. Exploratory research design 29 2.1 Chapter summary 29 2.2 Research design and its importance in research 29 2.3 Classifi cation and differences between research designs 30 2.4 Exploratory research design 32 Váš životopis proměníme v příležitost Please click the advert I čerství absolventi mohou ve ŠKODA AUTO získat zkušenosti v zahraničí. Hledáme ty, kteří se nebojí žádné výzvy a rádi poznávají vše nové. Pošlete nám svůj životopis. Budete překvapeni, kam až Vás může zavést. www.zivotniprilezitost.cz Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 4 Marketing Research Contents 2.4.1 In-depth interviews 33 2.4.2 Focus groups 34 2.4.3 Projective techniques 36 2.5 Conclusion 37 3. Conclusive research design 38 3.1 Chapter summary 38 3.2 Conclusive research design 39 3.3 Descriptive design 40 3.3.1 Cross-sectional design 42 3.3.2 Longitudinal design 43 3.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs 44 3.4 Causal designs 45 3.5 Survey methods 47 3.5.1 Personal interviews 48 3.5.2 Telephone interviews 50 3.5.3 Mail interviews 51 3.5.4 Online interviews 51 3.6 Observation 52 3.6.1 Methods of observation 54 3.7 Conclusion 54 WHAt‘s missing in this equaTION? You could be one of our future talents Please click the advert MAERSK INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE PROGRAMME Are you about to graduate as an engineer or geoscientist? Or have you already graduated? If so, there may be an exciting future for you with A.P. Moller - Maersk. www.maersk.com/mitas Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 5 Marketing Research Contents 4. Sampling 55 4.1 Chapter summary 55 4.2 Importance of sampling in marketing research 55 4.3 Sampling: basic constructs 56 4.4 Determining sample size 58 4.5 Classifi cation of sampling techniques 58 4.6 Probability sampling techniques 59 4.6.1 Simple random sampling 59 4.6.2 Systematic random sampling 60 4.6.3 Stratifi ed sampling 61 4.6.4 Cluster sampling 61 4.7 Nonprobability sampling techniques 62 4.7.1 Convenience sampling 62 4.7.2 Judgement sampling 62 4.7.3 Quota sampling 62 4.7.4 Snowball sampling 64 4.6 Selecting an appropriate sampling technique 64 4.7 Conclusion 64 5. Measurement and scaling 66 5.1 Chapter summary 66 5.2 Importance of measurement and scaling in marketing research 66 5.3 Scales of measurement: fundamental properties 67 5.3.1 Assignment property 67 5.3.2 Order property 67 Please click the advert www.job.oticon.dk Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 6 Marketing Research Contents 5.3.3 Distance property 67 5.3.4 Origin property 67 5.4 Primary scales of measurement 68 5.4.1 Nominal scale 69 5.4.2 Ordinal scale 69 5.4.3 Interval scale 69 5.4.4 Ratio scale 70 5.5 Comparative and non-comparative scaling 70 5.6 Comparative scaling techniques 72 5.6.1 Paired comparison scaling 73 5.6.2 Rank order scaling 73 5.6.3 Constant sum scaling 74 5.6.4 Q-sort 75 5.7 Non-comparative scaling 76 5.7.1 Continuous rating scale 76 5.7.2 Itemized rating scale 77 5.7.2.1 Likert scale 77 5.7.2.2 Semantic differential scale 78 5.7.2.3 Stapel scale 79 5.8 Selecting an appropriate scale 81 5.9 Scale evaluation 81 5.9.1 Validity 82 5.9.2 Reliability 83 5.9.3 Generalizability 84 5.10 Conclusion 84 © Always aiming for higher ground. 2009 Accenture. All rights reserved. Just another day at the office for a Tiger. Join the Accenture High Performance Business Forum On Thursday, April 23rd, Accenture invites top students to the High Performance Business Forum where you can learn how leading Danish companies are using the current economic downturn to gain competitive advantages. You will meet two of Accenture’s global senior executives as they present new original research and illustrate how technology can help forward thinking companies cope with the downturn. Please click the advert Visit student.accentureforum.dk to see the program and register Visit student.accentureforum.dk Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 7 Marketing Research Contents 6. Questionnaire design 86 6.1 Chapter summary 86 6.2 Signifi cance of questionnaire building 86 6.3 Process of questionnaire design 87 6.3.1 Specifi cation of the information needed in researchable format 87 6.3.2 Selection of interview method 87 6.3.3 Determination of question composition 88 6.3.4 Determination of individual question content 89 6.3.5 Developing question order, form and layout 91 6.3.6 Pilot testing the questionnaire 91 6.4 Conclusion 92 7. Data preparation and preliminary data analysis 93 7.1 Chapter summary 93 7.2 Survey fi eldwork and data collection 93 7.3 Nature and scope of data preparation 94 7.3.1 Editing 95 7.3.2 Coding 96 7.3.3 Data entry 97 7.3.4 Data cleaning 98 7.4 Preliminary data analysis 99 7.5 Assessing for normality and outliers 101 7.7 Hypothesis testing 102 7.7.1 Generic process for hypothesis testing 102 7.8 Conclusion 106 it’s an interesting world Get under the skin of it. Graduate opportunities Cheltenham | £24,945 + benefits One of the UK’s intelligence services, GCHQ’s role is two-fold: to gather and analyse intelligence which helps shape Britain’s response to global events, and, to provide technical advice for the protection of Government communication and information systems. In doing so, our specialists – in IT, internet, engineering, languages, Please click the advert information assurance, mathematics and intelligence – get well beneath the surface of global affairs. If you thought the world was an interesting place, you really ought to explore our world of work. TOP www.careersinbritishintelligence.co.uk GOVERNMENT EMPLOYER Applicants must be British citizens. GCHQ values diversity and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community. We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our work. Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 8 Marketing Research Contents 8. Report preparation and presentation 108 8.1 Chapter summary 108 8.2 Importance of marketing research report 108 8.3 Reporting the results: key issues to remember 108 8.4 Generic marketing research report 109 8.5 What not to do when writing reports 112 8.6 Report presentation 113 8.7 Conclusion 114 References 115 By 2020, wind could provide one-tenth of our planet’s Brain power electricity needs. Already today, SKF’s innovative know- how is crucial to running a large proportion of the world’s wind turbines. Up to 25 % of the generating costs relate to mainte- nance. These can be reduced dramatically thanks to our systems for on-line condition monitoring and automatic lubrication. We help make it more economical to create cleaner, cheaper energy out of thin air. By sharing our experience, expertise, and creativity, industries can boost performance beyond expectations. Therefore we need the best employees who can meet this challenge! The Power of Knowledge Engineering Please click the advert Plug into The Power of Knowledge Engineering. Visit us at www.skf.com/knowledge Download free ebooks at bookboon.com 9 Marketing Research Preface Preface The field of marketing has experienced unprecedented developments in the 20th century which have continued at no lesser pace in the 21st century. Within the last few decades shifts have been observed in the marketing thought, marketing practice and every direct and indirect issue and function related to marketing. The constant shift in the field has led to many interesting developments including the field of marketing research. Despite the accessibility and prevalence of research in today’s society, many people when asked, share common misperceptions about exactly what research is, how research can be used, what research can tell us, and the limitations of research. For some people, the term “research” conjures up images of scientists in laboratories watching guinea pig and chemicals experiments. When asked what is ‘marketing research’ people associate it with telemarketer surveys, or people approaching them at the local shopping mall to “just ask you a few questions about your shopping habits.” In reality, these stereotypical examples of research are only a small part of what research comprises. It is therefore not surprising that many students (and managers) are unfamiliar with the various types of research methods, the basics of how research is conducted, what research can be used for, and the limits of using research to answer questions and acquire new knowledge. As an active researcher, academic, consultant and trainer, I find the students and managers I interact with struggling to understand the various issues associated with marketing research.
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