Chapter 3: Rosa Irene

Chapter 3: Rosa Irene

1. Definition: Is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. Details the procedures for obtaining information to solve this problem. Is effective and efficient.

   • Has this components:
     • 1. Define the information needed. 2. Design phases of the research. 3. Specify measurements. 4. Construct a questionnaire. 5. Sample size and process. 6.Develop data analysis.

2. Classification

   • Conclusive Research Design:
     • Is more formal and structured than the exploratory design. The results are conclusive and used in decision making.
   • Exploratory Research Design:
     • Primary objective. Provide insights into the problem confronting the researcher. Used when need precise information or gain additional insights before an approach can be developed. Is more qualitative.

3. Exploratory Research: It explores the search through a problem or situation to provide a more precise information and identify alternative courses of action. Develop hypotheses and isolate keys. Is characterized by flexibility and versatility with its protocols and procedures. Rarely involves structured questionnaires.

   • It benefits if they use this methods: Survey of experts, pilot survey, case studies, secondary data analyze, qualitative research.

4. Descriptive Research:

   • The major objective is to describe something relevant. Some examples: Market studies for the size of the market, market share studies for proportion of total sales, Sales analysis studies, Image studies for consumer perceptions, Product usage studies for consumption patterns, advertising studies for consumption habits, etc.
     • Is conducted for the following reasons:
       • Describe characteristics of relevant groups such as consumers, sales people and organizations, estimate porcentaje of units in specific population, determine perceptions of product characteristics, determine the degree to which marketing variables are associated, and to make specific predictions.

5. Cross Sectional Designs: Advantages - Representative sampling, and responsable bias.

   • Cross sectional design: Is the most frequently used in marketing research. Involve the collection of information from any given sample of a certain population only once.
   • Single cross- Sectional Design: Only one sample of respondents is drawn from the target population, and information is obtained from this sample only once. Also called sample survey research designs.
   • Multiple cross- sectional Design: there are two or more samples of respondents. Information from each sample is obtained only once. Consists of a series of surveys conducted at appropriate long time intervals.

6. Longitudinal Designs:

   • A fixed sample of population elements is measured repeatedly on the same variables. The samples remain the same over time. Provides a series of pictures that any depth situation and the changes takes over time. Sometimes, the term panel or true panel is used interchangeably with the term longitudinal design.
     • Advantages: Detecting change, large amount of data collection, accuracy.
       • Panel: Consists of a sample of respondents, that agreed to provide information at intervals over an extended period. Syndicated firms maintain panels, and panel members are compensated for their participation with gifts.
         • They are not representative. And this arises because of: Refuse to cooperate, they don’t want to be bothered, Mortality, and payment.

7. Causal Research:

   • Causal research is used to obtain evidence of cause and effect. Managers make decisions based on assumed causal relationships. These assumptions are not justifiable.
     • Causal research is appropriate for the following purposes: Which variables are the cause and which are the effect of a phenomenon. Determine the nature of the relationship between variables.
       • A relatively controlled environment is one in which the other variables that may affect the dependent variable are controlled or checked as much as possible. The main method of causal research is experimentation. A causal design could be formulated in which two groups.

8. Potential sources for error:

   • The total error: 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, nonsampling error, response error, surrogate information error, measurement error, popilation definition error, nonresponse error

9. Budgeting and scheduling a project: Help to ensure that the marketing research project is completed within the available resources like financial, time, personnel, and other.

   • Path method: A useful approach for managing a project. Involves dividing the research project into component activities, determining the sequence of these activities, and estimating the time required for each activity.
     • Pert: Is a probability-based scheduling approach that recognizes and measures the uncertainty of the project completion times.
       • Gert: More advanced scheduling technique is the graphical evaluation and review technique. Both the completion probabilities and the activity costs are built in representation.

10. Relationships among exploratory, descriptive, and causal research:

    • Guidelines for choosing research designs:
      • 1- Begin with exploratory research if you don't know a lot about the problem situation. This is appropriate when the problem needs to be defined more precisely. 2- For the initial step in the overall research design framework. Followed by descriptive or causal research. Then a descriptive cross-sectional survey was undertaken to quantify the relative salience of these causes.
        • 3- It is not necessary to begin every research design with exploratory research. It depends upon the precision with which the problem has been defined and the researcher’s degree of certainty about the approach to the problem. 4- Exploratory research may follow descriptive or causal research. They may provide more insights to help understand these findings.

11. International marketing research:

    • It is important to realize that given the environmental differences, the research design appropriate for one country may not be suitable in another.

12. Marketing Research Project:

    • Contains the essence of the project and serves as the contract between the researcher and the management. Covers all the phases. Describes the problem, the approach, design and how data will be collected.
      • Contain this elements: 1. Executive Summary. Overview the entire proposal. 2. Background of the problem. 3. Problem definition and objectives of the researcher. 4. Approach of the problem. 5. Research Design. Contains: Information obtained, Method of questionnaire, scaling techniques, nature of the questionnaire, sampling plan. 6. Fieldwork and data collection. Quality of data. 7. Data analysis. 8. Reporting. 9. Cost and time. 10. CPM and Pert charts. Appendices.