Lecture Week 4

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Lecture Week 4

• Principles of research designs

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Objectives

• Problem definition process
• Research design classification
• Specifying and classifying needed information

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Problem Definition Process(Malhotra et al 1996)
Management decision problem
Marketing research problem
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Factors to Consider - Environmental Context

• Past information and forecasts
• Resources and constraints
• Objectives (organizational decision maker)
• Buyer behavior
• Legal environment
• Economic environment
• Marketing and technological skills

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The management decision problem asks what the DM
needs to do, whereas the marketing research
problem asks what information is needed and how
it can best be obtained.
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Defining the Marketing Research Problem

• Allow the researcher to obtain all the
  information needed to address the management
  decision problem
• Guide the researcher in formulating the research
  design
• A broad definition does not provide clear
  guidelines for the subsequent steps involved in
  the project eg
• Developing a marketing strategy for the brand
• Improving the competitive position of the firm
• Improving the companys image

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Research Design definition

• A framework or blueprint for conducting the
  marketing research project.
• Details the procedures necessary for obtaining
  the information needed to structure or solve
  marketing research problems

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Research Design Classification

• Exploratory research is to provide insights
  into, and an understanding of, the problem
  confronting the researcher, could be used
• To formulate a problem or define a problem more
  precisely
• To identify alternative courses of action
• To develop hypotheses
• To isolate key variables and relationships for
  further examination
• To gain insights for developing an approach to
  the problem
• To establish priorities for further research

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Research Design Classification

• Descriptive research is to describe something.
  Usually market characteristics or functions,
  conducted
• To describe the characteristics of relevant
  groups
• To estimate the percentage of units in a special
  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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Research Design Classification

• Cross-sectional designs involves the collection
  of information from any given sample of
  population elements only once. (single
  cross-sectional- 1 sample, and multiple
  cross-sectional designs 2 or more samples)
• Cohort analysis consist of series of surveys
  conducted at time intervals where cohort serves
  as basic unit of analysis.
• Longitudinal design a fixed sample of
  population elements is measured repeatedly.

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Research Design Classification

• Causal research is used to obtain evidence of
  cause and effect (causal) relationships.
• 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.

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Potential Sources of Errors

• Random sampling error imperfect representation
  of the population of interest.
• Non-sampling error attributed to sources other
  than sampling, they may be random and non-random
  resulting from errors in problem definition,
  approach, scales etc.
• Non-response error when the respondents
  included in the sample do not respond.
• Response error respondents give inaccurate
  answers or their answers are misreported or
  misanalyzed

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Potential Sources of Errors

• Surrogate information error the variation
  between the information needed for the marketing
  research problem and the information sought by
  the researcher.
• Measurement error variation between the
  information sought and information generated by
  the measurement process employed by the
  researcher.
• Population definition error variation between
  the actual population relevant to the problem at
  hand and the population as defined by the
  researcher.

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Potential Sources of Errors

• Sampling frame error variation between the
  population defined by the researcher and the
  population as implied by the sampling frame used.
• Data analysis error
• Questionnaire error
• Recording error
• Cheating error when the interviewer fabricates
  answers to a part or whole of the interview.
• Response errors include inability error and
  unwillingness error.

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Process of specifying the information needed

• Step 1 problem definition broad statement and
  specific components
• Step 2 approach to the problem theory, models,
  research questions, hypotheses, and
  characteristics which influence the research
  design
• Step 3 research design exploratory,
  descriptive, causal

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Classification of information needed

• Demographics/socioeconomic characteristics
• Psychographics and lifestyles
• Personality
• Motivation (maslows needs)
• Knowledge (product, purchase, usage)
• Past behavior
• Attitudes and opinions (Fishbeins model1975)
• Behavioral intentions (Fishbeins model 1975)
• Other information related to the problemb