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Marketing Research Design

The document outlines the process of marketing research design, focusing on problem identification and the importance of defining both general and specific components of marketing issues. It emphasizes the need for collaboration between decision-makers and researchers, as well as the significance of understanding environmental contexts and customer behaviors. Additionally, it discusses the characteristics of research, types of questions, and the importance of a theoretical framework in guiding research objectives and methodologies.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
30 views50 pages

Marketing Research Design

The document outlines the process of marketing research design, focusing on problem identification and the importance of defining both general and specific components of marketing issues. It emphasizes the need for collaboration between decision-makers and researchers, as well as the significance of understanding environmental contexts and customer behaviors. Additionally, it discusses the characteristics of research, types of questions, and the importance of a theoretical framework in guiding research objectives and methodologies.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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Marketing Research Design

Ardhendu Shekhar Singh


Problem identification
• Problem definition involves stating the general problem and
identifying the specific components of the marketing research
problem.
Finding out what issue the company is facing (general problem)
Breaking it down into smaller, specific questions (specific components) that research can solve.

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The Process of Defining the Problem and
Developing an Approach
Take advice from experienced people inside/outside the company.

Conduct informal interviews to understand customer opinion

Talk to managers to know what problem they are facing. Study existing data like past reports, market trends

looking at the bigger picture like economy, competition, social trends, legal issues.

symptom or issue the company sees

actual research question to find out what’s causing the issue.

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They are responsible for making final decisions based on the research findings.

Interaction with decision maker


• 1. Communication. Free exchange of ideas between the DM and researcher is essential.
• 2. Cooperation. Marketing research is a team project in which both parties (DM and
researcher) must cooperate.
• 3. Confidence. The interaction between the DM and the researcher should be guided by
mutual trust.
• 4. Candor. There should not be any hidden agendas, and an attitude of openness should
prevail.
• 5. Closeness. Feelings of warmth and closeness should characterize the relationship
between the DM and the researcher.
• 6. Continuity. The DM and the researcher must interact continually rather than
sporadically.
• 7. Creativity. The interaction between the DM and the researcher should be creative
rather than formulaic.

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Experts
Not All Self-Claimed Experts Are Truly Experts
Two main challenges when dealing with experts: Hard to Find Good External Experts

• 1. Some individuals who claim to be knowledgeable and are eager to


participate may not really possess expertise.
• 2. It may be difficult to locate and obtain help from experts who are
outside the client organization.

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all the external and internal factors that can affect the marketing problem and the research process.

Environmental context

Resources = What the company has


Constraints = What limits the company

what the company wants to achieve: Increase sales? Build brand


awareness?Enter a new market?

how customers think and act: What influences their buying decision?
Where and when do they shop? What are their preferences n expectations?

Laws, rules, and government regulations that affect marketing or


data collection.

Inflation, Unemployment, Customer income, Market growth


or recession.

What marketing tools the company is using (social media,


influencer marketing, etc.) What tech capabilities they
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have (AI, CRM systems, online analytics, etc.)
Problem

What should the company do? What do we need to know (and how) to help the company make that decision?

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A Concept Map for Problem Definition

what the business is experiencing

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Examples

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Exercise
• Select an organization, and write two management decision and
marketing research problems.

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“Not everything that counts can be
counted, and not everything that
can be counted counts.”
Albert Einstein
A company may count customer complaints, but not feelings of frustration that aren't voiced.
You can count likes on social media, but they may not result in actual sales.

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Characteristics of research
Insider’s view Outsider’s view
• Emic (perspective of the subject)/Etic
Observing people in real life situations Controlled environments like experiments or lab testing
• Natural setting/man-made
When the researcher directly interacts
• Researchers as the instrument/research instrument
Tools like surveys, checklists, or software collect the data

Start with observations, then form a theory


• Inductive/deductive Start with a theory/hypothesis, then test it
Based on opinions, feelings, personal views
• Subjective/objective Based on facts, data, measurable evidence
research can change or adapt based on findings
• Flexible/iterative or standard/rigid process is fixed and follows a set method
• How/Why or how many Quantitative research = to measure and count things
Qualitative research = to explore opinions, reasons, feelings

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Identify broad area of research

• Society (Super Size Me)


• Agenda
• Personal experience
• Conviction beliefs or strong opinions

• Literature
• Creativity
• Empirical material data, observation, or real-world evidence

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Contextual factor external influences or practical realities that shape what topic you choose, how
deeply you study it, and how far your research can go.

• Fashion Choosing a fashionable topic can help you get more attention from journals, professors, or funders.
• Funding Projects on climate change, clean energy, or financial inclusion may get funding from government schemes or
World Bank. A very niche or personal-interest topic (like local dialect studies) may get no funding.
• Publication Some research areas are easier to publish in reputed journals because They are hot topics
• Other researchers If many researchers are already working on a topic: It may be easier to build on their work.
• Career prospects But your work must stand out—not just repeat what’s already done.
Your research topic can impact your job, internship, or academic path

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Nesting your research organizing your research in layers, from broad to specific

big  Personal intellectual projects: These are the overarching themes and
areas that you really want to know about and will spend years
developing.
 Research agendas. These encapsulate clusters of research topics
that hang together in the here and now.
 Research topics. These are specific, individual foci that should fit
within your broader research agenda and personal intellectual
project.
 Boden, R., Kenway, J., & Epstein, D. (2007). Getting started on research. Sage.

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It connects existing theories to your research topic

Theoretical framework
• ‘nothing is so practical as a good theory’
• Conceptualising and identifying key variables define what concepts are important in ur
research and break them into variables.
• Operationalising key variables defining how you will measure each variable
• Selecting a research design what type of research you'll do: Exploratory (to understand)
Descriptive (to describe) Causal (to test cause-effect)
• Selecting a sample Decide:(target population), (sample size), (sampling method)
• Analysing and interpreting data use statistical tools (like SPSS, Excel, Python to analyze
• Integrating findings Link your results back to your theory and research question

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Contd..
An analytical model is a diagram, description, or equation that shows: The variables you are studying, And the
relationships between them.
• An analytical model is a set of variables and their interrelationships,
designed to represent, in whole or in part, some real system or
process.
• most common are verbal, graphical and mathematical structures.
Written explanation of how variables are connected
Visual/flowchart model with arrows and boxes
Equations or formulas

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Write research objectives and questions/hypotheses
(Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013) statements that predict the
relationship between
variables

• Researchable/investigable
• investigated Scientifically and answered empirically.
• Problematization (‘endeavour to know how and to what extent it might be
possible to think differently, instead of what is already known’)
challenging what is already assumed to be true. Instead of just filling a “research gap,”
• Scope
• ‘a lot about a little’ rather than ‘a little about a lot’
Instead of trying to cover too many things in one study, it's better to go deep into one small area.
• Interest and influence
Choose a topic that is: Interesting to you and others (academic or industry) Useful or impactful in real life or policy

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Types of questions
• Descriptive describe characteristics, behaviors, or facts.

• Comparative compare two or more groups, products, periods, or variables.


• Explanatory explain the reason or cause behind something
• Normative evaluate what is right, best, or appropriate—often based on values, ethics, or policy.

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Indicator of interestingness of a research
contribution

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Interesting because: You break a stereotype or common
Interesting (Davis, 1971) assumption.

• A - The Characterization of a single phenomenon


• (i) Organization Unorganized Retail Sector in India, seem disorganized , But they often have strong local supply
chains, credit systems, and community rules.
• what seems to be a disorganized (unstructured) phenomenon is in reality an
organized (structured) phenomenon. (unorganized sector)
• what seems to be an organized (structured) phenomenon is in reality a
disorganized (unstructured) phenomenon [or organized/structured in a
different way.](Social stratification) Social class systems, caste hierarchies, or income brackets appear
well-defined. But inside, they may be unfair, inconsistent, or fluid.
• (ii) Composition People often don’t follow the expected behaviors of their class or caste
anymore.
• What seem to be assorted heterogeneous phenomena are in reality
composed of a single element. (health) What looks like a mix of diff things is actually the same root cause. Many health
issues like obesity, diabetes may all be caused by one factor unhealthy lifestyle.
• What seems to be a single phenomenon is in reality composed of assorted
heterogeneous elements. (Social Stratification)
caste system may look like a single system, but actually involves religion, region, education, wealth

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Contd..
how we interpret a phenomenon: Is it something personal or social? Individual or collective?
suicide is a personal choice. But research may show it's linked to social isolation, unemployment, or
• (iii) Abstraction family pressure , social causes.
• What seems like an individual phenomenon is in reality a holistic
phenomenon. (sociologizing)- Suicide
• What seems like a holistic phenomenon is in reality an individual
phenomenon. (psychologizing)- War seems like a nation-level issue. But researchers may argue it results
from individual decisions of leaders or psychological factors like ego,
how widespread or limited we believe a phenomenon is. revenge, or fear.

• (iv) Generalization
• What seems to be a local phenomenon is in reality a general phenomenon. -
Dowry People may think dowry is just an Indian problem. But research could show that forms of dowry or marriage
payments exist in many cultures around the world.
• What seems to be a general phenomenon is in reality a local phenomenon. –
caste system
Some may believe caste or class divisions are universal social structures. But you show that India's caste system has unique religious and
historical roots that don't apply globally.
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Contd..
how stable or changing something appears to be
• (v) Stabilization People might think caste or class systems are unchanging traditions. But research might show
they’re evolving due to education, urbanization, and technology.
• What seems to be a stable and unchanging phenomenon is in reality an
unstable and changing phenomenon. – social stratification
• What seems to be an unstable and changing phenomenon is in reality a stable
and unchanging phenomenon.- traditional practices seem outdated or irrelevant in modern life.
But they often continue generation after
• (vi) Function how well or poorly something seems to work. generation, showing remarkable stability.

• What seems to be a phenomenon that functions ineffectively as a means for


the attainment of an end is in reality a phenomenon that function effectively.-
Many people say, “Politics is broken or corrupt. But
political system and community goals research might show that it actually helps represent
community goals, maintains balance,n prevents chaos.
• What seems to be a phenomenon that functions effectively as the means for
the attainment the attainment of an end is in reality a phenomenon that
functions ineffectively.- tolerance and librated society
People may believe a tolerant, liberal society always works best. But research could show that too much freedom can reduce social
discipline, increase conflict, or weaken accountability.
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Contd..
• (vii) Evaluation
• What seems to be a bad phenomenon is in reality a good phenomenon.-
conflict/stress moderate stress increases productivity, creativity, or personal growth.
• What seems to be a good phenomenon is in reality a bad phenomenon.-
moral values/traditional practices seen as good and respectable. But your research might show that
some values suppress individual freedom, gender equality, or
innovation.

• B - The Relations Among Multiple Phenomena


• (viii) Co-relation poor access to healthcare
People from lower social classes suffer more mental health issues due to stress, job insecurity,

• What seem to be unrelated (independent) phenomena are in reality


correlated (interdependent) phenomena.- social class and mental illness
• What seem to be related (interdependent) phenomena are in reality
uncorrelated (independent) phenomena.- suicide and race
Many assume suicide rates vary by race. But research may find: No meaningful difference when other factors like age,
income, or education are controlled.
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Contd..
two things can exist together or not
• (ix) Co-existence Studies might show romantic love declines over time in many marriages, and routine takes over.

• What seem to be phenomena which can exist together are in reality


phenomena which cannot exist together.- love and marriage
• What seem to be phenomena which cannot exist together are in reality
phenomena which can exist together.- love and hate Psychologists say they can exist in the same
relationship, especially in intense emotional
how two things move together
• (x) Co-variation We assume poor people spend less. But They maybonds.
spend more per unit because they can’t
afford to buy in bulk or access discounts.
• What seems to be a positive co-variation between phenomena is in reality a
negative co-variation between phenomena.- poor pay more
• What seems to be a negative co-variation between phenomena is in reality a
positive co-variation between phenomena.- standard of living and revolution
We think more comfort = less protest. But As people’s expectations rise faster than their reality, they may become frustrated
and start revolutions. It questions the idea that prosperity = stability.

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Contd..
They engage audiences differently - one is imaginative (audio), the other passive and visual
• (xi) Opposition (TV).

• What seem to be similar (nearly identical) phenomena are in reality opposite


phenomena.- radio and television
• What seem to be opposite phenomena are in reality similar (nearly identical)
phenomena.- motivation for two opposing things
about cause and effect
• (xii) Causation What looks like a cause is actually an effect

• What seems to be the independent phenomenon (variable) in a causal


relation is in reality the dependent phenomenon (variable).- deviant behavior
of individual because of presence of researcher
• What seems to be the dependent phenomenon (variable) in a causal relation
is in reality the independent phenomenon (variable).- religion and economy
What looks like an effect is actually the cause. We think economic conditions shape religious behavior. But: Religious values
like thrift, hard work, and saving may have shaped capitalism

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Five distinct criteria of effective topics
(Colquitt & George, 2011)
• Significance, topic
about
should matter. It should address an important issue, challenge, or gap that people care

• Novelty topic should bring something new - a new angle, new method, new data, or new application.
Avoiding
the Traps
• “the familiarity trap,” You pick something just because you know it well, not because it’s important or interesting.
• “the maturity trap,” and topic is already over-researched and nothing new can really be added
• “the nearness trap” Choosing topics just because they're easy to access
• Curiosity, Your topic should genuinely interest you and spark questions
• Scope, and Your topic should be:
Clear and focused (not too broad),
• Actionability Researchable with available data,
Able to lead to practical outcomes or solutions (actionability).

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Exercise
• Write two interesting phenomenon using any of the 12 parameters.
Most people think social media causes addiction. But this flips the cause-effect: it suggests that users’ internal
needs (like wanting likes, attention, or approval) are the real cause.

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Basic modes of formulating research questions and
their specific versions (Sandberg & Alvesson, 2011)
Basic modes of formulating research questions Specific versions of basic modes of formulating
research questions
Small additions or extensions to existing knowledge. try to
clarify or compare to remove conclusion
Track-bound modes (underproblematize, reinforce Confusion spotting (Competing explanations)
existing theories)- Incremental Neglect spotting (Overlooked area/Under-researched
follow existing theories and accepted assumptions in the /Lack of empirical support ) You find an overlooked topic, under-
academic field. They are safer, more conventional, but researched group, or lack of data.
sometimes less bold or innovative. Application spotting(Extending and complementing
existing literature) Apply a known theory to a new context-
industry, culture
Combined track-bound and disruptive modes Critical confrontation confront theory with real-world contradictions
Mixing both track-bound and disruptive New idea Propose something entirely fresh
elements — challenging existing ideas, but still Quasi-problematization
anchored in some theory.
partially question existing ideas, but not too radically
Disruptive modes (identify and challenge Problematization
the assumptions underlying existing literature) Question the assumptions behind current theories
aim to challenge what’s already known
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Gap-spotting means identifying an area
Why Gap-spotting is popular? that is under-researched, overlooked, or
missing in the current literature — and
then doing research to fill that gap

• Gap-spotting is easy
• Gap-spotting is uncontroversial and safe building on what’s already there, not tearing it down.
• A powerful tradition indicates knowledge accumulation
• Academia is a crediting economy can show how your work fits in, and get cited by others working in that
Researchers want citations and recognition. By filling a known gap, you

area. The more gaps you fill, the more useful you seem
• Research institutions encourage gap-spotting
• Contemporary journal formats encourage gap-spotting
• It often makes sense to adopt gap-spotting Most research papers follow a structure: Literature
Review = Identify a gap = Address the gap =
Conclude

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Exercise: Write a research question
• Topic: Movie
• Context: Low-income consumers
• Goal: to understand
• Nature of your question: how
• Relationship: watching movie and expectations

• Question: How does watching movie change expectations among low-


income consumers?

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Hypothesis guess or prediction that a researcher makes before doing the research.

• A hypothesis (H) is an unproven statement or proposition about a


factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher. It may, for
example, be a tentative statement about relationships between two
or more variables as stipulated by the theoretical framework or the
analytical model.

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Examples
• RQ1: What foods are considered to be comfort foods?
• H1: Potato chips are considered comfort food.
• H2: Ice cream is considered comfort food.
• RQ2: When do people eat comfort foods?
• H3: People eat comfort foods when they are in a good mood.
• H4: People eat comfort foods when they are in a bad mood.
• RQ3: How do people become attached to comfort foods?
• H5: People are attached to comfort foods that are consistent with their
personality.
• H6: People are attached to comfort foods because of past associations.

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Exercise
• Management problem issue the decision-maker (manager) is facing
• Marketing research problem breaks the management problem into specific information needs.
• Research questions specific questions the research will answer.
• Hypothesis predictions or assumptions based on theory or observation that we test

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Research design
• 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.
• the research design specifies the details—the nuts and bolts—of
implementing that approach. A research design lays the foundation
for conducting the project. A good research design will ensure that
the marketing research project is conducted effectively and
efficiently.

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Components of research design
• 1. Define the information needed.
Describe patterns, behaviors, stats
• 2. Design the exploratory, descriptive, and/or causal phases of the
research. Explore unknown reasons Find cause-effect

• 3. Specify the measurement and scaling procedures. Likert scale (1 = Strongly


Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree)
• 4. Construct and pretest a questionnaire (interviewing form) or an
appropriate form for data collection. trying it out with a few people first to fix errors.
• 5. Specify the sampling process and sample size. Stratified random sampling
• 6. Develop a plan of data analysis.
Use Excel or SPSS Apply frequency analysis, correlation, regression Show results using charts and graphs

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A Classification of Research Designs
Research Design

Discover ideas, explore help make decisions by providing clear, structured


information
Exploratory Research Design Conclusive Research Design

Finding cause & effect


Getting facts and data
Descriptive Research Causal Research

Collects data repeatedly over time , Tracks changes n trends

Cross-Sectional Design Longitudinal Design


Collects data at one point in time, Snapshot of a population
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Difference between exploratory and
conclusive

To understand the problem or explore new ideas To test a specific idea or


relationship (hypothesis)

Info is Not clearly defined;


you’re just starting to explore not always representing the full population

qualitative (words, opinions, feelings)

just a starting point used for making decisions

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Comparison of basic research designs

Structured, based on Very structured,


specific questions like an experiment

You don’t know the problem clearly You want details or patterns
You want to test if one thing
causes another

quantitative

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Uses of Exploratory Research
A company sees a drop in sales, but doesn’t know why. So they interview customers and find out people are unhappy with the
packaging - now the problem is defined clearly!
• Formulate a problem or define a problem more precisely
• Identify alternative courses of action Improve quality Offer discounts, Collaborate with influencers
• Develop hypotheses assumption- Maybe young people prefer online shopping over physical stores.
Helps you figure out what to focus on - which factors (variables) are important If customers mention
• Isolate key variables and relationships for further examination price, service, and
delivery time, You now
• Gain insights for developing an approach to the problem know these are the
main things to
If research shows people don’t trust the brand, u know ur approach should include questions on trust and brand image. measure in your
• Establish priorities for further research detailed study.

Helps you decide what to study first . You find that delivery issues matter more to customers than product variety ,so you make delivery your
top research priority in the next phase

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Use of Descriptive Research
to find out who your customers or users are — their age, gender, income, behavior
• To describe the characteristics of relevant groups, such as consumers,
salespeople, organizations, or market areas.
to know how many people in your target group do a specific action
• To estimate the percentage of units in a specified population
exhibiting a certain behavior.
what people think about your product - quality, design, price
• To determine the perceptions of product characteristics.
• To determine the degree to which marketing variables are associated.
• To make specific predictions toPeople check if two things are linked or associated (but not cause-effect
who shop more often also spend more money. that means
there is an association between shopping frequency and total spend.

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find out the cause-and-effect relationship

Uses of Casual Research


• To understand which variables are the cause (independent variables)
and which variables are the effect (dependent variables) of a
phenomenon figure out what is making something happen.
• To determine the nature of the relationship between the causal
variables and the effect to be predicted how strong the relationship is, and what kind of
effect it has.
• METHOD: Experiments
you change one thing (cause) and observe what happens to another thing (effect), while keeping everything else constant.

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collect data from a group of people just once, at a single point in time.

Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Designs


You collect data from the same group of people multiple times over a
period (weeks, months, or years).

• A cross-sectional design involves the collection of information from


any given sample of population elements only once.
• In a longitudinal design, 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.
• Can answer before/after questions compare before-and-after You understand trends, changes,
and behavior over time

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The Six Ws of descriptive research
• Who- respondents
• What – information
• Where – respondents should be contacted
• When – timing of approaching the respondent
• Why- Why are we obtaining information from the respondents? Why
is the marketing research project being conducted?
• Way – of obtaining the information

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Some Alternative Research Designs
You don’t understand the problem well at first. So you start by exploring and then test your findings.
Example: A new brand wants to launch a healthy snack. Exploratory Research: Talk to consumers to understand health trends
(focus group, secondary data). Conclusive Research: Once you know what they want, conduct a structured survey or
experiment.
Exploratory
Research Conclusive
Research
(a) - Secondary Data
- Descriptive/
Analysis
Causal
- Focus Group

Use one conclusive research, followed by another conclusive


research.Use When: You’ve already done structured research, but
Conclusive Research you need more detailed or follow-up findings.Example: You ran a
(b) - Descriptive/ survey and found people like your product. Now you do an
Causal experiment to test if giving discounts increases purchases.

Exploratory
Conclusive Research
Research
(c) - Descriptive/
- Secondary Data
Analysis
Causal
- Focus Group
You did a survey or experiment, but didn’t get clear answers or found something surprising — so you go back and explore why it happened.
Example: 6/17/2025
You found that sales dropped in a survey, but don’t know why.(2024-26)
FMR,SSBF So now you do interviews or focus groups to explore further.
46
Potential sources of error
all other types of errors not related to the
sample size — can happen during
designing, collecting, or analyzing data.

Happens by chance when the sample you pick


doesn't fully represent the population.
People give wrong answers -
intentionally or by mistake. When people don’t respond or refuse to participate

Mistakes made by the research team. Mistakes by the


Mistakes made by the person collecting data person
Wrong research question Selecting answering
Poor design of wrong people
survey/questions
Writing down answers incorrectly Person doesn’t
sending surveys to know the answer
(filling fake answers
non-target people Person doesn’t want
to answer honestly
6/17/2025 FMR,SSBF (2024-26) 47
Exercise
• Choose an appropriate research design for the research problem
identified in the earlier exercise.
• Discuss the potential errors.

6/17/2025 FMR,SSBF (2024-26) 48


Web based research
• Internet internet is the medium used to: Find information (secondary data) Conduct surveys or
interviews Observe user behavior pulls data from:
• Sources of information Websites – e.g., blogs, news sites, company pages
choosing who will be part of your research.- email list Online databases – like Statista, JSTOR, World Bank
• Sampling E-commerce platforms – Amazon, Flipkart reviews
Social media – Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Facebook
• Tools Google form, polling tools, Search engines – Google searches
google analytics Company internal data – CRM, website visits, etc.
• Precaution
careful about- Data Privacy & Ethics, Spam & Fake Respondents, Technical Errors

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• Thank you

6/17/2025 FMR,SSBF (2024-26) 50

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