RESEARCH DESIGN

RESEARCH DESIGN
Design Classification Differences between Exploratory and conclusive design Comparing and contrasting differences between basic research design Sources of error Managerial aspects of coordinating research projects elements of a marketing research proposal Its formulation in international marketing research ethical issues and conflicts use of the Internet and computers

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 and/or solve marketing research problems.

COMPONENTS OF 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

RESEARCH DESIGN: CLASSIFICATION

Research Design Exploratory Research Design Descriptive Research Cross-Sectional Design Single Cross-Sectional Design Longitudinal Design Conclusive Research Design Casual Research

Multiple Cross-Sectional Design

DEFINITION:
Exploratory Research: It provides insights into, and an understanding of, the problem confronting the researcher Conclusive Research: It assist the decision maker in determining, evaluating, and selecting the best course of action to take in a given situation

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
OBJECTIVE : Exploratory research is to explore or search through a problem or situation to provide insights and understanding Used for following purposes: 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

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
Methods used in Exploratory Research: A review of academic and trade literature to identify the relevant demographic and psychographic factors that influence consumer patronage of department stores Interviews with retailing experts to determine trends, such as emergence of new types of outlets and shifts in consumer patronage patterns (e.g., shopping on the Internet) U A comparative analysis of the three best and three worst stores of the same chain to gain some idea of the factors that influence store performance Focus groups to determine the factors that consumers consider important in selecting department stores Further illustration of exploratory research is provided by the following example.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
Descriptive Research is to describe market characteristics or functions Descriptive research is conducted for the following reasons:
Describing the characteristics of relevant groups, such as consumers, salespeople, organizations, or market areas. Estimating the percentage of units in a specified population exhibiting a certain behavior. Determining the perceptions of product characteristics. Determining the degree to which marketing variables are associated. Making specific predictions.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
Descriptive Design requires clear specifications of :
WhoWho should be considered a patron of a particular department store? WhatWhat information should be obtained from the respondents? WhenWhen should the information be obtained from the respondents? WhereWhere should the respondents be contacted to obtain the required information? WhyWhy are we obtaining information from the respondents? Why is the marketing research project being conducted? WayIn what way are we going to obtain information from the respondents?