RESEARCH DESIGNS

SLIDE 1

Learning Objectives
• Identify the framework or designs you intend to use
to arrive at answers to the research questions
framed by you.
• Understand the nature of exploratory and two-tired
research designs.
• Understand the techniques and stages in descriptive
studies ( cross-sectional and longitudinal designs).
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A diagrammatic presentation of
Research Process
Design the
research
Information
need felt
Collect data

Define the Tabulation and

Analysis
research objective

Interpretation, Report
Writing and
Presentation
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Management Dilemma
Basic vs Applied

Defining the Research Problem

Formulating the Research Hypothesis

Developing the Research Proposal

The Research Framework

Research Design

Data Collection Plan Sampling Plan

Instrument Design

Pilot Testing

Data Collection

Data Refining and Preparation

Data Analysis & Interpretation

Research Reporting

Management / Research Decision

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Research Design

A research design is a blueprint or detailed plan for how a

research study is to be completed.

• “The research design is the master plan specifying the

methods and procedures for collecting/acquiring the
information needed and analyzing the needed information.”

• A plan for gathering data for answering specific research

questions.
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• It is the operational pattern or framework specifying

what information is to be collected from which
sources by what procedures.
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Need for Research Design

Research design is needed because it facilitates

the smooth sailing of the various research
operations , therefore, making research as
efficient as possible yielding maximum
information by spending minimum time, effort
and money.
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Research Design

Exploratory Conclusive
Research Research
Design Design

Descriptive Causal
Research Research

Cross –
Longitudinal
Sectional
Design
Design

Single Multiple
Cross – Cross –
Sectional Sectional
Design Design
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Basic Research Objectives and Research Design

Research Objective Appropriate Design

To gain background /preliminary information, to define terms, to clarify

Exploratory
problems and develop hypotheses.

To describe a event or situation or characteristics of individual

or group of individuals at a point in time i.e. market share,
size and attitude of customer.
Descriptive

To determine causality, test hypotheses, to make “if-then”

Causal
statements, to answer questions
 Slide 9

Types of research designs

• Exploratory research designs: It is the simplest, most flexible
and most loosely structured designs. As the name suggests,
the basic objective of the study is to explore and obtain clarity
on the problem situation.

• Descriptive research designs: These are more structured and

formal in nature. As the name implies the objective of these
studies is to provide a comprehensive and detailed
explanation of the phenomena under study.
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Exploratory research designs

• Secondary resource analysis: Secondary sources of

data give information –in terms of details of previously
collected findings in facts and figures – which has been
authenticated and published.

• Case method: it is intricately designed and reveals a

comprehensive and complete presentation of facts, as
they occur, in a single entity. This could be an
individual, an organization or an entire country.
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• Expert opinion survey: valuable insights obtained

from experts which might be based on their
experience in the field or based on academic work
done on the concept.

• Focus group discussions: a carefully selected

representative sub set of the larger respondent
gather to discuss together, in a short time frame, the
subject/topic to be investigated.
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Descriptive Research Designs

Cross-sectional studies: Two essential characteristics:

1. carried out at a single moment in time, therefore
the applicability is relevant for a specific period.
2. Conducted on a sub-section of the respondent
population

Variations
• Single/multiple cross- sectional designs ( depending
on the number of samples drawn).
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Illustrative Case:

• Baskin Robbins company wanted to find out how to

target the Indian consumer to indulge in high-end
ice creams.
• Thus they outsourced to an Indian research firm to
find out the dessert consumption habits of upper
class Indian customers living at metro cities.

• The study was conducted on 1,000 Indian metro

consumers in the upper income bracket.
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Here the population being studied is not of a

homogeneous nature and there is a divergence in the
characteristics under study.
T Thus it was essential to study the sub-segments
independently.

This design is termed as multiple cross-sectional studies.

Usually this multi-sample analysis is carried out at the
same moment in time.
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• The consumer survey conducted revealed that most

Indians have a sweet tooth and prefer to eat their
specific regional sweet dishes at home.
• However, when they are out they love
experimenting and generally look at exotic, foreign
desserts or if lost for choice, opt for an ice-cream
especially in summer.
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Conclusion
• The ice cream company concluded from the findings
that the market( metro cities) are ready. However
the target audience would be niche segment.

• Another conclusion was that even though the ice-

cream was healthy and natural, the company would
have to take a lifestyle positioning in order to melt
the Indian heart.
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Descriptive research designs

• Longitudinal studies: A single sample of the

identified population that is studied over a
stretched period of time is termed as Longitudinal
studies.

• This design is also referred to as the time-series

design due to the repeated measurement
overtime.
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Distinguishing features of the Longitudinal studies

1. The study involves selection of a representative group

of individuals ( from the population under study) as a
panel.
2. There are repeated measurement of the researched
variable on this panel over fixed intervals of time.
3. Once sample is selected the panel composition needs
to stay constant over the study period. That means the
number of panel members has to be the same.
 Example
• A panel of consumers specifically chosen to
study their grocery purchase pattern.
Example/illustrative case of longitudinal
study
• The customer portfolio management division of a
large private bank wanted to study the investment
behaviour of bank customers in government
instruments, mutual funds and securities and fixed
deposits.

• This analysis was done for every quarter in a year for

a period of 5 years.
Option1: the survey can be done on a different
Sample of 1,000 bank customers for each quarter.

Option 2: Bank can form a panel of regular customers

and asses their periodic investments in these 3
instruments ; here the same group of people would be
Interviewed in the 5 year period.
Such longitudinal study using the same section of
respondents thus provides more accurate data than
one using a series of different samples.
These kinds of panels are defined as true panels and
and the ones using a different group every time are
called omnibus panels.

Advantages and disadvantages

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Research Design: Causal Research

• Causality may be thought of as

understanding a phenomenon in terms of
conditional statements of the form “If x,
then y.”