The Marketing Research Process

Question 1

Definition: Decision Making

Answer 1

The process of developing and deciding among alternatives to resolve a problem

Question 2

Research’s role in the decision making process

Answer 2

• recognizing the nature of a problem

- identifying available information and its reliability and usefullness

Question 3

Classifying decision making situations

Answer 3

• Market opportunity (potential competitive advantage)

- Market problem (possible negative consequences)

Question 4

Characterization of decision making situations

Answer 4

• certainty (all information available)
• uncertainty (nature of problem clear, incomplete information)
• ambiguity (nature of problem unclear, objectives are vague)

Question 5

Definition: Research Proposal

Answer 5

• statement explaining the study purpose and research design

- outline of procedures and methodology

Question 6

The role of information

Answer 6

• reduces uncertainty

- helps focusing in decision making

Question 7

Types of Marketing Research

Answer 7

• exploratory research
• descriptive research
• causal research

Question 8

Exploratory Research

Answer 8

• clarify ambiguous situations and define the nature of a problem (no past data, limited studies)
• discover business opportunities
• does not provide conclusive evidence
• subsequent research required

Question 9

Descriptive Research

Answer 9

• describes characteristics and behavior of a group/phenomenon
• provides basic understanding of problem
• does not provide direct evidence of causality
• accuracy is important

Question 10

Causal Research

Answer 10

• identifies cause and effect relationships between two or more variables
• laboratory or field experiments
• behaviour of dependent variables
• absolute, conditional, contributory causality

Question 11

Identifying causality

Answer 11

• uncertainty influences the type of research
• appropriate causal of events
• concomitant variation (two phenomena vary together)
• absence of alternatives for plausible explanations

Question 12

Research Stages

Answer 12

• cyclical process - conclusions generate new ideas

- stages can overlap chronologically and are functionally interrelated

Question 13

Stages in the Research process

Answer 13

1) Problem Discovery and Problem Definition
2) Research Design
3) Sampling
4) Data Gathering
5) Data Processing and Analysis
6) Conclusions and Report

Question 14

1) Problem Discovery and Problem Definition

Answer 14

• Defining research objectives, deliverables and managerial decision situtation (executive summary)
• constraints (HR, time, money) may affect speed over validity
• selection of exploratory research technique
• problem definition (statement of research objectives)

Question 15

Exploratory research

Answer 15

• define and discover decisions
• techniques for obtaining insights and the idea of the problem
• historical data, case studies, experiments, experience surveys, pilot studies (small-scale studies)

Question 16

2) Planning the research design

Answer 16

• methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing information
• framework or plan of action for the research

Question 17

3) Planning a Sample

Answer 17

• draw conclusions based on measurements of portion of population
• target population? sample size? random or cluster sample?

Question 18

4) Collecting Data

Answer 18

• unobtrusive methods

- minimize errors or bias in the data gathering process

Question 19

5) Editing and Coding

Answer 19

editing: checking data collection for omissions and consistency
coding: rules for interpreting, categorizing and transferring to data storage

Question 20

6) Analyzing data and drawing conclusions

Answer 20

• application of reasoning to understand data

- conclusions speak directly to research questions