COM4310 Discussion question #1

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Chapter 3 The Marketing Research Process

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Learning Outcomes

After studying this chapter, you should

Apply marketing research in making better marketing decisions

Classify marketing research as either exploratory research, descriptive research, or causal research

List the major stages of the marketing research process and the steps within each

Understand the concepts of theory, research hypothesis, and hypothesis and the critical role they play in research

Know the difference between a research project and a research program

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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Introduction - Contribution to Decision Making (1 of 2)

Key ways in which researchers contribute to decision making

Helping to better define the organization’s current situation

Identifying useful decision statements and related research questions

Defining the firm’s meaning—how consumers, competitors, and employees view the firm

Providing ideas for product improvements or possible new product development

LO01

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Learning Objective 01

Introduction - Contribution to Decision Making (2 of 2)

Key ways in which researchers contribute to decision making

Testing ideas that will assist in implementing marketing strategy including innovations

Examining how well a marketing theory describes marketing reality

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Learning Objective 01

Decision Making and Marketing Research

Decision making is the process of developing and deciding among alternative ways of resolving a problem or choosing from among alternative opportunities

Research’s role in the decision making process

Recognizing the nature of the problem or opportunity

Identifying how much information is currently available and how reliable it is

Determining what information is needed to better deal with the situation

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Learning Objective 01

Classifying a Decision Making Situation: A Problem or an Opportunity?

Market opportunity is a situation that makes some potential competitive advantage possible

Market problem is a situation that makes some significant negative consequence more likely

Problems are inferred from symptoms - observable cues that serve as a signal of a problem because they are caused by that problem

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Learning Objective 01

Decision Making Situation: Characterized by the Amount of Certainty or Ambiguity

Certainty means that the decision maker has all the information needed to make an optimal decision

Uncertainty means that the manager grasps the general nature of desired objectives, but the information about alternatives is incomplete

Ambiguity is the nature of the problem itself is unclear such that objectives are vague and decision alternatives are difficult to define

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Learning Objective 01

EXHIBIT 3.1 Describing Decision-Making Situations

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Learning Objective 01

Types of Marketing Research

Exploratory

Descriptive

Causal

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Learning Objective 02

Exploratory Research

Purposes of exploratory research

Clarify ambiguous situations

Discover ideas that may be potential business opportunities

Exploratory research clarifies and defines the nature of a problem

Does not provide conclusive evidence

Assumes and expects subsequent research

Useful in product development

Helps identify symptoms

LO02

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Learning Objective 02

Descriptive Research (1 of 2)

Descriptive research describes characteristics of objects, people, groups, organizations, or environments

Addresses who, what, when, where, why, and how questions

Accuracy is critically important

Involves considerable understanding of the nature of the problem

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Learning Objective 02

Descriptive Research (2 of 2)

Diagnostic analysis

Seeks to diagnose reasons for market outcomes

Focuses specifically on the beliefs and feelings consumers have about and toward competing products

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Learning Objective 02

Causal Research

Causal Research allows causal inferences to be made - they identify cause-and-effect (x brought about y) relationships

Critical pieces of causality

Temporal sequence - the time order of events

Concomitant variation - two events vary systematically

Nonspurious association - an absence of alternative plausible explanations

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Learning Objective 02

Causal Research Summary

Causal Research should

Establish the appropriate causal order or sequence of events

Measure the concomitant variation (relationship) between the presumed cause and the presumed effect

Examine the possibility of spuriousness by considering the presence of alternative plausible causal factors

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Learning Objective 02

EXHIBIT 3.2 Ice Cream Is a Spurious Cause of Drowning

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Learning Objective 02

Degrees of Causality

Absolute causality

The cause is necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect

Conditional causality

A cause is necessary but not sufficient to bring about an effect

Contributory causality

A cause need be neither necessary nor sufficient to bring about an effect

Weakest form of causality

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Learning Objective 02

Experiments

Experiment is a carefully controlled study in which the researcher manipulates a proposed cause and observes any corresponding change in the proposed effect

Experimental variable represents the proposed cause and is controlled by the researcher by manipulating it

Manipulation is the researcher alters the level of the variable in specific increments

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Learning Objective 02

Uncertainty Influences the Type of Research

The amount of uncertainty does much to determine the most appropriate type and amount of research needed

Each type of research produces a different type of result

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Learning Objective 02

EXHIBIT 3.4 Characteristics of Different Types of Marketing Research

	Exploratory Research	Descriptive Research	Descriptive Research
Amount of Uncertainty Characterizing Decision Situation	Highly ambiguous	Partially defined	Clearly defined
Key Research Statement	Research question	Research question	Research hypothesis
When Typically Conducted?	Early stage of decision making	Later stages of decision making	Later stages of decision making
Usual Research Approach	Unstructured	Structured	Highly structured
Examples	“Our sales are declining for no apparent reason” “How do members of our loyalty program engage in social media, particularly Instagram and Twitter?”	“What kind of people patronize our physical stores compared to those who buy from us online?” “What product features are most important to our customers?”	“Will consumers buy more products in a blue package?” “Which of two advertising campaigns will be more effective?”
Nature of Results	Discovery oriented, productive, but still speculative. Often in need of further research.	Can be confirmatory although more research is often still needed. Results can be managerially actionable.	Confirmatory oriented. Fairly conclusive with managerially actionable results often obtained.

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Learning Objective 02

Stages in the Research Process

Defining research objectives

Planning a research design

Planning a sample

Collecting data

Analyzing data

Formulating conclusions and preparing a report

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Learning Objective 03

EXHIBIT 3.5 Stages of the Research Process

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Learning Objective 03

Alternatives in the Research Process

The researcher must choose among a number of alternatives during each stage of the research process

When there are severe time constraints, these constraints override validity, resulting in choosing the fastest alternative

When money and human resources are more plentiful, the appropriate path differs and likely emphasizes validity over speed

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Learning Objective 03

EXHIBIT 3.6 Flowchart of the Marketing Research Process

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Learning Objective 03

Defining the Research Objectives

Research objectives are the goals to be achieved by conducting research

Deliverables are the consulting term used to describe research objectives to a research client

Research Proposal is a written statement of the research design emphasizing what the research will accomplish

It includes a summary of the managerial decision situation, the research objectives and/or deliverables, and a basic description of the research process

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Learning Objective 03

Exploratory Research (1 of 2)

Helps researchers discover and define the decisions themselves

Progressively narrows the scope of research and helps transform ambiguous problem situations into a more focused project with specific research objectives

Could involve

Interviews with experts

Observation of consumers actually engaged with the Product

Analysis of online content describing the product

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Learning Objective 03

Exploratory Research (2 of 2)

Techniques for obtaining insights and gaining a clearer idea of the problem

Previous research

Pilot studies

Case studies

Experience surveys

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Learning Objective 03

Previous Research

Company Archives (Internal research)

Check for reports of previous research within the company archives

Literature Review (External Research)

A directed search of previous works in the public domain

Reports may discuss theory and/or present empirical results relevant to the research objectives

Fundamental requirement of a basic (i.e., marketing) research report

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Learning Objective 03

Pilot Studies

Pilot Studies are small-scale research projects that collect data from respondents similar to those to be used in the full study

Pretest is a small-scale study in which the results are preliminary and only intended to assist in design of a subsequent study

Focus group is a small group discussion about some research topic led by a moderator who guides discussion among the participants

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Learning Objective 03

Stating Research Objectives

Research objectives must be stated formally

Delineate the type of research needed

Indicate what intelligence may result

Research objectives drive the rest of the research process

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Learning Objective 03

What is a Theory?

Theory is a formal, logical explanation of some event(s) that includes predictions of how things relate to one another

The logical explanation helps the researcher know:

What variables need to be included in the study

How the variables may relate to one another

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Learning Objective 04

What is a Hypothesis?

Hypothesis is a formal statement, derived from theory, explaining some specific outcome

Empirical testing is comparing a hypothetical proposition, e.g., a hypothesis, against reality using data

Possible outcomes of the hypothesis

“The hypothesis is supported”

(Data is consistent with hypothesis)

“The hypothesis is not supported”

(Data is inconsistent with hypothesis)

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Learning Objective 04

EXHIBIT 3.7 Illustrating How Decision Statements Determine Research Hypotheses

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Learning Objective 04

Planning the Research Design

Research design

The methods and procedures for collecting and analyzing the needed information

Provides a framework or plan of action for the research

The researcher also must determine the sources of information, the design technique (survey or experiment, for example), the sampling methodology, and the schedule and cost of the research

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Learning Objective 03

Selection of the Basic Research Method

Survey is a research technique in which a sample is interviewed in some form or the behavior of respondents is observed and described

Observational Techniques collect observations unobtrusively and passively, meaning without a respondent’s direct participation

Mystery shoppers act like customers while observing and recording data

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Learning Objective 03

The “Best” Research Approach

No single best research design fits all situations

Researchers often have several alternatives that can achieve a stated research objective

The ability to select the most appropriate way to implement a research project develops with experience

Inexperienced researchers often jump to the conclusion that a survey methodology is usually the best design because they are most comfortable with this method

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Learning Objective 03

Planning a Sample

Sampling involves any procedure that draws conclusions based on measurements of a portion of the entire population

Sampling decisions

Who to sample? - target population

What size should the sample be? – probability sampling

How to select the sampling units? – examples: random sample, cluster-sample

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Learning Objective 03

Collecting Data

Data gathering is the process of gathering or collecting information

Unobtrusive methods are methods in which research respondents do not have to be disturbed for data to be gathered

It is important to minimize errors in the data gathering process

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Learning Objective 03

Editing and Coding

Editing involves checking the data collection forms for omissions, legibility, and consistency in classification

Corrects problems

Coding

Data have to be coded to become useful

Much of the coding is automatic in tools like Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)

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Learning Objective 03

Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions

Data analysis is the application of reasoning to understand the data that have been gathered

Conclusions

Are determined from data analysis

Speak directly to the research questions

What managers and other users of the research are interested in

Are presented in a formal report and in oral or electronic presentations

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Learning Objective 03

The Research Program Strategy

Research project

A single study that addresses one or a small number of research objectives

Uses specific techniques for solving one-dimensional problems, e.g., as identifying market segments

Research program

Numerous related studies that come together to address multiple, related research objectives

Because research is a continuous process, management should view marketing research at a strategic planning level

COM4310 Discussion question #1

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