Research Proposal

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MARK977: Research for Marketing Decisions

Dr. Thomas Lee Trimester 1, 2018

Research Design and Qualitative Research

WEEK 3 READING: CHAPTERS 3 & 4

Learning objectives

Part A (Chapter 3) 1. Define and classify various research designs, and explain

the differences between exploratory and conclusive research.

2. Define the nature and scope of secondary data and distinguish secondary data from primary data.

3. Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of secondary data and their uses.

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Learning objectives

Part B (Chapter 4) 1. Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative

research. 2. Understand the various forms of qualitative research. 3. Describe focus groups in detail with emphasis on planning

and conducting focus groups, and their advantages, disadvantages, and applications.

4. Describe depth interview techniques in detail citing their advantages, disadvantages, and applications.

5. Explain projective techniques in detail and discuss their advantages, disadvantages and applications.

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Relationship of This Chapter to the Marketing Research Process

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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 or solve marketing research problems.

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Just as a builder can take a blueprint and construct a house according to specifications, so can a marketing research supplier take a research design and conduct the project as designed.

Steps Leading to the Formulation of a Research Design

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Step 1: Defining the Marketing Research Problem

Step 2: Developing an Approach to the Problem

Step 3: Formulating a Research Design

Components of a Research Design

1. Analysis of secondary and syndicated data (Chapter 3). 2. Qualitative research (Chapter 4). 3. Survey and observation research (Chapter 5) 4. Experimental research (Chapter 6) 5. Measurement and scaling procedures (Chapter 7). 6. Design and pretest of a questionnaire (interviewing form) or an

observation form for data collection (Chapter 8). 7. Sampling process and sample size determination (Chapter 9). 8. Development of a preliminary plan of data analysis (Chapter 10).

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A Classification of Market Research Designs

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Research Design

Exploratory Research Design

Causal Research

Conclusive Research Design

Cross-Sectional Design

Descriptive Research

Longitudinal Design

Differences between exploratory and conclusive research

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Uses of Exploratory Research

• Formulate a problem or define a problem more precisely (e.g., focus group on consumer experience to determine why low sales)

• Gain an adequate understanding of the problem context

• Identify alternative courses of action

• Isolate key variables and relationships for further examination (e.g., conclusive research)

• Gain insights for developing an approach to the problem

• Establish priorities or propositions for further research

• For example: – Identify tentative solutions

– Verified by conclusive research

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Methods of Exploratory Research

• Survey of experts (discussed in Chapter 2)

• Pilot surveys (discussed in Chapter 2)

• Secondary data analysis (discussed in Chapter 3)

• Qualitative research (discussed in Chapter 4)

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Cellular handset manufacturers such as Nokia are routinely undertaking exploratory research to understand the different ways in which consumers use their mobile phones.

Use of Descriptive Research

• To describe the characteristics of relevant groups, such as consumers, salespeople, organizations, or market areas (e.g., size, age, etc.)

• To estimate the percentage of units in a specified population exhibiting a certain behavior (e.g., light vs. heavy users)

• To determine the perceptions of product characteristics

• To determine the degree to which marketing variables are associated

• To make specific predictions

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Methods of Descriptive Research

• Surveys (Chapter 5)

• Panels (Chapters 3 and 5)

• Observational and other data (Chapter 5)

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Descriptive research remains the most popular way to collect primary quantitative data in marketing research.

Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Designs

• 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.

– Permits the examination of changes over time.

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Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal Designs

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Sample Surveyed at

Same Sample also Surveyed at

T1 T2

Cross- Sectional Design

Longitudinal Design

Time

Uses of Casual Research

• To understand which variables are the cause (independent variables) and which variables are the effect (dependent variables) of a phenomenon

• To determine the nature of the relationship between the causal variables and the effect to be predicted

• METHOD: Experiments (discussed in Chapter 6)

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An experiment is the main method of causal research.

Descriptive versus Causal Research

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Association Cause and Effect

Causal Research

Conclusive Research Design

X and Y Vary Together

Descriptive Research

X is a Cause of Y

Primary vs. Secondary Data

• Primary data are originated by a researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. The collection of primary data involves all six steps of the marketing research process (Chapter 1).

• Secondary data are data which have already been collected for purposes other than the problem at hand. These data can be located quickly and inexpensively.

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Secondary data are of primary importance in marketing research.

A Comparison of Primary and Secondary Data

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Primary Data Secondary Data

Collection purpose For the problem

at hand For other problems

Collection process Very involved Rapid and easy

Collection cost High Relatively low

Collection time Long Short

Uses of Secondary Data

• Identify the problem

• Better define the problem

• Develop an approach to the problem

• Formulate an appropriate research design (for example, by identifying the key variables and measures)

• Answer certain research questions and test some hypotheses

– E.g., innovation capability (R&D expenditure)  innovation performance (# of NP)

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A Classification of Marketing Research Data

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Qualitative and Quantitative Research

• Qualitative research is an unstructured, exploratory research methodology based on small samples that provides insights and understanding of the problem setting.

• Quantitative research is a research methodology that seeks to quantify the data and typically applies some form of statistical analysis.

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Qualitative versus quantitative research

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A Classification of Qualitative Research Procedures

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Qualitative Research Procedures

Indirect (Disguised)

Projective Techniques

Picture Response and

Cartoon Test Role Playing and

Third Person

Focus Groups

Direct (Nondisguised)

Depth Interviews

Sentence Completion

Word Association

Focus Groups

• A focus group is an interview conducted by a trained moderator in an unstructured and natural

• The moderator leads the discussion.

• The main purpose of focus groups is to gain insights by listening to a group of people from the appropriate target market talk about issues of interest to the researcher.

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Characteristics of Focus Groups

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Group size 8 – 12

Group composition Homogeneous; respondents

prescreened

Physical setting Relaxed, informal atmosphere

Time duration 1 – 3 hours

Recording Use of audio and video recording

Moderator Observational, interpersonal, and

communication skills of the moderator

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Prepare the Focus Group Report

Conduct the focus group Interview

Develop a moderator’s outline

Write a screening questionnaire

State the objectives of the focus group

Specify the objectives of qualitative research Procedure for Conducting a Focus Group

Advantages of Focus Groups

• Immediate and rich comments from real customers

• The group interaction produces a wider range of information, insights, and ideas than do individual interviews

• The comments of one person can trigger unexpected reactions from others, leading to snowballing with participants responding to each other's comments.

• The responses are generally spontaneous and candid, providing rich insights. Ideas are more likely to arise out of the blue in a group than in an individual interview and are likely to be unique and potentially creative.

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Disadvantages of Focus Groups

• The clarity and conviction with which group members often speak leads to a tendency for researchers and managers to regard findings as conclusive rather than as exploratory.

• Focus groups also are difficult to moderate. The quality of the results depends heavily on the skills of the moderator; unfortunately, moderators who possess all of the desirable skills are rare.

• The unstructured nature of the responses makes coding, analysis, and interpretation difficult.

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Depth Interviews • Like focus groups, depth interviews are an unstructured and direct way of obtaining

information.

• Unlike focus groups, however, depth interviews are conducted on a one-on-one basis.

• These interviews typically last from 30 minutes to more than an hour.

• They attempt to uncover underlying motives, prejudices, or attitudes toward sensitive issues.

• Substantial probing is done to surface underlying motives, beliefs, and attitudes.

• Interview outline is influenced by the respondent’s replies

• Probing is done by asking such questions as:

– “Why do you say that?''

– “That's interesting, can you tell me more?''

– “Would you like to add anything else?”

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Advantages of Depth Interviews

• Can uncover deeper insights about underlying motives than focus groups.

• Can attribute the responses directly to the respondent, unlike focus groups where there are multiple responses from multiple respondents.

• Result in a free exchange of information and there is no social pressure to conform to a group response.

• As a result of probing, it is possible to get at real issues when the topic is complex or subject to strong social norms (e.g., attitudes of college students towards dating).

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Disadvantages of Depth Interviews

• Skilled interviewers capable of conducting depth interviews are expensive and difficult to find.

• The quality and completeness of the results depend heavily on the interviewer's skills.

• The data obtained are difficult to analyze and interpret.

• The length of the interview combined with high costs limits the number of depth interviews.

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Focus Groups vs. Depth Interviews

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Characteristics Focus Groups Depth Interviews

Group synergy and dynamics + -

Peer pressure/group influence - +

Client involvement + -

Generation of innovative ideas + -

Indepth probing of individuals - +

Uncovering hidden motives - +

Discussion of sensitive topics - +

Interviewing respondents who are competitors - +

Interviewing respondents who are professionals - +

Scheduling of respondents - +

Amount of information + -

Bias in moderation and interpretation + -

Cost per respondent + -

Definition of Projective Techniques

• A projective technique is an unstructured, indirect form of questioning that encourages respondents to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings regarding the issues of concern.

• In projective techniques, respondents are asked to interpret the behaviour of others.

• In interpreting the behaviour of others, respondents indirectly project their own motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings into the situation.

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Word Association In word association, respondents are presented with a list of words, one at a

time and asked to respond to each with the first word that comes to mind. The words of interest, called test words, are interspersed throughout the list which also contains some neutral or “filler” words to disguise the purpose of the study. Responses are analysed by calculating:

1. the frequency with which any word is given as a response;

2. the amount of time that elapses before a response is given;

3. the number of respondents who do not respond at all to a test word within a reasonable period of time.

E.g., Apple – innovative, slick; Nike – elegant, fashionable

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Sentence Completion

In sentence completion, respondents are given incomplete sentences and asked to complete them. Generally, they are asked to use the first word or phrase that comes to mind.

A person who wears Tommy Hilfiger shirts is _______________.

As compared to Polo, Gant, and Eddie Bauer, Tommy Hilfiger shirts are _________________.

Tommy Hilfiger shirts are most liked by ______________.

A variation of sentence completion is paragraph completion, in which the respondent completes a paragraph beginning with the stimulus phrase.

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Picture Response With a picture response, the respondents are asked to describe a series of pictures of ordinary as well as unusual events. The respondent's interpretation of the pictures gives indications of that individual's personality and attitudes towards the topic.

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Cartoon Test In cartoon tests, cartoon characters are shown in a specific situation related to the problem. The respondents are asked to indicate what one cartoon character might say in response to the comments of another character. Cartoon tests are simpler to administer and analyze than picture response techniques.

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A Cartoon Test

Role Playing and Third-Person Techniques

• Role playing: Respondents are asked to play the role or assume the behavior of someone else. The researcher assumes that the respondent will project their own feelings and beliefs into the role.

• Third-person technique: The respondent is presented with a verbal or visual situation and the respondent is asked to relate the beliefs and attitudes of a third person rather than directly expressing personal beliefs and attitudes. This third person may be a friend, neighbour, colleague, or a “typical” person. See fear of flying and shopping list examples in textbook on p. 135.

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Advantages of Projective Techniques

• They may elicit responses that subjects would be unwilling or unable to give if they knew the purpose of the study.

• Helpful when the issues to be addressed are personal, sensitive, or subject to strong social norms (e.g., needing to give a socially desirable response).

• Helpful when underlying motivations, beliefs, and attitudes are operating at a subconscious level (see fear of flying example on p. 135).

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Disadvantages of Projective Techniques

• Require highly trained interviewers.

• Skilled interpreters are also required to analyze the responses, hence incurring greater costs.

• There is a serious risk of interpretation bias.

• They tend to be expensive.

• May require respondents to engage in unusual behaviour, and assuming that they themselves are unusual in some way, hence not representative of the population of interest.

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Discussion question

• A newly established noodle house has suffered low sales lately. The owner of the noodle house wants to conduct research to collect information that will help him solve the problem at hand and design a workable strategy. Explain how the three types of research designs can be used in this case.

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Discussion question

• Following the methods outlined in the text, develop a plan for conducting a focus group to determine consumers’ attitudes toward and preferences for imported automobiles. Specify the objectives of the focus group.

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