International Marketing Research , Research Process

8/7/2019 International Marketing Research , Research Process

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The Marketing Research

Process

The Marketing Research

Process



LEARNING OUTCOMESLEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Be able to define decision making and understand the role research

plays in making decisions

2. Classify marketing research as either exploratory research,

descriptive research, or causal research3. List the major phases of the marketing research process and the

steps within each

4. Understand the concepts of theory and hypothesis and the critical

role they play in research5. Be able to explain the difference between a research project and a

research program

Learning Objectives

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Introductiony Key ways in which researchers contribute to decision

making:

1. Helping to better define the current situation

2. Defining the firm³determining how consumers,competitors, and employees view the firm

3. Providing ideas for product improvements or possible newproduct development

4. Testing ideas that will assist in implementing the marketingmix strategy for the firm

5. Examining how correct a certain marketing theory is in agiven situation

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Decision Making Terms

y Market Opportunity

y A situation that makes some potential competitive advantage

possible.

y M

arket Problemy A situation that makes some significant negative consequence

more likely.

y Symptoms

y

Observable cues that serve as a signal of a problem because theyare caused by that problem.

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Decision Making

y DecisionMaking Defined

y The process of developing and deciding among alternative ways

of resolving a problem or choosing from among alternative

opportunities.

y Research·s Role in the Decision Making Process

y Recognizing the nature of the problem or opportunity

y Identifying how much information is currently available and

how reliable it isy Determining what information is needed to better deal with the

situation.

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Conditions Aff ecting Decision Making

y Certainty

y The decision maker has all information needed to make an

optimal decision.

y

Uncertaintyy The manager grasps the general nature of desired objectives,

but the information about alternatives is incomplete.

y Ambiguity

y

The nature of the problem itself is unclear such that objectivesare vague and decision alternatives are difficult to define.

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Describing Decision-Making Situations

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The Research Process and

Problem Formulation

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Relationship among the

Stages in the Research

Process

Determine Research Design

Analyze and Interpret the Data

Design Sample and Collect Data

Formulate Problem

Design Data Collection

Method and Forms

Prepare the Research Report3²9



Stag es in the Research Process

y Process Stages:

1. Defining the research objectives

2. Planning a research design

3. Planning a sample4. Collecting the data

5. Analyzing the data

6. Formulating the conclusions and preparing the report

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Stag es of the Research Process

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Questions That Need Addressing at the Various Stages of the Research Process

Typical QuestionsStage in the Process

Formulate problem

Determine researchdesign

What is the purpose of the study--to solve aproblem? Identify an opportunity? Is additionalbackground information necessary? Whatinformation is needed to make the decision? Howwill the information be utilized? Should researchbe conducted?

How much is already known? Can a hypothesis beformulated? What types of questions need to beanswered? What type of study will best addressthe research questions?

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Determine data collection

method and forms

Can existing data be used to advantage? Whatis to be measured? How

What is the source of the data?

Can objective answers be obtained by askingpeople?

How should people be questioned?

Should the questionnaires be administered inperson, over the phone, or through the mail?Should electronic or mechanical means be usedto make the observations? What specificbehaviors should the observers record?Should str ucture or unstr uctured items be usedto collect the data? Should the purpose of the

study be made known to the respondents?Should rating scales be used in thequestionnaire?



Design sample and

collect the data

Who is the target population? Is a list of

population elements available? Is a

sample necessary? Is a probability sample

desirable? How large should the sample

be? How should the sample be selected?Who will gather the data? How long will

the data gathering take? How much

supervision is needed? What operational

procedures will be followed? What

methods will be used to ensure the quality

of the data collected?



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Analyze andinterpret thedata

Who will handle the editing of the data?

How will the data be coded? Who will

supervise the coding? Will computer or

hand tabulation be utilized? What

tabulations are called for? What analysis

techniques will be used?



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y

Prepare theresearchreport

y Who will read the report?

What is their technical levelof sophistication? Aremanagerial recommendationscalled for? What will be the

format of the written report?Is an oral report necessary?How should the oral report bestr uctured?

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Flowchart of the

Marketing

Research Process

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Defining the Research Objectives

y Research Objectives

y The goals to be achieved by conducting research.

y Deliverables

y

The consulting term used to describe research objectives to aresearch client.

y Understanding the Problem

y Clarify the problem, opportunity, or monitor operations

y

Define the managerial decision situation

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Defining Problem Results in Clear-Cut

Research Objectives

Statement of Research ObjectivesStatement of Research Objectives

Problem DefinitionProblem Definition

Exploratory

Research

(Optional)

Analysis of the SituationAnalysis of the Situation

Symptom DetectionSymptom Detection

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Exploratory Research Techniquesy Previous Research

y Historical data and literature reviews

y Pilot Studies

y A small-scale research project that collects data from respondents similar tothose to be used in the full study.

y Pretest

y A small-scale study in which the results are only preliminary and intendedonly to assist in design of a subsequent study.

y Focus Groupy A small group discussion about some research topic led by a moderator who

guides discussion among the participants.

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Stating Research Objectives

y Theory

y A formal, logical explanation of some events that includes

predictions of how things relate to one another.

y

Hypothesisy A statement that can be refuted by empirical data

y Empirical Testing

y Something has been examined against reality using data.

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Example Decision Statements, Research Objectives, and Research Hypotheses

Decision Statement:

What should be the retailprice for product X?

What things should we

invest in to improve ou

r service quality?

Should we invest in atraining program to reducerole conflict among our employees?

Research Objectives:

Forecast sales for productX at three different prices.

Identify the top factors that

contribu

te to cu

stomers¶service quality perceptions.

Determine how much roleconflict influencesemployee job satisfaction.

Hypotheses:

Sales will be higher at $5.00than at $4.00 or at $6.99.

Cleanliness is related

positively to cu

stomers¶service quality perceptions.

Crowding is relatednegatively to customers¶service quality perceptions.

Role conflict is relatedpositively to job satisfaction.

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Planning the Research Design

y Research Design

y A master plan that specifies the methods and procedures for

collecting and analyzing the needed information.

y Framework:

y Objectives of the study

y Sources of information

y Design technique (survey or experiment)

y Sampling methodology

y Schedule and cost of the research

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Selection of the Basic Research

Method

y Survey

y A research technique in which a sample is interviewed in some

form or the behavior of respondents is observed and described.

y Written

y Telephone

y Observation

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Sampling

y Sampling

y Involves any procedure that draws conclusions based on

measurements of a portion of the population.

y

Sampling Decisionsy Who to sample?³target population

y What size should the sample be?

y How to select the sampling units?

y Random sample

y Cluster-sample

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Gathering Data

y UnobtrusiveMethods

y Methods in which research respondents do not have to be

disturbed for data to be gathered.

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Processing and Analyzing Data

y Editing Data

y Editing involves checking the data collection forms for

omissions, legibility, and consistency in classification

y Coding Data

y Applying rules for interpreting, categorizing, recording, and

transferring the data to the data storage media are called codes.

y Data Analysis

y The application of reasoning to understand the data that have

been gathered.

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Drawing Conclusions and Preparing a

Report

y Steps in Communicating the Research Findings

y Interpreting the research results

y Describing the implications

yDrawing the appropriate conclusions for managerial decisions.

y Reporting Requirements

y Conclusions fulfill the deliverables promised in the research

proposal.

yA clearly-written, understandable summary of the researchfindings

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International Marketing Research , Research Process

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