RESEARCH DESIGN

Dr Amit Agrawal
 Research Design
• A framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing
research project .
• It specifies the details of the procedures necessary for
obtaining the information needed to structure and/or solve
marketing research problems.

Procedure

To solve
problems
 Continuation
• Research design involves the following tasks:
1. Design the Exploratory, Descriptive and Causal phases of the
research.
2. Define the information needed.
3. Specify the measurement and scaling procedures.
4. Construct and pretest a questionnaire or an appropriate form
for data collection.
5. Specify the sampling process and the sample size.
6. Develop a plan of data analysis.
Research Design
 Types of research Design
1. Exploratory Research (Why is it going on?)
 Designed to generate basic knowledge, clarify
relevant issues uncover variables associated
with a problem, uncover information needs,
and/or define alternatives for addressing
research objectives.
 A very flexible, open-ended process.
 Continuation
• ER could be used for any of the following purposes:
1. To define a problem more precisely.
2. Identify alternative courses of action.
3. Develop hypotheses.
4. Isolate key variables and relationships for further
examination.
5. Gain insights for developing an approach to the problem.
6. Establish priorities for further research.
 Methods of Conducting Exploratory Research
• Secondary data analysis. Secondary data refers to the process of
searching for and interpreting existing info relevant to the
research problem (e.g., census data, articles in journals,
newspapers, etc.).

• Experience (Expert) surveys. Refers to gathering info from those

thought to be knowledgeable on the issues relevant to the
problem (i.e., ask experts).

• Case Analysis. Uses past situations that are similar to the present
research problem.

• Focus groups. Involves small (8-12) groups of people brought

together and guided by a moderator through unstructured,
spontaneous discussion.
 Conclusive Research
• The objective of conclusive research is to test
specific hypotheses and examine specific
relationships.
• Conclusive research is typically more formal
and structured than exploratory research.
 2. Descriptive Research
Descriptive Research ( What is going on ?)
Designed to provide further insight into the
research problem by describing the variables
of interest.
 Can be used for profiling, defining,
segmentation, estimating, predicting, and
examining associative relationships.
 Descriptive research Cont……
• Descriptive research provides answers to the
questions of who, what, when, where, and how.
• Note that we cannot conclusively ascertain
answers to WHY using descriptive studies.
• Descriptive studies can be of two varieties (i.e.,
classifications):
– Cross-sectional ( 1. Single , 2. Multiple Cross Sectional
– Longitudinal
 Descriptive Research Cont……
• Cross sectional Design :
A type of research design involving the
collection of information from any given sample
of population elements only once.
• Single Cross-sectional Design :
A cross sectional design in which one sample
respondents is drawn from the target population
and information is obtained from this sample
once.
 Cont….
• Multiple Cross-Sectional Design
A cross-sectional design in which there are
two or more sample of respondents , and
information from each sample is obtained only
once
Cohort Analysis
group of respondents who experience the
same event within the same time interval.
 Cont…..
• Longitudinal Designs :
 Same people are studied over time and the
same variables are measured.
 Sometimes, the term Panel is used
interchangeably with the term longitudinal design.
 A Panel consists of a sample of respondents,
generally households that have agreed to provide
information at specified intervals over an extended
period.
 Disadvantages of panel
1. Refusal to cooperate – Many individuals or
households do not wish to be bothered with the panel
operation and refuse to participate.
2. Mortality – Panel members who agree to participate
may subsequently drop out because they move away
or lose interest. Mortality rates can be as high as 20
percent per year.
3. Payment – Payment may cause certain types of
people to be attracted, making the group
unrepresentative of the population.
 3. Causal Research
• Causal research is used to obtain evidence of cause and
effect relationships.
• Marketing managers continuously make decisions
based on assumed causal relationships.
• These assumptions may not be justifiable and the
validity of the causal relationships should be examined
through formal research.
• For example, the common assumption that, “A
decrease in price will lead to increased sales” does not
hold good in certain competitive environments.
 Cont…
• Causal research is appropriate for the following
reasons:
1. To understand which variables are the cause
(Independent variable) and which variables are the
effect (Dependent variable) of a phenomenon.
2. To determine the nature of the relationship between
the causal variables and the effect to be predicted.
• Like des.res, causal research requires a planned and
structured design.
 Cont….
• Causal research is done in a relatively controlled
environment.
• A relatively controlled environment is one in
which the other variables that may affect the
dependent variable are controlled or checked as
much as possible.
• The main method of causal research is
experimentation. ( Ex: Dept store loyalty –
trained sales person & Sales )
 Relationships among Exploratory,
Descriptive and Causal Research
1. When little is known about the problem situation, it is
desirable to begin with Exploratory research. Exp.res. Is
appropriate when the problem needs to be defined more
precisely.
2. Exp.res. is the initial step in the overall research design
framework. It should, in most cases, be followed by
Descriptive or Causal research.
3. It is not necessary to begin every research design with
exploratory research. It depends upon the precision with
which the problem has been defined and the researchers
approach to the problem.
 Exploratory Research Design : Qualitative vs
Quantitative research
• Qualitative Research :
An unstructured , exploratory research
methodology based on small samples that
provides insights and understanding of the
problem setting .
• Quantitative Research :
A research methodology that seeks to quantity
the data and , typically , applies some form of
statistical analysis .
Qualitative research procedures
Focus
Group
Direct
Depth
Interview

Qualitative Association
research Techniques

Completion
Projective Techniques
Indirect Constructio
Technique
n
Techniques
Expressive
techniques
 Cont….
• Direct approach :
one type of qualitative research in which the
purpose of the project are disclosed to the
respondent or are obvious, given the nature of
the interview.
• Indirect approach :
A type of qualitative research in which the
purpose of the project are disguised from the
respondents .
 Direct (a) Focus Group
• An interview conducted by a trained moderator among
a small group of respondents in an unstructured and
natural manner .
• Characteristics :
Group = 8 to 12
Group Composition = Homogeneous , respondents
prescreened
Physical Setting = Relaxed , informal atmosphere
Time duration = 1 to 3 hrs
Recording = use of audiocassettes and videotapes
Moderator = observational , interpersonal
 Steps in Focus group
1. Determine the objectives of the MR project and
define the problem
2. Specify the objectives of qualitative research
3. State the objectives/question to be answered by
focus group
4. Write a screening questionnaire
5. Develop a moderator’s outline
6. Conduct the focus group interview
7. Review tapes and analyze the data
8. Summarize the finding and plan follow-up
research or action.
 Other variations in Focus Group
• Two-way focus group ( allows one target group to
listen to and learn from a related group)
• Dual-Moderator group ( 1-smooth , 2-specific issues)
• Dueling - Moderator group ( two opposite position)
• Respondent-Moderator group ( Moderator asks
selected respondents to play the role of Moderator)
• Client-Participant group ( customer participation)
• Mini group ( 4 to 5 nos )
• Telesession group ( phone & conference hall)
 Adv & Dis adv of Focus group
• Advantage :
1. synergism 2. snowballing 3.Stimulation
4. speed 5. structure
• Disadvantage :
1. Misuse 2. Misjudge 3. Messy 4. Difficult
ate to Moderate 5. Misrepresentation
 Direct (b) Depth Interview
• An unstructured , direct , personal interview in
which a single respondent is probed by a
highly skilled interviewer to uncover
underlying motivation , beliefs , attitudes , and
feeling on a topic .
• Characteristics : time : 30 min – 1 hr , one to
one communication , begin with general
question .
 Depth interview techniques
1. Laddering : A technique for conducting
depth interview in which a line of
questioning proceeds from product
characteristics to user characteristics
2. Hidden issue questioning : locate personal
sore spots related to deeply felt personal
concerns
3. Symbolic analysis : objects is analyzed by
comparing them with their opposites
 Indirect (1) Projective techniques
• An unstructured and indirect form of questioning
encourage the respondents to project their
underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes , or
feelings regarding the issues of concern
(a) Association techniques :
A type of projective technique in which the
respondents is presented with a stimulus and
asked to respond with the first that comes to
mind
 Cont….
(i) Word Association : A projective technique in
which respondents are presented with a list
of words . One at a time .after each word,
they are asked to give the first word that
comes to mind .
(b) Completion Technique : A projective
technique that requires the respondent to
complete an incomplete stimulus situation
 Cont…
(i) Sentence Completion : number of
incomplete sentences and asked to complete
them
(ii) Story Completion : part of a story and
required to give the conclusion in their own
words
 Cont….
( c) Construction Technique : in which the
respondent is required to construct a
response in the form of a story , dialogue , or
description .
(i) Picture response technique : respondents is
shown a picture and asked to tell a story
describing it .
(ii) Cartoon test : instead of picture
 Cont…
(d) Expressive Techniques : respondents is
presented with a verbal or visual situation and
asked to relate the feeling and attitudes of
other people to the situation .
(i) Role playing : respondents are asked to
assume the behavior of someone else.
(ii) Third-person technique : respondents is
presented with verbal or visual situation and
asked to relate the beliefs of a 3rd person to
the situation
 Tell best
restaurant in ??????
Madurai
 Descriptive Research design- Survey and
Observation
• Survey Method : A structured questionnaire
given to sample of a population and designed to
elicit specific information from respondents
1. Structured data collection ( use of formal
questionnaire )
2. Fixed alternative questions ( questions that
require respondents to choose from a set of
predetermined answers ) eg: Disagree to agree
 A Classification of survey methods
(A)Telephone Interviewing
(i) Traditional
(ii) Computer –Assisted
(B) Personal Interviewing
(i) In-Home ( Media Mark research –US )
(ii) Mall intercept
(iii) Computer –Assisted ( touch screen research – Australia )
(c) Mail Interviewing
(i) Mail
(ii) Mail Panel
(d) Electronic Interviewing
(i) E-Mail
(ii) Internet
A comparative evaluation of Survey Method

• Flexibility of data collection

• Diversity of question
• Use of Physical stimuli
• Sample control
• Speed
• Cost
• Quantity of data
 (2) Observation Methods
• The recording of behavioral patterns of
people, objects and events in a systematic
manner to obtain information about the
phenomenon of interest.
** Structured vs unstructured observation
Without specify
the details in
advance In Artificial
Envt
** Natural Vs Contrived Observation
 Observation Methods
1. Personal Observation
2. Mechanical Observation
(a) Psycho galvanometer( galvanic skin response
(b) Galvanic Skin Response
(c) Voice pitch Analysis
(d) response latency ( amt of time takes to speak
3. Audit ( pantry audit )
4. Content Analysis
5. Trace Analysis
 Causal Research Design: Experimentation
• Causality :
When the occurrence of “X” increases the
probability of the occurrence of “Y”.
• Conditions for causality :
 Concomitant variation – X and Y vary together as
predicted by the hypothesis under consideration .
Time order of occurrence of variables – event must
occur either before or simultaneously
Absence of other possible Casual Factors - ( absent
treated as a constant )
 Definition and Concepts – Casual Research
Design
• Independent variables – whose effects are
measured and compared
• Test units - whose response to independent
variables
• Dependent variables – measure the effect of
the independent variables
ORG
SERVICE (X) (R) SALES ( o)
 Cont….
• Extraneous variables : variables , other than the
independent variables , that influence the
response of the test units.
• Experiment : The process of independent variable
measuring their effect on dependent variables ,
while controlling for the extraneous variables
• Experimental Design : Procedures – 1. test unit &
sample design 2. Ind variable 3.dep variable 4. ctrl
the extraneous variable
 Validity in experimentation
• Internal Validity – Independent variables
caused the effect on the dependent variables
• External Validity – cause and effect
relationship found in the experiment can be
generalized
 A CLASSIFICATION OF EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGNS
Experimental
designs

Quasi Statistical
Preexprermental True Experimental
experimental

Randomized
One-shot case blocks
study Pre-test , post-test
control group Time series
Latin Square
One-group pre-test
–post test Post –test only Multiple time
control group series Factorial
Static group
Solomon four
group
 1. Preexperimental
• Designs that do not control for extraneous
factors by randomization
1. One-shot case study : single group of test
units is exposed to a treatment X , and then a
single measurement on the dependent
variable is taken.
2. One –group pretest and posttest design
3. Static group design ( EG – o1 , CG –o2, X)
 2. True experimental
• Experimental design distinguished by the fact
that the researcher can randomly assign test
units to experimental group and also
randomly assign treatment to experimental
group
 Cont….
1. Pretest – posttest control group design :
experimental group is exposed to treatment but
not control is not . Pretest and post test taken for
both group
2. Posttest only control group design :
3.Solomon four group design :
A true experimental design that explicitly controls
for interactive testing effect , in addition to
controlling for all the other extraneous variables
 Quasi-Experimental Designs
• Quasi –experimental design are useful
because they can be used in cases when true
experimental cannot , and because they are
quicker and less expensive
• Full experimental control is lacking , the
researcher must take into account the specific
variables that are not controlled
 Quasi ---Cont…
1.Time series design : periodic measurements are
continued to determine the treatment effect.
(eg..)O1 , O2 , O3 , O4 , O5 , X , O6 , O7, O8 , O9
2. Multiple time series design : includes two group
( Ctrl group , Experiment group)
(Eg)
EG : O1 , O2 , O3 , O4 , O5 , X , O6 , O7, O8 , O9
CG : O1 , O2 , O3 , O4 , O5 , , O6 , O7, O8 , O9
 Statistical Design
• Designs that allow for the statistical control
and analysis of external variables
1.Randomized block design : test units are
blocked on the basis of an external variable
(Eg..)
Block Store patronage Com A Com B
1 Heavy A B
2 Medium A B
 Cont…
2. Latin Square Design
statistical control of two non interacting
external variable s in addition to the
manipulation of the independent variable
(Eg..)
Store patronage Interest in store
High Low
High A B
 Cont…
3. Factorial Design
used to measure the effect of two or more
independent variables at various level and to
allow for interaction between variables (eg..)
Store info Amt of Humor
Low A B C
Medium D E F
High G H I