Business Research Methods

March 21, 2014

Topic & Structure of the lesson

Topic Outline
Introduction Methods of data Collection: Observation/Interview/Questionnare Other Methods: Panel research Warranty card Pantry Audit Consumer panel Mechanical Devices Projective Techniques

March 21, 2014

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this chapter you should be able to understand:
the process for selecting the appropriate and optimal communication approach factors affect participation in communication studies major advantages and disadvantages of the three communication approaches Other methods of Data Collection

March 21, 2014

Data: Information, knowledge, and conceptions, related to data, people, or things, obtained by observation, investigation, interpretation, visualization, and mental creation. Data are intangible and include numbers, words, symbols, ideas, concepts, and oral verbalization.

Fieldwork/Data Collection Process:All field involves the selection, training and supervision of persons who collect data. The following steps involves in data collection. Selection of field workers. Training of fieldworkers. Supervision of fieldworkers.

Validation of fieldwork.
Evaluation of fieldworkers.

Types of Data: 1. Primary collected afresh for the first time. 2. Secondary collected by someone else & passed through the statistical process. Three basic data collection approaches in Business research. 1. Secondary Research 2. Survey Research 3. Experimental Research

1.

Secondary Research:

Utilization of data that were developed for some purpose other than helping solve the problem at hand

There are two types of secondary data:A. Internal secondary data:Data generated within the organization itself, such as salespersons call reports, sales invoices and accounting records. B. External secondary data:Data generated by sources out side the organization, such as Govt. reports, trade association data and data collected by syndicated services.

2. Survey Research:Systematic gathering of information from respondents for the purpose of understanding and/or predicting some aspect of the behavior of the population of interest. Systematic collection of information directly from respondents using verbal or written questioning This research can be done by following steps. A. Personal Interviews:Collection of information in face to face situation. Personal interviews can be in following ways:Door to Door/Home InterviewsPersonal interviews in the respondents home or office. Shopping Mall Intercept InterviewsPersonal interviews in central locations generally in shopping malls.

B. Telephone Interviews:Collection of information from respondents via telephone.

C. Self Administered Questionnaire :-

Collection of information from respondents via mail or similar techniques e.g. through web/ displaying on the desktop (Welcome Screen).

 Good Afternoon, my name is

_________. I am with _________ survey research company. We are conducting a survey on_________

Questionnaire length Long Item non response Low Possibility of respondent misunderstanding Lowest Degree of interviewer influence of answer High Supervision of interviewers Moderate

Anonymity of respondent Low Ease of call back or follow-up Difficult Cost Highest Special features Visual materials may be shown or demonstrated; extended probing possible

Speed of data collection Fast Geographical flexibility Confined, urban bias Respondent cooperation Moderate to low Questionnaire length Moderate to long Item non-response Medium Possibility of respondent misunderstanding Lowest

Degree of interviewer influence of answers Highest Supervision of interviewers Moderate to high Anonymity of respondent Low Ease of call back or follow-up Difficult Cost Moderate to high Special features Taste test, viewing of TV commercials possible

Speed of Data Collection Very fast Geographical Flexibility High Respondent Cooperation Low Versatility of Questioning Moderate Supervision of interviewers High, especially with central location Anonymity of respondent Moderate

Ease of call back or follow-up Easy Cost Low to moderate Special features Fieldwork and supervision of data collection are simplified; quite adaptable to computer technology

SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES

PAPER QUESTIONNAIRES

ELECTRONIC QUESTIONNAIRES

MAIL

IN-PERSON DROP-OFF

INSERTS

FAX

E-MAIL

INTERNET WEB SITE

KIOSK

Speed of data collection Researcher has no control over return of questionnaire; slow Geographical flexibility High Respondent cooperation Moderate--poorly designed questionnaire will have low response rate Versatility of questioning Highly standardized format Questionnaire length Varies depending on incentive Item non-response High

Possibility of respondent misunderstanding Highest--no interviewer present for clarification Degree of interviewer influence of answer None--interviewer absent Supervision of interviewers Not applicable Anonymity of respondent High Ease of call back or follow-up Easy, but takes time Cost Lowest

Speed of data collection Instantaneous Geographic flexibility worldwide Cheaper distribution and processing costs Flexible, but Extensive differences in the capabilities of respondents computers and e-mail software limit the types of questions and the layout Respondent cooperation Varies depending if e-mail is seen as spam

A self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web site. Respondents provide answers to questions displayed online by highlighting a phrase, clicking an icon, or keying in an answer. Speed of data collection
Cost effective Geographic flexibility Visual and interactive
worldwide Instantaneous

There is no best form of survey; each has advantages and disadvantages.

Selected Questions to Determine the Appropriate Technique : Is the assistance of an interviewer necessary? Are respondents interested in the issues being investigated? Will cooperation be easily attained? How quickly is the information needed? Will the study require a long and complex questionnaire? How large is the budget?

A trial run with a group of respondents to iron out fundamental problems in the instructions of survey design

Practice is the best of all instructors.

- Publius Syrus

3. Experimental Research:The researcher manipulates one or more variables in such a way that its effect on one or more other variables can be measured. There are two types of this research. A. Laboratory Experiment:Manipulation of the independent variables in an artificial situation. 1. Basic designs consider the impact of only one independent variable. 2. Statistical designs consider the impact of more than one independent variables.

B. Field Experiment:-

1.

2.

manipulation of the independent variables in a natural situation. Basic design consider the impact of only one independent variable. Statistical design consider the impact of more than one independent variables.

Questionnaire is a formalized set of questions for obtaining information from respondents.

Objective of Questionnaire:

Any questionnaire has three specific objectives: 1. It must translate the information needed into a set of specific questions that the respondents can and will answer. 2. A questionnaire must uplift, motivate, and encourage the respondents to become involved in the interview, to cooperate and to complete the interview. 3.A questionnaire should minimize response error.

The great weakness of questionnaire design is lack of theory. Because there are no scientific principles that guarantee an optimal or ideal questionnaire. Questionnaire design is a skill acquired through experience. It is a art rather than a science.

Questionnaire design will be presented as following series of steps: 1. Specify the information needed. 2. Specify the type of interviewing method. 3. Determine the content of individual questions.

Questionnaire Designing process

4.Design the respondents answer.
5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

questions to overcome the inability and unwillingness to

Decide the questions structure. Determine the question wording. Arrange the question in proper order. Identify the form and layout. Reproduce the questionnaire.

10.Pretest the questionnaire.

Warranty Cards: These post card sized cards are commonly used by dealers in the consumer durable industry. The dealer sends the card to the consumers who post them back. The dealer can gather information about the product from them. Panel research: Panel Research Measures different attitude, knowledge & or behavior using the same basic set of respondents at either regular or unique time interval, are conducted among a group of respondents who have agreed to respond to a no. of mails/ telephones/ occasionally personal interviews over time. Ex. Illionis Bell used a panel of over 16,000 house holds. Three versions of test ad and one control ad were mailed to CD/DVD Player owner of the panel. Results helped in developing advt strategy. Panel Survey obtains high response rate. However the response rate when individuals are asked to join a panel may be initially low.

Pantry Audit: is used to estimate the consumption of the basket of goods at the consumer level. Here the investor collects an inventory of types, quantities and price of commodities consumed. Quite often questioning the reason & circumstances under which the particular products were purchased. Consumer Panel: monitors shift in individuals or specific household behaviors and attitudes over a period of time. They are helpful in gathering relevant data pertaining to competitors strategies or own marketing strategies efficiency. It can be of the following form:

Diary Panels: Panel of households who continuously

information on purchase of selected items including the following data: Date of purchase; the no. & size of the package Total amount paid; payment mode-cash/card/coupon Whether the purchase was influenced by any promotional method; store where the purchase was made. Apart from this respondents are required to answer certain special questions which are specific for each product categories.

record their purchase of selected products like food items, house hold goods & personal care products in a diary. Each panel of the vast sample of families and non-families households are required to report

Media Panels: to know the media habits of target customers. Consists of sampled households whose television viewing behavior is recorded through special electronic devices. Device is a meter wired to TV, connected to central computer via telephone line and automatically starts recording the specific channels that are being tuned to when TV is switched on. No. of viewers cant be counted.

Mechanical Devices: Eye camera (Focus of eye), pupil-metric (Dilateion of the pupil) camera, psycho-galvanometer (body excitement), Motion Picture (movement of body) Camera and Audiometer (In Media Panels) are the principal devices so far developed and commonly used by modern big business houses mostly in the developed world of collecting the required information.

Projective Techniques: (Indirect interview techniques): to project respondents for inferring about underlying motives, urges or intentions which are such that respondent either resist to reveal them or is unable to figure out himself. Here the respondent in supplying information tend unconsciously to project his own attitude or feeling on the subject under study. Very important in motivational researches or in attitude surveys.

Some projective techniques: 1. Word Association Test: List of 50 100 words & most associated response. Quality that is most associated to a brand of product. 2. Sentence Completion test: Extension of above. 3. Story Completion Test 4. Pictorial Technique 5. Play Techniques 6. Sociometry: describe social relationship among individuals in a group i.e. attraction or repulsion between individuals by asking them to indicate to whom they would chose or reject in various situations

SUMMARY

March 21, 2014

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Business Research Methods Cooper, Schindler; Tata Mc Graw Hills Marketing Research G C Beri; Tata Mc Graw Hills. Business Research Methods William G Zikmund; Thomson. Marketing Research Tull, Hawkin; PHI

March 21, 2014