1. HOW CAN ONE CHARACTERIZE RESEARCH?
-Theoretical: concerned with developing, exploring or testing the theories or?ideas that researchers have about how the world operates.
-Empirical:? based on observations and measurements of reality
-Non-mothetic: rules that pertain to the general case
-Idiographic: laws or rules that relate to individuals
-Probabilistic: based on probabilities
-Descriptive:? What is going on or what exists
-Relational:? Looks at the relationships between two or more variables?(i.e., gender and voting preference)
-Causal:? How one variable impacts another (i.e., sales and advertising)
-Cross-Sectional: Takes place at a single point in time
-Longitudinal:? Takes place over time
2. AVOIDING RESEARCH FALLACIES
? The Ecological Fallacy:? occurs when you make?conclusions about individuals based on analyses of?group data.
? The Exception Fallacy:? Occurs when you reach a?group conclusion on the basis of exceptional cases.
3. HOW CAN ONE THINK AS A RESEARCHER?
4. DEFINITION: Marketing research is the systematic gathering,?recording and analyzing of data about problems?relating to the marketing of goods and services.
5. What research activities are undertaken by?companies?
? Advertising (exaggeration or puffery; company?image-Kaiser)
? Pricing? (reference pricing-at the movies; price?elasticity- Tylenol vs. Datril and price/quality)
? Market Potential (Levi's and the Cowboy Jean?market; Hilton Honors program)
? Corporate Responsibility (Listerine)
? New Product Research (Pringles; the power of?the pioneer)
? Product Perceptions (The "Green ones") ?
6. HOW YOU PROCEED WITH MARKET RESEARCH
1)State management's problem: sales of Barbie have leveled off!
2)State the research question: A research question is the single question or question(s) or hypotheses which best state the objectives of the research study.? (i.e., what are the major factors contributing to a decline in Barbie's sales?
-is Barbie's image negative?
-are competitor's products doing?better?
-would other products with the Barbie?name sell?
3)State the investigative questions: These?questions are those that the researcher must answer in?order to satisfactorily answer the general research question
-if Barbie were a real woman what type of job?would she have?
-describe Barbie's personality
4)Write the Measurement questions: these are?the questions which we actually ask?respondents.? They appear on the?questionnaire.
7. RESEARCH DESIGN ERRORS
? Surrogate information error - caused by a?variation between the information required to?solve the problem and the information sought?by the researcher.
? Measurement error - caused by a difference?between the information desired by the?researcher and the information provided by the?measurement process.
? Experimental error - occurs when the effect of?the experimental situation itself is measured?rather than the effect of the independent?variable.
? Population Specification error - selecting an?inappropriate universe or population from?which to collect data.
? Frame error - caused by using an inaccurate or?incomplete sampling frame.
? Sampling error - caused by the generation of a?non-representative sample via a probability?sampling method.
? Selection error or bias - caused by the?generation of a non-representative sample via a?non-probability sampling method.
? Non-response error - caused by (1) a failure to?contact all members of the sample and/or?
(2)?the failure of some contacted members of the?sample to respond to all or specific parts of the?measurement instrument.
