1/21/2015

Business Research Method

Instructor

Prof. Ravi Shekhar Kumar

XLRI- Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur
ravishekhar@xlri.ac.in
Contact No. 3186
Session-1

Being ignorant is not so much a shame

as being unwilling to learn.
. Benjamin Franklin

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Agendaofthesession
IntroductionofResearch
ResearchClassification
StagesinvolvedinResearch
ProblemDefinition

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What are different examples of research?

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Why should we conduct research?

Research
Reducesriskindecisionmaking
Letsmoveawayfrommakingdecisionsbasedon
anecdotalevidence(i.e.,informationorcasual
observationthatisnotbasedonfactsorcarefulstudy)

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Expectations
Yourexpectations?
.essentiallyanappreciationofresearch

Myexpectations
Beagroup&gothroughexperientiallearningnota
defensiveorcompetingindividual!
Genuineinterestfromanapplicabilityperspectivenotjust
anothercourseIhadtotake!
Internalizethethoughtprocessnotmemorize!
Queryingnotdissociatedacceptance!
NODISTURBANCEtoCLASS
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BusinessResearch
Toprovideawellstructuredmethod
incarryingoutresearchinvestigation

Objectiveofcourse

Toprovidethoroughunderstanding
oftheresearchprocess

Tofamiliarizewithmajortechnique
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DefiningResearch
Thefunctionwhichlinkstheconsumer,thecustomer,and
publictothemarketerthroughINFORMATION.
Used to identify & define market
opportunities and problems

Information

Generate, refine, & evaluate

performance

Monitor performance

Improve understanding of process

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DefiningResearch
Researchisthesystematicandobjective
identification
collection
analysis
dissemination
anduseofinformation

Forimprovingdecisionmakingrelatedto:
identification&
solutionofproblemsandopportunitiesinmarketing
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AClassificationofResearch
Research

Problem
IdentificationResearch
Tohelpidentifyproblems
whicharenotnecessarilyapparentonthesurface
&yetexistorarelikelytoariseinthefuture

MarketPotentialResearch
MarketShareResearch
MarketCharacteristicsResearch
SalesAnalysisResearch
ForecastingResearch
BusinessTrendsResearch
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Problem
SolvingResearch
Tohelpsolvespecificproblems.

SegmentationResearch
ProductResearch
PromotionResearch
DistributionResearch
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ProblemSolvingResearch
SEGMENTATION RESEARCH
Determine the basis of segmentation
Establish market potential &
responsiveness for various
segments

PRODUCT RESEARCH

Select target markets

Test concept

Create lifestyle profiles:

demography, media, &
product image characteristics

Determine optimal product design

Package tests
Product modification
Brand positioning & repositioning
Test marketing

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ProblemSolvingResearch
PROMOTIONAL RESEARCH

0.00%

APR

Optimal promotional budget

Sales promotion relationship
Optimal promotional mix
Ad Copy decisions
Media decisions
Creative advertising testing
Evaluation of advertising effectiveness

PRICING RESEARCH
Pricing policies
Importance of price in brand selection
Product line pricing
Price elasticity of demand
Initiating and responding to price changes
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$ALE
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ProblemSolvingResearch
DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH

Determine
Types of distribution
Attitudes of channel members
Intensity of wholesale & resale coverage
Channel margins
Location of retail and wholesale outlets

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ResearchProcess
Step 1: Defining the Problem
Step 2: Developing an Approach to the Problem
Step 3: Formulating a Research Design
Step 4: Doing Field Work or Collecting Data
Step 5: Preparing and Analyzing Data
Step 6: Preparing and Presenting the Report
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ChainRestaurantStudy
One day I received a phone call
from a research analyst who
introduced himself as one of
our alumni

He was working for a restaurant

chain in town and wanted help
analyzing the data he had
collected while conducting a
marketing research study.

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ChainRestaurantStudy

When we met, he presented me with a copy of

the questionnaire and asked how he should
analyze the data. My first question to him was,

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ChainRestaurantStudy
When he looked
perplexed, I explained
that data analysis is not
an independent exercise.

Rather, the goal of data analysis is to PROVIDE INFORMATION

RELATED TO THE PROBLEM COMPONENTS.
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ChainRestaurantStudy
I was surprised to learn that he did not have a clear
understanding of the marketing research problem and
that a written definition did not exist. So before going
any further, I had to define the marketing research
problem.

Once that was done, I found that much of the

data collected was not relevant to the problem.
In this sense, the whole study was a waste of
resources. A new study had to be designed
and implemented to address the problem
defined.

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ProblemDefinition
Themostimportantstepinmarketingresearch

Thetrulyseriousmistakesaremadenotasaresult
ofwronganswersbutbecauseofaskingwrong
questions
PeterDrucker

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ProblemDefinition
FailureDisneyLandEurope(Paris)in1992
CocaColalaunchofnewCokeinearly1980s
SuccessofStarbuckinJapanin1996

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FactorstobeConsideredinthe
EnvironmentalContextoftheProblem
Past Information & Forcasts
Resources & Constraints
Objectives
Buyer Behavior
Legal Environment
Economic Environment
Marketing & Technological Skills
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ManagementDecisionProblem(MDP)
ManagementDecisionProblem(MDP):
Astatementspecifyingthetypeofmanagerialaction
requiredtosolvetheproblem.
Itaskswhatadecisionmakerneedstodo.
Itisactionoriented.
Itfocusesonsymptoms.

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ResearchProblem(RP)
ResearchProblem(RP):
Astatementspecifyingthetypeofinformationneeded
bythedecisionmakertohelpsolvethemanagement
decisionproblem andhowtheinformationcanbe
obtainedefficientlyandeffectively.
Itaskswhatinformationisneededandhowitshouldbe
obtained
Informationoriented
Focusonunderlyingcause

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Interestgenerated?

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