 I.

Formulating the research problem

 The formulation of a general topic into a specific
research problem constitutes the first step of
scientific enquiry.

 II. Objectives of the research

 It explains the aims that the researcher intends
to achieve through the research

 III. Extensive literature review

 Books, articles, journals, reports etc
 A good library will be a great help to the
researcher
 IV Developing of working hypothesis

 Hypothesis provide the focal point of

research.
 The role of hypothesis is to guide the
researcher by delimiting the area of research.
 It sharpens his thinking and focus
 IV Developing of working hypothesis

 How does one develop hypothesis?

 Discuss with colleagues and experts
 Examination of data and records
 Review similar studies
 Personal investigation through field interviews

 Working hypothesis must be stated in precise

and clear terms.
 V. Preparing the research design
 Researcher will have to state the conceptual
structure within which research would be
conducted.

 There are two types of research designs:

 A. Exploratory research
 B. Conclusive research
 1. Descriptive research
 2.Causal research
 VI. Determining sample design
 When we select a few items from the universe for
our study, the items selected constitute a
sample.
 Sample design is the way of selecting the sample.
 Probability sampling vs. non probability sampling

 One should restore to random sampling so that

bias can be eliminated and sampling error can be
estimated.
 VII. Collecting the data
 There are several ways of collecting data
which differ in context of money, costs, time
and other resources.

 Primary data can be collected through

experiments or surveys.
  Survey Methods

Surveys

Questionnaire
PI
Telephone
Observation
interview
Schedule
 VIII. Execution of the project
 The project should be executed in a
systematic manner and on time.

 IX. Analysis of data

 Establishment of categories, tabulating and
drawing statistical inferences.
 Analysis work is based on computation of
percentages, coefficients etc.
 X. Hypothesis-testing
 The hypothesis can be tested through the use of
the following tests
 Chi square
 T-test
 Z- test

 XI. Generalisations and interpretation

 Generalisation means to build a theory.
 When the researcher explains the findings it is
known as interpretation
 XII. Preparation of the report
 The layout of the report is divided into three
parts:-

 Preliminary pages
 Title and date
 Acknowledgements
 Forwards
 Table of content
 XII. Preparation of the report

 Main text
 Introduction
 Main report
 Conclusion

 End of the report

 Bibliography
 Appendices
 Index (optional)
 Objectivity
 Systematic
 Logical
 Universality
 Free from personal bias
 Control
 Empirical
 Replicable
 A framework or blueprint for conducting the
research project.

 It specifies the details of the procedures

necessary for obtaining the information
needed to structure and/or solve marketing
research problems.
 Research design involves the following
components:-

 Design the exploratory, descriptive and/or causal

phases of the research.
 Define the information needed
 Specify the measurement and scaling procedures
 Construct and pretest a quesstionnaire
 Specify the sampling process and sample size
 Develop a plan of data analysis
 Research designs make be classified into
 Exploratory
 Conclusive research

 Exploratory research
 The primary objective of exploratory research
is to provide insights into and an
understanding of the problem.
 The findings of exploratory research are
regarded as tentative or input to further
research.
 Conclusive research
 The objective of conclusive research is to test
hypothesis and examine specific
relationships.
 Conclusive research is more formal and
structured than exploratory research.
 The findings from this research are
considered to be conclusive.
 Research design

Exploratory Conclusive

Descriptive Causal

Longitudinal
Cross-Sectional
Design
Design

Multiple
Single
 Exploratory Conclusive
Objective To provide insights and To test specific
understanding hypothesis and examine
relationships
Information Information needed is Information is clearly
defined loosely defined
Research It is flexible and It is formal and structured
process unstructured
Sample It is small and non- It is large and
representative representative
Data analysis Qualitative Quantitative
Results Tentative Conclusive
Outcome Further exploratory or Inputs into decision
conclusive research making
 It can be used for any fo the following
purposes:-

 Formulate or define a problem precisely

 Identify alternative course of action
 Develop hypothesis
 Establish priorities for further research
 The major objective of this research is to
describe something – usually market
characteristics or functions.

 The 6 Ws
 Who
 What
 When
 Where
 Why
 Way
 Examples of descriptive research:-

 A study to determine the consumer

perceptions of Inorbit.

 To understand the consumption patterns of
FMCG products

 To understand the audience profile of the

consumers watching Colors
 Cross-Sectional Design
 It is the most frequently used descriptive
design.
 It involves the collection of information from
any given sample of population elements only
once.

 In single cross-sectional designs only one

sample of respondents is drawn from the
target population and information is obtained
from this sample only once
 In multiple cross-sectional designs, there are
two or more samples of respondents and
information from each sample is obtained
only once.
 Longitudinal designs
 A fixed sample of population elements is
measured repeatedly on the same variables.

 A longitudinal design differs from a cross-

sectional design in that the sample or samples
remain the same over time.

 A cross-sectional design gives a snapshot of the

variables of interest at a single point whereas a
longitudinal study provides a series of pictures
that give an in-depth view of the situation and
the changes that take place over time.
 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.

 Panel members are compensated for their

participation with gifts, coupons, information or
cash.’
Criteria Cross-sectional design Longitudinal design
Detecting change - +
Large amount of data - +
collection
Accuracy - +
Representative + -
sampling
Response bias + -

+ indicates a relative advantage over

other design
- indicates a relative disadvantage
 It is used to obtain evidence of cause and
effect (causal) relationships.

 Causal research is appropriate for the

following purposes:-
 To understand which variables are the cause
(independent variables) and which variables
are the effect (dependent variables)
 To determine the relationship between the
causal variables and the effect
 The main method of causal research is
experimentation

 Egs.
 Helpfulness of salesperson (causal variable)will
influence the sales of housewares (effect variables)
 Variables
 It is an entity that takes on different values
 Examples-age , weight, income etc.

 A specific value assigned to a variable is

called as an attribute
 Depending upon the attributes assigned, the
variables can be classified as:

 Continuous variables
 These are values within a given range or from an
infinite set
 Age – 30 to 40

 Non-continuous variables (Discrete)

 Only certain values are possible
 Example – Number of children
 Independent variable (IV)
 Can be manipulated

 Dependent variable (DV)

 Variable which is expected to be affected by
the manipulation of the IV.

 Moderating variable (MV)

 It is second to IV and has an effect on the IV-
DV relationship
 Extraneous variable
 It is that variable that is directly not related to
the study but may affect the DV.

 Intervening Variable (IVV)

 It is variable that affects the DV