Page 14 - DMGT404 RESEARCH_METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology

Notes 5. Competitors marketing expenditure:

Example: "How much competitor spent, to market a similar product"?

1.3.4 Decision on Research Design

1. Should the research be exploratory or conclusive?
Exploratory research:

Example: "Causes for decline in sales of a specific company's product in a specific territory
under a specific salesman".
The researcher may explore all possibilities why sales in falling?

(a) Faulty product planning
(b) Higher price
(c) Less discount
(d) Less availability

(e) Inefficient advertising/salesmanship
(f) Poor quality of salesmanship
(g) less awareness
Not all factors are responsible for decline in sales.

Conclusive research: Narrow down the option. Only one or two factors are responsible
for decline in sales. Therefore zero down, and use judgment and past experience.
2. Who should be interviewed for collecting data?

If the study is undertaken to determine whether, children influence the brand, for ready -
to eat cereal (corn flakes) purchased by their parents. The researcher must decide, if only
adults are to be studied or children are also to be included. The researcher must decide if
data is to be collected by observation method or by interviewing. If interviewed, "Is it a
personal interview or telephonic interview or questionnaire?"
3. Should a few cases be studied or choose a large sample?
The researcher may feel that, there are some cases available which are identical and
similar in nature. He may decide to use these cases for formulating the initial hypothesis.
If suitable cases are not available, then the researcher may decide to choose a large sample.
4. How to incorporate experiment in research?

If it is an experiment, "Where and when measurement should take place?", should be
decided.

Example: In a test of advertising copy, the respondents can first be interviewed to measure
their present awareness, and their attitudes towards certain brands. Then, they can be shown a
pilot version of the proposed advertisement copy, following this, their attitude also is to be
measured once again, to see if the proposed copy had any effect on them.
If it is a questionnaire, (a) What are the contents of the questionnaire? (b) What type of questions
to be asked? Like pointed questions, general questions etc. (c) In what sequence should it be

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