Page 29 - DMGT209_QUANTITATIVE_TECHNIQUES_II

Quantitative Techniques-II

Notes 2.4 Goals, Strategy and Tactics of Research

Many researchers agree that the goals of scientific research are: description, prediction, and
explanation/understanding. Some individuals add control and application to the list of goals.
The goal of research is to find out answers to questions through the application of systematic
and scientific way.

Though there is a specific purpose behind each research study, however, the objectives can be
broadly classified as under:
 To obtain familiarity of a phenomenon.

 To determine the association or independence of an activity.
 To determine the characteristics of an individual or a group of activities and the frequency
of its (or their) occurrence.

2.5 Internal and External Research Suppliers

Marketing research can be conducted by having:
(a) Internal marketing departments in the organisation
or
(b) By taking the help of external agencies such as ORG, Marg, AC Neilson etc.

The type of organisation selected for market research depends on how big an organisation is
and the varied type of products manufactured etc. There are two types of internal departments.
Departments internal to organisation can be run by:
(a) One person
or
(b) A full-fledged market research department where several employees are involved.

One Person Operation

Small companies may not be able to afford a full-fledged MR department. They may appoint
one or two persons to conduct MR and report the results to the head of the company. In medium
sized firms, MR reports are collected by head of the marketing department. In larger firms, an
independent marketing research department is established on a permanent basis and an
experienced person is appointed as the head of marketing department.

The marketing department usually has executives, secretaries, assistants and others. The
marketing department can function either on a centralized or decentralized basis. The centralized
marketing department has the advantage of good coordination with various departments. On
the other hand, decentralized marketing departments score in gaining valuable knowledge
regarding markets, products in the respective area (i.e. is localised).
2.5.1 External Organizations for Conducting Marketing Research

(a) Advertising agencies
(b) Trade associations
(c) Manufacturers

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