Marketing Research and Quantitative Research - Assignment Example

Marketing Research Answer Introduction The main objective of marketing research is to gather authentic and reliable information that can be used for decision making. The direct methods of data collection may sometimes be ineffective especially if the respondents are reluctant or incapable of answering the questions correctly. In such cases, the researcher uses projective techniques to collect data. Projective techniques are unstructured, indirect form of questioning that helps in uncovering the motivations, beliefs and attitudes of the respondents by asking them to interpret the behaviour of others. The four types of projective techniques are word association, completion techniques, construction techniques and expressive techniques. Word Association In the word association technique, test words are presented to the respondents, one at a time. The respondents are required to mention the first word that comes to their mind when they see the word(s) supplied to them. The list of test words contains some words of interest as well as some neutral words. This is done to mask the purpose of the study. For example the question posed to the respondent is as follows: ‘What is the first word that comes to your mind when you hear the following? Laundry………………………………………………………………………………………… Ariel…………………………………………………………………………………………… Hygiene…………………………………………………………………………………………… Spic and Span…………………………………………………………………………………… Comfort…………………………………………………………………………………………… The responses are analyzed by calculating the time taken by the respondent for each answer and the number of times a specific word is given as a response. The researcher also takes note of the number of respondents who do not respond to a particular test word at all. Completion Techniques In completion techniques, the initial stimulus is given to the respondents and they are required to complete it. The completion techniques may take the form of sentence completion or story completion. Under the sentence completion, a partial sentence is given to the respondent which has to be completed. “When I choose a smartphone, I look for ……………………………………………………..” Under the story completion, a partial story is given to the respondent which has to be completed. “A few days ago, I went to the market to buy a smartphone. There were about ten retailers who were selling different brands of smartphones. I was surprised to see………………………….” In the aforesaid examples, the researcher has directed the attention of the respondent to a particular topic. The conclusion has to be provided by the respondent. Construction Techniques The construction techniques are a means to elicit responses from the respondents by showing them a picture or cartoon. A picture or series of pictures of usual or unusual events is shown to the respondent who then has to interpret the picture(s). In general, consumers or products are the primary topics of the picture. “A picture of consumers entering into a retail store” “A picture of clothes being dried in the sun” “A picture of a family enjoying a picnic” The respondents build a story around the picture. They are asked to describe the situation and guess what may happen in future. The response given to the picture gives insights about the respondent’s personality. Under cartoon test technique, respondents are shown cartoon characters related to a specific problem. Generally, one cartoon makes a statement or comment and the respondent has to indicate what the other cartoon character might have said in response. As compared to the picture response, the cartoon tests are simpler to administer and analyze. Expressive Techniques The expressive techniques may take the form of role playing, third-person technique and personification technique. Under role playing, the respondents are asked to behave like someone else. For example the following situation is given to the respondent; “A customer has a complaint. The respondent is asked to assume the role of a manager and resolve the complaint.” Under the Third-Person Technique, a situation is described verbally or shown visually and the respondent is asked to describe the attitudes and feelings of a third person. For example, the following situation is given to the respondent; “Your friend has just purchased a second-hand luxury car. How do you think he is feeling?” Under the personification techniques, respondents imagine the brand to be a person and describe its characteristics. The question posed to the respondent is as follows; “If Harley Davidson was to come alive as a person, what would it do, where would it live and what would it wear?” Conclusion The projective research techniques can be used in varied settings. They are especially useful to elicit information when a candid response is not forthcoming from the respondent. The biggest advantage of using projective techniques is that the elicit response at a subconscious level. Thus it is possible to gather information on personal and sensitive issues. With the help of projective techniques, information can be gathered without revealing the purpose of the study. Answer 2 Introduction Quantitative research entails use of structured questions wherein the respondent has to answer from a given set of predetermined options. This type of research involves a large number of respondents and entails a lot of data crunching. Qualitative research on the other hand involves collection, analysis and interpretation of data by observing what the respondents say and do. The importance of each type of research can be understood by examining their merits and demerits. Superiority of Quantitative Research The data collected from qualitative research and the analysis is subject to interviewer bias, moderator bias and the interpreter bias. Moreover, the findings of qualitative research cannot be subjected to many of the time-tested statistical tests and techniques. On the other hand, findings and analysis of data obtained through quantitative research can be validated through statistical tools. A clear advantage of this type of research is that it deals with numbers and therefore provides a clear and precise explanation of findings and results. To that extent, quantitative research is superior to qualitative research as it helps generate conclusive findings. Moreover the information obtained from the sample can be extrapolated and can be used to describe the relevant parameters of the population. The marketing manager of a company wants to know how much product is brought and from what type of retail stores it is bought. In this case, quantitative data can be collected from a representative sample of the market to find out pretty accurate results. Quantitative research can be used to measure the correlation relationship between two different variables. For example a carbonated soft drink company can find the correlation between the temperature (recorded in degree Celsius) and sales. Critical Analysis: Inappropriateness of Quantitative Research There are certain situations where quantitative research cannot be used. At times, respondents do not reveal the truth and give politically correct answers. For example, the following question is posed to a respondent; “Do you wash your hands before meals?” The answer is bound to be a ‘Yes”, even though the reality may be otherwise. Likewise, there may be a case where the respondent does not have the precise answer or is unable to recall the answer. For example, “How many minutes do you spend in each section of the department store?” Chances are that the respondent may never have taken note of this point and may therefore not be in a position to answer the question correctly. The other limitation is that large samples are required to carry out quantitative research. If there are time or money constraints, obtaining information from large samples may not be possible. Moreover, errors in sampling can completely weaken the accuracy and validity of the quantitative research study. In cases where it is not possible to conduct quantitative research, qualitative research may be used by the researcher to gather the correct information. This fact established that quantitative research does not always provide the best results and the importance of qualitative research cannot be undermined. Qualitative research can be applied to different business problems where quantitative research does not provide conclusive results. Qualitative research may be used in advertising pre-testing, concept evaluation, brand positioning and corporate image studies. The indirect qualitative research uses projective techniques to find out the motivations and attitudes of the respondent without revealing the problem/issue under study. The direct qualitative research is also unstructured and uses focus groups and depth interviews to cull out valuable information. For example a prototype of a proposed new product is given to a focus group. The members of the focus group discuss various attributes of the product and highlight what they like or dislike about the product. The moderator ensures that the discussion does not go beyond the subject matter. The discussion may provide valuable inputs based on which the product may be modified before its commercial launch. Conclusion Both quantitative and qualitative types of research have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. It would be wrong to say that quantitative research is more important than qualitative research because it generates conclusive findings. The fact is that these are two distinct techniques of gathering market information. The deployment of quantitative research or qualitative research depends not only on the situation but also on the research objectives. Qualitative research is appropriate to develop an initial understanding of the subject. This research may not be based on a strict design and therefore allows the study to open up logically. The researcher may carry out an exploratory study through qualitative research which may, in turn, help in the design of quantitative phase of study. The researcher can also use these distinct approaches as complementary research designs. This will provide advantages of both types of research, help in corroborating the results and arrive at conclusive outcomes. Read More