1. HOW CAN ONE CHARACTERIZE RESEARCH?

-Theoretical: concerned with developing, exploring or testing the theories or ideas that researchers have about how the world operates.

-Empirical:  based on observations and measurements of reality

-Non-mothetic: rules that pertain to the general case

-Idiographic: laws or rules that relate to individuals

-Probabilistic: based on probabilities

-Descriptive:  What is going on or what exists

-Relational:  Looks at the relationships between two or more variables (i.e., gender and voting preference)

-Causal:  How one variable impacts another (i.e., sales and advertising)

-Cross-Sectional: Takes place at a single point in time

-Longitudinal:  Takes place over time

2. AVOIDING RESEARCH FALLACIES

• The Ecological Fallacy:  occurs when you make conclusions about individuals based on analyses of group data.

• The Exception Fallacy:  Occurs when you reach a group conclusion on the basis of exceptional cases.

3. HOW CAN ONE THINK AS A RESEARCHER?

4. DEFINITION: Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording and analyzing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services.

5. What research activities are undertaken by companies?

• Advertising (exaggeration or puffery; company image-Kaiser)

• Pricing  (reference pricing-at the movies; price elasticity- Tylenol vs. Datril and price/quality)

• Market Potential (Levi's and the Cowboy Jean market; Hilton Honors program)

• Corporate Responsibility (Listerine)

• New Product Research (Pringles; the power of the pioneer)

• Product Perceptions (The "Green ones")  

6. HOW YOU PROCEED WITH MARKET RESEARCH

1)State management's problem: sales of Barbie have leveled off!

2)State the research question: A research question is the single question or question(s) or hypotheses which best state the objectives of the research study.  (i.e., what are the major factors contributing to a decline in Barbie's sales?

-is Barbie's image negative?

-are competitor's products doing better?

-would other products with the Barbie name sell?

3)State the investigative questions: These questions are those that the researcher must answer in order to satisfactorily answer the general research question

-if Barbie were a real woman what type of job would she have?

-describe Barbie's personality

4)Write the Measurement questions: these are the questions which we actually ask respondents.  They appear on the questionnaire.

7. RESEARCH DESIGN ERRORS

• Surrogate information error - caused by a variation between the information required to solve the problem and the information sought by the researcher.

• Measurement error - caused by a difference between the information desired by the researcher and the information provided by the measurement process.

• Experimental error - occurs when the effect of the experimental situation itself is measured rather than the effect of the independent variable.

• Population Specification error - selecting an inappropriate universe or population from which to collect data.

• Frame error - caused by using an inaccurate or incomplete sampling frame.

• Sampling error - caused by the generation of a non-representative sample via a probability sampling method.

• Selection error or bias - caused by the generation of a non-representative sample via a non-probability sampling method.

• Non-response error - caused by (1) a failure to contact all members of the sample and/or 

(2) the failure of some contacted members of the sample to respond to all or specific parts of the measurement instrument.