Descriptive Research Design: Survey, Observation and Internet
Transcript of Descriptive Research Design: Survey, Observation and Internet
1- 1 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
PART TWO
Chapter 5
Descriptive Research
Design: Survey,
Observation and Internet
5-2 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Discuss and classify quantitative survey methods and describe the various personal, telephone, mail and electronic interviewing techniques.
Identify the criteria for evaluating survey methods.
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of different survey methods.
Appreciate that multiple research methods may need to be used to collect the required information.
Classify and describe the different observation methods used by marketing researchers.
Discuss the use of the Internet and WWW for surveys and observational methods.
5-3 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Survey Methods
Respondents are asked questions regarding their
behaviour, intentions, attitudes, awareness,
motivations, and demographics and lifestyle
characteristics
5-4 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Advantages of Surveys
Standardisation
Ease of administration
Ability to tap the ‘unseen’
Large sample
Low cost
Increases geographic flexibility
Suitable for tabulations and statistical analysis
Generalisability
Sensitivity to subgroup differences
5-5 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Disadvantages of Survey
Difficult developing questionnaires
Need to develop constructs, scale
measurements, questionnaire design
Respondents may be unable/unwilling to provide
the desired information
Structured and fixed responses
Difficult to probe
5-6 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Classification of Survey Methods
Nature of survey interaction
Person to person
Computer assistance
Self-completion
Mode of administration
Personal interviews
Telephone interviews
Mail interviews
Electronic
5-7 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Figure 5.2 Classification by Mode of Administration
5-8 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Personal Methods
Personal face-face in-home interviews
Interview conducted at the respondent’s home
Advantages
When personal contact is essential
Conducive environment to questioning process
5-9 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Personal Methods cont.
Central location personal interviews
Interview conducted in shopping centres
Advantages
Travel costs are eliminated
Interviewer can interact with respondents
Disadvantages
Non-representative sample
Uncomfortable environment
5-10 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Personal Methods cont.
Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI)
Direct entry of research information into a
computerised database
5-11 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Telephone Methods
Traditional hard-copy telephone interviews
Phoning a sample of respondents and asking them a series of
questions.
Interviewer records answers on hardcopy of questionnaire.
Advantages
Inexpensive
Yields a very high quality sample
Quick
Disadvantages
Inability of respondents to see questions
Inability to observe respondents
Limitations on information quality and quantity
Growing use of answering machines
People associate surveys with telemarketing
5-12 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Telephone Methods cont.
Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)
Computerised questionnaire administered to respondents
over the telephone
Advantages
Inexpensive
Computer dials phone number Computer skips questions
Can customise questions
No editing required Analysis can be done at any stage
Cost savings
Quality control
Time savings
Minimises
research errors
5-13 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Telephone Methods cont.
Computer automated telephone systems (CATS)
Computer-synthesised voices are used to ask
questions over the phone
Respondents select numbers on the telephone
keypad to answer questions
Voice recognition is likely to be used in the future to
record and count responses
5-14 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Mail Methods
Mail interviews
Questionnaire is developed and mailed to pre-
selected respondents who return the completed
surveys by mail
Mail interview package consists of the outgoing
envelope, cover letter, questionnaire, return
envelope
5-15 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Mail Methods cont.
Advantages
No interviewers to recruit, train, monitor and
compensate
Inexpensive to implement
Can reach many people
Disadvantages
Low response rate
Self-selection bias
Slow form of collection
Possible misunderstanding of skipped questions
5-16 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Mail Methods cont.
Methods used to increase response rate
Preliminary notification
Foot-in-the-door
Personaliation
Anonymity
Response deadline
Appeals
Sponsorship
Incentives
Questionnaire length
Questionnaire size, reproduction, and colour
Type of postage (outgoing)
Type of postage (return envelopes)
Follow-ups
Source: Connant, J., Smart, D., and Walker, B., 1990 ‘Mail Survey Facilitation Techniques: An Assessment
and Proposal Regarding Reporting Practices’, Journal of Market Research Society, 32(4), pp.569 – 580.
5-17 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Mail Methods cont.
Mail Panels
Large representative sample of households that have agreed to
participate in periodic mail questionnaires, product tests and
telephone survey
Advantages
Panel can be tested prior to the survey to obtain a
representative sample
Produces a higher response compared with direct mail
Allows for longitudinal research
Disadvantage
May not be a representative sample
5-18 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Example: Roy Morgan Single Source
Roy Morgan research company surveys over 50, 000 Australians each year on a range of topics which forms their Single Source Data
Lifestyle and attitudes
Media consumption habits
Brand and product usage
Purchase intentions
Service provider preferences
Financial information
Recreation and leisure activities
Source: www.roymorgan.com
5-19 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Electronic Methods
E-mail interviews
A survey using plain text which is e-mailed
for the respondent to read, complete and
return
5-20 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Electronic Methods cont.
Internet interviews
Use HTML to write the questionnaire.
Survey can be found on the web or emailed to a
potential respondent
Can contribute to higher quality data
5-21 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Figure 5.3 Electronic Research Methods
5-22 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Table 5.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of
Internet surveys
Advantages
Higher response rates
Greater response accuracy
More enjoyable
More aesthetically pleasing
Less expensive
Faster turnaround
Trend-leader population
Instantaneous global reach
Customised surveys
Ability to find highly specific
research targets
Disadvantages
Self-selection
Unrepresentative population
Anonymity bias by Internet
users
Respect for multicultural
responses
Anxiety in divulging
information
Shorter attention span
Lack of interpersonal
nuances
Possibility for multiple and
repeated polling
Novelty bias will diminish
5-23 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Table 5.3 A Comparative Evaluation of Survey Methods
5-24 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Observation Methods
Recording the behaviour of people, objects and
events in a systematic manner to obtain
information relevant to the problem
Can be classed as a qualitative or quantitative
research technique
Observational methods include:
Structured vs unstructured
Disguised vs undisguised
Natural vs contrived
5-25 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Structured
Researcher specifies what is to be observed and
how the measurement will be recorded
Reduces potential for observer bias and
enhances the reliability of the data
Appropriate when problem has been clearly
defined and the information needed has been
specified
Suitable for conclusive research
5-26 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Unstructured
Observer monitors all aspects of the
phenomenon that seems relevant to the problem
at hand
Appropriate when the problem has yet to be
formulated precisely and flexibility is needed in
observing to identify key components of the
problem and to develop hypotheses
Observer bias is high
Suitable for exploratory research
5-27 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Disguised
Respondents are unaware that they are being
observed
Respondents behave naturally
Props include one-way mirrors, hidden cameras
or inconspicuous mechanical device
5-28 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Undisguised
Respondent are aware that they are under
observation
May bias behaviour patterns
5-29 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Natural
Observation takes place in the environment
[supermarket]
Observed behaviour will more accurately reflect
true behaviour
5-30 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Contrived
Respondent's behaviour is observed in an
artificial environment
Do not need to wait for behaviour to occur in a
natural environment
5-31 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Figure 5.4 A Classification of Observation Methods
Observation methods
Personal
observation
Mechanical
observation Audit
Content
analysis
Trace
analysis
5-32 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Personal Observation
Researcher observes and records actual
behaviour as it occurs
5-33 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Mechanical Observation
Direct mechanical devices
Eye-tracking monitors
Pupilometres
Psychogalvanometers
Voice pitch analysers
Devices measuring response latency
Brainwave measurement
5-34 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Mechanical Observation cont.
Indirect mechanical devices include
Audimeters/ peoplemeters
Turnstiles
Traffic counters
Cameras
Scanners
5-35 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Audit
Researcher collects data by examining physical
records or performing inventory analysis
Data is collected personally by the researcher
Data are based upon counts
5-36 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Content Analysis
Appropriate when observing communication,
rather than behaviour
Examples
Observing words used in newspapers
How woman are portrayed in advertising over
the years
Identifying themes from in-depth interviews
5-37 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Trace Analysis
Data collection is based on physical traces, or
evidence, of past behaviour
Examples
Erosion of tiles or carpet to measure traffic patterns
Fingerprints on magazine to gauge ad popularity
Internet users leave traces of websites visited
5-38 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Case: Recycling Behaviour
A municipal council in Australia examined
household rubbish to identify whether
households were disposing of rubbish
appropriately, in particular, if they were recycling
most recyclable items. Although surveys
indicated that households were recycling, trace
analysis was deemed the best method in
obtaining information on actual behaviour.
Is this ethical? Would you like it if someone went through
your rubbish?
5-39 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Figure 5.5 A comparative Evaluation of
Observation Methods
Criteria
Personal
Observation
Mechanical
Observation
Audit
Content
Analysis
Trace
Analysis
Degree of
Structure
Low
Low to High
High
High
Moderate
Degree of
Disguise
Moderate
Low to High
Low
High
High
Ability to
Observe in
Natural Setting
High
Low to High
High
Moderate
Low
Observation
Bias
High
Low
Low
Moderate
Moderate
Analysis Bias
High
Low to
Moderate
Low
Low
Moderate
Overall
Most flexible
Can be
intrusive
Expensive
Limited to
communica
tions
Method of
last resort
5-40 Malhotra Hall Shaw Oppenheim Essentials of Marketing Research © Copyright 2004 Pearson Education Australia
Comparison of Survey and
Observation Methods
Relative Advantages of Observation
Measures actual behaviour
No interviewer bias
Useful when respondent is unaware/unable to
communicate feelings
Relative Disadvantages of Observation
Little is known about the underlying motives, beliefs,
attitudes, and preferences
Time consuming and expensive
Borders on being unethical