Course Code: DMGT404

Course Title: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT 1

Maximum Marks: 20

Ques 1: Answer the following

(a) Define Research design?

The design of a study defines the study type (descriptive, correlational, semi-experimental, experimental, review, meta-analytic) and sub-type (e.g., descriptive-longitudinal case study),research question, hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, experimental design, and, if applicable, data collection methods .

(b) Define sample?

This has a specific meaning within quantitative market research, originating within probability theory and referring to the population that is researched or sampled, drawn from a target population. In this context, a sample should represent the target population, so that the results may be generalized to the whole of that population.

Qualitative research, on the other hand, does not attempt to derive representative samples. Rather, it seeks to include people or situations within a project that will prove the most fertile, given the nature of the research question; this is known as a purposive sample. In qualitative market research, therefore, the term sample is taken to mean the specific set of people interviewed or observed for a study and makes no technical reference to sampling theory.

Synonyms, Acronyms and Abbreviations

(c) What is the need of a research design?

Research design has a significant impact on the reliability of the results obtained. It thus acts as a firm foundation for the entire research. It is needed because it facilitates the smooth functioning of the various research operations. It makes the research as efficient as possible by giving maximum information with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money

The need for research design is as follows: It reduces inaccuracy; Helps to get maximum efficiency and reliability; Eliminates bias and marginal errors; Minimizes wastage of time; Helpful for collecting research materials; Helpful for testing of hypothesis; Gives an idea regarding the type of resources required in terms of money, manpower,  time,

and efforts; Provides an overview to other experts; Guides the research in the right direction.

(d) Differentiate exploratory and descriptive research design?

Exploratory Research

Exploratory research is an important part of any marketing or business strategy. Its focus is on the discovery of ideas and insights as opposed to collecting statistically accurate data. That is why exploratory research is best suited as the beginning of your total research plan. It is most commonly used for further defining company issues, areas for potential growth, alternative courses of action, and prioritizing areas that require statistical research.

When it comes to online surveys, the most common example of exploratory research takes place in the form of open-ended questions. Think of the exploratory questions in

your survey as expanding your understanding of the people you are surveying. Text responses may not be statistically measureable, but they will give you richer quality information that can lead to the discovery of new initiatives or problems that should be addressed.

Descriptive Research

Descriptive research takes up the bulk of online surveying and is considered conclusive in nature due to its quantitative nature. Unlike exploratory research, descriptive research is preplanned and structured in design so the information collected can be statistically inferred on a population.

The main idea behind using this type of research is to better define an opinion, attitude, or behaviour held by a group of people on a given subject. Consider your everyday multiple choice question. Since there are predefined categories a respondent must choose from, it is considered descriptive research. These questions will not give the unique insights on the issues like exploratory research would. Instead, grouping the responses into predetermined choices will provide statistically inferable data. This allows you to measure the significance of your results on the overall population you are studying, as well as the changes of your respondent’s opinions, attitudes, and behaviours over time.

(e) What do you understand by research problem?

1. Specify the Research ObjectivesA clear statement of objectives will help you develop effective research.

2. Review the Environment or Context of the Research ProblemAs a marketing researcher, you must work closely with your team. This will help you

determine whether the findings of your project will produce enough information to be

worth the cost.

3. Explore the Nature of the ProblemResearch problems range from simple to complex, depending on the number of

variables and the nature of their relationship.

If you understand the nature of the problem as a researcher, you will be able to better

develop a solution for the problem.

4. Define the Variable RelationshipsMarketing plans often focus on creating a sequence of behaviors that occur over time,

as in the adoption of a new package design, or the introduction of a new product.

5. The Consequences of Alternative Courses of ActionThere are always consequences to any course of action. Anticipating and

communicating the possible outcomes of various courses of action is a primary

responsibility in the research process.

[2*5=10] Ques 2: Explain the steps involved in sampling design process? [5]

STEPS IN SAMPLING PROCESS:

It is the procedure required right from defining a population to the actual selection of

sample elements.There are seven steps involved in this process.

Step 1: Define the population1

It is the aggregate of all the elements defined prior to selection of the sample. It is

necessary to define population in terms of

(i)        elements(ii)      sampling units(iii)    extent(iv)    time.

Step 2 : Identify the sampling frame

Identifying the sampling frame, which could be a telephone directory, a list of blocks and

localities of a city, a map or any other list consisting of all the sampling units. It may be

pointed out that if the frame is incomplete or otherwise defective, sampling will not be

able to overcome these shortcomings

The question is—How to ensure that the frame is perfect and free from any defect Leslie Kish has observed that a perfect frame is one where “every element appears on the list separately, once only once, and nothing else appears on the list” This type of perfect frame would indicate one-to-one correspondence between frame units and sampling units But such perfect frames are rather rare Accordingly, one has to use frames with one deficiency or another, but one should ensure that the frame is not too deficient so as to be given up altogether

Step 3: Specify the sampling unit

The sampling unit is the basic unit containing the elements of the target population. The

sampling unit may be different from the element. For example, if one wanted a sample

of housewives, it might be possible to have access to such a sample directly. However,

it is easier to select households as the sampling unit and then interview housewives in

each of the households.

 

As mentioned in the preceding step, the sampling frame should be complete and

accurate otherwise the selection of the sampling unit might be defective. It is necessary

to get a further specification of the sampling unit both in personal interviews and in

telephone interviews. Thus, in personal interviews, a pertinent question is—of the

several persons in a household, who should be interviewed? If interviews were held

during office timings when the heads of families and other employed persons are away,

interviewing would under-represent employed persons and over-represent elderly

persons, housewives and the unemployed. In view of these considerations, it is

necessary to have a random process of selection of the adult residents of each

household. One method that could be used for this purpose is to list all the eligible

persons living at a particular address and then select one of them.

Step 4: Specify the sampling method

It indicates how the sample units are selected. One of the most important decisions in

this regard is to determine which of the two—probability and non-probability sample—is

to be chosen.

In case of a probability sample, it is possible to measure the sampling error and thereby determine the degree of precision in the estimates with the help of the theory of probability. This theory also enables us to consider, from amongst the various possible sample designs, the one that will give the maximum information per rupee. This is not possible when a non-probability sample is used.

Although non-probability sampling does not yield these benefits, on account of its convenience and economy, it is often preferred to probability sampling. If the researcher is convinced that the risks involved in the use of a non-probability sample are more than offset by its being relatively cheap and convenient, his choice should be in favor of non-probability sampling

Step 5: Determine the sample size

In other words, one has to decide how many elements of the target population are to be

chosen.

Step 6: Specify the sampling plan

This means that one should indicate how decisions made so far are to be implemented.

For example, if a survey of households is to be conducted, a sampling plan should

define a household, contain instructions to the interviewer as to how he should take a

systematic sample of households, advise him on what he should do when no one is

available on his visit to the household, and so on. These are some pertinent issues in a

sampling survey to which a sampling plan should provide answers.

Step 7: Select the sampleThis is the final step in the sampling process. A good deal of office and fieldwork is involved in the actual selection of the sampling elements. Most of the problems in this stage are faced by the interviewer while contacting the sample-respondents.

Ques 3: Explain the characteristics of a good sampling design? [5]

Characteristics Of A Good Sample Design

Kish mentions that a good sample design requires the judicious balancing of four broad

criteria— goal orientation, measurability, practicality and economy.

 

Goal orientation

This suggests that a sample design “should be oriented to the research objectives,

tailored to the survey design, and fitted to the survey conditions” If this is done, it should

influence the choice of the population, the measurement as also the procedure of

choosing a sample

Measurability

A sample design should enable the computation of valid estimates of its sampling

variability Normally, this variability is expressed in the form of standard errors in surveys

However, this is possible only in the case of probability sampling In non-probability

samples, such as a quota sample, it is not possible to know the degree of precision of

the survey results

Practicality

This implies that the sample design can be followed properly in the survey, as

envisaged earlier It is necessary that complete, correct, practical and clear instructions

should be given to the interviewer so that no mistakes are made in the selection of

sampling units and the final selection in the field is not different from the original sample

design Practicality also refers to simplicity of the design, i.e. it should be capable of

being understood and followed in actual operation of the field work

Economy

Finally, economy implies that the objectives of the survey should be achieved with

minimum cost and effort Survey objectives are generally spelt out in terms of precision,

i.e. the inverse of the variance of survey estimates For a given degree of precision, the

sample design should give the minimum cost Alternatively, for a given per unit cost, the

sample design should achieve maximum precision (minimum variance)

It may be pointed out that these four criteria come into conflict with each other in most of the cases, and the researcher should carefully balance the conflicting criteria so that he is able to select a really good sample design As there is no unique method or procedure by which one can select a good sample, one has to compare several sample designs that can be used in a survey This means that one has to weigh the pros and cons, the strong and weak points of various sample designs in respect of these four criteria, before selecting the best possible one

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